BOSTON, May 30, 2013—A Malden man today began serving a prison sentence after his conviction last week on charges he stole more than $310,000 from his employer while also fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.
RYAN VOSE (D.O.B. 9/12/79) pleaded guilty May 23 to three counts of larceny by scheme; five counts each of forgery, uttering, and making false entry on corporate books; and six counts of unemployment compensation fraud. In doing so, he admitted stealing more than $300,000 from the business for which he worked and defrauding the Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance out of more than $47,000.
Judge Raymond J. Brassard sentenced Vose to a term of two to three years in state prison and 10 years of probation after his release. At prosecutors’ request, Brassard additionally ordered Vose to pay full restitution before the end of that probationary term. He was taken into custody today to begin serving the committed portion of his sentence.
Had the case proceeded to trial, Assistant District Attorney Michele Granda of the DA’s Special Prosecutions Unit would have sought to prove that Vose worked as a part-time bookkeeper for a small Boston-based employment agency from May 2008 to June 2011. The evidence would have shown that, beginning in 2009, Vose stole $310,877 from the company by forging his employer’s signature on 207 checks that he wrote payable to himself. In the final year of his employment, Vose used $11,000 in company funds to purchase Boston Celtics season tickets, prosecutors said.
In addition, prosecutors would have argued, Vose – who had earlier been let go from positions at two other companies – received state unemployment benefits in excess of what he was eligible to receive while working for the employment agency. Vose applied for and received unemployment benefits after losing one job in July 2008 and the other in June 2009. He failed to report that he continued to receive income from the victim company during that time period, however, and as a result received an overpayment $47,756 in benefits over 115 weeks, prosecutors said.
Evidence would have suggested that Vose hid the thefts from his employer by altering the company’s financial records, deleting all reference to the checks in most cases and at other times making the checks appear to be payable to others, prosecutors said.
During the time period he was entrusted with the company’s financial affairs, the company was nearly driven into bankruptcy and its owner was forced to take out two business loans, remortgage her home, and borrow money from family, all in an effort to prevent layoffs within the company. The business owner also stopped drawing a salary and was forced to live off of her shrinking savings, ultimately laying off nine employees. When told the company could not afford to pay his salary, testimony would have shown, Vose offered to defer his payment until the company had sufficient funds – but continued to cash the forged checks.
The company’s owner confronted Vose after uncovering the thefts in June 2011. Vose initially fled but later turned himself in after being contacted by investigators.
In a victim impact statement delivered to the court, the company owner said that she had believed that her company’s woes were due to the economic downturn prior to the discovery of the thefts.
“There were several days when he witnessed me crying in despair about where I could find money to pay my employees, and our mounting bills – all while he continuously doctored reports and statements and forged yet another check of my company’s hard earned money. He acted in a role of my support system when he interacted with the banks for refinancing, getting the details for them and for me, and helped me to feel a false sense of reassurance, as he said we would get through this period,” the victim said in an impact statement.
Vose was represented by Darryl Malden.
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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
