WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) – A Massachusetts woman who pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Museum of Russian Icons, where she worked, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison. A federal judge this week put 36-year-old Jennifer Delorey McNamara behind bars even though her lawyer argued for no prison time.
McNamara was the former business manager at the museum located in Clinton. Prosecutors say she embezzled money from the museum by failing to deposit cash into the museum bank account and issuing unauthorized payments to herself.
McNamara pleaded guilty to wire fraud in April. She says the thefts were fueled by her addiction to opioids.
McNamara apologized, saying she will pay back the museum’s insurance company and dedicate her life to helping those in recovery.
The Museum of Russian Icons seeks to inspire the appreciation and study of Russian culture by collecting and exhibiting one of the world’s largest collections of Russian icons, sacred paintings used for veneration in the Orthodox tradition.
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Auction Central News contributed to this report.
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