A federal grand jury in Bridgeport has indicted Heather Murdock, a 57-year-old resident of Ellington, Connecticut, on multiple charges related to fraud and tax offenses. The indictment includes allegations of embezzlement from her former employer, a Hartford law firm referred to as "Firm A" in court documents.
According to the indictment returned on March 19, 2025, Murdock was employed as the bookkeeper and office manager at Firm A from approximately 2010 to 2022. During this period, she allegedly created numerous false checks payable to herself by forging the signature of Firm A's owner. It is claimed that Murdock altered bookkeeping entries to disguise these checks as payments to legitimate vendors and subsequently deposited them into her own bank account. Through this scheme, Murdock is accused of stealing about $583,953.
Further allegations include the theft of cash rental payments made by tenants of properties owned by Firm A’s owner. The indictment claims Murdock generated false checks from Firm A’s bank account to mimic expected deposits of rental income and falsified records in the firm's bookkeeping system. This part of the scheme reportedly resulted in an additional theft amounting to approximately $251,314.
The indictment also addresses tax-related offenses, asserting that Murdock failed to pay federal income taxes on both her wages from Firm A and the embezzled funds for tax years spanning from 2013 through 2022. It is further alleged that she significantly underreported her income for 2011 and 2012, resulting in unpaid tax obligations totaling $248,294.
Murdock faces five counts of bank fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and five counts of tax evasion. Each count carries substantial maximum penalties: up to 30 years imprisonment for each bank fraud count, up to 20 years for each wire fraud count, and up to five years for each tax evasion count.
Acting U.S. Attorney Marc H. Silverman emphasized that an indictment does not constitute evidence of guilt: "Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
This investigation has been carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation alongside the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elena L. Coronado is leading the prosecution.