Darlene Perrotta, 54, was sentenced Thursday in Rockingham Superior Court after she failed to show up for a court hearing in May.
She appeared in court, shackled and handcuffed, for another hearing yesterday, but was led off to jail when it ended, Senior Assistant Attorney General James Boffetti said.
Perrotta and her ex-husband, Michael Perrotta, are the former owners of Forever in Time photography studio in Salem.
They pleaded guilty in February 2011 to accepting money from 227 newlywed couples without providing their wedding photographs.
The Atkinson couple was spared from spending time behind bars when they finally agreed to provide DVDs of wedding photos or negatives to the couples within 45 days and pay $436,788 in restitution.
The Perrottas are no longer together, but are still jointly responsible for making sure the money is refunded.
"There was no reason to make these people wait all that time for their wedding photographs," Boffetti said. "I think there should also be payment for the aggravation they caused."
It's been several years since the photos were taken.
Michael Perrotta continues to cooperate with authorities, but Darlene Perrotta does not, Boffetti said.
Michael Perrotta has paid a couple hundred dollars in restitution, while his ex-wife has only paid $35, Boffetti said.
"She refused to sign the payment plan to pay restitution," he said.
Failure to sign the document led to a probation violation. Not showing up for the hearing on that violation led to a second probation violation, Boffetti said.
Darlene Perrotta claimed she did not receive notice of the hearing, he said.
She is to be released from jail today, Boffetti said. Darlene Perrotta received credit for a day served while she was held for several hours after surrendering in June.
Her attorney, public defender Debra Dupont, has declined to comment.
The Perrottas each received one-year suspended jail sentences. They face three civil lawsuits in the case.
No comments:
Post a Comment