Luxury Cruise Ship Manager Sentenced for Stealing Over $2.4 Million

BOSTON—A former Duxbury man was sentenced today in federal court in connection with a scheme to defraud his former employer of millions of dollars from 2007 to 2009.

PETER VALIANDO, 53, formerly of Duxbury, was sentenced today by the Honorable Mark L. Wolf in United States District Court to 41 months’ imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine. VALIANDO had previously pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with wire fraud.

Beginning in March 2007, VALIANDO, who at the time was acting as the chief operating officer of Paul Gauguin Shipping Limited, set up secret bank accounts which were opened in names nearly identical to Paul Gauguin Shipping Limited. At that time, the company operated the Tahitian cruise ship The Paul Gauguin. After setting up the secret bank accounts, VALIANDO diverted payments from third parties intended for Paul Gauguin Shipping Limited into those accounts and took the money for his personal use. From 2007 to 2009, VALIANDO fraudulently diverted wire transfers totaling more than $2.4 million.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Division made the announcement today. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vassili Thomadakis of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.