2 men are sentenced for running bogus 9/11 charity

     An undated photo of lower Manhattan Island, with the World Trade Center and World Financial center prominent in center.(Ed Bailey/AP Photo, file)

    An undated photo of lower Manhattan Island, with the World Trade Center and World Financial center prominent in center.(Ed Bailey/AP Photo, file)

    A judge in New Jersey has sentenced two men for operating a bogus 9/11 charity in which they sold T-shirts with the logos of the New York City police and fire departments out of a custom-painted pickup truck.

    The judge ordered 67-year-old Mark Niemczyk of Tinton Falls to serve five years of probation. And 42-year-old Thomas Scalgione of Manahawkin was sentenced to six months in county jail for violating parole and one year of probation.

    The men had pleaded guilty earlier this year to theft by deception.

    Prosecutors say the men falsely claimed the proceeds from the sales would benefit the families of 9/11 victims.

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    As a condition of probation, the men must pay more than $120,000 in fines and investigative costs.

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