Natick Lawyer Pleads Guilty In Worcester Development Fraud

WORCESTER, MA — A Natick attorney has pleaded guilty to charges in connection to fraudulent payments made to him over the redevelopment of a May Street apartment building a decade ago. A former Worcester city worker has also been charged in connection to the fraud, prosecutors have said.

James Levin, 61, of Natick, has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and false claims. Former city worker Jacklyn Sutcivni has pleaded not guilty to similar charges, and is set to go on trial in May.

According to prosecutors, Levin sought $2.36 million in reimbursement payments from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program for upgrades at an apartment building at 5 May St. in the Main South neighborhood. But Levin never actually completed any upgrades, prosecutors said.

Sutcivni, who lives in Dracut, aided the fraud by approving the payments through the city's Housing and Neighborhood Development department, prosecutors said.

Levin is set to be sentenced in February. He could face decades in prison and millions in fines, federal prosecutors said.