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Worcester County resident Jacklyn Sutcivni, age 47, of Dracut, was convicted of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and false claims, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts announced on Wednesday, Aug. 4.
The district attorney's office said Sutcivni used her position as an employee of the City of Worcester’s Housing Development Office and Executive Office of Economic Development for the scheme.
She was indicted in August of 2016, along with James Levin, a Natick real estate developer and attorney who pleaded guilty in September of 2020.
The district attorney's office said Sutcivni approved seven fraudulent U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant funding requests that had been submitted by Levin, leading the city of Worcester to issue more than $2.3 million in federal funds to Levin.
“The defendant’s job was to distribute public funds to develop safe and affordable housing for Worcester," Acting US Attorney Nathaniel Mendell said, "but as the jury found, she used her position as the City’s Director of Housing to allow $2.3 million in taxpayer money to go to a private developer – for work that was never even done.
“She abused the trust placed in her at the expense of the people of Worcester and their bid to revitalize their neighborhoods.”
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