PITTSBURGH - A Butler County resident was sentenced today to five months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution on her conviction of mail fraud and filing a false tax return related to a non-profit organization, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
Chief United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on Pamela A. Vivirito, 47, of Mars, Pa. Vivirito pleaded guilty in April to one count of mail fraud charged in a second superseding indictment and one count of filing a false tax return charged in an information.
According to information provided to the Court, Vivirito operated a not-for-profit charity called Equine Angels Rescue, Inc. (EAR) which solicited contributions to rescue and rehabilitate horses. Vivirito fraudulently solicited donations and used them for personal expenses. Additionally, Vivirito caused the filing of a fraudulent and false Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax wherein it was reported her compensation was $46,877, when in actuality, Vivirito received compensation in the amount of $93,606.
Assistant United States Attorney Robert S. Cessar is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Vivirito.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
