Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Rocco P. DeSimone pleaded "not guilty to all counts" today in an indictment charging the Johnston art dealer and convicted tax evader with mail fraud in a scheme that allegedly netted him millions of dollars.

U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond ordered DeSimone held until a bail hearing next Friday, when the prosecution is expected to object to DeSimone's release.

The indictment charges DeSimone with conning an inventor and defrauding investors with fraudulent claims about marketing three inventions.

DeSimone, of Johnston, had been scheduled for release Saturday from a federal prison term for tax fraud. That term was extended after DeSimone escaped from a minimum-security facility in New Jersey in March 2008.

He surrendered in Rhode Island three days later.

According to the indictment, DeSimone's scheme involved the marketing of three inventions. One inventor developed the "Disk Shield" in 2006 as a protective shield for compact discs and DVDs. In 2005, another inventor, a physician, patented the "Drink Stik," designed to allow individuals wearing protective gear to drink fluids without first having to remove the protective gear. In 2006, the physician-inventor developed the "Song Tube," designed as an improved version of a gastrointestinal medical tube.

According to the indictment, DeSimone made false representations and pocketed millions of dollars.

 Tags  grand jury Johnston RI

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