Ex-School Chief Sentenced in Mansfield Doctored Mileage Voucher Case

MANSFIELD, CT — The former superintendent of the Mansfield school system was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday for first-degree larceny in a case of doctored mileage claims.

Frederick Baruzzi is scheduled to serve six months of that sentence after suspension and then be placed on three years of probation, a clerk at Rockville Superior Court said.

Baruzzi, 66, was arrested on Nov. 13, 2014 and resigned under pressure in January 2015, school disciplinary records indicate.

Baruzzi had been free from custody on a $10,000 bond, according to judicial system records.

The former voucher system employed by the town has come under fire during the legal proceedings, which ended with a guilty plea on Jan. 6, a clerk at the court said.

Baruzzi’s arrest came after he was investigated for alleged abuse of the system. Baruzzi had repaid more than $60,000 in both disputed mileage claims and the cost of the independent audit to look into them, according to town records.

Baruzzi, had a base salary of $151,573 at the time of his arrest.

A major focus of the audit was on inconsistencies for one consistent destination — the Institute of Technology in New Britain, a route the measures 38.73 miles from the school system offices, according to a state police search warrant.

Trips to Hartford had also come under scrutiny, according to town and police records.

Mansfield Mayor Paul Shapiro, who read a statement on Tuesday in court, called the sentencing "fair" and one that "took all factors into account."

He added, "This closes a chapter in the book of Mansfield, but that could not happen until the former superintendent's legal proceedings were closed ... and that happened today. We have moved on with an enthusiastic superintendent and a great relationship between the Board of Education and Town Council."

Shapiro said audits by two separate "major regional accounting firms" have led to Mansfield developing "the best business practices in the state."

He added, "Nothing is perfect and you cannot stop someone hellbent on stealing. But we have now made it very, very difficult."

Photo Credit: State Police