NASHUA – The chief of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau has secured two felony indictments against a Massachusetts building contractor, the result of a lengthy investigation into allegations the contractor stole, and misapplied, some $37,000 he received from two local residents.

The December grand jury for Hillsborough County Superior Court-South handed up two indictments against Robert J. Lowry, 53, of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, on one count each of theft by unauthorized taking, and theft by misapplication of property, both of which are Class A felonies.

An indictment is not an indication, or proof of, guilt, but represents the Grand Jury’s determination that enough evidence exists for prosecutors to move the case forward in Superior Court.

According to the wording of the indictments, at least one of the two alleged victims, who are identified only by their initials, appears to be from Hudson. It gives the location, or locations, of the alleged crimes as “at Hudson, and other locations within the Hillsborough County Southern District.”

Lowry, who is identified in some court documents as Robert J. Lowry III, lists a current address of 6 Julio St. in Chelmsford.

According to the indictments, Lowry “obtained or exercised unauthorized control” over the two alleged victims’ money, and allegedly obtained “multiple quantities” of money from them to purchase materials for two construction projects, then “recklessly failed to make the required payment … and dealt with the (money) as his own.”

According to Senior Assistant Attorney General Brandon H. Garod, the chief of the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau who is prosecuting the case, the alleged offenses occurred between April 28 and Sept. 30, 2018.

While the status of Lowry’s construction business isn’t known, documents on file in both the Northern and Southern divisions of Hillsborough County Superior Court show Lowry has had previous dealings with authorities, including a case that is currently pending in the Northern District.

In that case, Lowry, who listed a Litchfield address at the time, is charged with issuing seven bad checks, totalling slightly more than $8,000 to a New England-wide plumbing and heating supply house from Jan. 8 to Jan. 14.

Lowry allegedly told the firm the checks were “in transit,” and had been delayed because of a divorce, according to a Manchester detective investigating the case.

Lowry’s case file shows a final pre-trial hearing is scheduled for March 2 in the Manchester court.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256, or at dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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