A former Montauk businessman was sentenced Monday to serve between three and nine years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of second-degree and two counts of third-degree grand larceny, class-C and class-D felonies, for a scheme that defrauded businesses of $400,000 over three years.
Mark Ripolone, 36, admitted in his allocution statement that between September 2018 and October 2021, he stole around $225,000 from customers of his company 123 Delivery after obtaining their bank account information. From there, Mr. Ripolone used the funds for mortgage payments, phone bills, and credit card payments.
Separately, between April and May 2020, he stole $120,000 from a payroll company that he was contracted to work for, transferring the payroll funds into his own bank account.
On Oct. 24, he pleaded guilty in front of Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice John Collins. He paid $30,000 in restitution but failed to make any payments thereafter. At the sentencing, Justice Collins additionally ordered $113,379 in restitution.
Also in October, Mr. Ripolone was arrested twice in Westchester County for allegedly stealing wallets from gym lockers. On Nov. 12, he pleaded guilty to those petit larceny charges, and he was sentenced to six months in jail.
“Instead of devoting his efforts to the honest repayment of his victims, this defendant just chose to steal more,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a release. “He can now reflect on that choice in prison.”
