Somerset Woman Stole $34K from Athletic Club to Pay Mortgage

 A Somerset woman is being charged with stealing over $30,000 from a high school athletics organization.

The Bristol County District Attorney's Office issued a complaint Thursday morning against Dulce Pacheco, 51, of Somerset, charging her with one count of larceny over $1,200 by single scheme.

Gregg Miliote, the spokesman for the Bristol County District Attorney's Office, says Pacheco is alleged to have stolen $34,500 in December 2017 from the Somerset Berkley Regional High School Athletics Booster Club. Pacheco was the treasurer of the organization

Pacheco is alleged to have used the cash to pay the mortgage on her home.

Miliote says the investigation into the alleged theft began in December 2018 after the Somerset Police Department became aware of "talk" of the supposed crime. Somerset Police referred the matter to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office. Michael Scott, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit of the DA's Office, investigated the allegations with the assistance of the School Resource Officer assigned to Somerset Berkley Regional High School, James Roberts.

Pacheco will be summonsed to appear in Fall River District Court on March 18 for arraignment on the single charge.

Former Grafton teacher charged with embezzlement of union funds

A former elementary school teacher and union treasurer is accused of taking nearly $20,000 from the Grafton Teachers Association.

Kerrie M. Clarke, 45, of 6 Elizabeth St., North Grafton, was released on personal recognizance after a not-guilty plea was entered at her arraignment Thursday in Westboro District Court. She is scheduled to return for pretrial conferences June 1.

Ms. Clarke resigned Nov. 8, 2017, from her teaching position at Millbury Street Elementary School, according to Superintendent of Schools James Cummings. He said earlier that no public money was involved.

According to court documents, GTA co-presidents contacted the Grafton Police Department in October to report theft or fraudulent account activity by Ms. Clarke, who served as treasurer between January 2016 and October 2017.

GTA officials told police that a forensic audit of the GTA account was conducted by the Massachusetts Teachers Association, which found that numerous transactions, including unauthorized payments, withdrawals and purchases, had been made by Ms. Clarke from the GTA bank account held at Homefield Credit Union during the time she was treasurer.

Also, according to the application for criminal complaint, numerous checks from the GTA account were written by Ms. Clarke to herself and deposited into her personal bank account.

The total amount of losses and unauthorized transactions reported by the GTA and the Massachusetts Teachers Association was $19,819.97.

A summons was mailed to Ms. Clarke on March 22 after a probable cause hearing was held. She is charged with larceny over $250 by a single scheme and association officer embezzlement of more than $250.

Northborough-Southborough School Official Pleads Guilty To $380K Embezzlement

The former budget officer at a Massachusetts public school district has been sentenced to two years in jail for stealing more than $380,000 in school funds to feed his drug addiction.

Christopher Hoey, of Stow, was also sentenced to three years of probation this week after pleading guilty to larceny charges. A charge of embezzlement by a public official was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Prosecutors say the 35-year-old Hoey stole the money while working for the Northborough-Southborough School District.

Hoey told investigators that most of the money was used to support an addiction to Percocet and cocaine, with a small amount going to personal expenses.

School officials said the district was fully reimbursed by its insurance providers.

Northboro-Southboro school official accused of stealing up to $450K to fuel drug habit

Fueled by an addiction to painkillers and cocaine, the budget officer for the Northboro-Southboro School District stole as much as $450,000 from the district, authorities alleged Thursday in Westboro District Court.

Christopher P. Hoey, 34, was arrested Wednesday night at his home at 15 Great Road in Stow, court records show, after allegedly admitting that he began taking money with the intent to give it back but got in too deep.

“Hoey put a self-estimated value of his theft in the $200,000 to $400,000 range,” state troopers wrote in court documents. Judge Vito A. Virzi ordered Mr. Hoey held on $100,000 cash bail, writing in the bail order that Mr. Hoey is alleged to have stolen $450,000.

The thefts were reported to Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. by district Superintendent Christine M. Johnson, who reached out Wednesday, troopers said, after financial records from the past three months led her to believe that Mr. Hoey had stolen from the district’s petty cash account. Troopers contacted Mr. Hoey at his home, and after being read his Miranda rights, he agreed to answer questions on audio tape.

“In essence, Hoey admitted that he deposited reimbursement checks from the various school districts and vendors into the ‘petty cash’ account,” Trooper Michael A. Leo wrote. “He would then write checks out to cash.

“Hoey stated that the majority of the cash was used to support a drug addiction,” Trooper Leo wrote, with a “small portion” used for personal expenses.

Police said Mr. Hoey told them he had a “serious” addiction to Percocet – an opioid pain medication – and cocaine, and that he has “started rehabilitation.”

Trooper Leo said Mr. Hoey “stated that he started (stealing) with the intention of paying the money back but eventually realized that it would not happen due to the amount that he was taking.”

Trooper Leo wrote that Mr. Hoey identified about 30 checks drawn from the account since December 2015 worth roughly $150,000.

“Hoey further stated that he started this scheme approximately one year into his employment,” Trooper Leo wrote.

The trooper did not write in the document how long Mr. Hoey had been employed by the district. Ms. Johnson declined to answer any questions on the topic Thursday; Mr. Hoey’s LinkedIn page indicates he had worked as budget officer in the district for 3 years and 7 months. Before that, he listed himself as assistant town accountant in Leicester for two years; a document posted to the Leicester town website confirms he was assistant accountant there in 2012.

According to court documents, Mr. Hoey’s job in the district was to process incoming revenue, vendor payments and payroll.

Mr. Hoey is charged with larceny over $250 by common scheme, embezzlement by a public official and larceny over $250 by uttering a false check. The charge for embezzlement by a public official would need to be prosecuted in a higher court and carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years; the other charges both have penalties ranging from two to five years in prison and fines of up to $25,000.

In a statement Thursday announcing the charges, Mr. Early said his troopers and police from Northboro and Southboro continue to investigate the case.

“The school district assisted investigators and a complete forensic audit is underway,” Mr. Early said.

Mr. Hoey had not made bail as of Thursday afternoon, court officials confirmed. He is due back in court for further arraignment on April 1.

At her office Friday in Southboro, Ms. Johnson said she could not comment because the case is still under investigation. She referred all questions to Mr. Early’s office, including questions about whether there would be ramifications on the school budget and whether Mr. Hoey had been fired.

Mr. Hoey was listed as budget officer at about 1 p.m. on the district’s website; by 5 p.m., his name had been removed.

“Efforts are underway to recover these funds as well as to ascertain the manner in which these funds were allegedly embezzled,” Ms. Johnson wrote in an email to parents Thursday evening. “At the conclusion of our investigation, we will review findings and recommendations regarding procedural safeguards.”

In her email, Ms. Johnson called the information “unsettling and difficult to comprehend,” and noted the district conducts financial audits every year.

“In the last few days, it has become increasingly clear that no school district or business is immune from unscrupulous individuals who may engage in fraudulent activities,” Ms. Johnson wrote.

Northboro and Southboro have three school districts – a K-8 district for each town and a third for Algonquin Regional High School – and they share central office staff.

For fiscal 2016, the budget for all three districts combined was $61.6 million - $20.7 million for Algonquin, $18.9 million for Southboro K-8 and $22 million for Northboro K-8.

Northboro K-8 School Committee Chairman John Kane said Thursday night that he does not anticipate the thefts to affect his budget. Kathleen Harragan Polutchko, chairwoman of the regional School Committee, did not immediately return a call Thursday evening, while Southboro K-8 School Committee Chairman Paul H. Desmond did not appear to have a working listed number.

A message left at a phone number listed in court papers for Mr. Hoey was not returned Thursday. A call to a listed number for his home rang repeatedly without reaching a machine.

Online records from the Stow assessor’s office value Mr. Hoey’s single-family home at $286,400

Priest indicted on embezzlement charges in Massachusetts

A Roman Catholic priest has been indicted on charges that he embezzled more than $230,000 from the Northborough parish where he served as pastor.

The Rev. Stephen Gemme, former pastor of St. Bernadette, was indicted on multiple counts of larceny by a common scheme over $250.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in Worcester Superior Court on Wednesday.

The Worcester Diocese announced last year that Gemme had stolen from two church and school accounts since at least 2009. It went undetected until a member of the school's advisory board flagged a financial irregularity in a school account and informed Bishop Robert McManus.

The diocese says Gemme immediately acknowledged a gambling problem and sought treatment.

Gemme's lawyer says she cannot comment because she has not seen the evidence yet.

Middleboro man found guilty of embezzling from school PTA

A 46-year-old man accused of embezzling from the elementary school PTA was found guilty Friday and ordered to perform 50 hours of community service as restitution.
Douglas A. Russell of 958 Center St. was convicted of embezzling more than $30,000. Authorities said the Russell and Sharon M. Ellis, 38, of 287 North Main St., who are both parents of Middleboro students, stole the money during a seven-year span when they were officers of the PTA.
Ellis pleaded guilty in July and was placed on probation for five years and ordered to pay back more than $18,000. Ellis was also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation, provide a DNA sample and ordered to stay away from fundraising efforts for the rest of her life.
Russell was placed on probation for five years and ordered to stay away from all school activities, other than those he must attend as a parent.
Assistant Plymouth County District Attorney Jessica Healy said Judge Don L. Carpenter heard from the victims and ordered Russell to perform community service, but did not order him to pay restitution.
School Superintendent Roseli S. Weiss said Russell is performing community service in lieu of restitution.
"My understanding is that it will be very difficult for him to do so," Weiss said.
Weiss said Russell is no longer welcome in the school environment, "other than to be a parent to his child. He hurt children and the parents who worked so hard to raise those funds."

Leominster man pleads not guilty in Ashburnham Westminster hockey association embezzlement in Massachusetts

A Leominster man indicted last month on charges of embezzling nearly $30,000 from the Ashburnham Westminster Youth Hockey Association pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday morning in Worcester Superior Court.

A Worcester County grand jury handed up indictments Dec. 10 charging Roger Lee, 50, of 232 Mechanic St., Apt. 2, Leominster with two counts of larceny of more than $250 by a common scheme. Mr. Lee is alleged to have stolen about $29,000 from the youth hockey program in 2010 while serving as its treasurer and bookkeeper.

Accompanied by his lawyer, Sean Smith, Mr. Lee entered not-guilty pleas and was released on $10,000 cash bail that was posted when the charges against him were still pending in Gardner District Court. The case was moved to Worcester Superior Court as a result of the indictments.

Judge James R. Lemire continued the case to Feb. 24 at the request of Mr. Smith and Assistant District Attorney John A. O'Leary

Leominster man indicted in Ashburnham Westminster Youth Hockey embezzlement

A Worcester Superior Court grand jury on Tuesday indicted a Leominster man on charges he embezzled $29,000 from the Ashburnham Westminster Youth Hockey Association when he was treasurer in 2012.

Roger Lee of 232 Mechanic St., Leominster, was scheduled to appear in Winchendon District Court on Wednesday morning, but the indictment bumped his case up to Worcester Superior Court.

Tim Connolly, spokesman for the Worcester County District Attorney's Office, said Wednesday's court appearance is canceled and no date has been set for his next court appearance.

In 2010, Lee became treasurer of the Ashburnham Westminster Youth Hockey Association. Remaining officials from that group said he completely cleaned out their bank account, leaving them in financial peril. Lee is no longer treasurer.

He is now charged with two counts of larceny of more than $250 by a common scheme.

John Meisner, former treasurer of Easthampton High School Parent Council, accused of embezzlement

The former treasurer of the Easthampton High School Parent Council is accused of embezzling about $19,000 from that organization, including $3,600 to help buy a house.

John R. Meisner, 56, of Bernardston, has pleaded not guilty in Northampton District Court to charges of larceny over $250 by a single scheme and embezzlement by an association officer over $250.

Meisner is accused of making 35 cash withdrawals totaling $19,181.26 from the council’s bank account during the six years he was treasurer.

According to court files, Meisner was the treasurer and lone signatory on the council’s account from October 2006 until October 2012 when suspicious transactions prompted the council to add a second signatory to help review the account.

The council is a volunteer organization that produces the annual high school musical, the proceeds of which fund Easthampton High School graduation night and a pair of scholarships, according to court records.
According to court files, suspicion surrounding the account surfaced in January 2012 when Meisner allegedly delayed reimbursing council members for legitimate expenses and failed to send scholarship checks to recipients in a timely manner.

One scholarship check was unable to be cashed due to insufficient funds in the council’s account, according to investigators.

Once the suspicious transactions were found, the original account — which investigators said was “essentially empty” — was closed, and a new one was opened with a new treasurer in place in October 2012, according to court records.

Meisner told police that in December 2011 he withdrew $3,600 from the council account and converted it into a bank check for a real estate agent who was assisting with the purchase of a new home, according to court records.

On Oct. 4, 2012, Meisner deposited a check for $9,000 into the council account. According to investigators, the check was deposited the day before Meisner was to meet with a council member and the Easthampton High School principal, Vito Perrone, about adding a second signatory to the account.

The $9,000 check was made payable to Meisner and drawn from the account of a family member in Colorado, according to investigators.

Meisner allegedly told investigators he had borrowed money from the council account to offset financial difficulties at home, but intended to fully pay it back.

According to court files, Meisner told police he did not believe he had withdrawn a total of $19,000 over the course of the six years, but agreed his record-keeping of the withdrawals may not have been accurate.

According to court records there were major discrepancies between the account balances Meisner was reporting to the council and what the bank records showed.

At a March 15, 2012, council meeting, Meisner reported an account balance of about $10,522, while the bank statement from a week prior showed a balance of about $1,739, according to court papers.


Similarly, at an April 12, 2012, council meeting, Meisner reported an account balance of about $9,063, while the April 8 bank statement showed a balance of about $549, according to court files.

Meisner was arraigned in August and there is a pretrial conference scheduled for Jan. 8.

Court clears Worcester, Massachusetts schools of defaming ex-athletic director

A Worcester Superior Court jury has cleared the city of any liability for damages alleged by John J. Pepi, a former athletic director for the public schools, in a defamation suit filed four years ago.

Mr. Pepi, who was named athletic director in 2004, alleged in the civil suit that he lost the job in 2007 to Colleen O'Brien, a school department administrator he maintained was less qualified for the job, and that school officials then sought to justify the action by embarking on a campaign to defame him without ever granting him a hearing to clear his name.

He alleged the campaign included an internal investigation into false allegations of possible larceny, fraud and embezzlement on his part in connection with missing office equipment and records and misappropriation of donations, many of which were eventually accounted for.

In June 2007, Mr. Pepi was informed in a letter from Stacey DeBoise Luster, human resources manager for the school department, that he was being placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation, which was eventually suspended. School officials said the investigation was hampered by missing records and was inconclusive.

In September 2007, former Superintendent James Caradonio formally reprimanded Mr. Pepi for insubordination and poor professional judgment for allegedly ordering football uniforms without a purchase order and for denying that he ordered towels and posters with team schedules on them and then threw them out because the schedules had changed.

Mr. Pepi, who denied any wrongdoing and noted that he was never criminally charged, was later reassigned to a lower-paying job as a physical education teacher. He charged that the allegations that had been made against him became known in the school community and elsewhere, damaging his reputation and causing him emotional and physical distress.

He continued to work as a physical education teacher until 2010, when he went out on a worker's compensation claim for what he said was job-related stress.

School officials, who denied the allegations leveled against them in the lawsuit, maintained Mr. Pepi lost the job as athletic director because of a cost-cutting reorganization that resulted in the athletic director's duties being divided up among Ms. O'Brien, who had been acting project director of safe schools and healthy students, and two other employees.

They said the investigation and reprimand were legitimate personnel actions totally unrelated to Mr. Pepi's removal from the athletic director's position.

The jury returned its verdicts in favor of the defendants in the case Friday afternoon, after a trial that lasted nearly three weeks.

After deliberating for about 7½ hours over two days, the jurors found that Mr. Caradonio, Ms. Luster, Ms. O'Brien and Sherrill McKeon, the former manager of student and staff support services for the school system, did not defame Mr. Pepi, violate his constitutional rights or wrongly interfere with his contractual or advantageous relations.

"We're pleased with the result, and we believe it to be warranted based on the facts of the case," said Sean Sweeney, the lawyer for the school district.

"Obviously, he would have wanted a favorable verdict," Mr. Pepi's lawyer, Philip N. Beauregard, said of his client. "But that didn't happen, and Mr. Pepi accepts that."

Mr. Beauregard said he and his client "drew consolation" from Ms. Luster's statement that there was "absolutely no evidence" that Mr. Pepi engaged in larceny, embezzlement or fraud, even though she and Mr.Caradonio "were unwilling to say that that's the equivalent of innocence."

"Well, the American system of justice says that's innocence," Mr. Beauregard said.

"Just because the verdict came back the way it did doesn't mean I'm not going to move on with my life," Mr. Pepi said. "People who really know me know my reputation to be excellent."

Director charged with embezzling from Orange, Massachusetts youth soccer organization

The Recreation Association’s soccer director has been charged with embezzling thousands in donations and sports fees.

Jason P. Vautour, 34, of 27 Sandrah Drive, was arraigned Monday on a felony charge of larceny over $250 by embezzlement and intimidating a witness.

More than $45,000 had gone into and out of a checking account opened by Vautour since he opened it in 2009, days after he became soccer director, said Orange Police Chief Robert Haigh Jr.

“Some of the transactions on the account were completely legitimate” and went toward Orange Recreation Association projects and activities, said Haigh.

However, not all the account’s activity seems legitimate, the chief said. Police are still working to attach a dollar amount to the alleged illegitimate activity.

“We have (records of) debit card transactions at restaurants, bars, liquor stores, gas stations and supermarkets,” Haigh said.

Haigh said Vautour also used $3,000 of the recreation association’s money to put a down payment on a Humvee SUV for himself.

He then asked a donor to invoice the association $3,000 for a trailer that was given to the association, said Haigh, in an attempt to cover up the missing money used for the down-payment.

The investigation began on Aug. 29, when Recreation Association officials told Orange Police they’d been notified of some unusual activity on a checking account in the association’s name, according to Haigh. Vautour’s name also appears on the account.

The Orange Recreation Association had no record of the account, and had never given Vautour permission to open it, said Haigh.

By the time the Recreation Association discovered the account, it only had 15 cents in it, Haigh said.

As soccer director, Vautour was responsible for collecting soccer players’ registration fees, as well as donations from the community, according to Haigh. The chief said money received by Vautour should have gone into the recreation association’s revolving account.

Vautour handled much of the association’s donations, said Haigh, without much oversight.

In the course of the investigation, said Haigh, another account, this one at Workers Credit Union, was discovered to have been opened by Vautour.

Into this account, said Haigh, one of two $6,000 donations from the Rodney Hunt Co. had been deposited. Haigh said a second name had been added to the account, that of Casey Bashaw, who worked with Vautour to coordinate the building of two soccer fields at the Orange Municipal Airport.

Haigh said he believes Bashaw was unaware of any illegal activity by Vautour.

After speaking with Haigh, Bashaw closed the account, and gave Haigh a bank check written for $4,900, the balance of the account at closure.

Haigh said some cash was recovered in a search of Vautour’s residence, and cancellations were placed on checks that had been written from the account and not yet cleared. Police are still figuring out exactly how much they’ll be able to recover.

Despite the alleged embezzlement, Haigh said the recreation association soccer program, and the new field project, will still go on.

“There are a lot of very good people involved in the ORA, stepping up and making sure the season goes forward,” the chief said. “Casey Bashaw is one of them.”

The alleged embezzlement hits close to home for Orange police.

“I feel horrible having to investigate this,” Haigh said.

“Unfortunately, this harms the children,” he continued. “There are a lot of good people in town that donated money to get the fields built for the kids. There are also a lot of families who can’t really afford, and have to struggle to pay for, their kids’ registration fees.”

“It’s a shame for something like this to be done to them by someone they trust,” Haigh continued.

Orange police make regular donations to the ORA, said Haigh, and Sgt. Craig Lundgren has coached ORA sports, and sends his own children to ORA programs.

If convicted of the embezzlement charge, Vautour faces maximum penalties of five years in state prison, two years in county jail and fines up to $25,000.

Vautour was released on personal recognizance, after prosecutors asked that he be held on $10,000 cash bail or $100,000 surety. He is due back in court Oct. 7.

School Worker Charged With Embezzling Gets Pension in Massachusetts

A judge has ruled that despite a criminal charge of embezzling money, a former school union employee will receive her full pension.

On Wednesday morning, the Berkshire County Retirement Board reinstated Donna M. Burdick to the retirement system. Her membership had been revoked by the board in December because of embezzlement charges.

Burdick and colleague Carol Fryc were both charged with stealing funds from the Northern Berkshire School Union, which covers the Clarksburg, Florida and Savoy school districts, and fired in August 2011. State police said the two women, who worked in the office, had used the union's credit cards at Walmart and Staples to make fraudulent purchases, pocketing about $30,000.

The board was forced to reinstate Burdick after losing a court case on the matter in Northern Berkshire District Court. On June 21, Judge Laurie MacLeod ruled that Burdick was entitled to her retirement benefits.

"We tried to revoke her membership and she challenged it in court. And we didn't win," said Berkshire County Retirement Board Executive Director Sheila LaBarbera on Wednesday.

Burdick, 58, had reached a plea bargain in July 2012 and the charges were reduced to a continuance without a finding. She was required to pay back $11,272 to the school district. After one year and paying that money back, the charges were dismissed. Fryc made a similar plea bargain.

MacLeod wrote that because the finding was not a conviction and the charges are now dropped, Burdick has the right to keep her the pension.

The retirement board, however, is unhappy with the finding. The board believes that since her plea was an admission to "sufficient facts for a finding of guilt," it has the right to revoke the pension. According to state law, a person convicted of misappropriation of government funds can have their pension taken away.

"It doesn't matter what they do, they still get a pension," Peter Menard, board member, lamented before reinstating Burdick. Board member Deborah Cotter said the decision is "just awful."

While Burdick was fired from the school union, she retained her job with the town of Florida. Burdick can now make the contributions she would have made during the last year and then retire with her full pension. - See more at: http://www.iberkshires.com/story/44462/School-Worker-Charged-With-Embezzling-Gets-Pension.html?source=top_stories#sthash.2nBgV1ko.dpuf

Middleboro PTA embezzlement case prompts calls for more safeguards

FROM ENTERPRISENEWS.COM


Middleboro school officials are promising stricter financial oversight and new safeguards after a former PTA president pleaded guilty Monday to an embezzlement scheme in which more than $30,000 was taken from a school account.
Middleboro Superintendent of Schools Roseli Weiss said she is planning to address the issue at a meeting that will probably take place in August.
“I am calling all the presidents of the PTA, and we’ll meet and talk about safeguards, policies and procedures to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Weiss said. “Everybody’s eyes are far more open now that we know what can happen.”
That comes a day after Sharon Ellis, 37, a former Middleboro PTA president, pleaded guilty in Wareham District Court on Monday to a felony charge of larceny of more than $250 and was placed on probation for five years. She will also have to undergo a mental health evaluation and provide a DNA sample since she was convicted of a felony.
Another former PTA member, 45-year-old Douglas Russell, still faces charges. He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on July 30.
“A term of (Ellis’s) probation is that she is not allowed to work for an organization that engages in fundraising,” said Assistant Plymouth District Attorney Russell Eonas.
Tim Sullivan, the founder of PTO Today magazine based in Wrentham, said the Middleboro embezzlement case is one “we don’t like covering as it’s very close to our world.”
Sullivan said embezzlement is a crime of financial need and opportunity, but there are safeguards that schools and leaders can put in place to help avoid it.
“First, have an audit committee,” he said.
Teresa Farley, who has been an active member of the Middleboro PTA for the past five years, said she was shocked when she learned that Ellis had been charged.
“I literally cried. I never would have thought it in a million years,” Farley said.
Farley said she had become close with Ellis over the past year and a half and counted her as a friend.
“That money needs to go back to the kids. People aren’t rich in this town. They are taking money away from their own families to give to the PTA,” Farley said.
CrisAnn Tortora, a former PTA member who worked with Ellis, said she was glad that restitution was ordered.
“But it’s not going toelp the children that already graduated from elementary school,” said Tortora, who attended Monday’s hearing.

Tortora said that no yearbooks could be purchased for needy fifth-graders at the former Burkland Elementary School due to the missing money.
“More oversight is needed,” Tortora said.
That oversight, PTO Today’s Sullivan said, should also include having another PTO or PTA officer open the monthly bank statements.
Sullivan said that having another person in addition to the treasurer looking over the statements could help keep an eye on the checks made out to cash.
Finally, Sullivan said, checks over a certain amount require two signatures.

Former Middleboro PTA president found guilty in embezzlement case in Massachusetts

Read more: http://www.enterprisenews.com/news


The former president of the Middleboro PTA was found guilty in an embezzlement case on Monday.
Sharon Ellis, 37, of Middleboro, was found guilty and sentenced to five years probation at a pre-trial hearing in Wareham District Court on Monday, according to the clerk’s office.
Ellis was charged with one count of larceny over $250 by a single scheme, along with Douglas Russell, 45, in late April for alleged embezzlement of $30,000 combined since 2009 from the PTA.
Russell also appeared in court on Monday; his case was continued until July 30.
Questions arose about the spending by a former president and treasurer of the Middleboro PTA when the group that supported the Mary K. Goode and Henry B. Burkland Elementary schools split into two separate groups.
Ellis was president of the parent group until 2011 but admitted to police that after leaving the group she continued using a debit card attached to PTA accounts until as recently as March, according to a Middleboro police report filed in Wareham District Court.
“It was all very shocking,” said CrisAnn Tortora, who worked with Ellis in the PTA and attended the hearing on Monday.
Ellis spent $18,167.22 from PTA accounts since 2010 and more than half of it since she stepped down as president of the group, the report states.
Ellis withdrew cash from ATMs and made purchases at Dunkin’ Donuts, Papa Gino’s, Market Basket, Hannaford, Dollar Tree, Target, Rite-Aid, Michael’s, Staples, PayPal and other online websites, the report said.
It was unclear whether Ellis was required to pay restitution as part of her sentence. Calls to her attorney, Amy Muscato-Wolter, were not returned on Monday.
Tortora said the entire Middleboro school community has been affected by this incident.
“We have not seen ‘I’m sorry,’” said Tortora. “She’s going about her daily life. Show some remorse. You took from children.”
Ellis and Russell, both parents of current Middleboro students, were the two members of the PTA who had access to the account’s checkbooks, the police  report states.
Russell is alleged to have been writing checks to himself, some for “postage,” the police report said. It is estimated Russell spent $11,133 between 2009 and 2011 on personal expenditures, the  report said.
The case was brought to the attention of Middleboro police by  the PTA in April, said Police Chief Bruce Gates.

Ex-Lawrence, Massachusetts School Chief Ordered To Repay $10K

A former Lawrence school superintendent has been ordered to repay $10,000 after being convicted of using school resources for himself.
The Essex District Attorney’s office said a judge set the restitution for Wilfredo Laboy on Wednesday in Lawrence Superior Court. The amount was based on an agreement between prosecutors and Laboy’s attorney.
A jury convicted Laboy in March 2012 of fraud and embezzlement, finding he used school employees for tasks such as electrical work at his home, driving his son around and disposing of his trash. Laboy apologized in court and said he took responsibility for his “poor decisions.”
He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and a year of house arrest, followed by 2 years’ probation.
Laboy was superintendent in Lawrence for about a decade before being fired in 2010

Two parents allegedly embezzle $30,000 from PTA in Middleborough, Massachusetts

FROM ENTERPRISENEWS.COM -


Police are preparing embezzlement charges against two people whom they say fleeced an elementary PTA group of $30,000.


Police Chief Bruce D. Gates did not release the names of the suspects, but said it was a long-term scheme perpetuated by two PTA members who are no longer in the group.

On Sunday night the local school department sent out a phone message to parents of elementary-age students notifying them of a 6 p.m. “business meeting” on Monday that did not involve academics or the safety of students and staff.

School Superintendent Roseli S. Weiss confirmed today that she will discuss the embezzlement charges at tonight’s meeting.

Two Middleboro parents are facing charges they embezzled $30,000 from the PTA of a local school over a four-year period.

They will be summoned to court on larceny charges, police said at a meeting with parents Monday night.

School Superintendent Roseli S. Weiss said Monday that she broke the news to the school community because she wants to lead an era of transparency with parents. The news of the pending criminal charges, she said, was upsetting.

“It’s extremely sad and I feel badly for the individuals who either are ill or compelled to do this,” Weiss said.

At least 130 people attended the 6 p.m. meeting Monday at the Henry Burkland School, where Weiss gave limited details about the case.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Police Chief Bruce Gates and Weiss said the school district started questioning the missing funds in January when the Parent Teacher Association was being split into two groups. It serves the Mary K. Goode School and the Henry Burkland School.

Police were called in on April 2, and an investigation resulted in the decision to summon the two parents into Wareham District Court, where they will each face a charge of larceny over $250. Gates said the summons were issued in the last few days.

It was not known if the two parents are from the same household, or if they are men or women. Their names were not released.

Their arraignment is scheduled for May 21, Gates said. He added that the alleged embezzlement took place over four years.

Weiss said the allegations should not reflect on the volunteerism of the rest of the families in the school district.

“This is about two individuals who made a poor choice,” she said.

Weiss asked parents at the meeting not to speak to reporters.

“I please ask you to have faith in us and faith in our administration because I’m sharing this with you,” Weiss said during the meeting.

Weiss had issued a telephone alert to parents and guardians on Sunday evening informing them about the meeting.

Michelle Holden, the superintendent’s administrative assistant, said people unable to attend the meeting can check the schools’ website after the meeting.


Missing money. Undocumented transactions. Inappropriate use of accounts.
These were the red flags that finally set off an investigation of the Middleboro PTA that found two parents had allegedly embezzled $30,000 since 2008.
Sharon Ellis, former PTA president, and Douglas Russell, both parents of students in the Middleboro school system, are scheduled to be arraigned in Wareham District Court on May 22 on one count each of larceny over $250, according to the court’s clerk’s office.
“It’s very troubling because the money that is collected for students is not being used for students,” said School Superintendent Roseli Weiss. “We don’t want it to cast a cloud on our volunteerism or the PTA because they are very strong and positively engaged in the school district.”
Weiss said at this point school officials have no reason to believe the alleged wrongdoing went beyond the two accused parents. The two are not affiliated other than through PTA involvement, said Weiss.
“It’s about two people who made a mistake or had a lapse in judgment,” said Weiss.
Neither Ellis nor Russell are currently involved with the PTA, said Weiss.
School Committee members could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but Chairman Sara Cederholm provided a comment through email.
“The Middleboro School Committee supports the actions of our superintendent, our PTA, and our police department as they seek resolution and restitution in this matter,” said Cederholm.
Weiss held a meeting for parents on Monday to break the news to the school community. At least 130 people attended the 6 p.m. meeting at the Henry Burkland School, where Weiss gave limited details about the case.
Speaking to reporters afterward, Police Chief Bruce Gates and Weiss said the school district started investigating the missing funds in January when the Parent Teacher Association was being split into two groups. It serves the Mary K. Goode School and Henry Burkland School.
Police were called in on April 2, and an investigation resulted in the decision to summon the two parents to Wareham District Court.
Weiss said on Tuesday no parents had reached out to her following the meeting. Gates did not return requests for comment on Tuesday.
Embezzlement from school organizations is not uncommon. There have been two cases reported in Brockton.
In 2008, the treasurer of the Hancock School Parent Advisory Council, Christine Peterson, resigned after being accused of taking $15,000 from the organization, according to school officials. She was not prosecuted after she returned the money, school officials said.
The following year, an estimated $50,000 was discovered missing from the Brockton High School Athletics program. No one was ever charged in that case, but about $35,000 was returned.

Ex-teacher charged in kickback scheme in Massachusetts

A former high school teacher is the third school-district employee charged in a bid-rigging and kickback scheme that funneled three contracts worth $14,000 to the teacher’s publishing company six years ago.
One contract paid the former teacher, Algird Sunskis, $4,950 for a folding machine that he allegedly never delivered.
Two other former employees already have paid fines and forfeitures totaling $13,000 for their roles in what the state Ethics Commission called “a sham bid process.”
In October 2011, graphics department clerk Charles Birchall agreed to pay $8,449 in fines and restitution after admitting he accepted a $2,200 bribe to order the folding machine from Sunskis’ company, Wellington House Publishing.
In June, former graphics designer John Laurenza paid $4,536 in fines and restitution after admitting he misrepresented Sunskis’ company as the low bidder on contracts for employee time sheets and other materials valued at more than $9,000.
Laurenza avoided criminal bribery charges in the scam by agreeing to testify in the corruption trial of former Lawrence School Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy, who was jailed for 60 days last year after he was convicted of fraud and embezzlement for using school resources — including its graphics department employees and printers — for personal gain.
Laurenza testified he paid Laboy $1,500 in return for a printing contract from an association of Latino educators that Laboy once headed.
The Ethics Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing on its allegations against Sunskis within 90 days. He faces fines of up to $6,000 if convicted, and also could be criminally charged.
Attempts to reach Sunskis for comment were unsuccessful yesterday.
In an email to the Ethics Commission two years ago, he acknowledged paying Birchall $2,200, but said it was a payment for 500 copies of a book about teaching he wrote that he said Birchall agreed to print on school presses.
In the email, Sunskis said former Acting School Superintendent Marylou Bergeron fired him in June 2009 for “conduct unbecoming a teacher,” ending his six-year teaching career. He was earning $67,813 a year.
An internet search suggests Sunskis’ publishing company has gone out of business.
Laurenza and Birchall also are no longer working in Lawrence schools, although school district spokesman Chris Markuns yesterday would not describe the circumstances of their departure.
Laurenza left June 30, 2010, after three years in the graphics department. He was earning $50 an hour.
Birchall left Aug. 8, 2011, after eight years in the department. He was earning $43,514 a year.

Son of convicted Lawrence superintendent Wilfredo Laboy pleads guilty to perjury in Massachusetts

The son of a former Lawrence Public Schools superintendent convicted of embezzlement pleaded guilty today to perjuring himself in grand jury testimony.

Wilfred Laboy II, 38, of Methuen, was then sentenced to one year of probation in Lawrence Superior Court, according to prosecutors.

Wilfredo Laboy was convicted last year of five counts of embezzlement and fraud for misusing the Lawrence school district’s graphic design center to print pamphlets for his son’s pizza shop and ordering school district employees to drive his son to work.

The elder Laboy was sentenced to two years in a house of correction and three years of probation, said Carrie Kimball Monahan, spokeswoman for Essex District AttorneyJonathan Blodgett.

Monahan said that when Laboy II was called before the grand jury to testify about his father’s misappropriation of school materials he lied to protect him.

“The crime of perjury undermines our justice system,” Blodgett said. “Our recommendation for committed time was based on the facts of this case which included deliberate and repeated lying to a grand jury, which is an affront to our efforts to determine the truth.”

Father, son charged for theft from local little league in Massachusetts

A father and son appeared in court Friday facing embezzlement charges for allegedly stealing $50,000 from the West Medford Little League.
They are accused of writing checks for themselves and using an account at BJ’s Wholesale Club to buy things for themselves that had nothing to do with the children.
Stanley Komins, 78, was silent as he left court with his son, Stephen Komins, 45. Prosecutors said the case against them is strong, but complicated.
Stanley Komins was the league president and Stephen Komins was the treasurer. Both men asked for a public defender. Prosecutors said the men would steal from the concession stand and from the league finances by writing themselves checks.
The total loss to the ball club is more than $50,000.
The West Medford Little League said they first became suspicious when Stanley Komins retired in 2011 and wouldn’t hand over financial records. League officials said they performed an audit and went to police with the troubling discovery.
Neal O'Brien's Medford deli is one of the many local league sponsors. He said customers are buzzing about the scandal.
“Just a sense of disgust. It’s too bad. The children shouldn’t pay. They’re taking from their own. It’s just a terrible thing,” said O’Brien.
Helen Balzano has helped run another Medford little league and calls the case shocking.
“These are little kids that are playing baseball. We’re supposed to set the example for these kids. If we can’t set a good example for our own children, what does that say about us?” said Balzano.
On the league’s web page, the new board acknowledges the allegations and wrote, “We continue to work at being transparent with the parents of West Medford and ensuring that we create a league that the community can be proud of.”
Inside Somerville District Court, father and son issued not guilty pleas. They were released without bail, but had to hand over their passports and told they had to stay in the state.

Ex-administrator at First Churches in Northampton, Massachusetts accused of embezzlement

From - http://blog.congregationalsecurityinc.com.


A former administrator at the First Churches pleaded not guilty Friday to charges she bilked donors to the church and other local service organizations out of nearly $18,000.




Giselle L. Dudley, 42, of 48 Keith St., Springfield, faces 56 charges in Northampton District Court, including 25 counts of check forgery, 25 counts of uttering a false check, five counts of unauthorized access to a computer system and one count of larceny by a single scheme (embezzlement).



According to Northampton Police Detective Patrick D. Moody, the criminal investigation into Dudley's handling of donations to the church began in December 2011 after a donor asked for a tax receipt for her $9,000 contribution.



No such deposit appeared in the church's records, but a copy of the cancelled check from the donor showed that a check in that amount had been made out to the church and endorsed by Dudley.



Dudley told police she had deposited the check, believing it was meant for her as part of a fundraising effort by church members to help her and her family recover from a house fire in June 2011. Dudley told police she had contacted the donor to confirm the intended destination of the money and said she believed it was for her family's recovery efforts.