Former Sewickley Internet Entrepreneur Pleads Guilty

A former Sewickley man and Internet entrepreneur on Tuesday pleaded guilty in federal court to lying to government officials, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Pittsburgh.

Mark Juliano, 51, formerly of Orchard Place in Sewickley, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Alan N. Bloch in Pittsburgh to one count of making false statements to the United States government. Juliano’s current address is listed as Mayville, N.Y.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Juliano made a fraudulent claim to the   government when he submitted an application in 2010 for a new passport, in which he claimed he lost his old passport. That effort to get a new passport came after Juliano was charged last year in federal court with cyber-stalking his ex-wife, who had obtained a protection-from-abuse order against him.

In August, according to a criminal affidavit, Juliano sent a number of emails to his ex-wife threatening to take their children out of the country. She has full custody of the children under orders from the Allegheny County Court Family Division, and Juliano is permitted to visit the children only when supervised by an Allegheny County deputy, according to court documents.

Edgeworth Police initially filed charges against him, but those charges later were withdrawn. Instead, the case moved to federal court after investigators learned some of the emails were sent from New York. 

In the emails Juliano referred to leaving the country and possibly going to Italy or Canada. He turned in his passport, according to court officials, but then tried to get a replacement under false pretenses. The FBI conducted the investigation that led to Juliano’s prosecution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

A multimillionaire Internet entrepreneur, Juliano was an executive at the networking firm Fore Systems, and helped to found local start-ups.

Juliano is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on Aug. 25. He could face five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.