PROVIDENCE, RI — A former Massachusetts used car dealer who led a conspiracy to defraud financial institutions in Rhode Island and other state out of millions of dollars was sentenced to five years in federal prison. Rolando Estrella, 35, of Dracut, Massachusetts, the former owner of a used car dealership in Lawrence, Massachusetts, admitted to a federal judge in Providence that he recruited, employed, and directed others to file fraudulent used car loan applications using stolen personal information and falsified documents. Once the loans were issued by financial institutions, the...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A R.I. Superior Court jury has found an East Greenwich man guilty of defrauding a British investor of $100,000 under the false pretenses he would make a film based on the HBO series “Tales from the Crypt.” John Santilli, 49, was found guilty last week of one count of obtaining money under false pretenses over $10,000, according to R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha’s office. Following a two-day trial, the jury agreed with the prosecution that Santilli solicited funds from the British investor in 2018 and subsequently...

East Greenwich man found guilty of fraud in ‘Tales from the Crypt’ scam EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (WLNE) — Attorney General Peter Neronha said that an East Greenwich man was found guilty of defrauding a British investor of $100,000 in a scheme centered on producing a film project based on the 90’s television series “Tales from the Crypt.” John Santilli was found guilty of one count of obtaining money under false pretenses over $10,000. The 49-year-old and his company, Aloris Entertainment, LLC, was accused of defrauding an investor from the United...