Ex-Employee of Watertown Meat Center Gets Two Years for $180,000 Theft
A long-trusted employee of Watertown Meat Center, Marissa Ganavage, found herself on the other side of justice Monday, sentenced to two years in prison after manipulating store registers to siphon nearly $180,000 from the family-run business.
Standing in front of the judge, Ganavage, 51, pleaded for leniency, citing financial struggles and family obligations. Yet, the weight of her actions—and the money that could not be accounted for—sealed her fate.
A Crime Hidden in Plain Sight
For more than two years, Ganavage’s scheme quietly drained funds from the Meat Center’s till, exploiting the store’s trust. Using “suspended” sales, she concealed cash transactions by slipping receipts under the register and discarding them.
The arrest warrant reveals that her suspicious activity in 2022 alone added up to $90,349 marked as “no sale,” with similar figures in 2020 and 2021.
But the quiet, meticulous manipulation would only come to light when retired detective John Garvey, an expert in retail theft, alerted owners Carmine and Jessica DiSapio, pushing them to dig deeper.
Impact on the Watertown Meat Center
The DiSapios, unaware of the real cause of their financial troubles, had poured their own savings into the store, convinced that rising costs were to blame.
“We were hurting, even putting our savings into the business,” Jessica DiSapio said, adding that the situation felt like “the perfect crime at the perfect time.”
To make matters worse, Ganavage was considered part of their business family, making the betrayal sting even more. “She was a trusted employee,” shared the DiSapios, now more cautious about placing trust.
Seeking Justice and Moving Forward
While Judge Joseph Schwartz acknowledged Ganavage’s plea for leniency, her efforts to repay the stolen money were minimal.
Ganavage, who pleaded guilty under the Alford Doctrine, only turned over $18,000 of the missing funds, which will go to the DiSapios. The judge, sympathetic to Ganavage’s family situation, reminded her, “I am sympathetic to your family situation. They didn’t commit this crime; you did.”
Moving forward, the Watertown Meat Center has implemented new security measures, hoping to prevent future incidents. As they finally close this painful chapter, the DiSapios aim to rebuild both their business and their trust in those who help keep it running.
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