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It Sucks Sharing A Name With Suspected Pervert

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Putnam County resident Robert Viggiano has not been having a good time recently: ever since his namesake, who lives in the same town as him, was arraigned on charges this week of attempted child rape, he hasn't been able to sleep. Viggiano, 48, runs Robert L. Viggiano Plumbing & Heating Inc. in Cold Springs; the other Viggiano, 47, is an electrician who owns Energy Services of New York, and is accused of trying to arrange sex with a 10-year-old girl. And its turning into a living nightmare: "It's had a bad effect on us. People calling up questioning, thinking it may have been me." said Viggiano.

His elusive double is impacting his life all over, even forcing Viggiano to explain the mess to his two children, and their school, so there won't be any confused. Viggiano also worries how it will affect his business: "We're just trying to get the word out and separate me from him and get my name back on track. I definitely feel it. I get a knot in my chest and feel like I have to correct myself. It just hasn't been good." Yonkers police arrested the other Viggiano after a sting in which an undercover officer posed as a junkie willing to sell her 10-year-old daughter; he was caught with $400 for the mother and a Starburst and lollipop for the little girl.

Viggiano does feel bad for the family of the other Viggiano, who also has children and a wife; the suspect's wife has even called Viggiano to apologize for all the inconveniences caused by the confusion. "I feel terrible for her and her kids. I'm getting a fraction of what's happening to them," he said.

Strangely, this was also almost the exact plot of an episode of "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia:"

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Comments [rss]

  • Even though it was a serious crime that had been planned, it's hard not to laugh at the Starburst and lollipop.

  • Rod

    it occurred to me as a boy that it's is super dumb to give our kids the same names as everyone else.

    the whole purpose of a name is to identify something.

    if you name 500 million things "robert", you're just asking for trouble.

    as if we need to give people one more opportunity to fuck shit up.

    how about the guy who was tortured and killed by the mob in queens by giuliani's mob detectives?

    he had the misfortune of being an innocent guy with the same name as the rat they were seeking.

    and all because americans can't be smarter like japanese (who don't use the same 10 names to name all their kids).

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