A Montauk man who has owned multiple local hospitality-related companies is facing five felony charges stemming from accusations that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from his clients.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney alleged on Monday that Mark Ripolone, 34, "financially exploited his customers, most of them small businesses." Over the course of three years, the D.A. said, Mr. Ripolone stole at least $325,000 through his food delivery service, 123 Delivery, and his beach service company, Hampton Management Group, which "specialized in providing luxury beach chair setups and decorations for special events."
Mr. Ripolone, who has had run-ins with law enforcement in the past, including a charge that he used a stun-gun on a potential cab fare when he was driving a taxi in Montauk in 2014, turned himself in to police on Monday. The charges are not eligible for bail under current state laws, and he was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in East Hampton Town Justice Court on July 7, when he will face two charges of third-degree grand larceny and two of second-degree grand larceny. The following day, he will appear in Sag Harbor Village Court on another second-degree grand larceny count.
Mr. Ripolone has also owned Ditch Plains Taxi, through which, in the summer of 2015, he raised money for the Montauk Community Playhouse Foundation by donating taxi fares. The Star reported in 2017 that his 123 Delivery company, for which he created a mobile app and website, employed "about 60 drivers who pick up and deliver food from more than two dozen restaurants and businesses in East Hampton, Springs, and Montauk."
Mr. Tierney alleged that between Sept. 1, 2018, and Oct. 15, 2021, Mr. Ripolone obtained bank account information belonging to his clients, then made electronic withdrawals that he used "to pay his credit card bills, the mortgage for his house, and his Verizon phone bill."
Mr. Ripolone also scammed a company he'd hired to oversee payroll for Hampton Management Group Inc., said Mr. Tierney, by fabricating records for fictitious employees and then transferring the money to his personal bank account, "rather than having the funds available to reimburse the payroll company."
The accused is represented by Susan Menu, who said Tuesday that she was reviewing the case and could not yet comment on it in detail. The D.A.'s office "has provided me with all the discovery that I need to begin. Everything is forthcoming," she said.
Mr. Ripolone's arrest, according to the county district attorney, was the result of a joint investigation that also included the East Hampton Town and Sag Harbor Village Police Departments and New York State police.