San Diego
The last co-defendant to be sentenced for grand theft in a scheme that cost the San Diego Port District $700,000 received a four-year state prison sentence Thursday.
The sentence for former Port District purchasing director, Richard Cersosimo, 49, matched terms handed down last week to two co-defendants.
Superior Court Judge Norbert Ehrenfreund also fined Cersosimo $10,000, to be paid to the Port District.
Last week, another judge sentenced Rudi Enriques, 38, a former parking meter collector for the Port District, and Paul Manes, 50, a former NAPA auto parts store manager, to four years in prison plus a $10,000 restitution fine.
Cersosimo was the only defendant to go to trial among the seven charged in the case. The others pleaded guilty or no contest, and one remains a fugitive.
The seven were charged with billing the port for merchandise the agency paid for but never received. The defendants also were accused of using the money for car repairs, home improvements, televisions, microwave ovens and other goods. The port said it lost at least $700,000 in the scheme.
Cersosimo was found guilty Dec. 20 of two counts of conspiracy to defraud the Port District, grand theft, and misappropriation of public funds.
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