Massachusetts Woman Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $350K From Condo Association

From WickedLocal.com on 12/19/2014:

A Waltham woman admitted over the summer to embezzling about $350,000 from a condominium complex, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Lesley A. Correa pleaded guilty to three counts of larceny over $250 in connection with embezzling $350,000 from the Glen Meadow Condominium Association, which runs the Glen Meadow condo complex in Waltham, according to the DA’s office. Middlesex Superior Court Judge Sandra Hamlin, on Sept. 24, sentenced Correa to one to four years of probation, the DA’s office said. The judge also barred Correa from working in the financial field and from handling money in a work setting. In addition, probation officers must approve any of Correa’s future jobs. The judge also ordered Correa to continue mental health counseling. Correa was ordered to pay $367,338 in restitution, the DA’s office said. A jury found Preston Correa, Lesley’s ex-husband and the complex’s superintendent, not guilty of three counts of larceny over $250 in connection with Lesley’s crimes, according to the DA’s office. The jury returned its verdict on Sept. 30. The DA charged Preston in August 2012 with helping Lesley steal from the association. Specifically, prosecutors alleged Preston signed several checks for contracting work, but the work was never performed. The checks were meant to cover the embezzlement, according to the DA’s office. Lesley Correa was originally charged in August 2012. Investigators said Correa began stealing from the association in June 2010. In August 2011, Correa started delaying giving financial records to the association’s accountant. The accountant later discovered charges had been made to the accounts to pay for things not associated with the association. Correa used association money to pay utility bills, cable television bills and expenses for family members, according to the DA’s office. Correa allegedly used PayPal to divert association money and use it at restaurants, jewelry stores and gas stations, beauty shops, massages and a trip to Mohegan Sun casino. She also allegedly used the funds to pay for trips to California and West Virginia. The condo association fired both Lesley and Preston Correa in January 2012.