Louis LaPolla, the former president of Utica, admitted to stealing money from an established award and mail fraud.
According to a declaration from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, LaPolla, who served as president of Utica in New York between 1984 and 1995, admitted to “mail scam” for swindling and then stealing funds that were intended to go toward a “scholarship account named after his late partner, Andrea LaPolla.
According to the statement, the former mayor acknowledged receiving almost$ 40,000 in donations for a scholarship he had established in his late wife’s name after she passed away.
LaPolla acknowledged that he had “used almost all the donated money on himself” rather than putting it toward the fellowship as he had intended from the gifts he had received from various people and businesses.
Former Utica Mayor and School Board President Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud Scheme https ://t.co/nXf0WaKG71
— U. S. Attorney NDNY ( @NDNYnews ) May 10, 2024
If found guilty, LaPolla could face a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, along with a fine of up to$ 1.5 million, and face the possibility of supervised release for up to three years.
The statement further stated that” the defendant will also be required to pay restitution in the amount of$ 38, 616.”
On September 10, LaPolla will be sentenced.
In February, LaPolla pled guilty to grand offense charges and apparently took a plea deal, under which he would assist 60 days in home restrictions, provide a three- year probation, and spend$ 3, 100 in restitution, according to the Utica Observer- Dispatch.
