Woman charged in theft from school lunch program
Published: November 19, 2009
EAST LYME, Conn.—Authorities say a Rhode Island woman’s gambling debts led her to embezzle almost $335,000 from the company that runs East Lyme’s school lunch program.
Westerly resident Beverly Howard was arraigned Wednesday on a charge of first-degree larceny in New London Superior Court. She did not enter a plea.
Police say the 53-year-old Howard was East Lyme’s dining services director and allegedly embezzled the money from her employer, Chartwells, which runs the meals programs under contract.
Police say Howard told officers she needed to repay about $382,000 in casino gambling losses, mostly at Foxwoods Resort Casino.
Her attorneys say she is cooperating with authorities and recognizes the severity of the allegations. She returns to court Dec. 2.
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We see more stories like this every day. When are governments going to realize that if they put in as much effort to attract businesses as they do to open casinos, they would get a much better and longer lasting return on their investment without these types of problems.
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