Charles Denno Sentenced For Providence Plan Embezzlement

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI – The former finance director of The Providence Plan was sentenced Friday to nearly three years in federal prison for embezzling over $740,000 from the non-profit. Charles Denno, 67, of East Providence, admitted to a court in March that he "devised and executed a scheme in which he fraudulently converted $742,190.69 of Providence Plan funds for his own use." He pleaded guilty to wire fraud on March 22.

Denno will also service three years of supervised release perform 100 hours of community service upon completion of his sentence. A judge also ordered Denno to pay $630,000 restitution to The Providence Plan.

The Providence Plan is a non-profit educational entity which receives federal, state and private grant funds, including funds from the United States Department of Education and the Bloomberg Family Foundation. These grant funds are to be used to support educational and other programs for adults and children in Rhode Island. Annually, the federal grant funds awarded to the Providence Plan totaled in excess of four million dollars.

According to the U.S. Attorney, Denno admitted that from November 2012 through July 2016, he used his authority to receive U.S. Department of Education and Bloomberg Family Foundation funds for The Providence Plan and then converted them to his own accounts for personal use.

Denno said he fraudulently prepared and issued The Providence Plan checks made payable to CMG Enterprises, an entity he owned, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. The payments were unauthorized and forged the signature of the check-signing official at The Providence Plan, authorities said.

Denno subsequently made multiple withdrawals from the CMG bank account in various forms, including credit card payments, check payments and ATM cash withdrawals at Twin River Casino.

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