State Police Payroll Director Charged With Larceny

A payroll director for the Massachusetts State Police has been charged with larceny for allegedly stealing money from the department.

The Middlesex District Attorney's office says 49-year-old Denise Ezekiel, of Holbrook, was charged Wednesday with larceny of over $250.

Ezekiel is accused of misappropriating more than $23,000 in travel and reimbursement funds as payroll director for the state police.

MassLive.com reports Ezekiel was placed on leave in November according to a list of suspensions obtained by the newspaper in a public records request.

State police spokesman David Procopio confirms the investigation and says Ezekiel's leave is indefinite.

"It's an allegation against somebody who works for the state police by people who ran the state police. This is good news, folks. When the leadership of the state police is cleaning up its own house and doing the investigation that develops a baseline for criminal investigation, that's a good thing, not a bad thing," Baker told reporters.

Gus Bickford, head of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, is criticizing Baker for the response, seizing on the phrase "good news."

Attempts to reach Ezekiel have gone unanswered. She's scheduled to be arraigned on April 23 in Framingham District Court.

According to state payroll records, Ezekiel was paid more than $80,000 last year.

With additional reporting from the State House News Service