A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

LAKE IN THE HILLS MAN SENTENCED TO 3 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR WIRE FRAUD

ROCKFORD — A Lake in the Hills, Ill. man was sentenced on May 7, 2018, by U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala for wire fraud. SALVATORE CRIBARI (also known as “Sal Fradillio”), 61, was sentencing to 3 years in federal prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $342,489.52.

Cribari pleaded guilty to wire fraud on December 11, 2017.

According to the written plea agreement, between February 2008 and September 2016, Cribari fraudulently obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in store credit from various locations of a nationwide home improvement store by returning stolen merchandise without a receipt in exchange for store credit.

Cribari later used the fraudulently-obtained store credit to purchase large-ticket items, including flooring, water heaters, appliances, home organization units, kitchen cabinets and countertops, and personal utility trailers, and to pay for installation services.

Some of the fraudulently-obtained products were installed at Cribari’s home, condominium units
that he owned and rented to others, and a business he operated.

Cribari admitted he used over 1,300 false or fictitious Illinois identification or driver’s license numbers to conduct the non-receipted returns.

As part of the scheme, Cribari resold fraudulently-obtained personal utility trailers for cash
to purchasers who were not aware of his scheme.

Cribari also sold fraudulently-obtained store credit at a discount for cash to an individual purchaser who was not aware of his scheme.

Over the course of the scheme, Cribari fraudulently obtained over $400,000 in store credit and redeemed approximately $339,989 of that store credit for merchandise and services.

Approximately $64,895 in fraudulently-obtained store credit and various stolen or fraudulently-obtained merchandise was recovered as part of the investigation.

The sentencing was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Jeff Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Lake in the Hills Police Department assisted in the investigation.

The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Talia Bucci.