Marlborough woman indicted for stealing almost $200,000 from a Keene non-profit

Date: Nov. 7, 2024

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CONCORD - A Marlborough woman was indicted for embezzling almost $200,000 from Monadnock Peer Support (MPS), a mental health non-profit based in Keene, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

Christine Allen, a/k/a Christine Nowill, a/k/a Christine Yardley was indicted on four counts of wire fraud. Allen is scheduled to appear in federal court at a later date.

According to the charging document, Allen was the Executive Director of MPS. As Executive Director, she had full access to the non-profit's finances, including its accounting records, bank accounts, checkbook, and debit cards. Between January 2021 and May 2023, Allen embezzled almost $200,000 from MPS. She used the stolen money on personal expenses, including Amazon purchases and renovations for her home in Marlborough. The fraudulent purchases included home and kitchen products, gaming equipment, hockey equipment, a meat cleaver, and a food dehydrator.

The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

IRS-CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90 percent federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 12 attaché posts abroad.