Joseph Denti Jr., Heidi Francavilla, Joseph Giardina, and Ralph Perricelli Jr.

Four individuals have been charged in connection with two separate schemes in which investors allegedly were defrauded of a total of $350,000 that they invested in purported medical ventures.

Each of the following four defendants was charged with conspiracy, theft by deception, and money laundering, all in the second-degree:

• Joseph Denti Jr., 56, of Wyckoff, N.J.,
• Heidi Francavilla, 58, of Park Ridge, N.J.,
• Joseph Giardina, 55, of Waccabuc, N.Y., and
• Ralph Perricelli Jr., 55, of Ridgewood, N.J.

In the first scheme in 2011, Denti, Giardina, and Francavilla allegedly convinced a doctor to advance $250,000 to help launch a purported venture in which the three defendants and the doctor would become affiliated with a surgical center. They were to establish an arrangement with a labor union – through the company that negotiates health benefits for the union – to send its members to the surgical center. The venture involved Giardina’s management company, Harbor Management LLC, and Giardina purportedly was going to advance $250,000 as well. The defendants allegedly represented to the doctor that the four of them would share equally in a portion of the fees for the medical services for union members, and the doctor would be repaid first. It is alleged that, in reality, the venture was simply a scheme to defraud the doctor, and his $250,000 was diverted by Denti, Giardina, and Francavilla for their personal benefit.

In the second scheme, Perricelli and Denti allegedly solicited an investment of $100,000 from a married couple in 2014. Perricelli and Denti claimed to be joint owners of a blood-testing laboratory and told the couple that they were purchasing shares of the lab company that would grow in value over time. In reality, Perricelli was only an employee of the lab, and Denti had no formal connection to it. It is alleged that the $100,000 was diverted for the personal use of Perricelli, Denti, and Francavilla.