Former Mass. Health Insurance Official Charged With Stealing $122K

June 1, 2016

A former official at the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission (GIC) has been indicted in connection with allegedly stealing more than $122,000 from the state agency.

Ennio Manto, 52, of Braintree, Massachusetts, was indicted on May 27 by a grand jury on two charges of larceny over $250 and one count of conflict of interest, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced.

GIC is a quasi-independent state agency that provides and administers health insurance and other benefits to Massachusetts state employees and retirees. Prior to his termination from GIC in December 2015, Manto was director of the Finance Division.

Authorities allege that between March and June 2015, Manto made two wire transfers to a beneficiary, Seaport Equity, a company owned by Manto. An accountant at GIC discovered a wire payment in June 2015 for more than $72,000 that could not be reconciled with the GIC’s statements and internal documents.

Manto allegedly acknowledged that he made the transfer, claiming it was a payment to a health plan administrator for a nonstandard report. Later, the accountant discovered that the required payment was for a different amount and not due for another year.

Upon learning that the wire transfer was being looked into, Manto allegedly altered the original printout of the wire transfer by cutting out information related to Seaport Equity and taping in information about the health plan administrator. These documents were later found in a GIC recycling bin.

The contract documents that Manto had given to the accountant as backup documentation for the wire transfer had also allegedly been altered.

Authorities allege that further investigation revealed that Manto made an additional unauthorized wire transfer from the GIC’s funds to Seaport Equity in March 2015 for $50,000.

“This defendant allegedly stole money that was meant to provide health insurance and other benefits to state employees,” said Healey. “Our office will not tolerate those who abuse their positions for their own personal gain.”

Topics Fraud Massachusetts

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