The former finance director for the Massachusetts Teachers’ Association (MTA) has pleaded guilty to charges he stole $802,000 from the union over a six-year period, Attorney General Tom Reilly announced on Dec. 19. Richard Anzivino, 49, of Needham, pleaded guilty in Suffolk County Superior Court to five counts of larceny over $250 and six counts of making a false entry in a corporate book. Judge Carol Ball sentenced Anzivino to two years in the House of Correction with one year to serve and the balance suspended for five years with probation. The sentence was stayed until January 2.
The investigation found that over a six-year period between 1996 and September 2002, Anzivino stole $802,000 from the MTA. He accomplished the larceny by writing approximately 270 checks to himself which he cashed or deposited into his personal checking accounts. Anzivino wrote the checks for amounts at or under $5,000 so that he was able to use an MTA stamp to approve the transaction and no further signatures were necessary for approval. The checks Anzivino wrote to himself were written against a transfer or “wash” account. Anzivino hid the thefts by making entries in the corporation’s books that made it appear that the checks were for legitimate expenses. After discovering the theft, the MTA fired Anzivino, referred the matter to the Attorney General’s Office and worked closely with the Office as the investigation progressed. [Mass. A.G., 12/19/03]
Spalding Sports Employee in Mass. Pleads Guilty To Union Embezzlement
An employee at the former Spalding Sports Company in Chicopee, Massachusetts, pled guilty on Dec. 18 in federal court to embezzling money from a union representing Spalding employees. U.S. Attny. Michael J. Sullivan and Mark Letizi, Dist. Director for the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Ofc. of Labor Mgmt. Standards in New England, announced that Gene Malinowski pled guilty before U.S. Dist. Judge Michael A. Ponsor (Mass., Clinton) to a one count indictment charging him with embezzling funds from Boilermakers Local Lodge 1851.
At yesterday’s plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that, had the case proceeded to trial, the Government’s evidence would have proven that between 2000 and 2001, Malinowski was the Business Agent and Secretary-Treasurer of Boilermakers Union Local 1851, which represented many Spalding employees. During that time, Malinowski and a co-conspirator stole over $50,000 from the union by issuing and cashing checks to themselves that were falsely represented to be for golf ball purchases. As part of the scheme Malinowski and his co-conspirator stole hundreds of dozens of golf balls from Spalding. In addition, Malinowski wrote extra salary checks from the union to himself totaling over $13,000. Finally, Malinowski received payment from the union for fraudulent expenses.
Judge Ponsor scheduled sentencing for March 18, 2004. Malinowski faces up to 5 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. [U.S.A.O., Dist. Mass., 12/19/03]