The former executive director of the Northeast Intermediate Unit #19 in Archbald has been indicted.
The U.S Attorney said Fred Rosetti used the workers at the NEIU as his own personal staff, to do all kinds of tasks.
Federal prosecutors said he falsely charged travel to NEIU, falsified vacation and sick reports, all to use taxpayer funds to his own benefit.
The U.S. Attorney announced fraud, theft and money laundering charges Tuesday afternoon against Fred Rosetti.
Newswatch 16 went to his house a few hours after the indictment was filed Tuesday.
After we rang the doorbell at Fred Rosetti's house in Archbald, he came to the door, peaked around the side. Saw our reporter and walked away. He wouldn't open the door to us.
He did say no comment. And when asked if had anything to say about the charges, he responded, "Absolutely not!"
Rosetti was head of Northeastern Intermediate Unit #19 in Archbald from 1998 to 2010. The Feds said over and over again he defrauded the place.
In the indictment, the U.S. Attorney alleges Rosetti went on trips to Ireland, Italy, Florida and more without ever officially taking any time off, all to accrue big vacation pay upon retirement.
Published reports show when he did retire, Rosetti took home hundreds of thousands of dollars in unused vacation and sick pay for days the feds say he actually used.
Rosettiis is also accused of using workers at the NEIU as his own personal staff. It says in the indictment that he used these workers to do his own personal banking, personal shopping, schedule family events, all tasks they're not supposed to be doing there, all on the taxpayer dime.
It says in the indictment he even had workers moving family furniture to the NEIU building and used the place as a private storage facility.
And that's not all. The U.S Attorney said Rosetti had NEIU workers do jobs around his house.
They said he billed personal projects at home to NEIU. He's accused of charging gas for personal vehicles to NEIU too.
The NEIU works closely with school districts all over the area.
One of them is Valley View in Archbald. We stopped at its school board meeting. The board members didn't want to comment until looking closely at the indictment. But a taxpayer did.
"It's about time somebody does something and says, 'Hey, you can't do this no more. You're here to serve the people, not yourselves.'"
The U.S. Attorney wants Rosetti to forfeit $240,000 plus the contents of two bank accounts and a Lexus SUV.
If convicted of these charges Rosetti could face up to 10 years in prison.
The NEIU is part of the public school system and provides educational services to school districts in several counties in northeast Pennsylvania, including special education services.
