Medford Man Gets 5 to 7 Years in Prison for Conning Women

A Medford man who tricked women into loaning him thousands and stealing more was sentenced to 5 to 7 years in prison Monday.

Pasqualino Spadorcia, 42, led at least three people to believe he was a close friend or "significant other" then convinced them to lend him thousands of dollars, write him blank checks and open a business that he siphoned funds from, District Attorney Gerry Leone said in press release.

In all, he stole over $400,000, prosecutors said. Spadorcia told authorities he lost much of the money he stole gambling. A Middlesex County Grand Jury found him guilty of 12 charges, including larceny and extortion, on Nov. 1.

He appeared in Middlesex County Superior Court Monday, where Judge Leila Kern sentenced him to five to seven years in state prison and five years probation. He was also ordered to pay restitution to his victims.

In a written statement, District Attorney Gerry Leone said he was pleased with the sentence.

“We commend the court for this just sentencing, punishing the defendant and ensuring that he will be off the streets and unable to steal from additional victims for a substantial period of time,”  Leone said.

Spadorcia's schemes date back to March 2007, when he told a woman he had been in a relationship with for eight months that he had been arrested and needed money for bail and an attorney. The woman sent him the money, and lended him money three more times over the next year for attorneys and to help pay employees Spadorcia claimed he had in a painting business, prosecutors said.

The woman sent him $40,000 over a year, which Spadorcia later said he didn't spend on employees and actually lost gambling.

While he was receiving money from the first victim, Spadorcia began a relationship with a second woman and started borrowing money from her, which he claimed he was using to pay employees, prosecutors said.

Eleven times in 2007 the second woman lent Spadorcia money, totalling over $80,000, prosecutors said. Spadorcia also forged the woman's signature on checks and withdrew over $25,000 from her checking account, the press release said.

In September 2007, Spadorcia convinced the second woman to incorporate a business, then gained control of the mortgage for her business property and her home and divberted the money to him, prosecutors said.

He also convinced the first victim to invest in the second victims new business - along with a third person who thought they were a friend of Spadorcia. Those investments, totalling over $131,000 were diverted from the businerss to Spadorcia, prosecutors said.

Along with stealing from the business, Spadorcia also threatened the second woman into writing him blank checks, which he cashed for over $100,000 in all and pawned off jewerly worth over $7,500, prosecutors said.

Spadorcia was eventually arrested and charged after two of the victims reported the incidents to police, a district attorney spokeswoman said.