ARLINGTON MAN CHARGED WITH THEFT OF GOVERNMENT MONEY
BOSTON, Mass. - An Indictment charging an Arlington man with stealing more than $330,000 from the government was unsealed today in federal court.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, Drew Grimm, Special Agent in Charge of Eastern Operations, Office of Personnel Management, Office of Inspector General and Steven D. Ricciardi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service announced today that LAURENCE C. WEBER, 66, of Arlington, was charged in an Indictment with one count of theft of government money.
The Indictment alleges that WEBER stole money from the Office of Personnel Management by receiving monthly annuity payments intended for his mother for approximately 19 years after her death in 1990. WEBER allegedly failed to notify the Office of Personnel Management of his mother’s death and falsified verification forms to mislead the government into believing that WEBER’s mother, the only legal recipient of the annuity payment, was still alive. It is alleged that, before the fraud was uncovered, WEBER stole more than $330,000.
If convicted on these charges, WEBER faces up to 10 years imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Office of Eastern Operations, Office of Personnel Management, Office of the Inspector General and the U.S. Secret Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori J. Holik of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.
The details contained in the Indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
