BOSTON — A former executive secretary at the Boston Housing Authority has pleaded guilty to falsifying payroll forms to collect more than $72,000 in overtime pay, the U.S. Attorney said.
Helen Murray, 41, of Malden, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for July 7.
Murray, who was charged in February, worked at the Boston Housing Authority from 2017 to 2024.
Prosecutors said she lied about working overtime and forged her supervisor’s signature on the overtime forms.
As executive secretary, Murray was responsible for collecting weekly Boston Housing Authority timesheets, as well as overtime forms from other housing authority employees. Murray was also eligible to work overtime and receive overtime pay.
To collect overtime, Murray’s overtime work had to be pre-approved by her senior management, prosecutors said.
Specifically, Murray would have to perform the overtime work, “accurately and truthfully fill out an overtime form,” and submit it to her immediate supervisor via email for approval, prosecutors said.
But in January 2023, Murray began submitting false overtime forms to the housing authority payroll.
Instead of submitting the forms to her supervisor for approval, Murray entered overtime hours that she had not worked and then falsified her supervisor’s signature on the form, without her supervisor’s knowledge or permission, prosecutors said.
Murray would then submit the falsified overtime forms directly to BHA Payroll via email, after which BHA Payroll would include Murray’s fraudulent overtime pay in her weekly paycheck.
In total, prosecutors said Murray submitted over 100 falsified overtime forms between January 2023 and August 2024, ultimately collecting approximately $72,131 in fraudulent overtime pay.
For the wire fraud charge, Murray faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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