Woman accused of posing as student pleads not guilty

Kept state job during fraud, authorities say

A former state social worker who allegedly posed as a public school student in Boston pretended to be a “traumatized” teen in the custody of the Department of Children and Families, her former employer, prosecutors said Tuesday.

The allegations were detailed in Suffolk Superior Court, where Shelby Hewitt, 32, pleaded not guilty to three counts of document forgery, two counts of forgery, and one count of uttering a false writing, identity fraud, larceny over $1,200, and violating public employee standards of conduct, records show.

Hewitt was released on the $5,000 bail she had posted after her arraignment in July in West Roxbury Municipal Court. Her indictment last month moved the case to Superior Court.

Her lawyer, Timothy Flaherty, did not address the allegations on Tuesday but said previously that Hewitt has had a “lifelong, well-documented history” of mental health struggles.

Between Dec. 6, 2021, and early February 2023, Hewitt “engaged in an elaborate pattern of fraudulent conduct while working as a state employee,” Assistant Suffolk District Attorney Ashley E. Polin said in court.

While working for DCF, Hewitt allegedly assumed the “fake persona” of a 16-year-old and then a 13-year-old, both “purportedly” in the custody of the child welfare agency, Polin said.

“Posing as a child, the adult defendant enrolled herself in the Boston Public Schools and attended school with children in the community,” first as a ninth grader and later as a seventh grader, Polin said.

Hewitt allegedly created the identities of two fictitious DCF employees to perpetrate the ruse, Polin said.

“Posing behind the keyboard as one of these DCF workers, the defendant had herself admitted as a child patient at the Walden Behavioral Treatment Center and enrolled herself in the Boston Public Schools,” she said.

The Walden company has multiple local locations and treats eating disorders, according to its website.

Once enrolled in school, Hewitt fraudulently obtained special education services while posing as a child in need of such assistance, Polin said. During the same period, Hewitt collected her state salary.

Hewitt resigned from DCF on Feb. 6. Her annual salary was $54,281, authorities said.

She allegedly marked herself “present at work” while attending school, Polin said.

To create fake profiles for the DCF employees, she bought an email domain from GoDaddy.com that ended in @masstate.us, Polin said. State employees generally have email addresses that end in @state.ma.us.

She created the identities of “Michael Kornetsky” and “Michelle Delfi,” and in April 2022 allegedly bought and used TracFone numbers in the name of “Kornetsky,” Polin said.

“The ‘Michael Kornetsky’ sent dozens of emails and hundreds of text messages as the defendant’s social worker,” Polin said. “The defendant created multiple names and dates of birth for herself to propagate this intricate but false narrative of being an extremely traumatized child with significant special educational needs and emotional needs.”

In fall 2022, Hewitt enrolled herself as a 16-year-old ninth grader at the Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester, Polin said.

She requested a transfer to Brighton High School due to “concerns” she had with Burke administrators, Polin said. Someone who posed as Hewitt’s parent told school officials he was withdrawing her from school because she was being bullied, the Globe has reported.

In June, Hewitt allegedly enrolled under a different name as a 13-year-old seventh grader at English High School, Polin said.

According to a police report, staff at English High School alerted authorities on June 21 after noticing issues with Hewitt’s paperwork: a DCF form misspelled the department name, listed the wrong phone number, and named a social worker who doesn’t exist.

Hewitt was released Tuesday on a number of bail conditions including that she stay away from all BPS schools and employees and any witnesses, stay away from the Walden Behavioral Health Center, refrain from practicing social work, and stay away from and have no contact with children under 18.

Her next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 2.