Tewksbury Woman Indicted On Fraud, Identity Theft Charges

TEWKSBURY, MA — A Tewksbury woman was indicted on bank and wire fraud and identity theft charges in connection with an alleged scheme to embezzle more than $1.8 million from her employer, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Joanne Dinoto, also known as Joanne Mara, 47 of Tewksbury, was indicted on one count of bank fraud, two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release.

Dinoto was released with conditions following an initial appearance before a federal judge Wednesday.

"Between December 2013 and April 2020, Dinoto stole more than $1.8 million from her employer, a flooring company based in Acton," prosecutors said. "It is alleged that Dinoto inflated her compensation by increasing her hourly rate, falsifying the number of hours she worked and adding phony “reimbursements” to her paycheck, all without authorization."

The indictment also alleges that Dinoto paid personal expenses with her corporate credit card, "even after her employer directed her to cancel the card."

Dinoto also forged at least two checks to herself from her employer's checking account and modified accounting records to conceal the scheme, prosecutors said.

Dinoto could face up to 30 years in prison for the charge of bank fraud and lesser sentences for the other charges.

All people are considered innocent until proven guilty.

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