Marblehead mom sentenced for embezzling $500G

SALEM – Kimberlee Mastronardi, the 52-year-old Marblehead mother of three who admitted last month to stealing more than $500,000 from her employer over a five-year period, was sentenced to serve three-to-five years in state prison to be followed by five years of probation and pay restitution.Mastronardi pleaded guilty on Jan. 7 to four counts of larceny over $250 as well as a single count of falsifying corporation books, but sentencing was postponed until the end of the month.”I cannot put into words the remorse and sadness I feel. Not only disappointing Mr. Steadman but my fellow employees. I don’t know how to explain it. I am deeply sorry. I truly apologize. I will do everything I can to pay back the monies,” Mastronardi told Judge Timothy Q. Feeley before her punishment was handed down Monday afternoon in Salem Superior Court.Mastronardi was hired in 2004 to handle the books and payroll for Bartlett & Steadman Plumbing Co., located at 67-R Pleasant St. in Marblehead.Over the next five years, she altered her timecards before sending them to the payroll company each week, boosting her salary and her 401-K employer’s matched plan.Owner Richard Steadman, who was present in court but declined to make a statement, would approve the time cards, but then she altered her timecards and the final number of hours she worked before it was sent to the company’s payroll service.Mastronardi earned $23 an hour for a 40-hour week as a bookkeeper, but her 2008 W-2 form showed an income of $189,578.Over the five-year period authorities said she embezzled $446,179.46 from the company using that scheme to boost her salary.Mastronardi also used her access to the firm’s bank accounts at the National Grand Bank to pay her own bills, $39,747 to Capital One and $45,678 to First Financial Bank.The scheme came to light when Steadman began getting calls from vendors saying they had not been paid.He began his own internal investigation by having another bookkeeper review the accounts and learned of the discrepancies.Mastronardi was arrested March 24, 2009. She has since been fired from the company.In handing down the punishment, Feeley stated that he had taken into account her prior record, including the fact she had stolen from a prior employer.”This is not something that can be excused. It’s a case that warrants a significant sentence and a state prison sentence. The victim is a small business man and the betrayal and trust is more significant,” Feeley said.Assistant District Attorney Michael Patten sought a higher penalty of four to five years in prison with probation, saying it was not based just on the nature and egregiousness of the offense but the fact that she has committed a similar offense to a prior employer.Patten went on to explain how Mr. Steadman, especially in this economy, suffered a loss in excess of $500,000 and how painful that is while he entrusted an employee.Defense lawyer Christopher Norris asked for leniency, suggesting two to three years in prison with probation, explaining that the company was insured, is still alive and well and no employees were laid off by her actions.He went on to say that Mastronardi would be willing to relinquish any right of her 401-K toward the restitution.Norris said his client is the mother of three, has a teenage son and has medical concerns suffering from diabetes, hypertension and panic disorder as he urged the judge to be lenient.Feeley also ordered that while on probation she is to have advance approval undertaking so the probation department can access the risk.In addition a restitution hearing is set for March 14 to determine the amount she will be required to pay back from the funds stolen.The judge credited Mastronardi the 60 days she spent while held in lieu of bail.Mastronardi has a criminal record dating back to 1993. In 1998 she was convicted of larceny, forgery and falsifying books and received a suspended one-year term with probation. She also was charged with multiple counts of credit