Saugus library assistant put on leave in finance probe

SAUGUS – Saugus Public Library Administrative Assistant Linda Duffy has been placed on paid administrative leave after Town Manager Andrew Bisignani said “financial irregularities” were found last week in the library’s accounting procedures.”The Library Director and the Town Accountant saw that there were some issues at the library that needed to be resolved,” Bisignani said. “These issues involved some possible irregularities. I met with Town Council and outside auditors and engaged our outside auditors to do a review of all of the information to try and make a determination if any irregularities have occurred.”Bisignani wouldn’t say exactly what was found, but said there was money that was not accounted for.”This person has been put on administrative leave with pay,” said Bisignani. “The next step is to let the auditor do their review and if the determination is made that there was any wrongdoing then we’ll take it to the next level.”Several calls to Duffy were not returned along with calls to Melanson Heath and Co., a Nashua, N.H. accounting firm handling the audit.In 1993, Duffy was charged with 13 counts of mail fraud, conspiracy and perjury and sentenced to 21 months in prison after she used her position as a supervisor at an insurance company to write fake claim checks to her boyfriend totaling $120,000.Library Director Diane Wallace, who recently took over as director, said Duffy had been working at the library since 1999, and mainly did clerical work.”She was not someone who worked with the public,” said Wallace. “She was more of a support staff.”Bisignani said the director, along with the Board of Trustees, are responsible for hiring library staff.According to the library website, among the duties of the trustees is to “advise the Library Director in budget preparation and work to have it adopted through Town Meeting. Through the Library Director they supervise the library’s property and facilities and conduct periodic reviews of capital needs.”