US restaurant company's vice president sentenced to prison

A reputed mob money adviser who was vice president of the restaurant company Rainbow Room was sentenced to prison for cheating Social Security and three insurance companies.

Photo: US restaurant company's vice president sentenced to prison

Dennis Pappas, who was vice president of Cipriani USA, pleaded guilty May 2 to second-degree insurance fraud in a deal with prosecutors. The sentence of 1 1/2 to 4 1/2 years means Pappas will be eligible for parole in 18 months.

Pappas admitted that he falsely claimed he could not work because of heart problems and said he knew that "if I disclosed my work and payments from Cipriani I would not be entitled to the disability payments."

Pappas said Cipriani paid him at least $900,000 during the time he worked there from June 2000 until April 2006. For almost that entire time, prosecutors said, he was carrying out his disability scams