A Northborough resident has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for embezzling over $360,000 from a non-profit organization. Kyriakos Kapiris, also known as Rick Kapiris, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman in Worcester. In addition to his prison term, he will face five years of supervised release and must pay restitution amounting to $371,088.97.
Kapiris had previously pleaded guilty in June 2022 to charges of wire fraud and money laundering. Between April 2015 and May 2020, while working as the Information Technology Manager at Venture Community Services (VCS) in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, Kapiris used company credit cards intended for purchasing equipment and services to embezzle funds.
He set up three vendor accounts on Square and Amazon using names of legitimate companies and one account under a company he controlled called "NetworkingPlus." These accounts were linked to his personal Bank of America accounts where he transferred the fraudulent proceeds. The stolen funds were used for personal expenses including building a house that was later forfeited by the government.
The court noted that Kapiris had a prior conviction for theft from another employer and was on probation during the time of his offenses at VCS.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley along with Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Boston Division announced the sentencing. Assistance came from both Sturbridge and Northborough Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucy Sun and Kristen Noto from the Worcester Branch Office.