Local News in Brief : 2-Year Prison Term in Housing Fraud

The former chief executive of a now-defunct West Los Angeles housing construction firm, Joseph Polifroni, 48, of Newport Beach has been sentenced to two years in prison for his role in a housing fraud that authorities said cost more than 500 victims hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In 1984 and 1985, Polifroni’s firm, Delta Homes Inc., offered fast construction of low-cost housing but built almost nothing, according to the charges. After a two-year investigation, Polifroni was arraigned on a variety of felony charges. He eventually pleaded guilty to one conspiracy count and was sentenced by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Horowitz.

“What I think is significant,” prosecutor David R. Disco said, “is that somebody who engages in this kind of white-collar crime goes to prison. The fact that they don’t have some prior record doesn’t mean they will skip on probation.”