$400K Scheme: Woman Steals From CT Addiction Nonprofit, Spends Funds On Vacations

A 50-year-old woman has admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Connecticut nonprofit at which she served as executive director, federal officials said.

SERAC, located in Norwich at 228 West Town St. (Route 642).
Photo Credit: *Google Maps street view*

Ben Crnic

10/21/2024 6:00 p.m.

New London County resident Michele Devine of Waterford, age 50, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with her alleged theft of almost $400,000 from a Norwich-based addiction and mental health nonprofit, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced on Monday, Oct. 21.

According to federal officials, Devine served as the executive director of the Southeastern Regional Action Council on Substance Abuse, Inc. (SERAC) until July 2022. The organization serves 41 towns across Connecticut and helps people struggling with substance abuse, gambling, and mental health.

SERAC is primarily funded through hundreds of thousands of dollars in state and federal grants from the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the US Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, officials said.

Beginning around 2008, Devine spent thousands of dollars in SERAC funds for personal expenses such as home appliances, travel, timeshare fees at a Connecticut resort, vacations at the Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires town of Lenox, Massachusetts, and private school donations.

Devine, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud, was arrested on Aug. 3, 2023, and will be sentenced on Monday, Jan. 13. Until then, she is released on a $25,000 bond.

She faces a maximum term of 20 years in prison.

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