Clinton woman sentenced in thefts from museum

WORCESTER – A Clinton woman who admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from that town’s Museum of Russian Icons was sentenced to nearly two years in prison Monday.

“I take no pleasure in this,” U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman said before imposing a 20-month sentence on Jennifer Delorey McNamara, a 36-year-old recovering opioid abuser who said her thefts were fueled by her addiction.

The sentence, which includes an order of $754,000 in restitution and three years of supervised release, was handed down after Ms. McNamara pleaded guilty in April to one count of wire fraud.

Despite the admission of guilt, Ms. McNamara, the museum's former business manager, maintained some of the allegations against her were untrue, including a finding from the museum’s investigator that she stole nearly $800,000.

“We believe she stole between $250,000 to $300,000,” her attorney, Peter L. Ettenberg, wrote in her sentencing memorandum.

Mr. Ettenberg made an impassioned plea Monday for Ms. McNamara to avoid jail altogether, saying that his client’s behavior was an aberration inspired by the scourge of opioid addiction.

Family, friends and even her husbands’ ex-wife, a military member, wrote letters about her charitable spirit and generosity, Mr. Ettenberg noted, and many were in the courtroom to support her.

Mr. Ettenberg wrote in his sentencing memorandum that Ms. McNamara became addicted to opioids after being prescribed Oxycodone for pain management. He said outside the courtroom Monday that she stole money to support both herself and a family member who was also addicted to opioids.

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg A. Friedholm said greed also played a role in the thefts. He said the scope of the thefts, which he pegged at more than $750,000, took place over years, and could not be merely explained away by addiction.

A forensic accounting report the museum furnished to Travelers Insurance estimated $78,000 in fraud involving the museum’s credit card, including purchases made on Amazon.com and sent directly to Ms. McNamara’s home.

The same report estimated Ms. McNamara overcharged the museum at least $24,000 for services rendered from her husband’s landscaping company, Heritage Landscaping.

The forensic accountant concluded Ms. McNamara stole around $300,000 in cash from the museum as well as wrote nearly $400,000 in fraudulent checks to herself.

“She used the museum bank account as her own personal piggy bank,” Mr. Friedholm said, noting that she covered her tracks with a variety of methods, including doctoring financial statements and making false electronic accounting entries.

Mr. Ettenberg argued the scheme was not complicated, and that the museum should have discovered it sooner – an argument with which Judge Hillman at one point signaled agreement.

Travelers Insurance reimbursed the museum for its loss, and in his sentencing memorandum, Mr. Ettenberg cast suspicion on whether all the losses uncovered by its investigator were attributed to his client.

“It’s possible (the museum) used the opportunity to pin invalid expenses on Jennifer, to increase the amount the museum would be reimbursed,” he wrote.

He further alleged that, contrary to a federal press release, the museum did not notify the government about the thefts – its insurance company did.

Executives at the museum declined to speak to a reporter Monday outside the courtroom. In his argument Monday, Mr. Friedholm said they are worried about the impact the theft had on museum supporters and on an upcoming accreditation in 2020.

Opened in 2005, the Museum of Russian Icons showcases a private collection of about 1,000 Russian icons – religious works of art often painted on wooden boards. It bills its collection as the largest of its kind in North America.

The museum only had about six or seven staff members at the time Ms. McNamara was hired, said Mr. Friedholm, who alleged she began stealing virtually from the start of her employ.

The museum's forensic accountant said the thefts took place from 2010 to 2015, when the museum noticed missing money and launched an investigation.

Ms. McNamara, who has a history of mental struggles, attempted to harm herself around that time, lawyers said in court Monday, and confessed to stealing money in a letter of resignation.

Mr. Ettenberg said the thefts were driven by an addiction that caused her to act completely out of character. He said a letter written to the court by Ms. McNamara – which was not included in electronic court records – was so powerful that it made him weep.

Ms. McNamara apologized to the museum, her family and the court in a brief statement Monday. Now clean for two years and a recovery specialist for a local service provider, she vowed to spend the rest of her life helping others in recovery and to pay back the insurance company.

Minutes later, as he imposed his sentence, Judge Hillman said he was “conflicted by a lot of things,” but could not ignore the amount of money stolen.

“I know this is not a good day for you, but make it a beginning and not an ending,” he told the woman as members of her family wept.

Ms. McNamara, who was not detained pending trial, was ordered to surrender herself into federal custody before Oct. 26.

Contact Brad Petrishen at brad.petrishen@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BPetrishenTG.