AnonymousSource: Santa Barbara County District Attorney
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley announced [Friday] that Mark John Melchiori pled guilty to one count of felony diversion of construction funds, one count of felony prevailing wage fraud, and one count of felony unlawful money transmission. Melchiori also admitted a special allegation that the amount taken was in excess of $100,000.00 within the meaning of Penal Code section 1203.045, and an aggravated white collar crime enhancement that the amount he took was in excess of $500,000.00 within the meaning of Penal Code section 186.11(a)(2).
This case arose from a complaint by victim Robert Zemeckis that he had paid Melchiori Construction Company several hundred thousand dollars to remodel his home, but the defendant illegally used the money for his own purposes. After an exhaustive investigation, the District Attorney’s Office found that the defendant had used Mr. Zemeckis’s money to finance his own lavish lifestyle and to fund other projects. With the assistance of both the California Department of Insurance and the California Department of Industrial Relations, the District Attorney’s Office also found that the defendant had been under paying his workers on public works projects to finance his lifestyle, and that he had been funneling money through various companies to cover up his crimes.
The hard work and dedication of Deputy District Attorney Casey Nelson, District Attorney Investigator Patrick Adams, California Department of Insurance, Criminal Investigations Branch, Fraud Division, and the California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement throughout this investigation allowed for the successful prosecution of this case.
A setting hearing for sentencing in this matter will be on January 8, 2020. The defendant faces a maximum sentence of 9 years, and 4 months in state prison.
darn it, he shoulda faced up to it and paid his creditors! How did he think he’d get out of it or be found innocent? This has been a case for many years! So angry. But it’s the way of the world. Look at our national administration.
Yes, and while you are at it, look at the former administration “not a shred of scandal” they say. $50,000 + a week to pay the son of former V.P. as an advisor for a Ukrainian energy company for which he had zero experience.
Are you serious? What planet do you live on? ultra wealthy ultra connected people get paid scams of money to sit on boards and do nothing, doesn’t matter what their politics and it’s not illegal, it’s just immoral.
Look at the Trump kids.
Compliments to the DA’s office for this prosecution. Nice to see something that is not political, although one wonders if they would have so aggressive had the victim not been a celebrity.
https://www.noozhawk.com/article/mark_melchiori_pleads_guilty_in_construction
“Mark Melchiori pleaded guilty to three felony charges related to his family’s now-defunct construction company on Friday, the day his criminal trial was scheduled to start in Santa Barbara County Superior Court.
Melchiori, 52, was criminally investigated and originally charged with 47 felony counts, including embezzlement and fraud, after filing for bankruptcy for the company and personally in 2012.
The criminal complaint was consolidated, and Melchiori pleaded guilty to diversion of construction funds, prevailing wage fraud, and unlawful money transmission, Deputy District Attorney Casey Nelson told Noozhawk.
Melchiori also admitted special allegations that the financial losses were more than $100,000 and more than $500,000, Nelson said.
Local News
Melchiori Faces Prison After Pleading Guilty in Construction-Fraud Case
By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Managing Editor | @magnoli | October 18, 2019 | 3:37 p.m.
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Mark Melchiori
Mark Melchiori
Mark Melchiori pleaded guilty to three felony charges related to his family’s now-defunct construction company on Friday, the day his criminal trial was scheduled to start in Santa Barbara County Superior Court.
Melchiori, 52, was criminally investigated and originally charged with 47 felony counts, including embezzlement and fraud, after filing for bankruptcy for the company and personally in 2012.
The criminal complaint was consolidated, and Melchiori pleaded guilty to diversion of construction funds, prevailing wage fraud, and unlawful money transmission, Deputy District Attorney Casey Nelson told Noozhawk.
Melchiori also admitted special allegations that the financial losses were more than $100,000 and more than $500,000, Nelson said.
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With the plea, Melchiori could be sentenced to up to nine years and four months in state prison, and Judge James Herman will set a sentencing hearing in January, Nelson said.