For Immediate Release

Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Contact: Chief Richard D. Howe
Email: rhowe@tyngsboroughma.gov

Tyngsborough Woman Indicted In Connection with Alleged Theft from Town Finance Department

TYNGSBOROUGH —  Tyngsborough Chief of Police Richard Howe and Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan have announced that a Middlesex County Grand Jury has indicted Nancy Dutton, 56, of Tyngsborough, on five counts of larceny and one count of money laundering in connection with the alleged theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars since 2004 from the Tyngsborough Finance Department while she was employed as an Assistant Tax Collector and Deputy Tax Collector for the town.

In May of 2017, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the Massachusetts State Police and the Tyngsborough Police Department began investigating accounting irregularities that were discovered by members of the town hall’s financial staff. As a result of that investigation, it was determined that Ms. Dutton was allegedly using her position to take tax monies meant for the town and then covering up her actions by falsifying records.

In June of 2017, Ms. Dutton was placed on paid administrative leave.

“The town of Tyngsborough will be seeking all available avenues to recover the stolen funds, including civil, criminal and insurance that may be available,” said Tyngsborough Town Administrator Matthew Hanson.

“I would like to acknowledge the efforts of our Tyngsborough police detectives and the investigators assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office for their tireless work on this case,” Chief Howe said. “A case like this takes time, effort and resources to determine the scope of funds missing.”

The missing funds were discovered shortly after a change in leadership and software at the town’s finance department. The Town has also implemented a number of steps to prevent this kind of incident from occurring in the future, including but not limited to:

• Upgrading and updating the town’s accounting software
• Tighter managerial control over all financial transactions
• The Town of Tyngsborough no longer accepts cash payments in excess of $50, and the Town will phase out all cash payments in the coming years.

No additional information will be released at this time pending Ms. Dutton’s arraignment in Middlesex Superior Court. An arraignment date has not been scheduled, additional information will be available following arraignment.

These charges are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Additional media inquiries should be directed to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

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