A Chelmsford man stood before a judge yesterday, facing grave accusations of defrauding a family member out of over $300,000, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan confirmed. The suspect, Eric Borghetti, 51, was arraigned on multiple embezzlement charges, with a focus on the alleged abuse of his position as a fiduciary, tasked expressly to guard his kin's financial interests.
In the aftermath of a 2019 house fire that left the victim both homeless and injured, Borghetti, whom the victim had granted control over financial decisions through a Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA), stands accused of funneling funds from her accounts to his own; the insurance company had paid the victim $175,750, which was promptly deposited into her bank account and later, Borghetti began the embezzlement that summed up to $328,500 which soon after the victim noticed the discrepancies and alerted authorities, according to the Middlesex DA’s Office.
"This case illustrates one of the most common forms of elder abuse, the financial exploitation by a trusted family member," District Attorney Ryan highlighted, underscoring the breach of trust at the core of such cases — the defendant, post-appointed as fiduciary, added himself as an authorized signer on the victim's account the very next day, proceeding to orchestrate the theft.
Released on personal recognizance, Borghetti now faces strict provisions including confinement to New England, and he’s been barred from applying for new passports or maintaining current ones while awaiting his next court date set for April 24, 2025 as the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office digs deeper into the case with Prosecutor Graham Van Epps at the helm, and support from Victim Witness Advocate Leia Kaplan.
