RI man sentenced for insurance fraud

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A former Rhode Island insurance adjuster has been sentenced to six months in a halfway house and six months of home confinement for his role in a $40,000 home insurance fraud.

A judge imposed the punishment on Vincent DiPaolo of Johnston on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Providence. He is the last of four defendants to be sentenced in the case.

DiPaolo pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy and four counts of mail fraud. He could have faced up to 85 years in prison.

Authorities say the 62-year-old helped former radio personality Lori Sergiacomi , a.k.a. Tanya Cruise, file a bogus home insurance claim last year. Sergiacomi was sentenced in August to four months in a Massachusetts halfway house and four months of home confinement.

Federal investigators uncovered the scheme while investigating another corruption case in North Providence involving several town council members.