North Andover Woman Sentenced For Embezzling $157K

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — A North Andover woman was sentenced to nine months in prison Wednesday for embezzling over $157,000, federal prosecutors say.

Sharon M. Lewis, 59, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in Dec. 2020.

Prosecutors say Lewis embezzled over $157,000 in checks for vendor payments from her Lawrence-based employer. Lewis worked as an accounts payable clerk and from around Sept. 2017 to Dec. 2019, she diverted dozens of signed vendor checks to herself for her personal bank account, prosecutors said.

"On multiple occasions, to conceal her scheme, Lewis led vendors to believe that their missing payments had been lost in the mail," prosecutors said. "Over the course of the scheme, Lewis deposited at least 48 checks payable to company vendors, with a total value of more than $157,000."

Lewis withdrew a third of the money in cash and used the rest to pay personal debts and living expenses, according to prosecutors.

In addition to nine months in prison, Lewis was ordered to forfeit $157,213 and to pay restitution in the same amount.