Ex-Montauk Man Admits to Stealing $400K from Customers

A former Montauk man has admitted to using a pair of companies that he owned to steal nearly $400,000 from local businesses over a three-year span.

Mark Ripolone pleaded guilty on October 24 at Suffolk County court to five counts of grand larceny. Four counts of identity theft were dropped.

“This defendant was a thief operating under the guise of an entrepreneur,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said. “Instead of conducting business with integrity and honesty, he stole money from his own customers to line his pockets. Because of his greed, this defendant must now reimburse his victims, or go to prison.”

Prosecutors said the 35-year-old man, who was the owner of a now-defunct food delivery service called 123 Delivery, stole from his customers after obtaining their bank account information when they paid for his services from September 2018 through October 2021.

He also owned Hampton Management Group Inc., which specialized in providing luxury beach chair set-ups and decorations for special events, through which he allegedly stole $160,000 from a payroll company, authorities said.

He used the stolen funds to pay his personal expenses, including credit card debts, a home mortgage payment and phone bill, according to investigators.

Judge John B. Collins is expected to sentence Ripolone to 840 hours of community service as an alternative to six months in jail, followed by five years of probation, and he must pay $143,379 in restitution to the victims.

If Ripolone fails to pay the restitution by his sentencing date, he is expected to be sentenced to two to six years in prison. His next court date is December 19.