By DAN CROWLEY
Daily Hampshire Gazette
NORTHAMPTON — The trial of a Westhampton woman accused of embezzling more than $200,000 from an Easthampton company is scheduled to begin Tuesday with opening statements in Hampshire Superior Court.
A 14-member jury was selected Monday for the trial of Lori Towne, 51, a former bookkeeper at SealRyt Corp., who prosecutors allege stole more than $200,000 from the company between 2002 and 2009. The trial is expected to run through the week, according to court officials.
Towne, formerly known as Lori Chaffee, was indicted and pleaded not guilty in March 2013 to six counts each of larceny over $250 by single scheme, check forgery, and uttering false checks and a single count of embezzlement by broker.
SealRyt Corp. was founded in 2001 and develops, patents and manufactures alternative sealing devices in the fluid and gas-sealing industry. The company was in the mill district at 150 Pleasant St. in Easthampton before relocating to Westfield in 2011. Mark Wilkinson of Huntington is the company’s founder and president. Towne worked for the company until March 2011, according to court documents.
Prosecutors said the case had been under investigation for nearly two years before Towne was indicted and involved work by a private forensic auditor, Easthampton police detectives and the financial crimes unit of the Northwestern district attorney’s office.
Dan Crowley can be reached at [email protected].
