Schenectady, N.Y. — A Schenectady businessman already serving federal prison time for his role in a mafia-linked cocaine trafficking operation was sentenced Friday in a separate fraud case alongside his wife, after both admitted to exploiting pandemic relief programs and committing insurance fraud.
Jeffrey Civitello Sr., owner of Focus Construction, will serve 1 to 3 years in state prison, while his wife, Patricia Civitello, received five years’ probation. Both were sentenced by Schenectady County Judge Matthew Sypniewski after pleading guilty in February to charges in a sweeping 143-count indictment. The indictment included fraud, tax crimes, falsifying business records, and filing false documents.
Civitello Sr.’s sentence will run concurrently with his current 10-year federal sentence for drug trafficking. He and his son are incarcerated with Bonanno crime family associate Richard Sinde after being convicted in a plot to transport $600,000 worth of cocaine from New York City to Schenectady in 2021.
On the fraud side, Patricia Civitello admitted to lying about non-paying tenants in order to collect over $90,000 from New York’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) between September 2021 and August 2022. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Civitello Sr. falsely claimed unemployment, collecting over $30,000 in state benefits while continuing to work during the pandemic.
Judge Sypniewski ordered restitution as part of Patricia’s sentence and encouraged her to start probation on the right foot. The couple did not speak during sentencing.
This case follows the rejection of an appeal by the Civitellos and Sinde, where a federal appeals court upheld their federal convictions related to the drug trafficking case.
The Civitello family continues to draw legal attention. Their younger son, Patrick Civitello, was recently sentenced for assaulting the 15-year-old son of a trial witness, a move described by prosecutors as a direct attack on the justice system.
