Nearly 11 years after Amazins OF Mike Cameron was impersonated by a Long Island con artist, Mets COO Jeff Wilpon (above, right) was the subject of a similar ruse, as Newsday’s John Riley details :
A New Jersey man who impersonated New York Mets executive Jeff Wilpon to secure financing in office equipment lease deals pleaded guilty to fraud Thursday in Brooklyn federal court.Michael Conway, 40, of Verona, said he forged lease deals with the Mets — including a letter from Wilpon, the son of owner Fred Wilpon — as well as with law firms, hospitals, universities and hotels, to convince lenders to give him $3.5 million for the purchase of the equipment to be leased.
Conway pocketed most of the money, prosecutors say. He could face up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud, and will also have to pay restitution under a plea agreement.