2 NJ Men Sentenced For Running Bogus 9/11 Charity

TOMS RIVER, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A judge in New Jersey has sentenced two men who sold T-shirts with the logos of the New York City police and fire departments out of a custom-painted pickup truck for operating a bogus 9/11 charity.

The judge ordered 67-year-old Mark Niemczyk of Tinton Falls to serve five years probation. The judge also sentenced 42-year-old Thomas Scalgione of Manahawkin to six months in the county jail for violating parole and one year of probation.

The men pleaded guilty earlier this year to theft by deception.

Prosecutors said Scalgione and Niemczyk brought a pickup truck painted with the Twin Towers and names of police and firefighters who died at ground zero to 9/11 events where they sold T-shirts and collected donations.

Prosecutors said the men falsely claimed the proceeds from the sales would benefit the families of 9/11 victims, but instead the money was used to pay for personal expenses.

As a condition of probation, the men must pay more than $120,000 in fines and investigative costs.

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