Former Plymouth Public Schools director Patrick Van Cott has been sentenced to six months in prison for stealing school equipment and food to supply his private beach business.
For over a decade. Patrick Van Cott balanced his duties as the Director of Food Services for Plymouth Public Schools with the operation of his own summer business. the Snack Shack on Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable. On Wednesday. the 64-year-old Sandwich resident learned the cost of that double life: a six-month prison sentence for diverting district resources to his private enterprise.
Van Cott pleaded guilty to one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and two counts of wire fraud. Beyond the prison term. he faces two years of supervised release. a $2. 000 fine. and a restitution amount that remains to be determined. The sentencing marks the end of a tenure that began in 2003 and concluded in June 2025. when his systematic diversion of taxpayer-funded goods came to light.
Between 2014 and his departure last summer. Van Cott used school and government funds to stock his business. often purchasing equipment explicitly for the Shack under the guise of school needs. The inventory of diverted goods included two $2. 200 refrigerators. a $3. 950 two-door freezer. a convection oven. a sandwich prep table. a fryolator. a chargrill. a 24-inch griddle. two 12-inch hot plates. shelving. and chalkboards.
The scheme extended well beyond heavy equipment. Van Cott funneled an array of cafeteria provisions into his business. including cooking oil. paper goods. coffee. condiments. hot dogs. and diced chicken. Every summer. in a weekly or bi-weekly ritual. he directed school cafeteria employees to slice at least nine pounds of deli turkey and 4.5 pounds of deli ham to be sold at the beach shack. He also funneled more than $3,000 in premium burger patties through the school’s accounts to serve to his customers.
The operation fell apart after the Plymouth Public Schools Assistant Superintendent received an anonymous letter in 2025 detailing the theft. Plymouth police initiated an investigation, eventually leading to charges in Plymouth District Court before the case moved to federal court in April.
With Van Cott’s removal, the Snack Shack is now under the management of a local Cape Cod hospitality group. Attorneys Evan Michael Paul and Nathaniel H. Amendola, who represented Van Cott, did not respond to requests for comment following the sentencing.
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