Boston woman on police most wanted list facing more fraud and larceny charges
BOSTON, January 9, 2025 – A Boston woman with several pending larceny and fraud cases and a 57-page board of probation record was arraigned Wednesday in Boston BMC for similar offenses connected to a larceny from a Massachusetts General Hospital employee locker room back in September, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
JOSEPHINE SIMARD, 45, of Boston was charged with six counts of credit card fraud under $1,200 and one count of larceny from a building. Judge Paul Treseler ordered Simard held on $5000 bail and to stay away from Massachusetts General Hospital.
Simard is due back in court on February 4 for a pre-trial hearing.
On September 12, the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Police and Security Department received a theft report from a hospital employee. The employee reported she had left her belongings inside the women’s locker room, which is secured by card reader and magnetic lock and can only be accessed with an active MGH identification card programmed to the door.
At approximately 9:30 p.m., the employee began receiving bank email alerts notifying her of numerous unauthorized charges. The employee immediately checked her belongings and found that her credit cards, a debit card, and driver’s license were missing from her wallet.
While reviewing surveillance video, investigators observed an unknown woman, later identified as Simard, attempting to access the locker room with what appeared to be an MGH identification card. Unable to access the locker room, Simard asked a passing female employee to open the door for her, which the employee did by swiping her card.
Investigators recognized Simard from numerous prior incidents at MGH.
Simard attempted over $1,000 in purchases from various stores including Target, CVS, and 7-Eleven and made approximately $479 in purchases between the four stolen cards.
Simard was located and placed into custody on Monday by members of the Boston Police Department during an unrelated firearm arrest at an Ashmont Street address, in which one firearm with six rounds was recovered.
Simard, who was recently featured on the Boston Police Most Wanted List, was convicted of credit card fraud and larceny in 2019 and was sentenced to one year in the House of Correction. She has a 57-page board of probation record with open larceny and fraud cases out of BMC Central and Quincy District Court.
“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. I’m glad this victim acted as quickly as she did after being notified of the suspicious purchases," Hayden said.
With financial exploitation and abuse on the rise, District Attorney Hayden recently launched the Suffolk County Fraud Fighters, a multi-agency effort to help residents, particularly older adults, recognize common scams and signs of financial fraud.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications