By Josh LaBella
New Haven Register, Conn.
(TNS)
Jan. 22—HARTFORD — A Manchester woman who worked as a bookkeeper at businesses in Glastonbury and Danbury has been sentenced to prison for embezzling more than $860,000 from them, as well as tax evasion, officials say.
In a release, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut David Sullivan said Maria Higgins, 36, of Manchester, CT, was sentenced in federal court in Hartford on Thursday to 34 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release.
Between mid-2018 and April 2022, Higgins stole $504,807 from New England Kitchen & Bath LLC in Glastonbury while working at the company as a bookkeeper, Sullivan said.
Sullivan said Higgins embezzled the funds by issuing company checks to herself that often included the words “commission”or “bonus” in the memo line and used a signature handstamp of the company’s owner.
Higgins also initiated wire transfers to bank accounts in her name, created fictitious expenses and used company debit cards to pay for personal expenses, according to Sullivan.
Between February 2023 and April 2024, Higgins was also accused of stealing $356,181 from the Danbury-based PVC Solutions Inc. while working as an account manager there.
As she did in the first scheme, Sullivan said, Higgins issued company checks to herself, initiated wire transfers to personal bank accounts and created fictitious suppliers to bill the company on her behalf.
Sullivan said Higgins failed to report approximately $768,650 of her stolen income on her personal federal income tax returns between 2018 and 2023, resulting in a loss of $167,831 to the IRS.
He said Higgins has agreed to pay full restitution to the two companies and the IRS.
On Sept. 9, 2025, Higgins pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen money and one count tax evasion.
She is currently released on a $50,000 bond and is required to report to prison on Feb. 21.
Photo credit: new look casting/iStock
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© 2026 the New Haven Register (New Haven, Conn.). Visit www.nhregister.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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