Nanny Charged With Stealing $280,000 From Boston Family

— -- A Boston nanny accused of allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the family that employed her now faces federal bank fraud charges, authorities said.

Stephanie Fox, 30, worked for Grace Heintz, a partner at Bain&Co, from February 2013 until this past August. In that time, court records said, she allegedly took checks from Heintz and her husband and “wrote them payable to herself, forged signatures and cashed them.”

In all, the family said it discovered Fox had forged 65 checks totaling more than $280,000. She told the FBI she used the money to buy jewelry, including a diamond pendant necklace and Movado watches, travel -- including trips to the Bahamas, Aruba, Hawaii, Newport, Cape Cod and Disney -- as well as a down payment on a new truck.

When confronted, Fox confessed, authorities said.

“This was done on impulse,” she wrote, “as a way to support a lifestyle that was beyond my means.”

Fox told the family she loved the children and did nothing to harm them.

Defense attorney Joseph Perullo told ABC News that Fox has been in and out of court since 2011 for passing bad checks. He blamed it on a mental disorder.

“She has a spending compulsion,” Perullo said of his client. “Some issue she has mentally to want to acquire things beyond her means. It’s very irrational behavior that’s not sustainable.”

Heintz said in a lawsuit she filed last month against Fox that when she confronted the nanny.

“Fox admitted that she drafted checks however she wanted to be sure I was aware that she did nothing to harm the children and that she loved the children,” according to the suit.

Court records also said Fox admitted to destroying bank statements to cover her tracks.

Fox made her initial court appearance this week and is out on certain conditions, including that she seek mental health counseling.

No new court date has been set.

Perullo said they’re trying to resolve the case before she is formally indicted.

Fox used Care.com to gain employment. In a statement, the company said, “We are deeply disturbed by this incident and feel terrible about what this family has experienced. This incident underscores the importance of the safety process we recommend on our site, which includes conducting an internet search, having phone and in-person interviews, checking references, running a background check, and continuing to monitor the situation once someone has been hired. All of these safety tools are critical to forming a more complete picture and making more informed hiring choices."