Lynn lunch money thief to make retirement repayment

LYNN – A school custodian who pleaded guilty to stealing lunch money will have a $2,500 court-ordered restitution payment deducted from his retirement pension refund.The Retirement Board approved the repayment Tuesday and calculated John Grocki, who worked 18 years for the city, is owed an $82,000 “accumulated deduction refund” minus the restitution payment and tax deductions.Grocki, 46, was assigned probation and ordered to make the restitution payment on Nov. 4 by District Court Judge Michael Lauranzano. In addition to pleading guilty to larceny from a building, Grocki also admitted to sufficient facts regarding a drug charge and that case was continued without a finding.When school officials noticed bags of lunch money collected from schools throughout the city missing early last December, they hid cameras in the School Department finance office and secretly monitored Grocki as he entered the finance office on Dec. 31.?Grocki was observed ‘hugging’ a wall as if he was attempting to avoid being detected by the existing camera system which captured activity in the hallway,” Officer Timothy Ferrari wrote in his report.?Grocki was pushing a barrel and was observed placing a bag into the barrel.”After Grocki left the administration building, police arrested him outside a Market Square convenience store. He initially pleaded innocent to the theft and cocaine possession charges.Grocki was placed on paid administrative leave in the wake of his arrest.