STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A West Brighton man is trying to collect a $138,000 debt from his reputed mobster brother and wants a sit-down ... in a court of law.
In a lawsuit, Mark Fappiano alleges his sibling Scott Fappiano has welched on the payback even though he's got some cash: The Todt Hill resident received a $1.8 million settlement from the state several years ago for false imprisonment, court papers say.
Scott Fappiano was incarcerated for 21 years for the 1983 rape of a police officer's wife in Brooklyn, which he didn't commit. DNA evidence exonerated him about seven years ago.
More recently, in January, the reputed Gambino crime family associate was among 32 people charged in connection with an alleged mob plot to control the garbage-hauling industry in New York and New Jersey through extortion and other crimes.
He was accused of racketeering conspiracy and extortion conspiracy and has denied the allegations. The case is pending in Manhattan federal court, and he's currently free on $150,000 bond online records show.
The civil suit, recently filed in state Supreme Court, St. George, seeks $138,800.
According to court papers, Scott Fappiano, who is in his early 50s, first touched his brother for cash in October 2006 -- the same month he was released from prison. Mark Fappiano loaned his sibling $19,000 for the lease and insurance on his Lexus auto.
Scott Fappiano promised to pay back the loan with cash from his false-imprisonment settlement -- which he received from the state three years later, said court papers.
Scott Fappiano, however, didn't make good on his pledge and instead went to the well again in January 2011, court documents allege. He asked his brother to pay his criminal lawyers $75,000 on a case in which he was among nearly 125 suspects arrested in an mob takedown.
Scott Fappiano later pleaded guilty to extortion and was sentenced in January 2012 to time served, three years' supervised release, a $40,000 fine, $2,000 in forfeitures and 180 hours of community service, according to court papers and online Brooklyn federal court records.
In March 2011, Scott Fappiano tapped his brother again -- this time for a $6,000 loan, while promising to pay an additional $20,000 in interest within two years, said court documents.
Once again, he allegedly used his settlement as collateral, but didn't repay his debt, allege court papers.
Besides the $120,000 in loans and interest, Mark Fappiano wants his brother to fork over a final $18,800. That figure represents half the cost of their mother's home-health aide and establishing a trust for her, said his court filings.
Scott Fappiano and Mark Fappiano's lawyer, Ronald J. Mazzucco, did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment.
Source:
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/05/staten_island_man_wants_repute.html
