Shelton man gets 21 months for defrauding ice rink
STAMFORD— A Shelton man will spend nearly two years in prison after he was sentenced this week for defrauding the owner of Twin Rinks, the Department of Justice said.
Mark J. Zito, 55, will serve 21 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on Dec. 20, 2017.
As the general manager of Stamford Twin Rinks, which is owned and operated by RivCan Associates, Zito defrauded the Springdale facility out of $490,468.81 between October 1999 and August 2014.
“Zito was responsible for managing and overseeing the ice staking facility’s operations, and he had a written contract with RivCan in which he would be paid commission for securing agreements from thirdparty vendors to place advertising at the ice staking facility,” the DOJ said.
AAZ Consulting, an unincorporated entity controlled by Zito, was created and used to bill RivCan for these commissions.
During his employment, Zito submitted numerous fraudulent invoices, primarily for services that weren’t authorized or requested, or for commissions that were fraudulent or grossly inflated, the DOJ said.
“As general manager, Zito approved the payment of these invoices and directed his subordinates to issue him checks payable to AAZ Consulting,” the agency said.
The almost $500,000 lost from Zito’s illegal conduct included funds he received by claiming payments for maintaining and updating the facility’s website and through unauthorized benefits through salary payments, cellphone reimbursements and excess vacation pay.
The judge ordered Zito to make full restitution.
Zito, who was released on bond, is ordered to report to prison on Sept. 25.