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:"
