Metro

‘Unrepentant’ con man gets 4 years after duping women out of money

A Manhattan judge threw the book at a “pathological” and “unrepentant” con man who duped women out of their money — handing down a stiff four-year sentence in federal prison today — double the suggested plea deal.

Defendant Scott Hockler, 50, of Westchester, who pled guilty to scamming acoustic-design firm CEO Victoria Cerami, out of $100,000, offered a lame “I’m sorry,” after the victim read a moving impact statement in Manhattan Federal Court.

During the sentencing, a plucky Cerami said: “The kind of damage this man did is irreparable… He told lies about me in order to slander me.”

“What is most despicable is that he played with the mind of my son,” she said, referring to Hockler’s fake job offer to her 23 year-old son.

In his closing statements, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Goldstein, called Hockler “pathological” and “unrepentant.”

“The defendant has been, for years, a true con artist,” Goldstein said. “This is a man who lies and who has left a trail of victims in his wake…Even as sentencing approached he continued to do it.”

Meanwhile, in a courtroom filled with over half a dozen victims and no supporters, Hockler fought for leniency from the judge. “I’ve engaged in unlawful conduct that has destroyed lives.. I’m hoping to move on and better myself,” he said.

But his call went unheeded.

In rendering her decision, Manhattan Federal Judge Denise Cote, said Hockler not only preyed on women but “involved their family in an emotional and destructive way.”

Other women have since come forward, including Holly Weissman, who alleged Hockler swindled $500,000 from her.