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John Pignotti Gets Nearly 4 Years In Prison For Identity Theft

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The former president of the Philadelphia String Band Association was sentenced to close to four years in prison Tuesday for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from two former employers.

From 1999 to February of this year, John Pignotti, 51, had a top role for the mummers. But now, he faces 44 months in prison for mail fraud and identity theft; stealing over $600,000 from two former employers.

"Pignotti targeted the very companies who hired him, who trained him, who paid him."

Assistant U.S Attorney Kevin Brenner says Pignotti used ghost payrolls using stolen and fake identities to cash checks from October 2007 to April 2010.

"(He) submitted payrolls that contained bogus hours worked by former and, in some cases, entirely fictitious security guards for imaginary clients."

The plan unraveled when former security guards received tax forms with thousands in extra income and companies noticed strange billings.

Reported by Tim Jimenez, KYW Newsradio

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