Former Utica Mayor and School Board President Sentenced for Mail Fraud Scheme

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Louis LaPolla, age 79, of Utica, New York, was sentenced today in federal court in Syracuse to 3 years of probation, after previously pleading guilty to mail fraud for soliciting and then stealing donations intended for a scholarship fund in his late wife’s name. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced the guilty plea.

In pleading guilty previously, LaPolla admitted that he set up a scholarship fund in honor of his late wife, Andrea LaPolla, after she passed away in 2018, with the stated intention of benefitting Utica City School District students who planned to pursue post-secondary education in health-related fields. LaPolla further admitted that he received nearly $40,000 in donations intended for the scholarship fund from individuals and businesses and that he spent nearly all the donated money on himself rather than depositing it into the scholarship fund. LaPolla served as the mayor of Utica from 1984 to 1995, and he served as President of the Utica City School Board from 2018 to 2022, following 21 years of service as a member of the board.

As part of his sentence, LaPolla will pay restitution in the amount of $38,616, and he will separately owe a forfeiture money judgment in the same amount.

Earlier this year, LaPolla pled guilty in Oneida County Court to a misdemeanor petit larceny charge after admitting that he used envelopes, stamps, and mailing labels belonging to the Utica City School District to send out fundraising flyers relating to the scholarship. In that case, LaPolla was sentenced to 60 days of house arrest, 3 years of probation, and ordered to pay $3,100 in restitution.

The FBI investigated this case with assistance from the New York State Police and the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry prosecuted the case.