Docs' payroll chief gets 27 months for swiping $4,600 a month for 3 years

CONCORD - A former New Hampshire woman was sentenced on Friday for defrauding her prior employer out of more than $140,000.

Elizabeth Morse, 56, currently of Albuquerque, New Mexico, will spend 27 months in federal prison and two years of supervised release plus pay restitution in the amount of $168,311.40. Morse pleaded guilty to wire fraud in November.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the defendant was a longtime employee of Bedford Women's Care Associates, a Bedford -based medical group practice that specialized in Obstetrics & Gynecology until its closure in early 2023.

Starting in 2020, the defendant became the practice's office manager and handled the processing of payroll through a third-party service. The defendant manipulated the payroll processes at the practice by logging into the third-party servicer and changing her rate of pay to a higher amount than what she was entitled. The defendant's scheme wasn't discovered for around three years.

"The defendant's crime was a significant factor in the closure of the medical practice in early 2023, which had widespread ramifications on many individuals, including not only the medical partners but also their former employees," said U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack. "While there is no way to make the victims whole under those circumstances, the court's sentence today is a measure of justice reflecting the harm her crime caused others."