N.J. Man Sentenced to 6 Months for 9/11 Charity Scam

One of two New Jersey men who admitted to swindling thousands of dollars from people who believed they were donating to help the families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was sentenced Friday to six months in jail, the Asbury Park Press and The Philadelphia Inquirer report.

Thomas Scalgione, 42, of Stafford, N.J., got a year’s probation in addition to the jail term for theft and violating the terms of his parole on an unrelated sex offense. Mark Niemczyk, 67, of Tinton Falls was sentenced to five years’ probation, but the judge rejected jail time because of Mr. Niemczyk’s health problems, which include Parkinson’s disease and diabetes.

The pair pleaded guilty in January to theft charges arising from the scam, in which they traveled around the state in a pickup truck painted with 9/11 imagery, selling T-shirts and soliciting cash donations for a bogus charity. They had already been ordered to pay $120,000 in restitution and civil penalties.