A former employee of the Stoughton Water Department has admitted to tampering with the town's drinking water supply. Robert J. Bullock, Sr., aged 60 and residing in Brockton, pleaded guilty to a charge of tampering with a water system. The plea was entered before U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper, who set sentencing for June 25, 2025.
The incident dates back to November 29, 2022, when Bullock reportedly entered a pumping station and turned off the pump responsible for introducing chlorine into the drinking water. This action led to insufficiently disinfected water being distributed through the system.
Bullock was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 5, 2024. The charge he faces carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing will be determined based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge at the FBI's Boston Division; and Kathryn Rivera from the Environmental Protection Agency's Criminal Investigation Division in Boston. They acknowledged assistance from the Massachusetts State Police as well as police departments in Stoughton and Brockton. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Tolkoff is handling the prosecution.
