Thursday, 4:30 PM
A scam with just one catch: they had to swallow glass
By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff
A former Weymouth man pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges today for his role in a scheme in which he and his wife swallowed glass, then falsely claimed to have ingested it in food they bought at restaurants, bars and grocery stores from Boston to Washington D.C.
Ronald Evano, 48, a self-described American gypsy, admitted that he and his wife, using various aliases, were paid more than $200,000 between 1997 and 2005 to settle false insurance claims they had filed against the establishments.
They also incurred over $100,000 in medical bills for colonoscopies and other medical treatment they received after swallowing the glass, but they never paid the bills, according to US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan's office.
Evano, who pleaded guilty to 20 counts of fraud, faces an Oct. 24 sentencing hearing in federal court in Boston. His wife, Mary, remains a fugitive.
