FORMER CFO OF WILLIMANTIC NON-PROFIT SENTENCED TO
33 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR EMBEZZLING MORE THAN $348,000
David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WILLIAM LAVIMONIERE, 52, of Plainfield, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 33 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for embezzling more than $348,000 from Project Genesis, Inc., a non-profit corporation that serves Connecticut adults and students who have disabilities.
According to court documents and statements made in court, LAVIMONIERE was employed at Project Genesis, Inc. in Willimantic as its Chief Financial Officer. From approximately June 2008 to September 2011, LAVIMONIERE embezzled $348,160.88 in corporate funds by using Project Genesis’s internal accounting software to keep certain terminated employees on the payroll after their official date of termination. He would then transfer the terminated employee’s salary to one of three of his personal bank accounts. LAVIMONIERE also disguised electronic funds transfers to his personal bank accounts as payments to the United States Treasury or to various vendors. LAVIMONIERE used the embezzled funds to pay for his living, travel, entertainment, and home improvement expenses.
In addition, LAVIMONIERE did not file any federal individual tax returns for the 2008 through 2010 tax years and failed to pay taxes on his legitimate income from Project Genesis, the embezzled income, and income from a separate business he owned and operated.
In order to cover up the vast sums money that he embezzled from Project Genesis, LAVIMONIERE reclassified some of the embezzled funds as expenses on the annual informational Form 990s that Project Genesis filed with the Internal Revenue Service.
On May 9, 2012, LAVIMONIERE pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of failure to file a tax return and one count of aiding or assisting in the filing of a false tax return.
LAVIMONIERE was ordered to pay full restitution to Project Genesis and its insurance carrier. He also was ordered to pay $176,448.75 in back taxes and interest, as well as any applicable penalties, to the IRS.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael W. Ahearn.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov
