Crime
Thomas Clasby Jr. led the city’s Elder Services department for more than two decades before being fired in 2024.
A former Quincy official pleaded guilty Monday in Boston federal court to a scheme that drained thousands of dollars from the city over several years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says.
Thomas Clasby Jr., 61, of Fitchburg, pleaded guilty to charges of embezzlement, mail and wire fraud, and interstate transportation of stolen property, according to a statement from Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley’s office.
Clasby was indicted in January 2025 on the charges and appeared in federal court Monday to enter a plea. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti Saris scheduled sentencing for June 17, according to Foley’s office.
Clasby remains free on bond, the Boston Globe reported last week.
From 1999 to April 2024, Clasby served as director of Quincy’s Department of Elder Services, according to the indictment. He was fired by Mayor Thomas Koch, who cited “financial irregularities” and an ongoing Quincy police investigation.
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Feds: Former Quincy city official embezzled funds for steak tips, recording studio, framed self-portrait
Federal prosecutors say Clasby began abusing the city’s purchasing process in 2019, using municipal funds to cover personal expenses and generate cash for himself.
In one instance that May, Clasby authorized the city to spend nearly $2,000 on a snowblower for his personal use, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors also said Clasby used city funds to pay a Weymouth music studio to record songs he sang for wife and others.
In June 2020, Clasby asked the studio owner to submit an invoice totaling $5,950 for 170 hours of studio time labeled “Senior Musical Workshop,” according to the indictment. Clasby later arranged for the city to pay an additional $3,000 invoice for more studio time.
In another case in May 2023, Clasby authorized the city to pay about $4,800 for a 2005 Toyota Prius that he titled in his own name and gave to a longtime female friend. The invoice falsely stated the charge was for “rebuilding an engine for one of the Elder Services Food Econoline vans,” the indictment states.
Other purchases included more than $1,650 for a framed self-portrait intended for his wife and roughly $2,200 paid to food vendors for 153 pounds of bourbon steak tips, according to Foley’s office.
Authorities said Clasby also used fake invoices to obtain cash. According to the indictment, he arranged for the city to pay more than $38,000 to a New York consulting company owned by his friend.
The consulting company never provided services to the city; instead, the friend allegedly cashed the checks and handed the money to Clasby at locations including Framingham rest stop, a ferry terminal in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and the friend’s New York apartment, the indictment states.
Prosecutors further allege Clasby took most — if not all — the cash receipts collected at the Kennedy Center, where the Department of Elder Services operates.
From June 2021 to mid-April 2024, the department collected more than $57,000 in cash from Kennedy Center programs — not including transportation services — as well as additional cash from the center’s cafe, according to the indictment. Employees were instructed by Clasby to place the money in a safe, where he later removed it.
The embezzlement charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, Foley’s office noted. Mail and wire fraud each carry potential sentences of up to 20 years in prison, while interstate transportation of stolen property carries a maximum of 10 years.
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