NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Waterford woman who was formerly the executive director of a mental health services nonprofit pleaded guilty on Monday to fraud offenses connected to her embezzlement scheme, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
The government said that Michele Devine, 50, stole nearly $400,000 from the Southeastern Regional Action Council on Substance Abuse, Inc., or SERAC, where she was employed as the executive director.
Court documents and statements made in court note that SERAC, which is headquartered in Norwich, is a 501(c)(3) organization serving 41 towns in southeastern and northeastern Connecticut. The nonprofit helps with substance abuse, problem gambling and mental health-related services.
SERAC is funded mostly through hundreds of thousands of dollars of in state and federal grants from the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Prosecutors said Devine served as SERAC’s executive director until July 2022 and that, beginning around 2008, she spent thousands of dollars on purchases that did not relate to the nonprofit. Instead, they were personal expenses for Devine and her family, including thousands of dollars spent on home appliances, travel, timeshare fees at a Connecticut resort, stays at the Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires and private school donations.
Devine has pleaded guilty to wire fraud, which could land her in prison for up to 20 years. Her sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2025.
Devine was arrested on Aug. 3, 2023, and is released on a $25,000 bond pending sentencing.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, New London State’s Attorney’s Office and the State of Connecticut Office of the Attorney General investigated the case.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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