Former City Councilor Robert H. Scatamacchia.
A former Haverhill city councilor and funeral director, accused last year of stealing $72,000 in funeral prepayment money and pocketing $200,000 in other business funds, will have his day in court beginning Monday.
Trial begins Monday in Lawrence Superior Court in the case of former City Councilor Robert H. Scatamacchia, Carrie Kimball-Monahan, spokesperson for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, confirmed to WHAV Thursday afternoon. Scatamacchia was indicted by an Essex County grand jury during July, 2015, following an eight-month investigation, on two counts of larceny over $250. He was arraigned on the charges in Salem Superior Court and released on $5,000 bail after his arrest by Massachusetts State Police detectives. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf.
As WHAV reported last year, Kimball-Monahan said 13 families sought to obtain refunds of their funeral pre-payments when Scatamacchia sold his funeral home interests in 2014. “They were never able to get it. Those people complained to various agencies.” She said prepayments are supposed to be kept in separate accounts. Any pre-payment amounts prior to 2013 are outside of the state’s statute of limitations and won’t be investigated, Kimball-Monahan said.
In addition, the district attorney said, Scatamacchia illegally kept $200,000 in payments between 2010 and 2014 when he was in a partnership with another funeral home. “He was receiving payments during that time and depositing them into his personal account,” she said.
Complaints were filed with Board of Registration of Funeral Directors and Embalmers, state police and eventually the district attorney’s office.
Scatamacchia has been represented by attorney Scott Gleason of Haverhill.
In March, 2015, Scatamacchia resigned from a $60,000 per year position as transportation director for the Haverhill Public Schools after four months on the job. He chose to forgo his salary as city council vice president while working for the school district.
Scatmacchia did not seek re-election to the city council last November and completed his last term the following month.
Sounds like bs to me
Hopefully Bob got some help and can get this over and done with and move on.