Ex-Revere Library chief pleads guilty

BOSTON – The former Revere library director who is charged with stealing more than $270,000 from the city pleaded guilty Tuesday and will now have to serve six months in the Suffolk County House of Correction, and must pay full restitution to the city of Revere.”Obviously, it is a sad day whenever a former municipal employee is deemed guilty of criminal activity in the workplace, but I feel justice was served and I’m satisfied with the restitution payment,” Revere Mayor Thomas Ambrosino said in an e-mail.Robert Rice Jr., 46, pleaded guilty to three counts of embezzlement by a city officer and 15 counts of procurement fraud, but prosecutors dropped three counts of larceny over $250 in exchange for his guilty pleas.He could have faced a combined maximum sentence of more than 15 years in prison if convicted of all the charges.Prosecutors said Rice used his position as library director to falsify city purchase orders which he then used to buy personal items, such as a Rolex watch, various home decorations and toys from 2005 to 2009.As part of the plea agreement, Rice must pay the city about $274,781 in restitution, including about $25,000 the city spent in auditor’s fees.Superior Court Judge Carol Ball sentenced Rice to two years in jail, but suspended all but six months of the sentence. She also sentenced Rice to two years probation after he serves his sentence.Ball ordered Rice to pay $230,000 in restitution by 4:30 p.m. today and then report to jail by Thursday.The exact amount Rice must pay back depends on how much the city of Revere can get for selling the items the former library director bought with stolen city money.Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Goldberger said the sale of the items could take time to ensure the city gets the highest price possible on the items and the sale is “done the right way.””We’re talking about some esoteric items here,” he said.Rice arrived at the courthouse about an hour early, unaccompanied by family or friends.Wearing a dark gray suit, he sat on a bench outside Session 1 and killed time on an iPhone until his attorneys arrived, refusing to talk to reporters.Rice also sold supplies intended for use in the library on eBay, then used the profit to purchase non-library related items on the online auction site. He also admitted to using forged invoices to obtain vendor-issued refund checks meant for the city, which he would then deposit in a personal account.Goldberger listed a number of items as evidence to the judge in determining Rice’s guilt, including a replica Thompson submachine gun, a Dyson vacuum, Halloween decorations, an elephant tusk sculpture and a gold heart pendant.The judge also gave Rice until Thursday to obtain prescriptions for diabetes and sleep apnea, ailments his lawyers said he has, before reporting to the Suffolk County House of Correction to serve his sentence.Neither Rice nor his attorneys, Stephen Tassinari and Michael Cioffi, would comment following the sentencing.Taylor Provost may be reached at [email protected]