A former Quincy official admitted in federal court Monday that he embezzled city funds and used the money for a range of personal purchases, including food, music recordings and a vehicle.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Thomas F. Clasby Jr., 61, of Fitchburg, pleaded guilty in Boston to charges of embezzlement, mail and wire fraud, and interstate transportation of stolen property. Sentencing is scheduled for June 17, 2026, before U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris. Clasby was originally indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2025.
Clasby served as director of the Quincy Department of Elder Services from about 1999 until April 2024. Federal prosecutors said that beginning in 2019 he exploited the city’s purchasing process to pay for personal expenses and obtain cash.
Authorities said the purchases included $8,950 paid to a music studio to produce recordings of Clasby singing, $2,236 to food vendors for 153 pounds of bourbon steak tips, $4,800 toward a Toyota Prius, and $1,658 for a mounted and framed self-portrait.
Prosecutors also said Clasby arranged for the city to pay more than $38,000 to a consulting company in New York owned by a friend. Investigators determined the company provided no services to the city. Instead, the friend allegedly cashed the checks and delivered the money to Clasby at locations including a rest stop in Framingham, Massachusetts, a ferry terminal in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and the friend’s apartment in New York.
Beginning in June 2021, authorities said Clasby also stole most of the cash receipts generated by Elder Services at the Kennedy Center in Quincy.
The embezzlement charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, while the mail and wire fraud charges each carry potential sentences of up to 20 years in prison. The interstate transportation of stolen property charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. Each charge also allows for up to three years of supervised release and fines of up to $250,000.
