Judge [Robert D. Mariani] also noted the victim impact statement submitted to the court by Clarence Lamanna, Ed.D., the current executive director of the NEIU. The statement included the financial impact of Dr. [Fred Rosetti, Ed.D.]'s conduct, as well as the institutional and reputational damage created by the defendant. Witnesses in a trial could include 50 or more NEIU employees.

When Dr. Rosetti was indicted in February 2012, prosecutors said that if convicted of the most serious charges, he could have faced 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and the forfeiture of $240,000, the contents of two bank accounts and his Archbald home. Dr. Rosetti originally faced 13 counts of fraud, theft and money laundering. The plea agreement Judge Mariani rejected called for Dr. Rosetti to plead guilty on two counts: Count 1, mail fraud relating to a package delivered at NEIU expense; and Count 8, theft concerning programs receiving federal funds.

The plea came more than two years after Dr. Rosetti's retirement and a lengthy investigation by The Times-Tribune. When he retired in June 2010, Dr. Rosetti expected to receive a total of $623,000 - $143,000 in a retirement incentive and $480,000 in accrued sick and vacation days. The NEIU board later decided Dr. Rosetti was ineligible for the retirement incentive.