SCITUATE − Former school committee member Michael Long has pleaded to stealing about $30,000 from his wife’s great-aunt. Then, that great-aunt, who Long and his family live with, stood up for him in court, asking for no prison time.
“I’m sorry we got to this point,” she said. “We still love him very much. We still want him in our home.”
Brockton Superior Court Judge William F. Sullivan sentenced Long, 39, to two years of probation on Thursday, Feb. 15. Scituate Police charged Long in February 2023 with stealing about $30,000 from his wife’s 77-year-old great-aunt by using her bank cards without her consent or knowledge. Long had served for 11 years on the Scituate School Committee and resigned shortly after his arrest.
He has pleaded guilty to two counts of larceny from a person older than 60 and one count of fraudulent use of a credit card. The state agreed to dismiss a fourth charge of forgery as part of the plea deal.
The victim asks the court not impose a prison sentence
At the hearing, the victim spoke in defense of Long and asked the court to spare her great-nephew-in-law from prison and to dismiss the case.