STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Accused of stealing bank information to help fund a local caterer’s alleged criminal enterprise, a 37-year-old defendant accepted a guilty plea this week in state Supreme Court, St. George.
Justin Roper, of Richmond Terrace in St. George, copped to a charge of first-degree grand larceny to resolve one of his cases, and second-degree grand larceny to resolve another.
In exchange for his plea, he is scheduled to be sentenced to three to nine years in prison. Justice Mario F. Mattei adjourned the case to Feb. 11 for sentencing.
Roper was one of numerous defendants charged in connection with what prosecutors allege to be a criminal enterprise orchestrated by 63-year-old Ettore Mazzei, a once prominent business owner on the borough’s North Shore.
“Victimizing 11 different victims, including individuals, non-profits, and corporations, Justin Roper used stolen bank account information to pay off alleged co-conspirator Ettore Mazzei’s credit cards, mortgage payments, and property taxes,” said District Attorney Michael E. McMahon in a written statement.
“A brazen fraudster, the defendant engaged in a multi-million-dollar criminal conspiracy on behalf of an alleged drug kingpin,” McMahon said.
Roper’s attorney, Mario Gallucci, said his client is “finally closing an ugly chapter of his life and turning the page.”
Gallucci went on to accuse Mazzei of being the “driving force in this case.”
“He exercised a level of influence over the other defendants that went far beyond ordinary association,” added the seasoned defense lawyer. “That dynamic shaped the conduct of those around him in significant ways.”
Mazzei has pleaded not guilty to the charges, while calling on the recusal of McMahon as prosecutor in the case for what he claims are false and unethical statements. The judge will rule on that motion at a Jan. 20 court appearance.
On Thursday, McMahon thanked members of the NYPD and his office in pursuing a conviction in Roper’s case, as part of a sprawling, years-long investigation.
“Thanks to the incredible men and women of my office’s Narcotics-Investigations Bureau, including Bureau Chief Michele Molfetta, and Deputy Bureau Chiefs Matthew Gamberg and Matthew Signorile, and Assistant District Attorney Anthony Accardo.”
“We are one step closer to ensuring that all of the individuals responsible for bolstering this massive criminal enterprise are held accountable in the courtroom,” McMahon said.