A convicted con man and swindler chose to face the waters off Brooklyn rather than his sentencing in court Monday, the New York Post reported. Paul Simoneschi, 70, of Staten Island, dived off the 69th Street Pier in Bay Ridge and survived, according to the Post. He is now in stable in condition at Lutheran Medical Center.
RELATED:Fake NYC real estate agent charged with stealing $250,000 in down payments “Simoneschi is accused of scamming 13 victims — one of [whom] as old as 94 — out of $2.5 million collectively. Authorities said his actions constitute as a hate crime,” CBS2 reported in September. According to Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, the actions qualify as a hate crime because “this defendant targeted a group of individuals based on their age.” Further investigation revealed he had duped a total of 21 elderly victims, some of whom didn’t realize they’d been conned. Simoneschi, a married father of four and a grandfather of six, took a plea deal in January and faces up to 12 years in prison, reports said. He was out on bail, but now is in court custody pending a new sentencing date, the Post reported.
Matt Lee is a web producer for Metro New York. He writes about almost everything and anything. Talk to him (or yell at him) on Twitter so he doesn’t feel lonely:@off_Yellow.
