Lincoln High teacher is charged with embezzlement
Andrew Hallam accused of stealing from fundraiser for baseball team
LINCOLN – The School Department has terminated the employment of a local high school teacher and two-sport coach after he was arrested and charged by the Rhode Island State Police with allegedly embezzling $8,440 from the Lions’ baseball fundraising efforts.
Andrew Hallam, 32, an English teacher at Lincoln High School and head coach of the school’s varsity baseball and girls’ basketball programs, was arraigned at Kent County District Court on Monday on an affidavit/arrest warrant for embezzlement. A Warwick resident, Hallam was released on $10,000 personal recognizance. His next scheduled court date is in November.
Lincoln superintendent Georgia Fortunato said Hallam has been dismissed from teaching and coaching in the district. In an emailed statement, Fortunato said, “Mr. Hallam's employment with the district was terminated by the Lincoln School Committee on August 7th. The matter is subject to appeal. We can't comment further on a personnel matter. Mr. Hallam is no longer an employee in our district.”
Monday’s arrest concludes an investigation that began in
June when the State Police’s Financial Crimes Unit received a complaint issued by the Lincoln School Committee regarding missing money from fundraising efforts done by the high school baseball program over a three-year period, said Col. Ann C. Assumpico, superin- tendent of the Rhode Island State Police.
The investigation revealed that the Lions’ baseball team contracted an outside agency, Adrenaline Fundraising. Per the release issued by the state police, the agreement between Adrenaline and the school was for the players to sell discount cards for $20 each, with the proceeds being split 50/50 between the fundraising company and the high school.
Per the agreement with Adrenaline, Hallam was responsible for collecting the money from the players and providing an account of the funds to Lincoln High School. At the end of the fundraising period, Hallam would meet with representatives from Adrenaline to determine how many dis- count cards were sold and return the unsold cards, according to state police investigators.
A review of invoices, deposit slips and bank records revealed that for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016, there were discrepancies in the total amount of money raised, police said.
A teacher in the Lincoln district since 2007, Hallam served as the Lions’ varsity baseball head coach for six seasons (2012-17). He stepped down midway through last season. In addition, Hallam had been the varsity girls’ basketball head coach at Lincoln High.