A Malden woman who was working as a bookkeeper for a client in Lincoln has been sentenced to three to four years in prison after she was convicted of stealing more than $1.4 million from her employer, a woman in her 80s, over an eight-year period.
Lincoln police declined to identify the victim, whom Lt. Sean Kennedy described as “a wealthy individual” who is “as sharp as you and I.” Several years ago while living in another town, the victim interviewed people for the job of keeping her accounts and paying her bills a few hours a week. Marie Medeiros, now 52, was hired after her background was checked, said Kennedy, who investigated the case along with Detective Ian Spencer and the Middlesex District Attorney’s office..
From April 2007 until August 2015, Medeiros stole money on a regular basis from her employer. “She was frequently entrusted with blank checks intended to be used to pay routine expenses. Instead, Medeiros would insert her own name as the payee on certain checks and thereafter deposit them into her own bank account,” according to the District Attorney’s office.
Over a period of several years, Medeiros wrote more than 90 checks to herself in amounts ranging from $9,900 to $20,000, Kennedy said. The money was used to pay for travel to Europe and Las Vegas, cruises, a luxury car and other items. Medeiros also used some of the money to pay more than $80,000 to the University of Arizona for her daughter’s education. “She was bold,” he said.
Medeiros was finally tripped up when the victim got a call from her bank asking about a suspicious withdrawal. Medeiros pled guilty this week in Middlesex Superior Court to six counts of larceny over $250 from a person over 60. She will serve time in MCI-Framingham followed by 10 years’ probation. She was also ordered to pay restitution totaling over $1.4 million to reimburse her employer.
According to Kennedy, Medeiros had no criminal history. “All indications were that she was someone who could be trusted. She certainly had the qualifications and there were no red flags,” he said.
As for the victim, “she’s mortified,” Kennedy said. “She trusted this woman. The money’s the money, but the betrayal is awful.”
“This case is a reminder that, although there is always a concern about being a victim of a random scam, those close to us can also be financially exploiting us, and we must all remain vigilant and monitor our financial transactions. If something seems amiss, you should immediately alert authorities,” District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement..