Peabody Woman Sentenced After Perjury Charges

PEABODY, MA – Suffolk Superior Court Judge Jeffrey A. Locke sentenced three people, including a Peabody resident, on Friday after they pleaded guilty to giving false testimony.

Janet Vaccari, 55, of Peabody; and Laura Battista, 67, of Revere, were sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service each. Locke also sentenced William Penta, 52, of Brookline, NH, to two years in the House of Correction, suspended for three years, three years of probation and 200 hours of community service.

The three were charged with and pleaded guilty to perjury, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to corruptly obtain acquittals, according to an announcement from Attorney General Maura Healey.

In March 2008, a Suffolk County Grand Jury returned indictments against six individuals, including Janet Vaccari, Laura Battista and William Penta, for insurance fraud, larceny, and conspiracy relating to false automobile insurance property damage claims. The other individuals charged were Deana Pistone, David Forlizzi, and Fred Battista. The indictments alleged an insurance fraud scheme that involved intentionally damaging automobiles, falsely reporting that the vehicles had been involved in accidents, and collecting property damage proceeds from motor vehicle insurance companies.

The investigation was conducted in 2007 by the Attorney General's office after the matter was referred by the Massachusetts Insurance Fraud Bureau.

During the investigation, Vaccari, Pistone and Penta gave recorded statements to investigators that Fred Battista and Forlizzi arranged the insurance fraud. In November 2008, Vaccari, Pistone, Penta, and Laura Battista pleaded guilty to conspiring with Fred Battista and Forlizzi to carry out the fraud. In March 2012, during the trial of Fred Battista and David Forlizzi, Vaccari, Penta and Laura Battista gave false testimony in direct contradiction to their prior recorded statements and guilty pleas, that they had initiated the false insurance claims totally on their own and without the involvement or knowledge of Fred Battista or Forlizzi. Pistone, who had given a recorded statement implicating Forlizzi in the insurance fraud, could not be located for trial.

In the 2012 trial, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Regina L. Quinlan entered verdicts of not guilty in favor of Battista and Forlizza, and the Attorney General's office began investigating for perjury, suboration or perjury, and obstruction of justice.

The Attorney General's office found that Forlizzi and Fred Battista had procured perjured testimony at trial from the trio. Laura Battista was paid thousands of dollars for false testimoney, and Vaccari was paid to keep Pistone out of state to prevent her testimoney.

Investigators learned that Forlizzi, Fred Battista, Vaccari, and Laura Battista had met before the trial to review the false story that Vaccari and Laura Battista would testify.

Fred Battista had texted Penta during the trial to "Tell Laura stick to her story," according to investigators.

These three defendants entered into cooperation agreements with the Commonwealth in connection with the prosecution of David Forlizzi and Fred Battista for suborning perjury at their 2012 insurance fraud trial. Forlizzi and Fred Battista were sentenced in September 2016.

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