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North Andover Woman Pleads Guilty To Stealing $1.7M From Former Employer

SALEM (CBS) - A North Andover woman has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to jail for stealing more than $1.7 million from her former employer for personal use, Attorney General Maura Healey said Friday.

Dorothy Giard, 44, pleaded guilty to three counts of larceny over $250 and false entries in corporate books Friday in Essex Superior Court.

A judge sentenced Giard to two years in the House of Correction, with six months to serve and the remainder of the sentence suspended for a 10-year probationary period.

She also has to pay back the $1.7 million she stole from the company.

"This defendant abused her position of trust within this company and stole more than $1.7 million," Healey said. "She spent that money on personal luxury items, including international vacations, a timeshare, high-end cars, designer products, and spa services."

The attorney general's office began investigating in 2012 after being referred by the Tewksbury Police Department.

Giard was the office manager of Diamond Ironworks, a steel fabricator in Lawrence, where she was responsible for bookkeeping duties and paying bills.

Authorities say she used the business' money between 2007 and 2012 to pay for lavish trips and expensive goods charged to her personal credit card.

Giard spent more than $114,000 on flights to Las Vegas, New York and London. She also spent about $20,000 toward a Lincoln MKX and Mercedes, as well as car rents, furniture, about $13,000 in designer retail products and $20,000 in spa services.

In another scheme between May 2007 and December 2011, Giard is said to have used the corporate credit card to pay off her timeshare in Florida, and spend $41,000 on unauthorized purchases including airfare, hotels and rental cars.

The investigation also revealed that she made fake entries into the corporate books to try and disguise her theft.

She was indicted on Oct. 2, 2014 by an Essex County Grand Jury and arraigned on the charges in Superior Court on Nov. 5, 2014.

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