Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Michele Devine, 50, of Waterford, pleaded guilty to a fraud offense in connection with her embezzlement from the Southeastern Regional Action Council on Substance Abuse, Inc. (SERAC), where she was employed as its executive director. According to court documents and statements made in court, SERAC, headquartered in Norwich, is a 501(c)(3) organization that serves 41 towns in southeastern and northeastern Connecticut with substance abuse, problem gambling, and mental health related services. Devine was the executive director of SERAC until July 2022. Beginning in approximately 2008, Devine spent thousands of dollars on purchases that did not relate SERAC but instead were personal expenses for Devine and her family, including thousands of dollars spent on home appliances; travel; timeshare fees at a Connecticut resort; stays at the Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires, Massachusetts; and private school donations. The government contends that Devine stole nearly $400,000 from SERAC.
