Crime
Past allegations involved the Framingham Chamber of Commerce and a Boxford school organization.
A Boxford woman charged with possibly stealing more than $120,000 from her employer is also connected to two other embezzlement cases, police say: the theft of $50,000 from the Framingham Chamber of Commerce and another fraud investigation involving the Boxford School District.
Stephanie Hirshon, 53, of Boxford, pleaded not guilty on Thursday in Gloucester District Court to one count of larceny over $1,200, according to court documents.
The court held her on a $50,000 bail, and she was committed to the Essex County House of Correction. Hirshon’s next pre-trial hearing is on Aug. 7.
According to an Essex Police report, Hirshon entered the police station lobby on July 6 to report fraud. Hirshon told police she is an employee of a STEM lab equipment educational consultant in Essex and that an email chain was hacked, resulting in the loss of over $120,000. She subsequently reported the fraud to the bank.
However, Essex Detective Corey Salvo noted something unusual about Hirshon’s behavior. He wrote, “This walk-in seemed more like a report of fraud that Hirshon wanted documented more than she wanted it investigated.”
So he ran Hirshon’s registration and found two related larceny cases, in Framingham and Boxford. Court documents show that Hirshon pleaded guilty to the Framingham theft in 2024 and was ordered to repay $31,000. She is also currently on probation for it.
According to the police report, Boxford Police are also investigating Hirshon for fraud within a school organization in their town.
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On Tuesday, Salvo followed up with Hirshon’s employer and informed him of Hirshon’s criminal history. The owner reached back out to him on Wednesday and told him that he had found pay stubs showing that Hirshon had paid herself more than allowed.
The next morning, the two met and discussed unauthorized payments totaling $17,500 that the business owner said were deposited directly into Hirshon’s bank account. It remains unclear what happened to the $120,000 lost to the supposed hack.
Police followed the owner to his business in Essex, where he terminated Hirshon. Upon her exiting, the police arrested Hirshon.
Later in the day, Hirshon confessed to police that she was behind the unauthorized payments, police said. She told them that she did it to help pay for her children’s college while also trying to save money to leave an abusive relationship, according to the report.
Boston.com did not immediately hear back from Hirshon’s lawyer for additional comment.
Beth Treffeisen is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on local news, crime, and business in the New England region.
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