Man jailed for defrauding elderly Maidenhead man out of £50,000
Antonello Chiappetta has been sent to prison for four years
A man has been sentenced to more than four years’ imprisonment after defrauding an elderly man in Maidenhead out of more than £50,000.
52-year-old Antonello Chiappetta of no fixed abode pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation and was sentenced to four years and three months in jail at Reading Crown Court.
In June 2017, Chiappetta approached the 75-year-old victim and asked if he could lend him some money.
He told him that his mother had died and left him an inheritance of £92,000, but in order to release it, he needed to pay solicitors a fee. He advised he would then pay the victim back.
Over the course of 18 months, the victim paid at least £56,000 to Chiappetta, who continued to make up more lies including saying he was homeless and needed the money to find somewhere to live.
It was only in December 2018, when the victim’s son found about the money, that Chiappetta was reported to the police.
A Thames Valley Police investigation established that Chiappetta had already received inheritance money prior to him asking the victim for financial help.
Designated Investigator Pippa Rouse, from Maidenhead Priority Crime Team, said:
“Chiappetta took full advantage of an elderly man, manipulating him into a horrendous ordeal which saw him lose tens of thousands of pounds.
“The impact was not only financial but also caused significant emotional strain on him and his family from which they are still recovering.
“We are pleased justice has now been done and that Chiappetta cannot subject anyone else to the same ordeal.”