A local construction titan convicted of fraud and other charges was sentenced Thursday to the maximum term of nine years and four months in state prison.
Mark John Melchiori, wearing a dark suit and a tidy hairstyle, was handcuffed inside a packed room of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court.
Melchiori, former president of Melchiori Construction Co. in Santa Barbara, was criminally investigated and originally charged with 47 felony counts, including fraud and embezzlement, after filing for bankruptcy for the company and personally in 2012.
He pleaded guilty to diversion of construction funds, prevailing wage fraud and unlawful money transmission, the District Attorney’s Office said in a statement in October.
Melchiori also admitted special allegations that the financial losses were more than $100,000 and more than $500,000, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
“This is a situation where a pen was used as the instrument to create a wave of damages to the community at large,” Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge James Herman said in sentencing him. “It was not an accident of a business climate changing.”
The case arose from a complaint by victim Robert Zemeckis, who had paid Melchiori Construction Co. several hundred thousand dollars to remodel his home, but Melchiori reportedly illegally used the money for his own purposes.
After a comprehensive investigation, the District Attorney’s Office found that Melchiori had used Zemeckis’ money to finance his own lifestyle and to fund other projects.
“With the assistance of both the California Department of Insurance and the California Department of Industrial Relations, the District Attorney’s Office also found that the defendant had been underpaying his workers on public works projects to finance his lifestyle, and that he had been funneling money through various companies to cover up his crimes,” the District Attorney’s Office said in a statement in October.
More than five community members, including Zemeckis, a company founder and former employee, took to the podium Thursday and spoke at length about the impact of Melchiori’s actions. Some speakers were unable to hold back tears.
A handful of people also sent victim impact statements, which were read by Deputy District Attorney Casey Nelson.
Melchiori “stole” and “vanished,” and he “never explained his actions or apologized,” said Zemeckis, a homeowner in Santa Barbara County.
“My wife, children and I are not the only victims,” Zemeckis said, adding that Melchiori’s actions were “intentional,” “deceptive” and “disgraceful.”
“It has taken almost eight years for me to have a chance to look Mark Melchiori in the eye and tell what devastating impact his actions had,” Zemeckis said.
Melchiori’s defense attorney, Doug Hayes, said he “hears a lot of anger today,” and “it’s saddening the impact all these money issues created … it’s only money.”
“There are many people in this room right now who have a different view of my client,” Hayes said. “It’s a money issue. I know my client is sorry about that.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
