Former Scituate official indicted on charges he stole money from wife's relative
PLYMOUTH – Former Scituate School Committee member Michael Long has been indicted on four felony charges after police say he stole pension and Social Security money from his wife's aunt.
Long, 38, was indicted by a grand jury last week on two counts of larceny from a person over 65, one count of forgery and one count of misuse of a credit card over $1,200, according to the Plymouth County district attorney's office.
The indictments transfer the case from District to Superior Court, where more serious crimes are tried and longer sentences can be imposed. He will be arraigned on the charges in Brockton on June 30.
Long was arrested Feb. 11, almost two weeks after his wife’s 77-year-old aunt reported possible bank fraud to police.
A report by Scituate police Detective James Donovan said Long took at least $36,431 from two bank accounts belonging to the aunt between last July and Jan. 25. Long, his wife, Julia, and their three children live with the aunt at her home in Scituate.
On the day of his arrest, Long confessed to “stealing money out of (the aunt’s) bank accounts without her knowledge or consent,” Donovan wrote. When searched, Long had a blank check in the aunt’s name and told police he didn’t know why he had the check, Donovan wrote.
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In a signed statement, Long confessed to using the aunt’s ATM card without permission from June 2022 through January 2023 “to support my immediate family and transactions that needed to occur."
Purchases included a 2022 family trip to Disney, four new tires for Long’s 2019 Chrysler Pacifica and dental care, police said.
“I initially intended this to be a one-time occurrence and did not mean for it to continue as long as it did,” Long wrote. “I truly am sorry for the pain this has caused (the aunt) as well as my family.”
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A police report on file in Hingham District Court describes the aunt as "of sound mind," "articulate" and in command of an "impressive memory." She told interviewers she taught math for 40 years in New York and considers herself good with numbers and finance. She said no friends or family members were authorized to use her bank information without her knowledge.
The aunt receives two direct deposits into her bank accounts at the middle and end of every month, one from her teacher's pension and the other from Social Security. Donovan's report notes a pattern of large withdrawals immediately following each deposit.
Long served on the Scituate School Committee for 11 years. He won a fourth consecutive term in 2021 and resigned shortly after his arrest in February. An election to fill his seat will be held Saturday.
Reach Peter Blandino at pblandino@patriotledger.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Former Scituate School Committee member Michael Long indicted
