Gerard T. Indelicato

Gerard Thomas Indelicato
Born	(1946-05-21) May 21, 1946 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Educational leader, college president, automobile sales manager
Years active	1970s–1990s
Known for	Education advisor to Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis; president of Bridgewater State College; convicted of conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion

Gerard Thomas Indelicato (born May 21, 1946) is an American educational leader who held the roles of education advisor to Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and president of Bridgewater State College. He was later found guilty of federal and state charges involving conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion.

Early life

Born in Boston on May 21, 1946, Indelicato was raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood and completed his secondary education at Hyde Park High School. Following graduation, he served two years in the Massachusetts National Guard. He pursued higher education at Bridgewater State College, where he played football under head coach Peter Mazzaferro. Indelicato earned his bachelor's degree in 1971 and subsequently returned to obtain a master's degree in education.

Education career

Beginning his professional journey as an elementary school teacher, Indelicato also held positions as assistant principal and community education director in Brockton, Massachusetts. He advanced his academic credentials by earning a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Connecticut.

In 1977, Indelicato joined the Massachusetts Department of Education as director of the bureau overseeing community education and adult services. Four years later, he became dean of undergraduate studies at Worcester State College. During the 1982 gubernatorial campaign, he acted as an advisor to Michael Dukakis and served as a liaison to educational organizations. In February 1983, Dukakis appointed him to a cabinet-level role as education adviser, a position created after the Secretary of Education office was eliminated in 1980. While serving in this capacity, Indelicato contributed to the enactment of a school reform bill and opposed James Collins, the chancellor of the state's Board of Regents of Higher Education. In 1986, he was involved in an altercation with state representative Christopher Hodgkins over a political appointment.

Indelicato was named president of Bridgewater State College in July 1986 and was officially sworn in by Governor Dukakis on May 3, 1987. As president, he implemented stricter admission criteria and secured funding for enhancements to the library and campus facilities. He also disciplined the athletic director for minor NCAA violations and publicly reprimanded Coach Mazzaferro—his former college football coach—who was later reinstated after Indelicato's departure. On December 7, 1987, Indelicato resigned following revelations by the board of trustees that he had forged their signatures on a deed transferring land from the college foundation to himself.

Criminal convictions

On December 18, 1987, Indelicato faced an indictment for mail and wire fraud, submitting false tax returns, and providing false testimony to a federal grand jury. The charges alleged that while overseeing the state adult education program, he received inflated rental payments and renovation expenses from an adult education center funded by the government. Additionally, he was accused of diverting $40,000 intended for the center to Administrative Associates, a consulting firm he co-founded with his doctoral advisor. This income was not declared on his federal tax filings. On April 21, 1988, Indelicato entered guilty pleas to conspiracy, mail fraud, perjury, and two counts of filing false tax statements. He commenced a 30-month prison term on August 5, 1988.

Further legal troubles arose on June 23, 1988, when a Suffolk County grand jury indicted Indelicato on allegations including fraud, conflict of interest, falsifying tax returns, and forgery related to awarding no-bid state contracts to Administrative Associates during his role as Dukakis’ education advisor. Concurrently, a separate grand jury in Plymouth County charged him with larceny, forgery, and conflict of interest connected to his presidency at Bridgewater State College. The indictment claimed he forged documents to transfer property from the Bridgewater State College Foundation into his own possession for constructing a private home and misappropriated $7,500 of college funds for a consulting agreement with Administrative Associates. As part of a plea deal, Indelicato admitted guilt to eight counts out of the original forty-six. On February 21, 1989, he received a sentence of three years incarceration followed by five years probation. A revision hearing on October 23, 1990 led to a reduction in his sentence after the judge identified an error.

Indelicato served his federal prison term at United States Penitentiary, Allenwood until November 3, 1989. Upon completion, he began serving his state sentence at Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Plymouth and was released on November 2, 1990.

Later life

Following his incarceration, Indelicato pursued a career in selling pre-owned vehicles. He later took on the role of general manager at Herb Connolly Chevrolet, located in Framingham, Massachusetts.