The former head of Marblehead's METCO program charged with stealing from a fund meant to be used for students in need has admitted to sufficient facts and the case could be dismissed if he complies with conditions of probation for a year.
Francois Fils-Aime, 48, used the fund built with donations to pay restaurant tabs and for contributions to charities, churches and political campaigns, prosecutors said.
Fils-Aime admitted to sufficient facts for a guilty finding to two counts of larceny Monday in Salem Superior Court, where a judge granted a continuation without a finding, The Salem News reported. Fils-Aime will spend a year on unsupervised probation, must perform 100 hours of community service, and pay $10,000 in restitution.
If he complies with the conditions and stays out of further trouble the charges will be dismissed.
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The METCO program, or Metropolitan Council on Educational Opportunity, brings children from the city to attend classes at better funded suburban schools.
Fils-Aime mispent more than $10,000 of the fund's money over a period of several years, prosecutors said. Richard Gedeon, Fils-Aime's lawyer, called his client a "trustworthy person'' who had made some mistakes.
