The Delaware Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a former New Jersey mayor serving 25 years in prison for repeatedly raping and molesting a young girl at his Delaware home.
The court rejected the appeal of 72-year-old Matthew Scannapieco late last week.
Scannapieco argued that a judge erred in allowing the victim's stepfather to make an impact statement at his sentencing.
Scannapieco, who was mayor of Marlboro Township from 1992 until 2003, was arrested in 2014 and charged with multiple counts of first-degree rape and other crimes. He pleaded guilty to single counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child, second-degree rape, and unlawful sexual contact.
Authorities said Scannapieco molested the girl over a three-year period while awaiting sentencing in federal court for tax evasion and accepting bribes.
