BOSTON — An attorney working as a bookkeeper for three Massachusetts companies has been indicted by a federal grand jury for embezzling at least $2.5 million from the companies, the U.S. Attorney said Thursday.
David Smerling, 74, of Lexington, was indicted on three counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering, following his arrest earlier this month, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement. He was charged by criminal complaint on Jan. 13.
According to the indictment, between January 2016 and May 2020, Smerling embezzled more than $2.5 million from the companies by transferring funds from the companies’ bank accounts to accounts in his name.
To conceal his scheme, Smerling allegedly changed the mailing address on the victims’ bank statements to his home address and refused to share the online banking password for the victims’ accounts, the indictment alleges.
If convicted of wire fraud, Smerling faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater.
If convicted of money laundering, Smerling faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
