A debonair Manhattan con man has taken a plea deal of up to nine years in prison for swindling smitten girlfriends out of thousands of dollars and ripping off a client in a construction project.
Mauricio Palomino, 45, admitted to stealing more than $80,000 combined from Staci Krell, Allison Goodman, Debra D’Aquino and Dina D’Angelo from 2012 to 2014, court records show.
He told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Ann Scherzer it took time for him to accept the offer his lawyer, David Touger, negotiated on his behalf.
“Obviously, him being Jewish and me being Italian, we argue a lot,” Palomino joked this month in court. “But we have come to a conclusion on what’s best for all parties.”
He pleaded guilty to seven counts of grand larceny on two indictments in exchange for three to nine years in prison.
He admitted racking up charges on four girlfriends’ credit cards and accepting cash loans on the promise that he would repay them, which he never did.
“When each victim caught on to his scheme, the personal or business relationship would end, and the defendant would quickly become involved with the next victim,” prosecutor Margot Gendreau said.