Retirement Community Manager Sentenced for Embezzling Funds

BOSTON – A former East Longmeadow woman was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Springfield today for embezzling from retirement living community which she managed.

Alice Lacroix, 54, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 52 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $323,000.  In July 2015, Lacroix pleaded guilty to nine counts of wire fraud, nine counts of money laundering and two counts of filing false tax returns.

In a fraud scheme that lasted from 2011 through February 2013, Lacroix embezzled funds from her employer, Bluebird Estates which is a retirement living community in East Longmeadow.  Lacroix, as manager of Bluebird Estates, took rent checks paid by tenants as well as other checks and property belonging to her employer.  Additionally, Lacroix established a bank account without authorization in the name of Bluebird Estates into which she deposited the embezzled funds.  During the course of the scheme, Lacroix deposited $325,000 into this fake Bluebird Estates bank account and engaged in financial transactions designed to disguise the proceeds of the fraudulent scheme.  Lacroix would deceive her employer through emails that provided false information about the rent payments she took.   Lacroix also submitted false income tax returns for the years 2011 and 2012.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; William P. Offord, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Chief Douglas Mellis of the East Longmeadow Police Department made the announcement today.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex J. Grant of Ortiz’s Springfield Branch Unit.