BOSTON — The long-tenured director of Quincy’s Department of Elder Services pled guilty on Monday in federal court after embezzling city money proposed for senior programs, spending it on specific-taste luxuries.
A March 9, 2026 District of Massachusetts press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office outlines the scheme where Thomas F. Clasby Jr., 61, admitted his wrongdoings in embezzlement, mail fraud, wire fraud, and interstate logistical efforts surrounding stolen property.
Clasby’s sentencing is scheduled under U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris on June 17, following the case involving misuse of taxpayer dollars at the Kennedy Center.
Clasby was leader of the Quincy Department of Elder Services from 1999 to mid – 2021, where he oversaw programs for metropolitan seniors south of Boston; approximately 100,000 people.
Prosecutors allege the scheme began in 2019, after the city’s purchasing system records show Clasby using the city’s checking account to cover his personal expenses. Per statements, court records show Clasby diverted approximately $8,950 to fund his music studio sessions, where he is reported to have hidden vocal talent. An additional $8,964 dollars was identified to have been spent on over a hundred pounds of steak tips, a Toyota Prius, and a custom framed self-portrait.
In another financial side quest, Clasby exploited over $38,000 in city funds, directing them to a New York consulting firm headed by a friend. In a go ahead touchdown taken out of the MaineCare playbook, no services were ever provided by Thomas Clasby’s neighboring New York firm.
It is noted that after Clasby’s friend cashed checks from the city, he proceeded to hand off the money to Clasby, including at a rest stop and ferry terminal; reminiscent of Boston mafia movies.
Beginning in June 2021, Clasby began pocketing most cash receipts generated by Kennedy Center programs, per prosecutors.
Each count of fraud carries a maximum 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, as Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina E. Barclay prosecutes the case alongside the Quincy Police Department in Massachusetts.
U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy labeled the action “an affront to the seniors he was sworn to serve”, and Federal Bureau of Investigation officials described the crimes as “utterly disgraceful”.
Clasby’s guilty plea ends the case without any further trial and the sentencing in June looms near, determining punishment for another case of federal funding theft in the northeast, as federal prosecutors continue fraud prosecutions nationwide.
