A Bronx woman convicted of impersonating a family member of a Sandy Hook shooting victim was sentenced to eight months in prison Monday on counts of wire fraud and making false statements to federal investigators.
In the crime — which authorities described as "unconscionable" and "beyond belief" — 37-year-old Nouelle Alba made calls, sent texts and posted Facebook messages soliciting money posing as the aunt of 6-year-old shooting victim Noah Pozner.
Mark Mattioli, father of shooting victim James Mattioli, asked the court to sentence her to 26 months, one for each victim, the Connecticut Post reported.
"Her actions were anything but gentle," Mattioli said, according to the Post. "They were immediate, intrusive, exploitative, disgusting, and they added to my feeling of victimization."
Alba pled guilty to the charges in June, and could have faced a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. She launched the scam almost immediately — less than 24 hours — after the shooting, CBS reports.
"Most people that morning were in a state of shock. Certainly the residents of Connecticut were,” said attorney Gene Riccio, according to CBS. “Cases like this really present a difficult challenge for the criminal justice system because the knee jerk reaction is to just throw the book at someone like this."
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