Former Columbia Gas worker Lashaunda Studaway accused of stealing IDs of Merrimack Valley explosion victims [masslive.com]

Four years after Columbia Gas was held responsible after a series of explosions in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover killed one man and injured dozens more, a former insurance adjuster for the gas company was arraigned on charges that accuse the adjuster of stealing the identities of multiple Merrimack Valley gas explosion victims and more than $28,000 from their individual bank accounts, Attorney General Maura Healy’s office announced on Monday.

Lashaunda Studaway of Jackson, Mississippi, was arraigned in Essex Superior Court on four counts of identity fraud and two counts of larceny over $1,200, according to the AG’s office.

State officials accuse Studaway of stealing from Merrimack Valley gas explosion victims while she worked as a Columbia Gas insurance adjuster between October 2018 and December 2018.

During this time, Studaway was responsible for handling the financial claims from residents impacted by the September 2018 gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley that devastated the region, resulting in thousands of dollars in property damage and leaving thousands of residents and businesses without heat and hot water in the cold winter months.

Over 70 properties were impacted by the residential gas explosions. Firefighters fought more than 80 blazes and thousands of people were evacuated from their homes.

Columbia Gas would eventually be held responsible for the disaster and plead guilty in federal court to pipeline safety law violations and negligence and agreed to pay a fine of $53 million. The events ultimately cost the company more than $1 billion.

The AG’s Office claims that Studaway stole $28,971 and the identities of four claimants impacted by the explosion by misappropriating pre-paid debit cards — that were supposed to go to victims — to herself. Studaway reportedly submitted false claims under a real claimant’s file or created a file using a fictitious person’s name when stealing the funds, the Attorney General’s Office alleges.

Studaway is due back in court on Dec. 16 for a pre-trial hearing.

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