DOJ Says Ex-Employee Stole $6.7 From United Way Of Mass Bay

BOSTON, MA -- The U.S. Department of Justice accused a former United Way of Massachusetts Bay Merrimack Valley employee of stealing $6.7 million from the nonprofit and wiring the money overseas through a variety of shell companies he operated. Imran Alrai was the nonprofit's vice president of information technology at the time of the alleged thefts, according to a probable cause document by the DOJ. The federal agency will seek to have the money returned.

A man who answered the telephone at a number listed to Alrai hung up when asked for comment Tuesday afternoon. In a statement, the United Way said it was "angry and hurt" by the details revealed in the criminal complaint.

"When we discovered independently the alleged misconduct earlier this year, we terminated Mr. Alrai and ended the vendor relationship with DigitalNet," the statement said. "We notified and have cooperated with the U.S. Attorney's Office and the federal authorities who have been investigating Mr. Alrai's and DigitalNet's misconduct, and our cooperation will continue."

According to the indictment, Alrai, 45, of Windham, NH, worked for the United Way from 2012 to last year. He is accused of manipulating the request for proposals process to award contracts to DigitalNet Technology Services LLC, a company he had set up in his father's name. He is accused of then funneling the money to Aisa Consulting Group, a company he operates, according to records filed with the New Hampshire Secretary of State.

United Way hired an outside consultants, including forensic accountants and data security experts, to review its systems. The consultants found no security breach and donor records were not compromised. It said it would "aggressively pursue recovery of damages."

"Mr. Alrai's actions were a serious betrayal and breach of trust," the nonprofit said. "The isolated actions of a single individual cannot and will not diminish the incredibly important work of our dedicated, professional staff, our committed donors who support our work and the positive impact we have on the people and communities we serve."

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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).