Former Town Selectman In Massachusetts Pleads Not Guilty To Charges She Embezzled $280K From Employer

Carole Ann Makary, 56, of Lowell, Massachusetts plead not guilty to criminal charges she embezzled some $280,000 from Maerkisches Werk of North America, where she had been employed as a bookkeeper. Makary is also a former Selectman in the Town of Stow, Massachusetts. Makary previously pleaded not guilty to charges she embezzled more than $20,000 from Stow Boy Scout Troop 1 where she had served as treasurer and $7,000 from another local youth group. Makary was indicted on September 20 in which she was alleged to have altered payee information on Maerkisches checks and depositing them into her own accounts. She is also alleged to have made unauthorized charged on company credit cards for her own benefit. The alleged misappropriations spanned about 3 1/2 years, from July 2005 through February 2009. The indictment includes three counts of larceny over $250 and one count of falsifying financial records. Maerkisches had originally filed a civil recovery suit against Makary and her husband, Mark K. Makary, 52, alleging she misappropriated from the company and deposited the funds into their joint account, thereby benefiting her husband.

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Update (2/18/11): Makary has now pleaded guilty to three counts of larceny of more than $250 by a common scheme, as well as one count of falsifying or omitting financial records. She was sentenced to two years probation, 250 hours of community service and must make full restitution.