Sentence for New York Man: 7 Years in Prison, $19 Million Restitution for Ponzi Scheme

John Piccarreto, Jr., of Rochester, NY, was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and filing a false tax return, and has been sentenced to serve 84 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution totaling $19,842,613.66.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who handled the case, stated that between 2017 and June 2018, the defendant conspired with co-defendants Perry Santillo, Christopher Parris and others, to obtain money through an investment fraud commonly known as a Ponzi scheme. The scheme, which was conducted under the umbrella of a business entity called Lucian Development, involved the sale of fraudulent promissory notes that were issued under the names various entities that Santillo and Parris controlled, including Lucian Development.

The issuers received money from new investors, and then redistributed that money to repay earlier investors, to pay the expenses of the scheme, and to finance the lifestyles of Santillo, Parris and others involved in the scheme. Piccarreto was initially unaware that the business was a Ponzi scheme when he began working for Lucian Development in March 2012.

As he gained experience with investments and obtained a securities license, Piccarreto’s responsibilities increased. By January 2017, the defendant realized that the Lucian Development business was, indeed, a Ponzi scheme after the company stopped paying promised returns to client investors…

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