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West Haven Police remove items from the home of former West Haven High School Athletic Director Jon Capone at 326 Benham Hill Road in West Haven March 11, 2020.
West Haven police remove items from the home of former West Haven High School Athletic Director Jonathan P. Capone at 326 Benham Hill Road in West Haven March 11, 2020.
West Haven Police remove items from the home of former West Haven High School Athletic Director Jon Capone at 326 Benham Hill Road in West Haven March 11, 2020.
West Haven Police remove items from the home of former West Haven High School Athletic Director Jon Capone at 326 Benham Hill Road in West Haven March 11, 2020.
West Haven police remove items from the home of former West Haven High School Athletic Director Jonathan P. Capone at 326 Benham Hill Road in West Haven March 11, 2020.
West Haven police remove items from the home of former West Haven High School Athletic Director Jonathan P. Capone at 326 Benham Hill Road in West Haven March 11, 2020.
WEST HAVEN — A former West Haven Public Schools athletic director was sentenced to three years of probation in connection with his 2020 arrest for the unauthorized use of a school district credit card for personal use.
According to court records, Jonathan Capone pleaded no contest to first-degree larceny on Oct. 5, 2022; such a plea means a defendant does not accept or deny responsibility for the charges but accepts legal punishment.
Capone said Monday he made "a drastic mistake."
"I apologize to my family, who was always supportive, and to the people of West Haven for my lack of judgment," he said.
According to an affidavit, Capone used a Board of Education Lowe's account to purchase more than $14,000 in materials to renovate and upgrade his Benham Hill Road home, including sliding doors, lawn equipment and gray marble chips around a swimming pool. The document said he used a credit card, which he was authorized to use for emergency purchases for the athletic department, between January 2015 and February 2020 for his personal use.
The affidavit said Superintendent of Schools Neil Cavallaro filed a complaint with police on Feb. 24, 2020. According to the document, Cavallaro said his suspicions were aroused by an invoice for a patio slider screen door. Cavallaro told police Capone said it was for a Plexiglas trophy case, but a subsequent invoice for a Plexiglas trophy case omitted the sliding screen door as an expense, which led Cavallaro to investigate other accounts.
In the affidavit, police provided a long list of items that were seized, photographed or observed at Capone's residence that were purchased with the card, including cabinet pulls, light oak floor registers, a stainless steel microwave, a garbage disposal, a brushed nickel indoor ceiling fan, a television wall mount, a wooden, elongated slow-close toilet seat, wall lights, a wall-mount hose reel and solar path lights.
Police also reported a significant amount of Christmas decorations had been purchased with the Board of Education card — including a 4-foot, pre-lit artificial Christmas tree with 100 clear lights and a pre-lit wreath — but were located in Capone's basement. Police also found five red Christmas bow decorations in the basement, although seven were purchased with the card.
Capone declined Monday to say how much he paid in restitution, but said he already paid the full amount. Cavallaro said the district has not received any restitution payment, but he did not dispute Capone's claim.
"(W)e just haven't received the check from the court yet," Cavallaro said in an email. He declined to comment further.
Brian Zahn is a reporter with the New Haven Register. Brian covers all things West Haven. Since September 2015, he has worked for the Register, where he has spent most of his time writing about schools and education.