The Suffolk County Grand Jury yesterday returned a 21-count indictment charging the former director of the Revere Public Library with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars by purchasing items with city funds and either keeping them or selling them and pocketing the proceeds, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

The indictments charge ROBERT RICE (D.O.B. 5/5/65) of Rowley with three counts of larceny over $250, three counts of embezzlement by a city officer, and 15 counts of procurement fraud. All of the offenses are felonies. Rice is expected to face arraignment on the charges in Suffolk Superior Court on April 1.

The indictments charge Rice with offenses dating back to 2005 and allege that he bought books, software, DVDs, and collectible curios that were billed to the City of Revere. The purchased items ended up in Rice’s possession or in online auctions at the web site eBay. In some cases, Rice allegedly used city funds to pay for items that were not shipped, then kept the refund checks sent to him by vendors.

Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Goldberger of Conley’s Special Prosecutions Unit led the grand jury investigation, which followed painstaking investigation by Revere Police detectives, an audit by accountants retained by the City of Revere, and financial records analysis by the New England State Police Information Network.