The state's attorney's office says a former food services director was found guilty in connection to the theft of nearly $500,000 in lunch money.

Bruce Gluck was convicted of embezzling money from New Canaan Middle School and Saxe Middle School between 2012 and 2017.

The investigation began when officials from the New Canaan Board of Education reported to the New Canaan Police Department that there were thefts of lunch money at New Canaan High School and Saxe Middle School cafeterias.

The BOE conducted an internal investigation based on a complaint from cafeteria cashiers that the cash registers at the schools were not counted at the end of each day, specifically at the instruction of Marie Wilson at New Canaan High School and Joanne Pascarelli at Saxe Middle School.

They say Wilson, Pascarelli and Gluck were responsible for the accounting of the funds paid by students and others for the food consumed at the respective BOE cafeterias.

Cashiers testified that both Wilson and Pascarelli instructed that the cash register drawers be brought to their respective offices without an end of the day counting of the cash and that Gluck was aware of this conduct.

The estimated loss to the New Canaan Board of Education was in excess of $478,588 from 2012 to 2017.

Gluck is the third person charged in the case.

Co-defendants Marie Wilson, of Wilton, and Joanne Pascarelli of Stratford, entered pleas. Wilson is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24, and Pascarelli is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 10.