BOSTON — A former bookkeeper at a bedding company in New Bedford has pleaded guilty and been sentenced for stealing $660,000 from the business, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

Deborah Henry, age 70, of New Bedford, pleaded guilty last week in Bristol County Superior Court to the charge of larceny over $250.

Following the plea, Judge Raffi Yessayan sentenced Henry to two years in the House of Correction, with five months to serve, and the balance suspended for five years. A restitution hearing has been set for Oct. 2 in Bristol County Superior Court to determine the exact restitution amount.

The AG’s Office began its investigation following a referral from the Massachusetts State Police.

For more than 60 years, New Bedford-based B&B Manufacturing Co., Inc., supplied bed frames and bedding products to retailers throughout New England. Henry worked at B&B from 1994 to 2013, serving as the bookkeeper.

Authorities found that in 1997, Henry opened a bank account similarly named to B&B’s account, but to which only she had access. In this scheme, Henry deposited more than 455 checks totaling $659,000 from B&B customers to her personal account between 2008 and 2014. B&B went out of business in 2014, in large part because of this theft.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Geoffrey Wood of AG Healey’s White Collar and Public Integrity Division, with assistance from Investigator Michelle Silva, also of AG Healey’s White Collar and Public Integrity Division, Senior Victim Witness Advocate Megan Murphy, Victim Witness Advocate Amber Anderson and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the AG’s Office.

--Attorney General's Office

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