Norfolk caregiver pleads guilty to theft of $75,000

TORRINGTON – A Norfolk woman pleaded guilty to a charge of firstdegree larceny Friday in Superior Court in Torrington after being accused of stealing more than $75,000 from a local woman in her care, according to court staff.

Tara Yard is to receive a suspended sentence, with potential exposure to an eight-year prison sentence and five years probation under the terms of her plea agreement, Assistant Clerk Bob Stearns said.

Yard is the assistant town clerk in Norfolk, according to the town’s website.

According to an affidavit issued in connection with the case, a Virginia woman hired Yard to care for her aunt in 2012.

Yard was a local resident and had offered care for others in the past. The Virginia woman contacted the state police in July 2015, saying that “funds were possibly being misappropriated, as well as serious discrepancies in payroll concerning Yard.”

According to the affidavit, the complainant “wanted to make it clear that there have never been complaints concerning (the aunt’s) care, only financial discrepancies.”

A joint account between Yard and the Virginia woman had been created to pay for “payroll checks, expenses informed for (the aunt’s) care, and expenses for goods purchased” for the aunt, according to the affidavit.

Accountant Robert Pallone had told the Virginia woman that he “estimated more than $100,000 had been taken” from the account “over several years,” including approximately $12,000 in payroll discrepancies.

The Virginia woman contacted Yard about this $12,000 figure, according to the affidavit. Yard responded by offering to pay the sum back over time.

The Virginia woman did not respond to that offer, sent the email to police, and ended Yard’s employment on July 4, 2015.

Through a review of pertinent records, a state trooper determined that “Yard had fraudulently taken money in several different ways,” according to the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, these ways included: more than $19,000 in unauthorized transfers to Yard’s personal account; more than $21,600 in checks written to cash or without a memo; more than $14,270 in misbilled hours; and more than $31,000 in expenditures at grocery stores, including $26,820.19 at Stop & Shop.

According to the affidavit, Michelle Paige, a former fraud investigator for the State Attorney’s office, “calculated that $75,165.18 had been unlawfully taken from the shared account by Tara Yard.”

Yard applied for accelerated rehabilitation, a diversionary program, in June. This application was rejected, as the “court cannot find that the crime is not of a serious nature,” according to court documents.

At the time, Yard said that keeping financial records for the aunt's care had become more than she could handle.

“In hindsight, I was overwhelmed by the bookkeeping. It was always the last thing done; her health, comfort and welfare were my most important goals,” said Yard in a letter. “Given that the missing funds occurred under my watch, I take full responsibility and intend to restore those funds.”

Defense attorney James Townsend said at the time that the woman's health had improved under Yard’s care, but the demands of providing this care had grown over time into “a small business and full-time job,” requiring the hiring of seven employees.

Yard's case was continued to March 16 for sentencing.