By Lisa Redmond

MediaNews

BOSTON -- A 57-year-old Shirley woman pleaded guilty in federal court to charges that she used her job in accounts payable at an Ayer company to divert nearly $200,000 to the account of a cleaning company that she controlled.

Sarah A. Richard, of 44 Squannacook Road, pleaded guilty last Friday to five counts of uttering and passing counterfeit securities. She faces up to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine on each count.

U.S. District Court Judge Patti Saris has scheduled Richard's sentencing for April 29 in federal court.

Richard could not be reached for comment.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Richard was an employee in the accounts payable division of Vitasoy USA, Inc. of Ayer from November 2003 to October 2008 when she began using her work computer to alter legitimate checks with legitimate names of vendors so that they were payable to "Imperial Cleaning."

Imperial Cleaning was a defunct business once owned by her husband. She then deposited a total of 105 altered checks totaling $198,380 into an account she controlled at North Middlesex Savings Bank.

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Ayer and State Police departments. Vitasoy assisted in the investigation.

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