Rita Scarlata

Rita Scarlatais the main villainess from Conviction 's seventh episode, "A Simple Man."

She was played by Nola Martin.

Rita Scarlata is the wife of Vincent Scarlata, who ran his family's restaurant with his brothers Anthony and Leo. She noticed that Vincent was stressed due to working the restaurant, as well as his gambling debts, and with that, Rita devised an unlawful plan for financial gain. Knowing that Leo (who has an IQ of 74) habitually follows the chore charts to the letter, the evil Rita posted a different chart which instructed Leo to dump kitty litter into bin B instead of bin A; the latter bin being the correct one. Per Rita's villainous plan, Leo dumped the litter into bin B, which was the fryer, causing the restaurant to be set ablaze. The fire killed a homeless man and left Karl Wimer (a Good Samaritan who attempted to save the man) severely burned. Leo ended up arrested and convicted of intentionally setting the fire, and served 15 years in prison, while Rita callously covered up her true role as a villainess and arsonist.

Once Hayes Morrison and the CIU were on the case, Vincent was actually under suspicion for the fire, but after Hayes noticed a difference in the chore charts, she went to Leo in prison; revealing that he set the fire accidentally. Leo stated to Hayes that he always followed the rules and that Rita was in charge of posting the charts, which revealed Rita as the villainess. Rita (with Vincent at her side) was interrogated by Maxine Bohen in the episode's climax, and despite Vincent denying the claims against his wife, Rita confessed to everything. She voiced her displeasure over the restaurant keeping Vincent away from home, and stated that she masterminded the fire to get him out of debt, while Vincent blasted his wife for allowing Leo to rot in prison for 15 years for her crime. After Vincent left in anger, Rita was arrested (off-screen) for arson and murder.