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Mark Ripolone, age 35, formerly of Montauk, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of grand larceny in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, Oct. 24.
According to prosecutors, Ripolone was the owner of “123 Delivery,” a food delivery service, and a beach service company called “Hampton Management Group,” which provided luxury beach chair setups and decorations for special events.
Between September 2018 and October 2021, he stole approximately $223,000 from several customers of “123 Delivery” after getting their bank account information.
He then used that information to make Automated Clearing House (ACH) withdrawals from their accounts and spent the money on personal expenses like mortgage payments and Verizon phone bills, prosecutors said.
Ripolone also admitted to stealing another $160,000 from a payroll company he had contracted with for Hampton Management Group.
According to prosecutors, he had the payroll money transferred to his personal bank account despite not having the funds to reimburse the payroll company.
Ripolone was arrested following a joint investigation by the Suffolk County DA’s Office, the East Hampton and Sag Harbor police departments, and New York State Police.
“This defendant was a thief operating under the guise of an entrepreneur,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
“Instead of conducting business with integrity and honesty, he stole money from his own customers to line his pockets. Because of his greed, this defendant must now reimburse his victims, or go to prison.”
In court Tuesday, Ripolone pleaded guilty to five counts of grand larceny, all felonies.
As part of his plea agreement, he is expected to be sentenced to 840 hours of community service, followed by five years of probation.
He must also pay $143,379 in restitution to his victims by the sentencing date, set for Tuesday, Dec. 19.
If he fails to do so, he could get between two and six years in prison.
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