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Prosecutors: Millions stolen in Dane Cook embezzlement case

E-mail|Link|Comments () June 25, 2009 07:08 PM

By Nandini Jayakrishna and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Investigators searching the homes of Dane Cook's former manager and his wife found cash stashed in the freezer, in Tupperware, and in the bathtub, a prosecutor said this afternoon at the arraignment of the wife, who is facing charges that she helped her husband to steal millions from the entertainer.

Dane Cook (AP)

Erika McCauley, 37, of Wilmington pleaded not guilty today in Woburn District Court to charges of larceny over $250, receiving stolen property, and larceny over $250 by single scheme.

Richard Grundy, a prosecutor for the state attorney general's office, said McCauley and her husband, Darryl, who has been previously charged, diverted about $10 million of Cook's money to their own personal account.

Judge Phyllis Broker set bail for Erika McCauley at $1 million.

Her attorney, Martin Weinberg, said, "She's vigorously contending her innocence. She didn't steal money. She didn't believe she was possessing stolen goods."

Darryl McCauley, who is Cook's half-brother, was arraigned in late March on charges of embezzling from Cook. McCauley faces eight counts of larceny over $250, forgery, and larceny by continuous scheme. McCauley's lawyer, Robert Goldstein, said after the arraignment that his client continued to insist he's innocent.

Prosecutors alleged that as Cook's bookkeeper, McCauley had a hand in keeping track of the comic's finances. McCauley allegedly transferred funds to his own accounts and, in one instance, forged a $3 million check.

The cash was found at homes owned by the McCauleys in Wilmington and in York, Maine, prosecutors said, in searches conducted after Darryl McCauley's arrest.

Stolen money was also invested in, among other things, the York Beach condo; a condo resort, shopping, and restaurant complex; and a restaurant, according to prosecutors.

The judge set a pre-trial hearing in Erika McCauley's case for July 24.

Cook's recent movies have included My Best Friend's Girl (2008), Dan in Real Life (2007), and Good Luck Chuck (2007).