A local band member is accused of stealing nearly $70,000 from New England School of Law to buy equipment for his band.

Medford man Gareth Flanagan, 52, was arraigned on Wednesday in Suffolk Superior Court after being arrested following an indictment for three counts of larceny over $1,200.

Flanagan worked at New England School of Law as its IT director, and had access to the school’s Amazon account. He had authority to purchase items up to $5,000 without approval by the budget director, the Suffolk DA’s office said.

Flanagan at the time was also a member of a band, “Sloth Machine,” which played at local bars.

He’s accused of using the school’s Amazon account to purchase band equipment and other items not associated with the school or his job, according to prosecutors.

The law school hired an external auditor, who determined that Flanagan stole about $68,000. When the audit team and members of the board confronted Flanagan, he allegedly admitted to the unauthorized purchases and said he was “testing” the equipment.

Flanagan reportedly returned some, but not all, of the items.

“As we’ve seen in many work-based theft cases, this man took advantage of his position for personal gain,” Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden said.

“Theft at the workplace is not only a breach of trust but, in this case, impacted faculty and students who relied on the NESL budget for resources and technology,” he added.

The judge ordered Flanagan held on $1,000 bail, and to stay away from the school.

Flanagan is due back in court Sept. 9 for a pre-trial conference.