The West Hatfield woman who pleaded not guilty last December to charges alleging that she stole approximately $200,000 from a former employer – a figure originally reported in the Daily Hampshire Gazette – currently works at the University of Massachusetts in a prominent position in the University’s Residential Life department.

Amy Wing confirmed Wednesday in her UMass office that she is indeed the person who pled not guilty to charges of larceny and fraud in Hampshire Superior Court on Dec. 12, 2011. She currently works as the executive assistant to Executive Director of Residential Life Edward Hull at UMass.

Hampshire Superior Court Judge Mary-Lou Rup ordered Wing to reappear in court on April 17 for a pretrial hearing after Wing entered a not guilty plea, according to court documents detailing Wing’s Nov. 15, 2011 Hampshire County grand jury indictment. Rup did not hold Wing on her Dec. 12, 2011 arraignment, but ordered Wing to report weekly in person to the probation department, states the clerk’s log connected with Wing’s trial file.

Wing was hired by the University on Oct. 16, 2011, before her indictment by the Hampshire County grand jury.

Wing’s official University Form-30 position description’s account of duties and responsibilities reads as follows: “The Executive Assistant is the primary support person to and the ‘first-impression public face’ for the Executive Director of Residential Life. Within this context, this position manages administrative support functions for the Office of the Executive Director of Residential Life, and provides leadership for Department administrative support colleagues.”

She currently receives an annual salary of just over $38,908 as executive assistant to Hull. At UMass, Wing’s office is located on the second floor of Berkshire House and is connected to Hull’s office.

“It’s going to be a long process,” said Wing of her court case.

Wing pleaded not guilty to seven counts of forgery of a check; seven counts of uttering a false check; seven counts of larceny over $250; two counts of larceny under $250; two counts of falsifying “entries in corporate books”; and one count each of embezzlement, forgery of a document “for the release of retirement funds,” credit card fraud and identity fraud, according to the Hampshire Superior Court documents detailing the case.

Yesterday, Wing refused to comment any further on the case, directing, as she had Wednesday, all questions to her attorney, Lauren H. Follett of Springfield law firm Dalsey & Albano. Follett declined to comment as well.

University spokesman Ed Blaguszewski said to the Collegian over the phone Wednesday that he was not aware of Wing’s court case. In a follow-up call placed yesterday, Blaguszewski said, “The hiring department is aware of the situation and of the pending charges with the individual and [Wing] continues to be employed by the University.”

Prosecutors of the case claim that the alleged incidents of larceny and fraud began in August 2009 while Wing was employed by a Northampton digital communications company. The charges extend to incidents in May 2011.

A person who answered the phone at Myers Information Systems Inc., Wing’s former employer alleging the offenses against her, refused to comment on the case Wednesday. The company is located at 19 Hawley St. in Northampton.

As reported in the Daily Hampshire Gazette article titled “West Hatfield woman charged with stealing $200,000 from Northampton firm,” Gazette reporter Etta Walsh writes: “Wing’s attorney, characterized her client as having deep ties to the community. Wing shares custody of her three school-aged children equally with her ex-husband, is employed by a local college and has family in the area, Follett said.” The Gazette also reports that Follett “noted that Wing has no criminal record.”

“Wing allegedly forged checks from the business and used the corporate credit card to make purchases, Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Matthew Thomas told [Judge Mary-Lou] Rup,” reported the Gazette. Thomas was not available for comment yesterday.

In December, Thomas said Wing has paid back nearly half of the $200,000 she is charged with having stolen, while the other half remains unpaid, reports the Gazette.

“‘I’m not sure how she was able to get her hands on that much money so quickly,’ Thomas said of Wing’s $100,000 restitution,” reports the Gazette. Thomas also said, according to the Gazette, that these alleged incidents were discovered by “an independent audit” of the company.

Alyssa Creamer can be reached at [email protected]