North Andover Woman Pleads Not Guilty for Stealing $1.7 Million from her Employer

Dorothy Giard, 44, of North Andover, was arraigned on Thursday in Essex Superior Court on charges of larceny over $250 (3 counts) and false entries in corporate books. She pleaded not guilty.

“We allege that this defendant stole over $1.7 million from her former employer to spend on luxury items and then falsified corporate books in an attempt to disguise her theft,” Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a recent news release.

.Giard was released on personal recognizance. She is scheduled to be back in court on Dec. 10.

As general office manager of Diamond Ironworks, a steel fabricator in Lawrence, Giard’s responsibilities included managing the company’s books and paying the bills. Authorities allege that Giard stole more than $1.7 million between 2007 and 2012 by using company funds to pay her personal credit card bills and through unauthorized charges to corporate credit cards.

These charges are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.