Man accused of intimidating Karen Read witnesses with rubber ducks and counterfeit money

A 36-page police report says Schiffer on March 6, March 13, April 6 and July 11 allegedly littered an area outside D&E Pizza and Subs in Canton — a business owned by a trial witness Read, Chris Albert, whose son, Colin, also testified – with fake $100 bills bearing the phrase “Justice for BPO John O’Keefe” stamped on one side and “COLIN DID IT!” » on the other.

On April 6, Schiffer allegedly left yellow rubber ducks with “COLIN DID IT” stickers in front of the pizzeria, according to the report. The phrase refers to a theory asserted by Read’s defenders that Colin Albert was responsible for O’Keefe’s death, according to the report.

Read, 44, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter while operating under the influence and leaving the scene of injury resulting in death. Prosecutors allege she drunkenly drove her Lexus SUV into O’Keefe, a Boston police officer with whom she was dating, on January 29, 2022, after dropping him off in front of a house in Canton after a night spent in bars. Her lawyers claim she was framed and O’Keefe entered the home, owned at the time by a fellow Boston police officer who is Colin Albert’s uncle, where he was fatally beaten before his body is placed on the lawn.

Colin Albert, 21, testified at Read’s trial that he left his uncle’s home about 20 minutes before Read and O’Keefe arrived outside the residence. He has not been charged with any crime in connection with this case.

Read’s trial ended in a hung jury in July and his retrial is scheduled for January. She remains free on bail.

In the report, police said the ducks were a nod to a statement about the case that one of Read’s attorneys, Alan Jackson, made at a pretrial hearing during which he declared in court: “If he walks like a duck, he talks like a duck. duck, it’s a duck. The report does not specify what Jackson was referring to at the time.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Schiffer denied any criminal wrongdoing and said all of his activities were protected by the First Amendment.

“This is all false,” he said of the accusations. “They just don’t like the message.” … It’s about John O’Keefe and the imprisonment of the people who did this to him. It’s a shame what they did » Read.

Schiffer’s alleged conduct prompted others to go to Chris Albert’s pizzeria and harass employees, showing up dressed in “big duck costumes” and leaving rubber duckies with various messages right there. outside the business, police said.

Schiffer also left the rubber ducks “at the residence of (State Police) Lead Investigator Michael Proctor” and throughout the city of Canton, including in the neighborhood where O’Keefe’s parents live with his niece and nephew, whom he was raising at the time of his death after their parents died of cancer, police said.

Proctor was relieved of duty hours after Read’s mistrial was declared a mistrial.

Schiffer allegedly left other fake $100 bills and rubber ducks with stickers reading “IYKYK,” meaning “If You Know That You Know,” outside the pizzeria on July 11, July 27 and August 17. , the police said.

Surveillance cameras captured Schiffer’s van near the pizzeria on the days of the previous incidents, and he did not deny leaving the items when a Canton detective confronted him in May with a search warrant for the electronic system in his truck, police said.

Schiffer told investigators that “he only littered and did not commit a crime,” police said. A box containing more yellow ducks and stickers was recovered from his vehicle.

On May 19, Schiffer posted a photo of the search warrant on his Facebook page, police said.

“I received this visit yesterday…for distributing propaganda/trash,” Schiffer wrote. He warned his supporters to “be careful”.

“They have nothing and are just grasping at straws. I never said a word to so-called witnesses. Witch hunt after witch hunt,” he wrote.

The police report stated that “Schiffer’s own admissions establish that he was aware that the information he disclosed was designed to intentionally mislead others with the intent of promoting false information and further harassing members of the Albert family, who testified in the Commonwealth v. Read trial.

During a September protest outside the Canton police station, Schiffer spoke at length to a live streamer about his exploits, according to the report.

“Yeah, that’s me,” said Schiffer, who wore a “MAGA KING” cap while telling the streamer that police “searched my truck, my system, my information system in my Toyota to see where I ‘ve driven during the month. of the month of March. »

“So I launched the duck campaign and the money campaign in February. So I was filmed by Proctor’s camera and a bunch of other people, I don’t care because I’m fighting the fight,” he said.

Material from previous Globe articles was used in this report. This breaking news story will be updated when more information is released.

Travis Andersen can be contacted at [email protected].