A former Londonderry Selectboard member has been charged with 15 counts of embezzlement at his previous job, the Windham County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
Vincent Annunziata, 37, was cited to appear in the felony case on April 3 at Windham County Superior criminal court. He was released after being issued the citation on Friday, according to Windham County Sheriff Mark Anderson.
The charges stem from a complaint in December by Annunziata’s former employer, the Vermont Butcher Shop, alleging Annunziata stole about $15,000 from the small business over a six-month period.
Annunziata, who was shop manager during that time, was terminated for cause in December, said Tony Boston, the shop’s general manager. Annunziata had been employed at the Londonderry business for about six years.
“It is definitely integral to our success that we put the utmost trust and faith in our employees, especially those who are in management and have been with us for so long,” Boston told VTDigger. “We are just very disheartened to have seen things evolve in such a way.”
Annunziata was elected to the Londonderry Selectboard in March 2020 and resigned in January, two months before his term was up.
In his resignation letter, included in a board meeting agenda packet, Annunziata said the last few months had been very challenging for his family, and he no longer felt able to commit the time and focus needed to serve on the board.
He could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Londonderry’s town administrator, Shane O’Keefe, said the town government had no comment on Annunziata’s criminal case, since it is a matter involving a private citizen.