A judge blasted a Green man convicted of white-collar crime after he attempted to hide his face from a newspaper photographer during his sentencing hearing on Wednesday.
“You’re a convicted felon,” Summit County Common Pleas Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands reminded Allan Vertucci, 41, who in January was found guilty by a jury of bilking an elderly Copley Township woman and her now-deceased husband out of $80,000.
Rowlands said Vertucci’s response to a Beacon Journal photographer snapping pictures showed he had no remorse for the couple or their ordeal, which left them bankrupt.
“This is a case devoid of one iota of remorse. I understand Mr. Vertucci maintains his innocence, and that’s his right, but to not even express sadness,” Rowlands said. “Mr. Vertucci is sitting here like he’s angry at the world.”
Rowlands was scheduled to sentence Vertucci on Wednesday. She also would have imposed restitution so the elderly woman could be repaid the money taken from her.
But the sentencing was delayed after Vertucci’s attorney, Alexander Folk, asked for more time to gather records for the elderly couple’s credit cards — including records of cards that were not introduced at trial.
Rowlands questioned why defense attorneys would risk uncovering records that could show Vertucci took more than the $80,000 presented at trial. However, she agreed to delay the hearing anyway.
“You want the American Express bills, we’ll get them,” she said.
Vertucci is now scheduled to be sentenced at 9 a.m. April 18. Attorneys expect to get the records from credit card companies by Monday.
According to prosecutors, Vertucci is a self-employed contractor and owner of Allan Vertucci Construction. The couple hired him in 2012 to renovate their home — including replacing the roof and windows, waterproofing a basement and repairing a septic tank.
Vertucci never completed all the work and what was completed was substandard, investigators found.
A puddle of human waste was discovered in the home’s front yard, which Summit County Public Health said got there as a result of Vertucci’s work.
“Their daughter told me that the first time she visited, she couldn’t stay there, it was so bad,” the judge noted to the courtroom.
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.