Former Plymouth School Food Director Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Cafe Supplies for Cape Cod Snack Shack

BOSTON (WBSM) — The former Director of Food Services for Plymouth Public Schools has been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to a long-running scheme in which he stole food, equipment and supplies intended for the schools and used them at his private business.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Patrick Van Cott, 64, of Sandwich pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, and two counts of wire fraud.

Federal Prison Sentence and Financial Penalties

Van Cott was sentenced to six months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. He also must pay a $2,000 fine, as well as pay restitution in an amount that will be determined at a later date.

Van Cott was first arrested in June 2025 on allegations that from 2014 until his arrest, he was taking food, equipment, paper goods and other supplies from Plymouth Public Schools, where he had served as Director of Food Services since 2003, and using them in his seasonal business The Snack Shack on Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable.

READ MORE: Plymouth Schools Cafeteria Director Accused of Stealing Food, Equipment, and More

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Commercial Kitchen Equipment and Refrigerators Stolen

The food and equipment had been purchased with funds from Plymouth Public Schools, including U.S. Department of Agriculture funds. That included two $2,200 refrigerators, a $3,950 two-door freezer, two 12-inch hot plates, a 24-inch griddle, a chargrill, a fryolator, shelving, a sandwich prep table, a convection oven, and chalk boards.

READ MORE: Federal Charges Filed Against Former Plymouth Schools Food Director

He was caught on surveillance video taking two under-the-counter commercial refrigerators from a school on a Saturday. The video showed him loading one onto a town truck and departing, then returning to the school in his personal pickup truck and loading the second onto his own vehicle.

School Food and Cafeteria Staff Used for Private Business

Each summer starting when he took over The Snack Shack in 2014, Van Cott took condiments, diced chicken, hot dogs, cooking oil, snacks, paper goods, coffee, food products, and other items from the schools, and then used or sold those items at The Snack Shack. He also ordered over $3,000 in premium burger patties using school funds to sell at The Snack Shack.

Once or twice a week each summer, he would also have Plymouth Public Schools cafeteria workers slice at least nine pounds of deli turkey and 4.5 pounds of deli ham, which he then sold at The Snack Shack.

He was federally charged in April 2026, and pleaded guilty on May 14, 2026.