A 70-year-old man who dressed up as Santa Claus for underprivileged children admitted Wednesday morning he stole thousands of dollars from a government group and nonprofit groups, the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office said.
Ronald Joseph Papaleoni, 70, of Acworth, pleaded guilty to five counts of theft, including theft by a fiduciary and theft by a government employee, according to District Attorney Vic Reynolds’ office. Papaleoni previously ran a company called Premier Management that handled the funds of the Lake Allatoona Preservation Authority, a government entity.
From 2007 to 2009 while employed as the general manager of the Authority, Papaleoni wrote multiple unauthorized checks to himself, including a $5,000 check to the Joy Foundation, a nonprofit he owned. At the Joy Foundation’s annual holiday shopping event for underprivileged children, Papaleoni also dressed up as Santa Claus, the DA said.
Papaleoni was sentenced to 15 years on probation, and a separate hearing to determine the amount of restitution is scheduled for Sept. 19.
While the DA’s Office believes Papaleoni stole about $150,000, his defense believes it is much less, Reynolds said. Judge Mary E. Staley denied a request to sentence Papaleoni as a first offender.
“This is not a first offender case. This was repetitive behavior,” Staley said, according to the DA’s Office. “It was taking advantage of someone who gave you trust.”
Papaleoni’s attorney said he hoped to earn money portraying Santa Claus for restitution, but can not do so with a felony conviction.
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