BOSTON, Mass.- A former Plymouth Public Schools administrator admitted in federal court to operating a years-long scheme in which food and commercial kitchen equipment purchased with school and federal funds were used for a private seasonal business on Cape Cod.
Patrick Van Cott, 64, of Sandwich, pleaded guilty Thursday, May 14, to one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and two counts of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in Boston, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Federal prosecutors said Van Cott served as Director of Food Services for Plymouth Public Schools from 2003 until June 2025. Beginning in 2014, he also operated the “Snack Shack” on Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable.
Van Cott admitted that between 2014 and June 2025, he took food products and commercial kitchen equipment purchased with Plymouth Public Schools funds, including U.S. Department of Agriculture funding, and used the items to operate the Snack Shack.
According to prosecutors, the equipment purchased with school funds included two refrigerators valued at approximately $2,200 each, a two-door freezer valued at about $3,950, hot plates, a griddle, chargrill, fryolator, shelving, a sandwich preparation table, a convection oven and hanging chalk boards.
Authorities said Van Cott also used food and supply items purchased by the school district or provided through the USDA’s National School Lunch Program. Those items allegedly included condiments, diced chicken, hot dogs, cooking oil, snacks, paper goods, coffee and other food products that were later used or sold through the seasonal business.
Prosecutors further alleged that, once or twice each week during the summer seasons beginning around 2014, Van Cott directed cafeteria workers to slice deli meats for use at the Snack Shack. He also admitted to ordering more than $3,000 in premium burger patties with school funds that were later sold through the business.
The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted program administered by the USDA that helps provide free or reduced-cost meals to students. Massachusetts schools receive reimbursement funding through a combination of federal and state sources.
Van Cott was charged in April 2026. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for Aug. 19, 2026.
The theft charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison, while each wire fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Final sentencing will be determined by the court under federal sentencing guidelines and statutes.
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