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Dennis Veteri sentenced to house arrest, probation for Winter Classic assault

The man who attacked an opposing fan after the 2012 Winter Classic in Philadelphia has finally been sentenced.

Dennis Veteri pled guilty in August to aggravated and simple assault and conspiracy for attacking Neal Auricchio outside of Geno's Steaks. He was free on $250,000 bail after a hearing in March until his sentencing on Friday.

A Common Pleas court sentenced Veteri to 11 and 1/2 to 23 months of house arrest which will be followed by five years of probation. As part of the sentence, Veteri will need to move from South Jersey to Philadelphia and can only leave his home for work and to attend drug and alcohol treatment classes. He'll also wear an ankle monitor.

From the Inquirer:

Assistant District Attorney Francis McCloskey had asked that Veteri be sentenced to 1 1/2to 4 years in prison, while defense attorney Michael DeFino asked for house arrest.

"He's a good man who had a bad day. He's going to have to pay for this for the next seven years because his liberty is totally restricted," said DeFino.

Auricchio suffered a fractured bone in his face and was knocked unconscious from the assault.

UPDATE: Here is a statement emailed to Puck Daddy from Neal Auricchio, Sr.:

"I'm very disappointed with the criminal justice system in Philadelphia. Compelling evidence (see video) exists that made this case a slam dunk and the repeat offender/convicted felon got nothing more than a slap on the wrist. What does it take to get any amount of jail time in that city, a capital offense conviction! The verdict was a travesty of justice."

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy