Maryland Woman Sentenced for Conspiring to Defraud the Government

Press Release

Defendant took numerous government-funded trips, including 31 trips to Orlando

BOSTON - A Maryland woman was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for conspiracy to defraud the government of thousands of dollars between 2014 to 2018.

Chantelle Boyd, 53, of Woodsboro, Md., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to six months home confinement, followed by two years of supervised release. The government recommended a sentence of six months in prison. Boyd will also be ordered to pay restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date. In April 2023, Boyd pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, 10 counts of theft of government funds and false declarations. Boyd was arrested and charged in July 2020 along with co-defendant Thomas Bouchard.

Bouchard was the Contracting Officer in charge of the U.S. Army Natick Contracting Division, a full-service contracting organization for the Department of Defense. According to the charging documents, in 2014, Bouchard used his long-standing relationship with Evolution Enterprise, Inc., a government contractor, to have Boyd hired for a "no show" job as an assistant that specifically supported Bouchard. Boyd's position cost the Department of Defense more than $490,000 during her time at Evolution from 2014 to 2018, during which Boyd performed little if any useful function.

Bouchard and Boyd took numerous government-funded trips, ranging in duration from two to 15 days, under the guise that they were work related. This included 31 trips to Orlando, Fla., among other locations such as Clearwater Beach, Fla. and Stafford, Va., during which Boyd allegedly performed little if any work. For many of the trips, Bouchard and Boyd stayed in the same hotel room and spent time at the pool and Disney parks - all during business hours. In order to conceal the personal nature of the trips, Bouchard altered, created and approved false travel to reimburse the Boyd for out-of-pocket expenses. Additionally, Boyd made false statements to the grand jury in May 2018 in relation to these trips.

Bouchard pleaded guilty in April 2023. In August 2024, Bouchard was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison followed by one year of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $487,658.87 in restitution.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Joseph Dattoria, Special Agent in Charge of the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General; Patrick Hegarty, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and Michael Connor, Special Agent in Charge of the Army Criminal Investigation Division Major Procurement Fraud Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil J. Gallagher, Jr. of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case.

Updated October 3, 2024