Police: Former Newport Bay Club Manager Embezzled $527,000

A Portsmouth man who issued himself 34 checks totaling $527,000 drawn on funds belonging to the Newport Bay Club’s timeshare association was arrested Friday by the Rhode Island State Police on embezzlement charges.

Police said Timothy F. Roche, 54, of 46 Brant Road, Portsmouth, was arrested after an investigation by the state police financial crimes unit following a complaint from the homeowners association’s board of directors.

Police said that Roche, the former general manager of the association, wrote the checks between July 2008 and Jan. 2013.

He was arraigned before Associate Judge Colleen Hastings in Second Division District Court and was released on $1,000 personal recognizance. He is due to return to court on Oct. 23 for a prearraignment conference.

The penalty for a person convicted of embezzlement over $100 is imprisonment for not more than 20 years or a fine of not more $50,000 or three times thus the value of the money or property embezzled or both.

The Newport Bay Club, located on Thames Street, is perched right along Newport Harbor and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Photo Courtesy: Newport Bay Club and Hotel