Former Listen director gets 21 months in prison for embezzlement

This story by John Lippman was first published in the Valley News on July 24.

CONCORD — The former head of Listen Community Services was sentenced to nearly two years in federal prison for embezzling money from the Upper Valley nonprofit that he spent on gambling at a Massachusetts casino.

The 21-month sentence Kyle Fisher received on Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Concord was less than the 26 months prosecutors sought but more than the 12 months his defense attorney requested.

“I feel this sentence is warranted and justified given the harm you did to the organization,” U.S. District Court Judge Paul Barbadoro said.

The losses Listen suffered as a result of Fisher’s embezzlement “go way beyond” any financial impact but also undermined the nonprofit’s mission in the Upper Valley, the judge said.

Fisher’s prison sentence is to be followed by three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to pay $239,000 in restitution, beginning with a $25,000 lump sum payment — taken from his retirement savings — due within 30 days.

The one-hour long sentencing hearing included a victim impact statement from Listen board member Dick Green, who detailed the turmoil the nonprofit was thrown into as a result of Fisher’s malfeasance.

“Quite literally, Kyle Fisher’s crimes took food, clothing, heating fuel, electricity, shelter and much more from our neighbors who need help,” said Green.

At times struggling to contain his emotions, Green explained that the embezzlement also robbed Listen of time, delayed initiatives and damaged the nonprofit’s reputation in the community.

Fisher, dressed in a dark suit and tie, expressed remorse at his actions and said that his crimes were abetted by a gambling addiction and mental illness, challenges he said were exacerbated by the stress of running an organization during a pandemic when there was peak demand for its services.

Fisher, who served as Listen’s executive director from 2019 to 2023, turned to spectators sitting in the benches in the courtroom before addressing the judge.

“I was in a position of trust and I betrayed that trust … I am committed to the restitution process and I will do everything to make it right,” Fisher said, reading from a hand-written statement.

Following Fisher’s indictment and the public revelation of his crime, Fisher made a suicide attempt, his attorney, Charles Keefe, disclosed in court on Wednesday.

Fisher has been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder in addition to his gambling addiction, Keefe said, in arguing a lesser sentence for his client.

“Kyle has never sought to avoid responsibility for what he did,” Keefe said. “Once he got into this cycle, it was difficult for him to break.”

Fisher, who lived in Grantham, NH but now resides in North Carolina, stole at least $239,000 from Listen by siphoning off funds from the organization’s bank accounts to which he had access. He spent the money on a $4,000-per-week gambling habit at a Massachusetts casino, prosecutors said.

Fisher’s attorney is requesting that his client be incarcerated at a low-security “prison camp” at a federal facility in Butner, N.C., about a half hour from where he now lives so that he can be near his family.

The judge said he was amenable to that request and noted it in the record for the Bureau of Prisons.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Former Listen director gets 21 months in prison for embezzlement .