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Heather Cimini-Moore of Rockport pleaded guilty yesterday to charges that over the two years she worked at Williams and Mahoney, she forged the partners' signatures on checks, used corporate credit cards for personal items and even directed contractors hired by the law firm to work on the Web site.
Her husband, former New England Revolution soccer player Jason Moore, admitted to cashing some of the forged checks.
Salem Superior Court Judge Thomas Billings sentenced Cimini-Moore, 31, to two to three years in state prison, to be followed by three years of probation. Jason Moore, 28, was sentenced to three years of probation. Prosecutors had urged a five-year prison term for Cimini-Moore and a two-year jail term for Moore.
Cimini-Moore worked at the Cummings Center law firm in 2004 and 2005, handling the firm's finances - despite a record of having stolen from a prior employer in western Massachusetts.
According to a civil lawsuit filed by the firm, Cimini-Moore used the company's resources to conduct lavish promotional events for AmericanHookups, including parties in Boston hot spots.
The site, which has been taken down, featured personal ads and sometimes graphic advice on dating and sex, according to some Web pages that were found during a search shortly after Cimini-Moore's arrest two years ago.
The couple also used firm funds to pay for a trip to Disney World, according to the lawsuit.
Her scheme began to unravel when during a business trip, partner David Williams tried to use his American Express card to make a small purchase and the card was rejected, prosecutor A.J. Camelio said. He called Cimini-Moore to ask for credit records. When she did not immediately produce those, the partners got suspicious and questioned her further.
Eventually she admitted to taking the money.
"In stealing the money from the law firm not only did she steal money but she abused the trust that had been placed in her," Camelio said.
"This is not the first time she used her position to steal."
Jason Moore was charged because he cashed about half a dozen of the checks. Camelio suggested Moore should have realized the checks were bad.
But Carmine Lepore, Jason Moore's lawyer, said his client had no reason to suspect anything when his wife would call him to come pick up a check at work to pay bills.
And Cimini-Moore's lawyer, Allison Bloomquist, urged the judge to impose probation, saying, "This is not a crime of violence, this is crime of theft and fraud. Mrs. Cimini-Moore is not someone who should be sequestered from society to protect society."
Bloomquist also said Cimini-Moore is concerned about her two children, one of whom has been hospitalized recently.
And, she said, her client has recently joined a church.
The judge, however, said he felt the prison time was warranted given the amount taken and the length of time she was stealing, as well as the fact that it's not the first time she has done something like this.
And while "restitution looks good on paper in a case like this, it is my experience that it has been an exercise in frustration," the judge said.
Theft from law firms is a surprisingly common problem, said attorneys familiar with the case. Law school does not teach lawyers how to run a business, and most are forced to leave it to others to handle finances as they pursue their legal work.
Yet there is also a stigma about reporting thefts because of embarrassment and fear that it will damage the firm's business.
By Julie Manganis , Staff writer
Salem News
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