ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — There's an old saying that crime doesn’t pay. But try telling that to theft victim Robert Wilson Sr.
Wilson's St. Tammany air-conditioning company – Wilserv – was decimated after its bank accounts were drained of more than half a million dollars. That was five years ago.
In June, Wilson's former bookkeeper pled guilty to felony theft in the embezzlement, but the outcome left the 73-year-old businessman feeling like he was victimized all over again.
Even though Rivolo’s June 3 court appearance was scheduled as a pre-trial hearing, she entered a surprise plea of guilty as charged, eliminating any leverage for the District Attorney’s office to leverage on sentencing and restitution.
And once that long-awaited sentence was handed down, it came as a shock to Wilson