WEYMOUTH, Mass. (WHDH) — The director of enrollment at a Weymouth daycare center was arrested after police said he was stealing money from families.
Police said Demetris Pringle, 35, tricked parents by telling them he could save them money on daycare by enrolling them in a special grant. He then allegedly tricked parents into paying him directly. To cover it up, police said Pringle would under-report parents’ wages, which led to the state paying for their daycare expenses at the South Shore Stars daycare.
“For nearly 50 years, the non-profit South Shore Stars has provided the highest quality early education and youth development programs for the communities south of Boston. That mission continues without interruption,” said Executive Director Sheri Adlin in a statement.
Pringle also allegedly stole client files, which included personal tax information and social security numbers. According to court documents, Pringle tried to convince Adlin not to report him to police, saying, “I did not mean to make the agency look bad […] you can work this out, no one has to go to jail.”
Adlin said more than 100 families have been affected in some way and according to police records, she estimated it involves hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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