BOSTON – A Tewksbury woman has been charged in a superseding indictment for allegedly embezzling more than $1.8 million from her employer and collecting unemployment assistance while employed fulltime.
Joanne Dinoto a/k/a Joanne Mara, 47, was charged in a superseding indictment with an additional count of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return. In November 2021, Dinoto was indicted on one count of bank fraud, two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to the charging document, between December 2013 and April 2020, Dinoto stole more than $1.8 million from her employer, a flooring company based in Acton, by falsely inflating her compensation, using her employer’s corporate credit card for personal expenses, and forging at least two checks to herself from her employer’s checking account. To hide her scheme, Dinoto allegedly modified her employer’s accounting records. It is also alleged that during the period August 2020 through May 2021, Dinoto collected unemployment benefits from the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance under her true Social Security number, while also working full time for a lighting company based in Wilmington under a fake Social Security number. The superseding indictment further alleges that, between 2015 and 2020, Dinoto did not report more than $1 million in funds she embezzled from the Acton company nor her wages from the Wilmington company on her federal income tax returns.
The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss. The charge of filing a false tax return provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides a mandatory sentence of two years in prison, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Office; Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, made the announcement today. The Acton Police Department and Middlesex District Attorney’s Office also provided assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen A. Kearney of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.