DA: Montauk Man Indicted for Grand Larceny, Identity Theft After Stealing Nearly $400,000

Montauk resident Mark Ripolone was indicted on Wednesday, May 3, on multiple counts of grand larceny and identify theft, accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a payroll company and his customers’ bank accounts, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney announced last week.

Tierney said the 35-year-old stole nearly $400,000 over a three-year period.

“This defendant financially exploited his customers and a payroll company by allegedly stealing money to finance his own lifestyle,” Tierney said. “My office will continue to prosecute white collar theft and those who would seek to steal from their fellow citizens through fraudulent pretenses.”

Ripolone was the owner of a now-defunct food delivery service called 123 Delivery and a beach service company named Hampton Management Group Inc. that provided beach chair set-ups and decorations for special events, both based in Montauk.

A joint investigation conducted by the district attorney’s office with East Hampton Town, Sag Harbor Village and New York State police revealed that from September 2018 through October 2021, Ripolone stole approximately $223,000 from several customers of 123 Delivery after obtaining their bank account information and routing numbers of their accounts under the guise of conducting legitimate business affairs, according to the district attorney.

He went on to state that Ripolone then used his customers’ account information to make withdrawals from their accounts, which he used to pay his personal expenses, including credit cards debts, a home mortgage payment and phone bills.

In another fraudulent scheme, the district attorney said, Ripolone stole approximately $160,000 from a payroll company he had contracted to do payroll for Hampton Management Group Inc. by having payroll money transferred to his personal bank account when he did not have any funds available to reimburse the payroll company.

The grand jury indictment was unsealed before State Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins. It includes three counts of second-degree grand larceny, two counts of third-degree grand larceny and four counts of first-degree identity theft.

Under current New York State law, the offenses are considered nonbail eligible, the district attorney’s office noted, so Ripolone was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on June 16.

Ripolone was originally arrested on June 6, 2022, when he surrendered to Sag Harbor Village Police.