By SANDY McGEE

CUMBERLAND — School secretary Lorraine Ribeiro was in the market for a new computer. The district’s IT director was apparently selling computers, but she had to act quickly.

“My sister, Marguerite Savickas, who is the assistant superintendent’s secretary in the main office, called me and said that Robert Legacy is selling some computers and that I needed to e-mail Robert as soon as possible because they were going fast,” said Ribeiro in her witness statement to police.
Ribeiro said she met Legacy in “Marguerite’s office” after Christmas break.
He carried the computer in his arms, said Ribeiro. She carried $450 in cash for the new equipment, never suspecting that the merchandise belonged to the school department.
“It (the computer) was packaged in the original HP (Hewlett-Packard) box,” she said. “The foam was still in the box and the box was sealed.”
Nearly four months later, Legacy and his 20-year-old son, Kevin, were both arrested. They were charged in connection with the disappearance of at least 15 computers from a locked storage area at the high school.
In recently released documents from the Attorney General’s Office, 17 witnesses, including top-ranking school employees, discuss their interaction with Legacy to police. They discuss what led them to purchase, unbeknownst to them, school department property.
“I just do not believe this happened to me,” said maintenance worker John Lucena.
Legacy apparently told the maintenance man that he could get a “good” computer at an auction.
“Since he was the computer man, he would go to companies and auction, so I did not think that it could have been stolen,” he said.
The maintenance worker wasn’t alone in thinking it was safe to purchase a Dell or HP from the “computer man.”
Mark Perry, custodian at North Cumberland Middle School, heard from “a couple of other guys” that Legacy was apparently selling computers.
“The only thing he told me is that he was buying them in large quantities from a place where they were liquidating the inventory,” Perry told police.
The custodian said the purchase was made in the high school parking lot.
“The computer was in his truck,” Perry told officers. “It was in a box like it was brand new.”
Police asked victims if there was any indication that the merchandise was stolen.
“Not in my wildest dreams,” said Kim Berard, secretary for the Community School. “ … I am stunned.”
Other witnesses that came forward to police were Garvin Memorial School Principal Thomas Stepka; custodian Thomas Ruo; school nurse Phyllis Hutchins; Jeannine Rue, school department accountant; Phyllis Koutros, school purchasing clerk; and maintenance worker David Audette.
Witnesses also included athletic director Frank Geiselman; Cindy Ferreira, school accounts payable; Richard Russel, construction worker; and Jeff Morris of DiMao Construction, who purchased four computers from Legacy during the CHS 2010 project.
Lorna Lafond, human resource clerk, told police that Legacy sold her a Dell desktop computer and installed it in her house on Sept. 1, 2007, nearly six months after he began employment with the school department.
Alex Prignano, business manager for the school district, also purchased a computer from Legacy for $500.
“I have known Bob for over 20 years,” Prignano told police. “He worked for a company that did computer work for a former employer and actually recommended him for the IT director position in Cumberland.”
A high school student apparently talked with Legacy about purchasing a Dell laptop during a School Committee meeting.
According to the student’s statement, Legacy gave the teen a laptop to take home to show his mother.
If she wanted it, the student was to return with $350. The student returned with $200, which Legacy apparently accepted for the purchase, according to the student’s statement.
“There were different amounts for everybody,” Legacy told police during questioning on April 20. “... I jacked the price up on a few of them ...”
Some purchases were paid by personal check, some with cash, according to the documents.
In his statement to police, Legacy admitted selling computers to fellow employees, but said that it was his son, Kevin, who supplied them.
“I don’t think I ever asked him (Kevin) where he got them,” Legacy said.
The IT director told officers that he didn’t know the computers were school property.
The computers, which were reported missing, were originally stored in the lower level of the Transitional Building at Cumberland High School.
They were protected by an alarm accessible by a handful of employees, including Legacy.
The school department ordered 30 HP laptop computers on July 25 from Hub Tech, the company that employed Legacy’s son at the time. The laptops were delivered to the high school by UPS on Aug. 5.
Charles Michael Chandler Jr., network manager for the school district, first noticed something awry last fall.
“I was working late one night in September to get a computer cart ready, when I noticed that the HP 6715b that I was working on the previous day, which was off to the side, was missing,” Chandler said. “I called him (Legacy) on his cell that night and he told me not to worry about it, that someone must have come in and taken it, and that he would take care of it.”
Between November and December, Chandler started noticing that 15 HP laptops were missing. The network manager asked Legacy about the missing equipment.
“The story changed,” Chandler said. “He said once that they were sent back to Hub Tech for credit to be used for Gbex (fiber interface for network switches) and he also said that we never received them. His story would always change.”
On April 2, police arrived at the high school to investigate. As word of the investigation spread, witnesses began coming forward.
Police recovered 24 computers, including HP and Dell brands. The laptops, desktops and other equipment are being held as evidence.
The evidence list includes HP laptop computers valued at $699 each; Dell desktop, monitor and keyboard with a value of $1,000; and Dell Dimension desktop and keyboard, $1,000.
The Legacys were arrested on April 20 after questioning by police.
Robert Legacy was originally charged with 18 felonious counts of receiving stolen goods over $500. Those charges have since been consolidated.
“With respect to the multiple, we consolidated those 18 charges into one count,” said Michael J. Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick J. Lynch. “It’s not a dismissal (of those charges). The one count encompasses all of the misconduct that is alleged.”
Legacy is now charged with embezzlement, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; receiving stolen goods; and one count of conspiracy, also a felony that carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
He has also been suspended without pay from the school department. Prior to his arrest, Legacy received an annual salary of $86,520.
His son’s charges have also been condensed. Kevin Legacy is charged with conspiracy and larceny, both felonies.
When questioned by police, Kevin Legacy told the officers the following.
“I am sorry,” he said. “I have never meant to hurt anyone. I was just trying to help my family out.”