OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY RICHMOND COUNTY

Transcription

1 OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY RICHMOND COUNTY DANIEL M. DONOVAN, JR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY 130 STUYVESANT PLACE STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK TELEPHONE (718) PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release on June 25, 2009 Contact: William J. Smith (718) S.I. RESIDENTS CHARGED IN $3 MILLION THEFT FROM LOCAL PAPER RECYCLING COMPANY *** Individuals Stole Money via Bookkeeping Scam Over 30 Months, Money Spent on Luxury Cars, Custom Motorcycles, Mortgages, Credit Card Bills, Luxury Vacations, Restaurants *** STATEN ISLAND, NY - Richmond County District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. today announced the indictment of 8 Staten Island residents on charges related to the theft of approximately $2.85 million dollars from Pratt Industries, a paper recycling company located on Staten Island s West Shore, which is responsible for recycling 50% of all paper recovered by the New York City Department of Sanitation s recycling program. The defendants, who surrendered to the District Attorney s NYPD Detective Squad, are to be arraigned this Wednesday and Thursday before Justice Leonard P. Rienzi in State Supreme Court on an indictment alleging top counts of Grand Larceny, Money Laundering and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the 1 st Degree, all Class B felonies, punishable by a maximum penalty of up to 25 years in prison. District Attorney Donovan stated, As part of this elaborate bookkeeping scheme, the defendants, including an employee of Pratt Industries, the principals of a local trucking firm and other individuals, are alleged to have acted in concert over 30 months to steal millions of dollars to support a luxurious lifestyle of expensive automobiles, trucks, exotic trips, fancy restaurants, and assorted other expenses, including a custom motorcycle costing over $150,000. According to the District Attorney, it is alleged that over a period beginning in September 2006 through February 2009, defendant Bruno Finazzo, a bookkeeping employee of Pratt Industries, as part of his duties regularly approved invoices submitted by Staten Island Truck Repair, Inc., a firm owned by defendant Andrew Scalera, and operated on a day-to-day basis by defendant Ronald Peleg, who formerly owned the business. The firm repaired trucks that were part of Pratt s fleet as well as other operating machinery. Defendants Scalera and Peleg, along with their secretary, defendant Marie Parisi, submitted fraudulent invoices to Pratt Industries for work that was never performed. Defendant Finazzo is alleged to have approved these invoices for payment, knowing that the expenses were not legitimate. Defendant Finazzo is further alleged to have attempted to hide this activity by deferring payments to legitimate vendors into the future. District Attorney Donovan further stated that the investigation was commenced during defendant Finazzo s absence when another vendor contacted Pratt Industries to inquire about a late payment for services rendered. A supervisor at Pratt Industries noted what appeared to be suspicious activity and reported the matter to authorities. -more-

2 In addition to defendants Finazzo, Peleg, Scalera and Parisi, also charged with acting in concert with the other defendants are: Vincent Finazzo and Vincenzo Averaimo, the brother and brother in law of defendant Bruno Finazzo. Additionally charged are Dennis Peleg, the son of defendant Ronald Peleg, and Keith Curran. The case will be prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney David Frey, Head of the Computer and Technology Investigations Unit, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Mario F. Mattei, Chief of the Investigations Bureau. The investigation was conducted by Detectives John Juliano and Salvatore Bellomo of the District Attorney s NYPD Detective Squad under the supervision of Sergeant Matthew Muscarello and Lieutenant Frank DeBenedetto. The public is reminded than an indictment is merely an accusation, and that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. -end- List of Defendants Name D.O.B. Address Amt. Allegedly Stolen Defense Counsel for Personal Use Bruno Finazzo 8/17/81 Pemberton Ave., SI $80,000 John Murphy Andrew Scalera 9/4/46 Lander Ave., SI $300,000 Patrick Parrotta Ronald Peleg 2/17/62 Bowdoin St., SI $1.35 million Jeff Tomei Marie Parisi 3/26/68 Keating Pl., SI $168,000 Vincent Martinelli Vincent Finazzo 9/20/79 Richmond Rd., SI $4,300 Joseph Sorrentino Vincenzo Averaimo 5/16/77 Pemberton Ave., SI $35,000 Lisa Redmond Dennis Peleg 12/30/82 Mountainview Ave., SI $2,500 Jeff Tomei Keith Curran 1/3/70 Gary Pl., SI $18,000 Felix Gilroy List of Charges Contained in Indictment Grand Larceny in the 1 st Degree, Class B felony, punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the 1 st Degree, Class B felony, punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Money Laundering in the 1 st Degree, Class B felony, punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Money Laundering in the 4 th Degree, Class E felony, punishable by up to 4 years in prison. Conspiracy in the 4 th Degree, Class E felony, punishable by up to 4 years in prison.

3 Vehicles Seized from Custody of Ronald Peleg as Part of Investigation

4

5