A couple who ran an Italian restaurant in Oro Valley will serve time in prison for their part in bilking networking technology giant Cisco Systems Inc. out of more than $20 million, the U.S. Justice Department says.
Mario Easevoli, 33, was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
His wife, Jennifer Easevoli, 29, also known as Jennifer Leigh Harmon, received nine years followed by three years of supervised release.
The pair ran Angelina's Ristorante, 12152 N. Rancho Vistoso Blvd., near East Tangerine Road. The restaurant, which changed its name to Agave Mexican Kitchen before closing in 2009, was not involved in the federal charges brought against them.
U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced the couple last week along with Jason Allan Conway, 34, of Hendersonville, N.C., who received a prison term of four years. All three defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering and were ordered to pay $21.7 million in restitution. Mario Easevoli and Conway additionally pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail fraud.
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The Easevolis had set up Synergy Communications Corp. in North Carolina, with Mario Easevoli serving as president and Jennifer Easevoli as vice president, court documents say. Conway was an agent and employee of the company.
The company defrauded Cisco, a San Jose, Calif.-based company, through a service contract that allows users to obtain technical support and replacements for covered equipment. The defendants submitted fraudulent claims, by using phony names, to receive replacement parts that were shipped to addresses in several states. The Easevolis and Conway then sold the items, the U.S. Justice Department says.
Under the contract, Synergy was supposed to be the end-user of those products.
The Easevolis were arrested in the Tucson area about a year ago.
Contact reporter Dale Quinn at dquinn@azstarnet.com or 573-4197
