Press Release  Haverhill City Councilor Arraigned on Larceny Charges

Salem, Massachusetts — Haverhill City Council Vice President Robert Scatamacchia, 65, of 111 Revere Street in Haverhill, was arraigned today on two counts of Larceny Over $250 in Salem Superior Court.  A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf.  Judge Timothy Feeley ordered him held on $5,000 cash bail. 

The Essex County Grand Jury handed up a secret indictment on July 1, 2015 following an 8-month long investigation by the Essex District Attorney's Office.

In his bail request, Essex First Assistant District Attorney John Dawley told the court that the defendant allegedly accepted funeral pre-payments from 13 customers totaling over $70,000 and deposited into his personal account.  In addition, from 2010 to 2014, the defendant operated his business in partnership with Paul C. Rogers Funeral Home.  The defendant allegedly pocketed over $200,000 that should have been paid to Rogers and Scatamacchia LLC.   

The regulations require that funeral pre-payments be placed in an account and can only be used for burial purposes.  After the defendant’s funeral home went out business, numerous customers attempted to get their money transferred to other funeral homes, as allowed by the regulations.  When customers were unable to re-coup their money, some complained to the Board of Registration in Embalming and Funeral Directing while other complained to the Massachusetts State Police.  The Essex District Attorney's Office was notified by those agencies and initiated an investigation with the assistance of the Haverhill Police and the Massachusetts Division of Licensure Office of Investigations.

The defendant was represented by Attorney Scott Gleason and is presumed innocent until proven guilty.  A pre-trial conference is scheduled for August 7, 2015.

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