To paraphrase Claude Raines, “I am shocked, shocked to find out there is fraud in the Big Dig.”

Six employees of Aggregate Industries, the major concrete supplier for the Big Dig, were arrested this morning on federal charges alleging they falsified records to cover for substandard concrete they supplied to the project.

I suspect this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Big Dig fraud, waste, and abuse.

Reilly said last August that it did not appear at that time that the concrete used in the Big Dig posed structural or safety concerns. “Right now, we have no information that safety or strength or durability is an issue,” Reilly said in August. “But we are continuing to look at certain areas. I came away comforted [from the conversation with the specialist], but that does not excuse the behavior.”

Is this like saying we used termite infested wood to build your house, but the experts tell us there is no reason to worry? You do not have to be a civil engineer to put 2 and 2 together here. Apparently Tom Reilly would believe the moon is made of Swiss cheese if the person who told him held a PhD.

“All of this was poured prior to 2000, and you would expect to see deterioration,” he said.

Reilly also said that he has no reason to believe the inquiry is connected to the discovery of hundreds of leaks in the tunnels, which has sparked separate federal and state investigations.

Except for the leaks in the tunnels, we have no reason to be concerned about the inferior concrete used in the construction. That makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? Let’s hope our politicians’ refusal to acknowledge the problems does not lead to a wider disaster.