Former Mayor Admits to Embezzeling to Pay Off Gambling Debt
Former Mayor and city Councilman Stephan T. Gionfriddo admitted Thursday to embezzling more than $600,000 from clients of his law practice. Gionfriddo, a former lawyer, told a Hartford federal court that he misappropriated client funds to cover his gambling debts.
In the case before U.S. District Judge Christopher F. Droney, Gionfriddo, who waived indictment, plead guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count.
In pleading guilty, Gionfriddo admitted that he and a family member started going to Mohegan Sun Casino regularly in 2000. According to information from the U.S. Attorney's office in Connecticut, Gionfriddo gambled beyond his financial means and misrepresented to his family member their financial ability to cover the expenses related to the gambling. Gionfriddo told the court that he covered the initial gambling losses at the casino by taking cash advances on his credit card and racked up about $250,000 in credit card advances. According to the U. S. Attorney, 75 percent of those funds were related to his gambling.
June 23, 2006
Posted By Bob Hartman
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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