A West Roxbury man who is serving 10 years in state prison for orchestrating a Ponzi scheme with his wife and son, has been accused of violating federal court orders, federal prosecutors said.
Steven Palladino, 57, is being charged with 25 counts of criminal contempt, US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz’s office said today in a statement.
Palladino, along with his wife and son, operated a large Ponzi scheme for several years. They ran a loan company called Viking Financial Group Inc. from an office above an ice cream parlor the family owned on Centre Street.
The Palladinos offered high-interest investments to various friends, neighbors, and investors, and then used the money to pay for lavish vacations, dinners, cars, and other goods.
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They were all convicted in state court in January. His wife and son received lesser sentences.
Palladino also faced a civil lawsuit brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission in US District Court in Boston.
Federal prosecutors allege that, in that case, he violated court orders freezing his assets last year.
Among other things, he allegedly spent money, rather than depositing it, as ordered, into an escrow account established by the court, prosecutors said. He was charged April 10.