Sharon Scanlon, the former Shelton official accused of stealing nearly $1 million from taxpayers over the course of more than a decade, took a plea deal Thursday that will see her sentenced to between three and seven years behind bars.
Scanlon, Shelton’s former assistant finance director, pleaded no contest before Judge John Ronan at Superior Court in Milford to first-degree larceny and first-degree forgery.
Under the terms of the plea deal, she will face between three and seven years in prison at her sentencing in the case, scheduled for Jan. 16.
A plea of no contest, or nolo contendere, means a defendant does not dispute the charges against him, but does not admit them either — though a judgement of guilt is entered in the case.
And though state police alleged in an arrest warrant that Scanlon stole more than $900,000 over the course of more than a decade working in City Hall, Milford State’s Attorney Kevin Lawlor said in court her plea Thursday covered only $478,396.
Lawlor said that’s because the statute of limitations for first-degree larceny goes back only five years.
Scanlon will be liable to the city of Shelton for $478,396 in restitution in the criminal case, though the city has filed a lawsuit against Scanlon as well in an effort to recover more of the allegedly stolen money.
The video below contains an interview with Scanlon’s lawyer:
Judge Ronan said in court that at Scanlon’s sentencing, he’ll order she pay whatever restitution the city does not recover through civil proceedings.
Scanlon’s lawyer, William F. Dow, said after the plea that Scanlon “has acknowledged responsibility” and “made substantial efforts at restitution.”
He said it was “stunning” that the thefts weren’t discovered sooner, and said the city should sue its auditors, but was fortunate have insurance.
“The bottom line is the town stands in good position to be made whole,” Dow said.
Asked why Scanlon stole the money, he said, “That’s an interesting question,” and declined to comment further.
He said he hopes Judge Ronan will be fair when Scanlon is sentenced.
Scanlon will technically be sentenced to 15 years behind bars, but the majority of the prison term will be suspended after three to seven years, to be followed by five years of probation.
“I don’t intend to ask for 15 (years), so I think a fair inference would be that we would ask for the most lenient sentence possible from the court,” Dow said.
“She has very very strong family support. She’s regarded by all to be a very kind and decent woman,” Dow went on. “People in life fall into these situations and it’s important when viewing people like Sharon to understand all facets of her situation, and I’m sure Judge Ronan will be sensitive to that when the time comes.”
Mayor Mark Lauretti has said Scanlon has forfeited her pension, representing about $130,000, to the city, and that the city also had theft insurance that covered about $500,000 of the stolen funds.
Lawlor said in court that Scanlon’s theft was uncovered by two City Hall finance clerks last August who noticed a check on Scanlon’s desk for $7,825 but nothing else written on it.
The check had been marked voided in the city’s ledger, but ended up deposited into Scanlon’s personal bank account.
Lawlor called in state police to investigate at the request of the city, and they discovered a pattern of “large discrepancies going back a number of years” in the city’s books.
Lawlor said Scanlon stole at a clip of “roughly about $100,000 per year.”
After the plea, Lawlor declined to comment on how much prison time he’ll ask Judge Ronan to order.
