Whistleblower Sues Over CUFiring

BOSTON - (01/04/06) – The former head teller atBoston Globe Employees CU filed suit against the credit union andits board last week claiming she was fired for exposing wrongdoingby other employees, including the former manager who was convictedof fraud and embezzlement. In her suit, Paula O’Donnell, whoworked for the credit union for 29 years, claims she was harassedby the credit union’s board and her superiors after shediscovered fraud and embezzlement being committed by then creditunion President Gene Farrell, Jr., who pleaded guilty to felonycharges in 1999. The harassment grew worse under Farrell’ssuccessor, Marion Doucette, after Doucette hired her daughter,Linda Doucette, to work at the credit union and O’Donnelldiscovered that the daughter had bounced more than 100 checks onher credit union account, leading to the daughter’s firing,according to the suit. O’Donnell said she took a leave ofabsence in August 2003 because she couldn’t stand theharassment and when she returned to work she was fired. Officialsat the credit union did not return phone calls seekingcomment.