Case against Watertown Middle School staffer continued to

January
By Laura Paine/staff writer
Wicked Local Watertown
Posted Dec 09, 2010 @ 03:29 PM

WATERTOWN — The case against a Watertown Middle School employee charged with
theft and fraud was expected to continue in court today, but it has been postponed until
January.
The new date for Cardarelli’s status conference hearing is Jan. 13 at 2:30 p.m. at Boston
Federal Court before Judge Marianne Bowler.
Sharon Cardarelli, 51, of Quincy Avenue, pleaded not guilty in August to charges of federal
program fraud and subscribing to false federal income tax returns after allegedly submitting
fake time sheets and stealing money from school fundraisers.
According to a press release from U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz’s office, between 2004
and 2010, Cardarelli prepared and authorized timesheets for two of her relatives, who worked
as substitutes for the Middle School, including hours they did not work. Cardarelli then
allegedly deposited the payroll checks into her own bank account.
The indictment also alleges that Cardarelli did not report the false timesheets or money
deposited from school fundraisers as income on her taxes.
The married mother of three adult children was also head coach of the Watertown High
School’s softball team until her unexplained resignation in April.
If convicted on these charges, Cardarelli faces up to 10 years imprisonment, to be followed
by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine on the federal program fraud charge,
and three years imprisonment, to be followed by one year of supervised release, and a
$250,000 fine per count on the tax fraud charges.
She is currently on unpaid leave from the school. At her arraignment in August, Cardarelli
told a judge that she has been working as an executive assistant in Waltham. She has been
allowed to maintain her employment at the business, which was not specified during the
hearing.

Laura Paine can be reached at lpaine@cnc.com.

Copyright 2010 Watertown TAB & Press. Some rights reserved