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LaPlante committed 306 separate incidents of theft over a 2 year period. The theft was from 5 different vendors. He was originally charged with 5 counts of OMUFP under 11-41-27 which is a completely different statute than run of the mill embezzlement as it is specific to a municipal department head. Those charges were reduced to simple

unlawful conversion>$100 and OMUFP> $1500. The OMUFP was dropped so he plead to the lesser charge. Not bad, and to boot he paid no fines. What a country.

The 360 documents of exculpatory evidence shows that approximately $30,000 in merchandise was left in the house as it "was affixed to the dwelling. The documents also indicate that aprox. $22,000 in merchandise was completely unaccounted for. In particular, the majority of the purchases were made on a credit card in the name of "Warwick School Dept." and the credit card purchases were all authorized by someone named Susan Hickey. I dont understand how she was not questioned, or how the controller, Ferrucci, managed to miss over $100,000.

As of this date Mr. LaPlante still gets to keep what he stole, and in essence, the restitution became his penalty. So if you go out and rob 10 banks in the course of a year, and you get caught, do you only get charged with 1 count of robbery? Then if you give the money back, there is no penalty? The problem is that there is no deterrent for this type of behavior. Not withstanding that this was a crime against the children. Yet , even after his firing, we still are paying his health care. What a country. Read the statute clearly.

CHAPTER 11-41

Theft, Embezzlement, False Pretenses, and Misappropriation

SECTION 11-41-27

§ 11-41-27 Wrongful conversion by officer or state or municipal employee.

Whoever, being an officer or employee of the state of Rhode Island, or any department, agency, instrumentality or political subdivision of the state, or any city or town, embezzles or wrongfully converts to his or her own use or benefit, or to the use or benefit of any other, any money or property which comes into his or her possession or control in the execution of that office or employment, shall be fined not more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) or three (3) times the value of the money or property thus embezzled or converted, whichever is greater, or imprisoned not more than twenty (20) years, or both; except that if the sum or value of the property embezzled is less than one hundred dollars ($100) he or she shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.