Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Bank, Credit Card Schemes

Marcello Sozio, a Huntington resident who formerly operated Andi Hyperbarics LLC, a hyperbaric oxygennchamber business based in Great Neck and Chicago, pleaded guilty Wednesday to wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud banks and a customer of his business.

According to court filings and facts presented at the plea proceeding, between March
2014 and December 2016, Sozio applied for and obtained approximately $770,000 in loans for a business offering hyperbaric oxygen services as a form of medical treatment. In the applications submitted to lenders, Sozio falsely represented that his business partners had authorized him to apply for these loans on their behalf. Sozio used the loan proceeds for his personal benefit,leaving his former partners liable for the full amount.

Additionally, between September 2016 and December 2016, Sozio charged the parent of
a minor child, who had received some hyperbaric oxygen treatments, approximately $230,000
for services that he falsely claimed had been provided.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York,
William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, and Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector-in-Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, New York Division, announced the guilty plea.

The proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Steven I. Locke at the federal
courthouse in Central Islip.

When sentenced, Sozio, 62, faces up to 20 years in prison. As part of his guilty plea, Sozio agreed to pay approximately $1.1 million in restitution

“Sozio committed a fraud trifecta by duping lenders, cheating his business partners and
stealing from the parent of a child for treatment he never provided,”  Donoghue said. “The defendant now faces the consequences for pocketing hundreds of thousands of
dollars in unauthorized loans and fraudulent credit card charges.”

“Stealing from anyone is criminal, however stealing from a parent seeking treatment for a
child is unconscionable,”  Sweeney added. “It may often seem as though white collar crimes don’t really impact people because it is mostly about money. However this case proves the devastating real life consequences criminals can have on their victims, and the FBI works diligently every day to bring justice to everyone who is unfortunately impacted by
fraudsters like Mr. Sozio.”

 

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