Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey
July 7, 2020
Former Uxbridge town accountant accused of stealing $729,000 from multiple towns
Former Uxbridge town accountant Justin Cole, 38, of Harvard was indicted by a statewide grand jury for allegedly stealing more than $729,000 from Uxbridge, Millville and a Western Massachusetts town, Attorney General Maura Healey announced on Tuesday.
Cole is accused of stealing $657,335 from Uxbridge, $47,600 from Millville, and $24,597 from Monterey.
Before the grand jury, Cole was charged with five counts of larceny over $250, two counts of larceny over $1,200, four counts of false claims, four counts of securing an unwarranted privilege and one count of unlawful financial interest of a municipal employee, according to Healey. He faces arraignment in Worcester Superior Court and Berkshire Superior Court.
According to Healey’s office, Cole stole Uxbridge town funds by submitting and approving dozens of false invoices while he was employed as the town’s accountant between 2012 and 2017. He is also accused of defrauding Uxbridge by having the town pay for software, equipment and rent owed by his sole proprietorship, Bay State Municipal Accounting Group Inc.
Cole stepped down as Uxbridge’s fulltime town accountant in July 2017, according to Healey’s office, but continued to defraud other municipalities through his sole proprietorship, which reportedly provided accounting and financial services to Monterey and Millville.
Cole is also accused of fraudulently billing both municipalities, as well as misleading officials about loan applications.
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