Local Government TV

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Why Did a Title Agent Want Gold Bars?

In the story below, I told you that home title theft is nonexistent in the Lehigh Valley. What's more common is defalcation, the embezzlement of money entrusted someone to pay off a mortgage or judgment. That's the situation in the recent case brought against Lou Belletieri, a title agent who is alleged to have misapplied settlement proceeds to the tune of at least $6.5 million. Instead of paying off mortgages, he's accused of dipping into his escrow funds to place sports bets. According to the complaint, he even spent $450,000 very recently to purchase gold bars or gold coins. That sounds like bug out money. A hearing is scheduled this week for an injunction, but it appears that the damage is done and there may be as many as 20 victims. 

Belletieri's father was a long-time restauranteur who himself got into hot spaghetti sauce for failure to pay sales tax a few years before his death. He also dabbled in local politics and was briefly employed by Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski. 

His family immigrated to the Lehigh Valley from Hazleton, known as Mob City, in the late '50s. 

(I wanted to post the complaint but am unable to sign into Scribd). 

14 comments:

  1. Both father and son as crooked as trump

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ask Sen. Menendez from Jersey the same question.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ask Bernie about misappropriating funds....lol

    ReplyDelete
  4. So you're accusing this guy of being a mobster, eh?

    ReplyDelete
  5. "Ask Sen. Menendez from Jersey the same question."

    No question that was a bug out stash for both.

    "So you're accusing this guy of being a mobster, eh?"

    Not really. Organized crime appears to be less prominent, except in the drug cartels. But le let's look at the facts. Father Lou pleaded to failure to pay sales tax generated by his restaurant. Uncle or great uncle Peter was tried as the criminal mastermind of several area robberies (Not sure how cases turned out. Grandmother Susan was a Scalleat, and the Pa Crime Comm'n linked the Scalleat brothers to organized crime in Hazleton, where they alleged worked as enforcers for the Buffalino crime family. Hazleton is, in fact, called mob city.

    ReplyDelete
  6. How can you say you're "not really" accusing this guy of being a mobster but then repeat your many not-so-subtle hints that he is. You can't have it both ways.

    ReplyDelete
  7. As I've already said, the mob is a faint shadow of its former self. Having said that, Belletieri comes from a family heavily involved in the mob when it was active and several of his family members themselves have been caught up in criminal activity.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Peter was acquitted by a federal jury. You should really check your facts before you post libel.

    ReplyDelete
  9. It's hard to run with the weight of gold.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds like you’re alleging he’s involved in the mob because his last name ends in a vowel and is likely of Italian heritage. Shame on you!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Except I haven't alleged he's involved in the mob. Moreover, my name ends in a vowel. I am pointing out that members of his family were historically involved in the Buffalino crime family and that others have been caught up in criminal activity. His ethnic heritage is irrelevant to these observations. Shame on you!

    ReplyDelete
  12. "Peter was acquitted by a federal jury. You should really check your facts before you post libel."

    I have pointed out that Peter was tried as the criminal mastermind of several area robberies. That is accurate.

    ReplyDelete
  13. With new charges, again I ask, ask Sen. Menendez from NJ.

    ReplyDelete

You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.