KEW GARDENS — An alleged New Jersey con artist was arraigned Friday for cheating two separate couples when he failed to provide legal divorce representation, the Queens district attorney said.
Allen Cappellazzi, 63, of Hillside, N.J., was charged with grand larceny, forgery and other counts, according to DA Richard Brown. On two occasions, Cappellazzi posed as “Adam Selene” and presented the victims with law contracts for divorces, Brown said.
Cappellazzi was paid $3,000 by one couple, who allegedly gave him their Social Security numbers, bank accounts and other information, according to the DA. On Jan. 19, 2009, he met with the couple at a Forest Hills restaurant and gave them a divorce decree reportedly signed by Justice Charles Thomas, the DA said.
In reality, no such index number was processed by the judge, according to Brown.
At the same restaurant meeting, Cappellazzi allegedly provided a couple who gave him $2,500 and their personal information with another phony divorce decree from Queens Supreme Court Justice Allan Weiss, according to the DA.
If convicted on the charges, Cappellazzi faces up to seven years in prison, the DA said.
