<h2 class="node-title">Allegheny County Businessman Sentenced to 16 Months in Prison for Fraud Scheme</h2>
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<p>PITTSBURGH – An Allegheny County businessman was sentenced today in federal court to sixteen months imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, restitution of $1,872,935 and a fine of $25,000, on his convictions of conspiracy to commit <strong>bank fraud and filing a false tax return</strong>, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.</p>
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<p>United States District Court Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed sentence upon Joseph Nocito, Jr. of Sewickley, Pennsylvania.</p>
<p>According to information presented to the Court, Nocito knowingly and willfully conspired with other individuals to commit an offense against the United States, that is, <em>bank fraud</em>, in connection with Nocito’s purchase of the real property located in Longboat Key, Florida. Nocito purchased the property on July 27, 2007, with a <a class="wpil_keyword_link" href="https://www.fraudswatch.com/category/mortgage/amp/" title="mortgage" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" data-wpil-monitor-id="45">mortgage</a> loan from Washington Mutual Bank in the amount of $2,377,000. In <a class="wpil_keyword_link" href="https://www.fraudswatch.com/category/loans/amp/" title="loan" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" data-wpil-monitor-id="202">loan</a> documents submitted by Nocito to the bank, Nocito falsely represented that the purchase price of the property was $3,000,000 and that a $600,000 cash deposit had been made by or on behalf of Nocito toward the purported $3,000,000 sales price. As part of the conspiracy, $458,350 of the mortgage loan monies were paid to Nocito as kickbacks, without the knowledge or approval of Washington Mutual Bank.</p>
<p>Nocito also filed a <em>false tax return</em> for calendar year 2007 in which Nocito reported that his total adjusted gross income was $88,269, whereas, as he knew and believed, his correct total adjusted gross income was $529,619.</p>
<p>Assistant United States Attorney Mary McKeen Houghton prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.</p>
<p>U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the United States Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Nocito.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/allegheny-county-businessman-sentenced-16-months-prison-fraud-scheme">Original PressReleases &#8230; </a></p>
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