The former general manager of a Stamford ice skating rink was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 21 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for defrauding his ex-employer of more than $490,000.
Mark J. Zito pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud last December for bilking the Stamford Twin Rinks on Hope Street of more than $490,000 in fraudulent expenses. Zito managed the rink between October 1999 and August 2014, and his contract with RivCan Associates LLC, the rink”™s owner, enabled him to hire third-party vendors to place advertising at the rink. During this period, Zito created and utilized AAZ Consulting to bill RivCan for these commissions, but Zito submitted phony invoices including charges for services that his employer neither requested nor required. RivCan lost $490,468.81 based on Zito”™s actions, which also included payments for purportedly maintaining and updating the facility”™s internet website and for unauthorized benefits tied to overinflated salary payments, vacation pay and cellular telephone reimbursements.
Judge Hall ordered Zito, a Shelton resident, to make full restitution to RivCan. Zito is scheduled to begin serving his prison sentence on Sept. 25.
