Acting Attorney General Robert Lougy announced that four individuals have been charged in connection with two separate schemes in which investors allegedly were defrauded of a total of $350,000 that they invested in purported medical ventures.
Each of the following three defendants was charged with conspiracy, theft by deception and money laundering, all in the second-degree: Joseph Denti Jr., 56, of Wyckoff, N.J., Heidi Francavilla, 58, of Park Ridge, and Ralph Perricelli Jr., 55, of Ridgewood, N.J. and Denti were arrested yesterday on warrants by detectives of the Division of Criminal Justice.
Francavilla and Perricelli were charged by complaint-summons. The charges stem from an investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crimes Bureau.
Francavilla was arrested on Sept. 2, 2015 in a separate case filed by the Attorney General’s Office in which she and five other defendants, including George Bussanich Sr., 58, of Park Ridge, and his son George Bussanich Jr., were charged with first-degree racketeering and money laundering for allegedly defrauding 15 investors of approximately $3 million through the sale of bogus investments.
Those charges are pending. In the first scheme charged in the new case, Denti, and Francavilla allegedly stole $250,000 from a doctor by convincing him to advance that amount for a bogus investment involving a surgical center.
They allegedly diverted his funds for their personal benefit. In the second scheme, Perricelli and Denti allegedly convinced a married couple to invest $100,000 in a blood-testing laboratory by falsely claiming to be joint owners of the lab.
The couple’s money allegedly was diverted to Denti, Perricelli and Francavilla. It is further alleged that Denti and Perricelli laundered money using the bank account of another blood laboratory, which formerly was owned by Perricelli but which he sold.
Several shell companies created by Francavilla, including Medical Billing and Management, LLC, and HF Management Consultant, also allegedly were used by the defendants to launder money.
In 2011, Denti and Francavilla allegedly convinced a doctor to advance $250,000 to help launch a purported venture in which the three defendants and the doctor would become affiliated with a surgical center.
They were to establish an arrangement with a labor union – through the company that negotiates health benefits for the union – to send its members to the surgical center.
It is alleged that the $100,000 was diverted for the personal use of Perricelli, Denti and Francavilla.
Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $150,000.
The second-degree money laundering charge carries a maximum fine of $500,000 and an anti-money laundering profiteering penalty of up to $250,000. Denti was lodged in the Bergen County Jail with bail set at $100,000, no 10 percent option.