A Hackettstown NJ man recently pleaded guilty to the theft of almost $171,000 from celebrated comedian Joe Piscopo.
According to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, the 40-year-old suspect stole $170,805.61 from Piscopo while working as the star’s bookkeeper. The suspect’s job required him to take care of Piscopo’s monthly bills and manage Piscopo’s bank account.
After stealing the money from Piscopo’s account, the suspect reportedly used the funds to take care of his own personal expenses. The thefts were committed between 2010 and 2014.
Now the suspect is set to face prison time after reaching a plea deal with Morris County prosecutors. The suspect admitted to stealing the funds from Piscopo and agreed to plead guilty in Morris County Superior Court in Morristown, New Jersey.
The suspect’s guilty plea came approximately one week after his wife also pleaded guilty to stealing a large sum of money from former “Saturday Night Live” star Piscopo. The suspect’s wife admitted to writing checks from Piscopo’s bank account and then using the funds for her own personal expenses.
In exchange for pleading guilty, the main suspect will only be subject to a three-year prison term when he is officially sentenced on May 13, 2016. Since the theft charges were classified as a second degree felony, he could have faced up to 10 years in NJ State Prison if the case had gone to trial.
Under the terms of both suspects’ plea deals, they will also be required to repay the money they stole from Piscopo.
For additional information about this case, see the NJ.com article, “Bookkeeper Admits Stealing Nearly $171K from Comedian Joe Piscopo.”
