A Manchester woman has been sentenced to 34 months in federal prison for embezzling more than $860,000 from businesses in towns including Danbury. 36 year old Maria Higgins pleaded guilty to tax evasion after failing to report nearly $770,000 of stolen income. Between 2018 and 2024, Higgins used company checks, wire transfers, and fictitious expenses to steal funds. She is ordered to pay full restitution to the involved businesses and the IRS. She will surrender to begin serving her sentence on Feb. 21st, and after she is released from prison, she will still have to serve another two years of supervised release.