The office estimates that McAllister, while serving as the corporation's treasurer, embezzled over $600,000 of the fraternity's funds for his own use.
McAllister will also serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison term and pay over $800,000 in restitution, including $606,843.27 to Alpha Theta coeducational fraternity, according to a letter from the house corporation to its alumni. U.S. District Judge William Sessions delivered the sentence at a hearing at the U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vt.
McAllister was also convicted of stealing from The Meccawe Club, a Vermont-based fishing organization, while serving as its financial manager.
Due to McAllister's dire financial situation, Alpha Theta House Corporation does not expect to receive a substantial amount in restitution payments, according to house advisor Geoff Bronner '91.
McAllister does not appear to have any considerable assets for the government to seize.
The U.S. Secret Service conducted a thorough investigation and the U.S. Attorney's office pursued the case "very aggressively," Bronner said.
"Aside from finding all the money, it's the best that we could hope for," he said. Bronner, current treasurer Ann McDonough '87 and vice-president Chris Robinson '86 addressed the court on behalf of Alpha Theta, according to a letter from the corporation.
Fraternity president Casey Bradshaw '13 also attended the hearing.
In his victim impact statement to the court, Robinson said that McAllister's actions affected "decades of undergraduates" by depriving them of opportunities.
"We were always told we were a poor fraternity, and we made do without some things," he said. "In reality our undergraduate treasurers had done their job well, and we could have been quite prosperous if not for the constant draining of our funds over the years."
The exact amount stolen from the fraternity is unknown, Bronner said.
While the earliest records indicate that the misappropriation date back to 1985, his embezzlement could have begun even earlier, he said.
The theft caused "a loss that's hard to calculate," Bronner said. The fraternity was forced to put certain plans on hold due to inadequate funds, and many members made efforts to be frugal with their spending, he said.
Although the court process, which began in late 2010, was lengthy, it did not have a day-to-day impact on the undergraduate students in the fraternity, according to Bronner.
McAllister had served as treasurer since the 1960s, so the discovery of his crime in 2011 was "shocking," Bronner said.
Many Alpha Theta alumni board members had known him since their undergraduate days at the College, and numerous students had looked up to him as a mentor, so his actions came as "an immense breach of trust," he said.
Bradshaw, who had never met McAllister, said his reputation among alumni before the scheme came to light was generally positive.
"My impression was that he was someone that a lot of people had known and respected," she said.
Yet McAllister's lack of remorse at the hearing drew criticism among the fraternity's representatives, according to Bradshaw.
"We're not getting our money back and he didn't really apologize, but just having closure is nice," Bradshaw said.
Although Alpha Theta initially decided to pursue a private lawsuit against McAllister, they paused their case during the criminal investigation and are currently considering whether to continue with the case, Bronner said. In discussions with their attorneys, the corporation members are weighing the potential benefits against the legal costs.
They are also in the process of reviewing their financial and governance policies, and plan to release a revised version of the bylaws within the next few months.
Due to his medical condition which includes dementia, bladder cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney blockage McAllister will serve his prison term at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Devens, Mass., according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Vermont.
McDonough could not be reached for comment by press time.
McAllister was indicted in November 2011. The indictment occurred as a result of the private lawsuits, which "drew the attention" of the U.S. Secret Service in Vermont, The Burlington Free Press reported.
The lawsuits which accuse McAllister of transferring funds from the two organizations to himself, his wife and "Sugartop Sawmill," a lumber company that he ran in his backyard are still pending.
McAllister previously worked as an auditor for the College but is not suspected of embezzling money from the College.
