Blackstone man sentenced for defrauding former employer

BLACKSTONE, Mass. (WLNE) —  A Blackstone man was sentenced Monday for using other identities to defraud his former employer.

The United States Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts said 49-year-old Anthony Prizio was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay $431,399 in restitution to his former employer.

Officials said Prizio stole the money while working as a manager for a company that operates a national chain of second-hand retail stores.

Prizio had access to the Worcester store’s timekeeping system for employees’ working hours, repeatedly entering false hours worked for employees from January 2019 until July 2021, including employees who no longer worked there.

Authorities said Prizio caused payroll debit cards to be issued in others’ names, which he then took for personal use.

Prizio also made it appear that the store processed more items than it did and entered false paid sick and bereavement for employees in an attempt to cover up the fraudulent activity, according to officials.

The attorney’s office said Prizio did not pay taxes on any of the income derived from this fraudulent scheme and will have to pay $86,190 to the Internal Revenue Service.

Prizio pleaded guilty in February 2024 to six counts of wire fraud, one count of tax evasion and one count of unauthorized use of another’s identity.

Officials said his three-year prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.