Ex-Revere Head Librarian Faces Fraud Charges
REVERE (AP) - The former director of Revere's public library has been indicted on charges of embezzling more than $200,000 from the city.
Authorities say 45-year-old Robert Rice Jr. used city money to buy items, which he either kept for himself or resold online. Some of the items he allegedly bought with city funds include books, DVDs, software and curios, such as elephant tusks and ornate chairs. The alleged thefts took place between 2005 and his resignation in January 2009.
The Rowley resident is scheduled to be arraigned April 1 in Suffolk Superior Court on three counts of larceny over $250, three counts of embezzlement by a city officer, and 15 counts of procurement fraud.
Rice is currently library director in Pelham, N.H., where a trustee calls his performance "exemplary."
Rice refused comment.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
