John E. Lawler, senior director of major capital projects at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Mass., has been sentenced to two years in jail for embezzling more than $2.5 million from the Massachusetts health system, according to a Telegram news report.
Mr. Lawler, who oversaw the construction of the $129 million Lakeside Wing at UMass Memorial Medical Center – University Campus, pleaded guilty to embezzling money from the hospital by setting up fake bank accounts in the name of a construction company and depositing payment checks from the hospital in the fake accounts for his own gain between 2003 and 2007, according to the report.
Mr. Lawler also pleaded guilty to hiring personal friends who worked as contractors, helping them submit fraudulent invoices and receiving kickbacks for aiding them. Additionally, Mr. Lawler admitted to falsifying his 2003 income tax return and manipulating information to get unemployment compensation after his 2007 termination by UMass Memorial for bad conduct, according to the report.
In addition to jail time, Mr. Lawler has been ordered to pay $300,000 in restitution, which is the difference between the amounts stolen and the amounts recovered by UMass Memorial, according to the report.
Read the Telegram news report about Mr. John Lawler's sentence.
Read more coverage about crimes by hospital employees:
- Former Executive of Hospital Management Company Faces Fraud Charges
- Former Massachusetts Hospital Executive Pleads Not Guilty to Bribery Charges
- Bribery Conviction Affirmed for Former Rhode Island Hospital CEO
Mr. Lawler, who oversaw the construction of the $129 million Lakeside Wing at UMass Memorial Medical Center – University Campus, pleaded guilty to embezzling money from the hospital by setting up fake bank accounts in the name of a construction company and depositing payment checks from the hospital in the fake accounts for his own gain between 2003 and 2007, according to the report.
Mr. Lawler also pleaded guilty to hiring personal friends who worked as contractors, helping them submit fraudulent invoices and receiving kickbacks for aiding them. Additionally, Mr. Lawler admitted to falsifying his 2003 income tax return and manipulating information to get unemployment compensation after his 2007 termination by UMass Memorial for bad conduct, according to the report.
In addition to jail time, Mr. Lawler has been ordered to pay $300,000 in restitution, which is the difference between the amounts stolen and the amounts recovered by UMass Memorial, according to the report.
Read the Telegram news report about Mr. John Lawler's sentence.
Read more coverage about crimes by hospital employees:
- Former Executive of Hospital Management Company Faces Fraud Charges
- Former Massachusetts Hospital Executive Pleads Not Guilty to Bribery Charges
- Bribery Conviction Affirmed for Former Rhode Island Hospital CEO