Former Suffolk County Legislator George O. Guldi last Wednesday was sentenced to one to three years in prison, a term that was laid out in a plea bargain and will add no new prison time to a sentence the ex-lawmaker is already serving for a previous conviction.
Mr. Guldi, a Democrat who represented the South Fork from 1993 until 2003, pleaded guilty in July to 34 counts of grand larceny and one count of scheme to defraud related to his involvement in a massive mortgage fraud ring.
After the sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Thalia Stavrides said she was disappointed the latest sentence would run concurrently with the jail term Mr. Guldi was already serving, rather than being tacked onto the end of it. Ms. Stavrides said she originally argued for a sentence of eight and one-third to 25 years.
Mr. Guldi, who represented himself throughout most of the case, has been in Suffolk County Jail serving a four-to-12-year sentence since March, when he was convicted of insurance fraud and grand larceny for misusing insurance funds after his Westhampton Beach home burned down.
Chris Brocato, an attorney assigned to help guide Mr. Guldi in his defense, said during the sentencing that Mr. Guldi could be moved to a state prison as soon as last Friday.
Mr. Guldi, wearing a suit and sporting a shaved head, spoke with Justice James F.X. Doyle about legal matters related to the sentencing, and showed little emotion throughout the proceedings, smiling occasionally. A Westhampton Beach native, he worked as an attorney but was disbarred as a result of his March conviction.
Justice Doyle did not order restitution payments as part of Mr. Guldi’s sentence, saying that civil court was the proper venue for the banks that were defrauded to be repaid. Demanding restitution, Justice Doyle said, could “cloud” ongoing and future civil cases.
Ms. Stavrides said she would have preferred if restitution were part of the sentence, estimating the cost of the mortgages related to the charges against Mr. Guldi to be $30 million to $40 million.
After the proceedings, Mr. Brocato said some victims have already filed lawsuits against Mr. Guldi.
“Everyone under the sun is suing George right now,” he said. “So there’s no reason to muddy the waters.”
Will James on Aug 31, 2011