A Newport woman admitted Thursday in federal court to embezzling more than $250,000 from two nonprofits where she worked between 2015 and 2019.
Sheri G. Walsh, 56, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Bangor to wire fraud and federal government program theft, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release. A judge will sentence her at a later date, but court documents show she agreed not to appeal a sentence of less than 21 months. That agreement filed in court also says the prosecutor will recommend leniency because she accepted responsibility and because her plea is “lessening the burden on the court system” during the COVID-19 pandemic. The maximum penalty under the law is 20 years for the fraud charge and 10 years for the theft charge.
Court documents do not name the nonprofits, but the Bangor Daily News reported that she worked for the Hancock County Planning Commission and served as treasurer for the Maine chapter of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs.
“Walsh carried out the scheme by fraudulently transferring funds from one organization to another, then converting the funds to her own use,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “During the relevant period, one of the nonprofits received federal grant monies from both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”
A defense attorney for Walsh did not return an email about the case Thursday.
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