WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A Hartford man pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges he embezzled more than $10,000 from a parent-teacher organization while he served as its treasurer.
Wade Mullins, 38, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts — one of which had been downgraded from a felony charge — to embezzling funds from the Reading Elementary Parent Teacher Organization while he was treasurer of the group from 2015 to 2020, during a change of plea hearing held via video conference in Windsor Superior Court in White River Junction on Tuesday.
Under the plea agreement, approved by Judge Michael Kainen, Mullins received a one- to three-month prison sentence, suspended for a period of three years, and was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and to have no contact with the Reading PTO.
In addition, he is to pay full restitution of the stolen amount within seven days, Kainen ordered.
Mullin’s embezzlement was discovered when his now ex-wife sent a text message to the PTO’s secretary in 2020 alerting the organization that it should check its bank accounts, according to the police affidavit filed with the court. Officers of the PTO then conducted an audit and found more than $10,000 missing over a five-year period.
During Tuesday’s change of plea hearing, both Judge Kainen and Windsor County Deputy State’s Attorney Emily Zukauskas noted that the charges and punishment for Mullins could have been more severe but for the defendant’s willingness to quickly admit his wrongdoing — he acknowledged taking the money and offered to repay it to the president of the PTO when she confronted him — and accept responsibility for his crime.
“These could (have been) felony charges … at least one of them was a felony charge. So the fact that he’s willing to take responsibility for the full amount, the state takes that into consideration (in) amending these misdemeanors,” Zukauskas told the court, noting that the state had reviewed the proposed plea agreement with the PTO, who supported the plea deal.
“Most important to them is that the defendant pay full restitution,” Zukauskas said.
Mullins expressed contrition to the court, offering a “heartfelt apology to Reading, the PTO and my family, who was pretty embarrassed by all this.”
Saying it was “not a defense,” Mullins said that he “had been going through some financial difficulties for a while, some family struggles, wanting to support my five children” and while he didn’t want to “excuse my behavior, I acknowledge what I did was wrong and I just want to apologize sincerely.”
Judge Kainen, noting that “in the interest of justice” he was extending Mullins’ probation period to three years “rather than two,” emphasized at the same time that the defendant should consider himself fortunate in the outcome of his case.
“I’m sure your lawyers pointed out that it’s a good resolution” Judge Kainen said. “You’re not doing a day in jail. You’re not getting saddled with a felony. And because these are considered minor misdemeanors, in five years from completion of the sentence you can come back and ask to have your record sealed or expunged. So it should not have a lifetime impact on you.”
“I would say it’s a favorable resolution for you,” he concluded.
Contact John Lippman at jlippman@vnews.com.
