Ex-Peabody City Council Candidate Pleads Guilty To Larceny

PEABODY, MA -- Scott Frasca, who unsuccessfully ran for Peabody Council in 2013, pleaded guilty Tuesday to an array of charges stemming from a fraudulent claim of identity theft. Frasca, 49, paid $82,902 in restitution and was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest, followed by 5 years of probation during which he must perform 400 hours of community service.

Frasca admitted to obtaining loans from five different banks then claiming identity theft when the loans were due. Essex First Assistant District Attorney John Dawley had asked Salem Superior Court Judge Thomas Drechsler to sentence Frasca to two and a half years in the House of Corrections followed by 5 years of probation.

Frasca, who founded the Making A Difference In Peabody Foundation in 2002, was also ordered to not have any nonprofit organizations as part of the plea. The foundation had been set up to provide "one time emergency assistance to Peabody...residents in need of oil, heating gas, fire or flood relief, rent assistance, electricity, food, clothing, and housing items such as appliances and mattresses," according to the organization's mission statement.

In 2013, Frasca placed seventh in a nine-way race for five at-large council seats.

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Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).