Josephine Simard, a 45-year-old Boston woman with a criminal record, appeared in court on Wednesday on charges related to a theft at Massachusetts General Hospital. She faces six counts of credit card fraud under $1,200 and one count of larceny from a building, as reported by the Suffolk County District Attorney.
During her arraignment, Judge Paul Treseler set a $5,000 bail for Simard and ordered her to stay away from the hospital, with a pre-trial hearing scheduled for February 4. Simard, known for her 57-page probation record, faces new charges following an incident on September 12, when she used a hospital employee’s access card to unlawfully enter a locker room. There, she stole cards and a driver’s license, which she quickly used for fraudulent transactions, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney.
Simard, who has prior convictions for similar crimes, was arrested by Boston Police on Ashmont Street for a firearm offense, where they found a gun with six rounds. Previously on the Boston Police Most Wanted list, she now faces additional charges related to fraud. Suffolk District Attorney Hayden emphasized, "The general scheme among credit card thieves is to buy as much as possible immediately upon stealing the cards before the purchases get noticed by the bank or the card holder," as stated by the Suffolk County District Attorney.
