NJ man scammed $1.1 million from his dead friend’s wife and mom, heads to prison

⚠️ Antonion Petrosino, 61, of Hudson County was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for wire fraud.
❗ Prosecutors say he took more than $1.1 million from four people, including a late friend’s widow and mother.
➡️ He must pay $1,130,406.63 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

UNION CITY — A Hudson County man heads to federal prison after stealing more than $1.1 million from investors, including his dead friend's widow and mother, and gambling and spending it away.

Antonion Petrosino, 61, was sentenced to 63 months in prison last week, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He must also pay $1,130,406.63 in restitution to his victims.

In March, Petrosino pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Federal prosecutors said he defrauded four victims from 2016 through November 2024.

Investigators found Petrosino started the scheme after his friend, a Paramus resident, died in May 2015. At the time, he was a life insurance agent.

Prosecutors say the widow’s $501,000 account was nearly empty by December 2016

Petrosino first went to the deceased friend's widow, prosecutors said. He suggested that the woman open an investment account with $501,000 that she received from her deceased partner's life insurance policy. She gave Petrosino full authority to make withdrawals for her benefit.

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However, Petrosino used that power to withdraw money for himself. The widow's fund was nearly empty by December 2016.

Then he turned to his friend’s mother, prosecutors say

Then in February 2019, his dead friend's mother sold her house. Petrosino said he would invest the money from the home sale on her behalf. She transferred $916,000 to him. Later, the woman trusted Petrosino with her tax returns; he asked for around $40,000 to pay owed taxes, which actually went to his personal account.

A federal employee and one of Petrosino's older relatives were also fleeced out of tens of thousands of dollars, prosecutors said.

Petrosino gave false assurances to his victims as their accounts dried up, prosecutors said. In one case, his dead friend's mother asked why her check had bounced; Petrosino said the notice about the bounced check was a scam and to ignore it.

While the victims failed to make payments, Petrosino spent their investment money on frivolities, including gambling and rent for his luxury apartment.

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