Malden Woman Sentenced In Boston Housing Authority Overtime Fraud Case

MALDEN, MA — A resident was sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to fraudulently collecting more than $72,000 in overtime pay while working for the Boston Housing Authority, according to the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.

Helen Murray, 42, was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay $72,131 in restitution. Murray pleaded guilty in March to one count of wire fraud. She was first arrested and charged in February 2026.

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Murray worked as an executive secretary for the Boston Housing Authority from 2017 to 2024, where prosecutors said she was responsible for collecting weekly timesheets and overtime forms from other employees while also being eligible to earn overtime pay herself. Before that role, she worked as a clerk and senior management aide during her first eight years with the agency.

According to federal prosecutors, Murray began submitting fraudulent overtime forms in January 2023. Instead of submitting the forms to her supervisor for approval as required, prosecutors said she claimed overtime hours she had not worked, forged her supervisor's signature without their knowledge or permission, and emailed the forms directly to the Boston Housing Authority payroll department.

The fraudulent overtime was then included in Murray's weekly paychecks, according to prosecutors. Federal authorities said she submitted more than 100 falsified overtime forms between January 2023 and August 2024, collecting approximately $72,131 in overtime pay she had not earned.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said employees seeking overtime compensation were required to perform the work, accurately complete an overtime form, and obtain electronic approval from a supervisor before the request could be processed.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani imposed the sentence on Wednesday, July 1.

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