Former Boston police officer Diana Lopez has been sentenced to pay back $36,028 for embezzlement in connection with an overtime fraud scheme at the department’s evidence warehouse. Along with restitution, Lopez will also serve six months in prison and two years of supervised release. In addition, she was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy and embezzlement charges.
Prosecutors accused Lopez of submitting false overtime slips for hours she did not work between 2015 and 2019 at the Boston Police Department’s evidence warehouse. She claimed to be working overtime shifts meant to organize old evidence but often left midway through, collecting over $36,000 for hours she did not work. Lopez is among more than a dozen Boston officers charged in this fraud scheme, with eight already sentenced.
Despite pleading guilty and cooperating with authorities, Lopez was disappointed with the court’s decision, according to her defense attorney. Her lawyers highlighted her decades-long career in law enforcement and her role as a caretaker to family members, describing her involvement in the scheme as an aberration in an otherwise exemplary life. Lopez testified against the federal government in related cases, revealing how officers routinely left their shifts early and lied about their hours.
The sentencing memorandum detailed how Lopez, along with other officers, taught new arrivals how the scheme worked, resulting in over $386,000 in undue overtime pay being collected over four years. While acknowledging her regret for the misconduct, her lawyers emphasized her dedication to service despite the criminal actions.
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