Attleboro District Court Probation Officer Helps Victim
Get More than $30,000 In Restitution

Thanks to the tenacious efforts of Attleboro District Court Probation Officer David Powers, the victim of an unscrupulous contractor received more than $30,000 he was owed in restitution last week.

Stephen Squillante, the victim, gave high praise to Powers who was assigned the case when he returned to work at the Probation Department in January 2009 after serving in Iraq.

Squillante, who hired a contractor to build a home south of Boston, paid the contractor each time a phase of the construction was completed. The general contractor, however, failed to pay the companies he hired to build the foundation of the house, install wiring, floors, windows, etc. As a result, Squillante owed a whopping $34,864.29 to various companies.

“I would give him money each time a phase of the construction was completed. What I didn’t know was that he wasn’t paying the companies. I found out that I had liens all over the place,” Squillante said. “The case began in 2006 and was later transferred to Attleboro. It really took a toll on my family and I. We were losing sleep. People told me I was wasting my time because it was a civil case. I thought I would never get my money back.”

Powers said during the time he supervised the case, the defendant made “false promises.”

“He would promise that he would pay $5,000 the next week and then not follow through. I worked on the case for a year before he defaulted on a court appearance. I called the Fugitive Task Force. He was picked up on a warrant and held in detention,” Powers said. “The judge held him in contempt and he was held until all the money was paid. Two to three weeks later, his brother paid the money.”

Attleboro District Court Chief Probation Officer Terrell Kiley also lauded Powers.

“Dave took very positive steps to address this restitution case. Restitution is one of the most difficult areas to deal with. But, Dave made a very good case before the court,” Kiley said.

Squillante agreed. He said, “Dave Powers took a hard stance and all of a sudden I got my money back. I couldn’t believe it. During this process, he was one guy who made me and my wife feel at ease. I used to think ‘does anyone care?,’” Squillante recalled.

“It was the simple things he did that people don’t think of. When I called, he called me back. He met with me and my wife to let me know the status of the case. I really appreciate what he did,” recalled Squillante who had to tap into the college fund he set up for his son to move into the house.

Powers said in response to the accolades he received from Squillante, “During my entire years while working for probation, I have been very diligent in pursuing restitution cases. I do my best as a Probation Officer to see that justice is served.”

Attleboro District Court Probation is also supervising the defendant for the Rhode Island Probation Department, according to Kiley who pointed out that the offender has similar cases in Plymouth and Wareham.