Disgraced Waltham Officer Seeking Retirement Benefits

Former Waltham Police Officer Paul Manganelli has applied for retirement benefits and the Waltham Retirement Board will likely vote on whether to issue them during their Thursday meeting, according to officials. 

Manganelli, who resigned on Oct. 8 days before he was indicted on child pornography charges, applied for retirement benefits on Oct. 9, according to Waltham Retirement Director Joseph Juppe. 

The board will likely vote on whether to issue those benefits during its Oct. 24 meeting at Waltham City Hall, according to the board’s attorney, Michael Sacco. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.

Since Manganelli, who is 46 and has served more than 20 years as a Waltham officer, applied for benefits prior to any criminal conviction, the board, at this point, has no legal basis to deny him benefits, Sacco said.

"Until a person is convicted, there is not anything we can or should do," Sacco said.

If Manganelli, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains on supervised release, is convicted of a crime in the future, the retirement board will review his case and possibly stop the benefits, Sacco said.

If Manganelli is convicted, the board would review court records and facts of the case to determine whether he broke laws or rules relating to his job as a police officer, Sacco said. Then, the board would determine whether to stop benefits, Sacco said. 

Manganelli was arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in March at his Waltham home. He had been on paid administrative leave until he resigned.