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Stacy Lore pleaded guilty to larceny charges Thursday morning in Stamford Superior Court. Lore was arrested earlier this year after it was discovered that she had lied about her credentials to get a job as an autism therapist for both Norwalk and Weston schools.
One of the school parents, Kim Graham, said she was alerted ahead of time that Lore would be changing her plea.
"A lot of us wrote letters asking for a longer sentence," she said. In court, prosecutors said they will encourage a three-year sentence followed by five years of parole. Not much was said in court about the harm caused to the children, which Graham said was disappointing as a parent. Hearing Lore confess, however, was a relief to many victims who were in attendance.
"The judge said, 'Are you aware that you stole money from families and school systems?' and she said, 'Yes, your honor.' It was really great to hear her say that because that's really all I ever wanted, as a parent, was for her to admit it. Because for years she would say, 'I'm a professional and you don't know what you're talking about.' It was very emotional for me. I got really upset."
Records show Lore billed Weston schools $300,000 for services she performed between 2005 and 2007 and more than $150,000 in Norwalk.
Lore allegedly faked a university diploma in order to get jobs working with children in Norwalk, Weston, Stamford, Bridgeport and Middlebury, receiving payments totaling $635,000.
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