In the article below, it would appear that this Beverly, MA resident has a Gambling Addiction that isn't included or addressed - maybe to prevent an open and honest discussion of the consequences of Gambling Addiction in the Commonwealth?
Knowing the desires of Salem's Mayor Kim Driscoll to follow the Holy Grail of Gambling, at any costs, maybe that explains the paper's leaning.
The most dishonest is the comment by the Attorney General.
Maybe it's time for an Independent Cost Benefit Analysis that considers these costs.
This crime costs taxpayers money in terms of investigation, prosecution, incarceration and monitoring subsequent to Diane Thistle's release.
Woman jailed for stealing $230,000
Ex-hospital employee to serve seven months
By Alan Burke
Staff Writer The Salem News
SALEM — Diane Thistle, 63, of Beverly will spend the next seven months at the women's correctional facility in Framingham for stealing $230,000 from the Beverly Hospital cafeteria, where she worked for more than 14 years.
With Thistle's adult children looking on, Judge John Lu sentenced her yesterday in Salem Superior Court to two years in jail, with all but seven months suspended. She will also be on probation for 10 years.
Thistle's lawyer, Glen Hannington, had asked for home confinement, while the state had requested that she serve the two years in prison.
On release, Thistle must repay all the money, reveal her conviction to any future employer, undergo an evaluation for gambling addiction and get counseling if necessary, according to Harry Pierre, a spokesman for the attorney general's office.
Hannington declined to say if gambling was the reason Thistle stole the money.
Thistle pleaded guilty last month to charges of larceny over $250 and making false entries in corporate books. At that time, Assistant Attorney General Lee Hettinger noted that once her crime was discovered, she cooperated with hospital officials and investigators.
A secretary at the hospital, Thistle was responsible for preparing the daily earnings from the cafeteria, most of which was cash, for deposit. She would take some of the money, then cover up the theft with checks that had been prepared by the hospital to pay Sodexo, the catering company contracted to run the cafeteria.
The thefts came to light when the hospital, which was ending its contract with Sodexo, got bills for unpaid catering services. That triggered an audit, and an investigation in April 2010 led by financial experts Davin Lee and Jessie Dean and members of the Massachusetts State Police.
Thistle's larceny was subsequently uncovered.
Technically, according to the prosecutor, the theft was from Sodexo.
"My client has accepted responsibility," Hannington said. "She is prepared to accept the consequences of her actions, and then hopefully she can move on. She showed remorse."
Sentencing had been delayed while arrangements were made to deal with Thistle's health problems, which were not disclosed, while she is incarcerated.
Asked about his client's emotional state, Hannington sighed and said simply, "It's tough."
"At a time when many institutions are struggling to control their bottom line, it is unacceptable that an employee in a position of trust would take advantage of their authority to steal from their employer," Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a press release.
Knowing the desires of Salem's Mayor Kim Driscoll to follow the Holy Grail of Gambling, at any costs, maybe that explains the paper's leaning.
The most dishonest is the comment by the Attorney General.
Maybe it's time for an Independent Cost Benefit Analysis that considers these costs.
This crime costs taxpayers money in terms of investigation, prosecution, incarceration and monitoring subsequent to Diane Thistle's release.
Woman jailed for stealing $230,000
Ex-hospital employee to serve seven months
By Alan Burke
Staff Writer The Salem News
SALEM — Diane Thistle, 63, of Beverly will spend the next seven months at the women's correctional facility in Framingham for stealing $230,000 from the Beverly Hospital cafeteria, where she worked for more than 14 years.
With Thistle's adult children looking on, Judge John Lu sentenced her yesterday in Salem Superior Court to two years in jail, with all but seven months suspended. She will also be on probation for 10 years.
Thistle's lawyer, Glen Hannington, had asked for home confinement, while the state had requested that she serve the two years in prison.
On release, Thistle must repay all the money, reveal her conviction to any future employer, undergo an evaluation for gambling addiction and get counseling if necessary, according to Harry Pierre, a spokesman for the attorney general's office.
Hannington declined to say if gambling was the reason Thistle stole the money.
Thistle pleaded guilty last month to charges of larceny over $250 and making false entries in corporate books. At that time, Assistant Attorney General Lee Hettinger noted that once her crime was discovered, she cooperated with hospital officials and investigators.
A secretary at the hospital, Thistle was responsible for preparing the daily earnings from the cafeteria, most of which was cash, for deposit. She would take some of the money, then cover up the theft with checks that had been prepared by the hospital to pay Sodexo, the catering company contracted to run the cafeteria.
The thefts came to light when the hospital, which was ending its contract with Sodexo, got bills for unpaid catering services. That triggered an audit, and an investigation in April 2010 led by financial experts Davin Lee and Jessie Dean and members of the Massachusetts State Police.
Thistle's larceny was subsequently uncovered.
Technically, according to the prosecutor, the theft was from Sodexo.
"My client has accepted responsibility," Hannington said. "She is prepared to accept the consequences of her actions, and then hopefully she can move on. She showed remorse."
Sentencing had been delayed while arrangements were made to deal with Thistle's health problems, which were not disclosed, while she is incarcerated.
Asked about his client's emotional state, Hannington sighed and said simply, "It's tough."
"At a time when many institutions are struggling to control their bottom line, it is unacceptable that an employee in a position of trust would take advantage of their authority to steal from their employer," Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a press release.
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