Medford Man Guilty of Scamming $400K from Friends

– Allison Goldsberry

A Medford man was found guilty Tuesday of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from friends who thought they were helping him, according to Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone.

Pasqualino Spadorcia, 42, of Medford, was found guilty by a Middlesex Superior Court jury on charges of larceny over $250 (7 counts), forgery (2 counts), uttering false checks (2 counts), and extortion. After the convictions were entered, Spadorcia did not contest that he is eligible for sentencing as a Common and Notorious Thief, which designation subjects him to enhanced criminal penalties, said Leone. He will be sentenced on November 7 by Judge Leila Kern.

“This defendant has now been found guilty of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from victims whose confidence he gained as a supposed significant other, or as a friend,” District Attorney Leone said. “The various imaginative, intentional and purposeful lies this defendant told in order to obtain money from these victims amounted to a devious scheme. The investigation revealed that the money was never used as intended by, and promised to, the victims,” said District Attorney Leone in a statement.

Spadorcia was found guilty of stealing from three different victims who thought they were helping him make bail in a couple of instances or to invest in his company in other instances. Spadorcia never repaid money he borrowed and used it for other purposes, including gambling. He eventually grew even bolder in his schemes, forging checks, stealing heirloom jewelry, and threatening one victim to sign blank checks.

“We are thankful the victims came forward to reveal the various schemes of deception the defendant employed over the years and commend the jury for their just verdict today,” said Leone.