A Minnesota man who reported having almost nothing in savings while receiving public assistance has been sentenced after investigators determined that he repeatedly left a substantial bank account off his annual benefit renewals.
Vincent Bellomo, 76, of rural Nevis, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of wrongfully obtaining public assistance. On September 21, he received stayed prison terms of 12, 13 and 15 months and was ordered to pay $263,949 in restitution, according to Lakeland News.
The criminal complaint traces the undisclosed account back to 2017 and describes annual renewals in which Bellomo reported little or no money while balances in the account climbed from more than $24,000 to more than $77,000.
On one 2018 renewal, Bellomo listed a Wells Fargo savings balance of $1.08 and a 1979 Chevrolet El Camino worth $500. Bank records cited in the complaint showed that the undisclosed Northwoods Bank account held $24,259.66 days later, with no transactions recorded on the date Bellomo completed the form.
The Savings Account Had Been Open Since 2017
According to the criminal complaint, Bellomo opened the Northwoods Bank savings account on October 25, 2017, with an initial deposit of $3,425. He was listed as an agent with authority to deposit, withdraw and move money, and his son was later added as an authorized person.
The complaint says Bellomo completed an annual benefits renewal on June 4, 2018, reporting no cash, the $1.08 Wells Fargo balance and the El Camino. He did not list the Northwoods account. Four days later, its balance was $24,259.66.
The discrepancy continued in later renewals. The complaint lists Northwoods balances of approximately $33,000 in 2019, more than $36,000 in 2020, $47,154.77 in June 2021 and nearly $60,000 around the time of Bellomo’s 2022 renewal.
The Account Reached More Than $77,000 in 2024
Bellomo again completed benefit-renewal paperwork on June 20, 2023. He reported a Wells Fargo account with a zero balance and the El Camino valued at $500, according to the complaint, but did not disclose the Northwoods account. Bank records placed that account at approximately $59,500 around the same period.
On his June 26, 2024 renewal, Bellomo listed a Wells Fargo checking account but again omitted Northwoods. The complaint says the undisclosed account held $77,138.99 on March 30 and $77,785.38 on June 28.
A Hubbard County financial worker discovered the account in May 2025 through an Asset Verification Service report. The complaint says Bellomo later told the worker that the money belonged to his son but did not return a request for documentation supporting that explanation.
Investigators also traced an $80,000 transfer from Northwoods into a certificate of deposit in January 2025. The money, with accrued interest, returned to Northwoods in June before most of it was removed again. By August 12, approximately $25 remained in the account.
Investigators Calculated $263,949.46 in Overpayments
Hubbard County records cited in the complaint calculated public-assistance overpayments between 2017 and 2025 totaling $263,949.46. The largest component was $246,438 attributed to Medical Assistance and the Medicare Savings Program.
The complaint also lists $9,757 in SNAP overpayments, $7,371 in Minnesota Supplemental Aid and $383 in Emergency General Assistance. For 2023 alone, the alleged overpayment totaled $34,631.67, followed by $43,549.45 in 2024 and $18,386.29 in 2025.
Investigators had the account activity reviewed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. According to the complaint, $227,319 in money flowing through the account could be directly connected to Bellomo, while $32,370.67 was connected to his son.
The complaint says Bellomo’s son later told an investigator that Bellomo was the account’s primary user, though some money belonged to the son. Prosecutors initially charged Bellomo with three felony public-assistance counts and three felony perjury counts.
Bellomo Pleaded Guilty to Three Public-Assistance Counts
Under his June plea petition, Bellomo agreed to plead guilty to Counts 1, 3 and 5, the public-assistance offenses tied to his 2023, 2024 and 2025 renewals.
The State agreed to dismiss Counts 2, 4 and 6, the three perjury charges. The plea petition called for concurrent prison terms of 12 months on the 2023 count, 13 months on the 2024 count and 15 months on the 2025 count, with execution stayed for up to five years of supervised probation.
The agreement also called for a 90-day jail sanction, with 60 days served through local incarceration and another 30 days through electronic home monitoring. Restitution was to be ordered, with the restitution issue remaining open for 60 days after sentencing.
The Court Stayed the Prison Terms
Lakeland News reported that the court imposed the 12-, 13- and 15-month prison terms on September 21 but stayed them and placed Bellomo on probation for up to five years. He was ordered to pay $263,949 in restitution.
The prison terms and probation reported by Lakeland News match the negotiated terms in Bellomo’s June plea petition. The court’s July notice had scheduled sentencing for September 21 at 2 p.m. before District Court Judge Eric P. Schieferdecker.
Minnesota’s sentencing law permits a court to stay execution of a sentence and place a defendant on probation under court-imposed conditions.
The Fraud Statute Covers Concealed Information During Renewals
Minnesota’s public-assistance statute in effect when Bellomo’s first charged renewal occurred covered obtaining or continuing to receive assistance through a willfully false statement, intentional concealment of a material fact or another fraudulent device when the recipient received assistance to which the person was not entitled or more assistance than permitted.
The criminal complaint says Bellomo’s annual renewal forms required disclosure of income and assets. Those forms repeatedly warned that incorrect or concealed information could result in fraud investigation or prosecution.
Current Minnesota Department of Human Services automatic-renewal guidance tells Medical Assistance and Medicare Savings Program recipients to review their renewal information for accuracy and contact the worker listed on the notice when information is incorrect.