“It was a crime of choice, and it was a crime of greed,” says Chief Judge Mary Lisi.

On Nov. 30, she sentenced Vincent DiPaolo, a former insurance adjuster to six months in a halfway house and six months of home confinement–conditions of a three-year probation sentence–for his role in a $40,000 home insurance fraud scheme.

According to Lisi, DiPaolo lost his freedom at a time the 62-year-old “should be enjoying life to the fullest.”

The scheme was uncovered by federal authorities investigating separate allegations about North Providence, R.I., public officials shaking down developers.

Federal prosecutors had sought a year in prison for DiPaolo, who had lost his appraiser and adjuster license in 2007. Lisi settled on a punishment that she said was in line with the sentence she gave ex-radio host Lori Sergiacomi, who made the phony $40,000 home insurance claim. In August 2011, Sergiacomi was sentenced to four months in a halfway house and four months of home confinement.

Also in August, DiPaolo, of Johnston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and four counts of mail fraud. He faced up to 85 years in prison.

The story begins in the spring of 2010, when Sergiacomi's North Providence home was damaged during flooding that devastated much of the state, federal prosecutors say.

Sergiacomi didn't have flood insurance. DiPaolo and former North Providence Councilman John Zambarano, 48, advised her not to file a claim with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to prosecutors.

Instead, they suggested that Sergiacomi hire DiPaolo as her public insurance adjuster and deliberately damage her home to make it look as though a storm had struck.

Sergiacomi's insurance claim said a storm took place on April 5, 2010, the same day the National Weather Service (NWS) reported fair weather in the Providence area with temperatures in the 70s.

The insurance fraud was discovered during an investigation into a separate pay-to-play bribery and extortion scheme orchestrated by Zambarano and two other then-town councilmen, prosecutors say. Wiretaps caught Zambarano boasting over the phone about his handiwork, according to the indictment.

Sergiacomi's insurance company paid her more than $40,000. She paid DiPaolo about $4,000 for his work.

“Bottom line, you sold your soul for $4,000 in this case,” Lisi told DiPaolo.

DiPaolo must report to the Coolidge House in Boston on Dec. 28. He has already paid back $4,041, court records show, however, he and Sergiacomi must repay a total of $9,000 owed in restitution.

Zambarano also pleaded guilty to the insurance fraud scheme. He was sentenced in May to nearly six years in prison for the insurance and corruption charges.

Source: www.boston.com

Special Reports /

Ex-Adjuster Punished for 'Crime of Choice'

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