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Tax Fraud

Swampscott IRS Agent Busted Filing Fake Tax Returns: Feds Swampscott IRS Agent Busted Filing Fake Tax Returns: Feds
Swampscott IRS Agent Busted Filing Fake Tax Returns: Feds The only certainty in life is death and taxes, but that doesn't stop people from trying to cheat them. A Swampscott woman hired to stop tax cheats is now accused of being one herself, police said.  Ndeye Amy Thioub, 67, was indicted on Wednesday, April 17, on three counts of filing false tax returns and three counts of filing false tax returns as an employee of the United States, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.  Thioub joined the IRS in 2006 and worked as an investigative auditor. Put simply it was her job to root out anyone who didn't give the government its due.&nbs…
$100M Scheme: Cortlandt Manor Man Known As 'Magician' Nabbed In One Of Largest Ever Frauds $100M Scheme: Cortlandt Manor Man Known As 'Magician' Nabbed In One Of Largest Ever Frauds
$100M Scheme: Cortlandt Manor Man Known As 'Magician' Nabbed In One Of Largest Ever Frauds A New York man known as "the Magician" has been charged in connection with one of the largest-ever tax fraud schemes by a tax preparer, federal officials announced. Northern Westchester County resident Rafael Alvarez, of Cortlandt Manor, has been charged in connection with a $100 million tax fraud scheme involving tens of thousands of federal individual income tax returns with false information, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Monday, April 15.  According to federal officials, from 2010 to 2020, Alvarez, also known as "the Magi…
Bronx Tax Preparer 'The Magician' Busted By IRS In Record $100M Fraud Bronx Tax Preparer 'The Magician' Busted By IRS In Record $100M Fraud
Bronx Tax Preparer 'The Magician' Busted By IRS In Record $100M Fraud A Bronx tax preparer known as "The Magician" was arrested by IRS agents for a $100 million tax fraud that federal authorities said was one of the largest ripoffs of its kind. Rafael Alvarez, 60, submitted thousands of bogus tax returns over a 10-year period, Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. It was one of the single biggest tax ripoffs by a single tax preparer in history, federal authorities announced on "Tax Day" Monday, April 15. And it allowed Alvarez to pull in $15 million in revenue in just three years, Williams said. It also won Alvarez his sleight-of…
Tax Advisor Failed To Pay His Own Taxes In Middlesex County: Prosecutor Tax Advisor Failed To Pay His Own Taxes In Middlesex County: Prosecutor
Tax Advisor Failed To Pay His Own Taxes In Middlesex County: Prosecutor A judge has ordered a longtime tax preparer to stop doing anyone's taxes after discrepancies were identified in those returns, authorities said. He also failed to file one of his own tax returns, they said. Jerry R. Jones, 82, of Monroe had a five-year state prison sentenced suspended on Friday, March 1 assuming he follows the court's order, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone, Chief Griffin M. Banos of the Monroe Township Police Department, and the New Jersey Department of Treasury, Division of Taxation’s Office of Criminal Investigation. Jones agreed t…
Over $955K Scheme: Former Office Manager From Cheshire Gets Years In Prison For Embezzlement Over $955K Scheme: Former Office Manager From Cheshire Gets Years In Prison For Embezzlement
Over $955K Scheme: Former Office Manager From Cheshire Gets Years In Prison For Embezzlement A 53-year-old former office manager from Connecticut will spend years in prison for embezzling nearly $956,000 from the family-owned construction business she worked for, officials announced. New Haven County resident Erin Sullivan of Cheshire, age 53, was sentenced on Wednesday, Feb. 21 to 24 months in prison for her embezzlement scheme and tax fraud, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced. According to federal officials, Sullivan was employed as the office manager for the Orange-based construction business she worked for. Beginning at least as early as 2016, Su…
South Philly Cheesesteak Proprietors Get Prison Time For Tax Scheme, Feds Say South Philly Cheesesteak Proprietors Get Prison Time For Tax Scheme, Feds Say
South Philly Cheesesteak Proprietors Get Prison Time For Tax Scheme, Feds Say A father-son pair of cheesesteak shop owners were sentenced to prison last week for hiding $8 million in revenue from tax collectors, say federal prosecutors.  Nicholas Lucidonio, 57, and Anthony Lucidonio Sr., 84, the proprietors of Tony Luke's in South Philadelphia, will each spend 20 months behind bars, said the Justice Department in a release.  The Lucidonios, of New Jersey, carried out a "decade-long conspiracy to defraud the IRS" from 2006 to 2016, prosecutors said. The pair only deposited a portion of their earnings into the business's bank accounts and gave "inco…
Merrick Business Owner Sentenced For Hiding Income, 'Off-Books' Payrolls, More Merrick Business Owner Sentenced For Hiding Income, 'Off-Books' Payrolls, More
Merrick Business Owner Sentenced For Hiding Income, 'Off-Books' Payrolls, More A Long Island woman must pay hundreds of thousands of dollars of restitution and spend over two years behind bars after she filed false tax returns, hid money from the government, and more, officials said. Lorraine Pilitz, age 65 of Merrick, received her 33-month sentence and orders for restitution on Friday, Jan. 19, the United States Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York announced. Pilitz was the owner and operator of several car-related businesses on Long Island at the time of the crimes, which happened between 2011 and 2013, the USAO said. The IRS requires that financial in…
$600K Fraud: Norwich Tax Preparer Gets Prison Time For Including Fake Expenses In Returns $600K Fraud: Norwich Tax Preparer Gets Prison Time For Including Fake Expenses In Returns
$600K Fraud: Norwich Tax Preparer Gets Prison Time For Including Fake Expenses In Returns A Connecticut man will spend years in prison for including false expenses on income tax returns for clients, federal officials announced.  David Etienne, a 49-year-old New London County tax return preparer based in Norwich, was sentenced to two years in prison on Wednesday, Jan. 17 for a tax fraud offense, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced.  According to federal officials, Etienne worked through several businesses, including Los Maestros Inc., Los Maestros Group, Tax Experts USA, and Tax Experts USA Inc. Between the 2012 and 2021 tax…
Illegal Oxy Distribution, Fake Tax Returns: Cedarhurst Man Sentenced For Scheme Illegal Oxy Distribution, Fake Tax Returns: Cedarhurst Man Sentenced For Scheme
Illegal Oxy Distribution, Fake Tax Returns: Cedarhurst Man Sentenced For Scheme A Long Island man will spend years behind bars for filling fraudulent oxycodone prescriptions for cash at his pharmacy, leading to the overdose of at least one person. Daniel E. Russo, age 44 of Cedarhurst, was sentenced to 60 months in prison on Wednesday, Nov. 29 for a handful of charges related to a scheme he ran at his Queens pharmacy for years, the US Attorney’s Eastern District of New York (EDNY) announced. Russo, who was the owner and operator of Russo’s Pharmacy in Far Rockaway, Queens, conspired with medical professionals and employees alike to fill hundreds of fake oxycodone pre…
Family Ran Multimillion-Dollar Cathouse At Sayreville Strip Club, New Indictment Alleges Family Ran Multimillion-Dollar Cathouse At Sayreville Strip Club, New Indictment Alleges
Family Ran Multimillion-Dollar Cathouse At Sayreville Strip Club, New Indictment Alleges UPDATE: A fierce battle between a Middlesex County family and authorities who've charged them with operating a wildly lucrative whorehouse masquerading as a strip club intensified with a new round of charges. The owners of Club XXXV on Route 35 in Sayreville used “various illegal means to turn their club into a multimillion-dollar racket (that) doubled as a house of prostitution,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said a superseding indictment returned by a grand jury in Trenton alleges. More than $10 million in proceeds from the business “moved through numerous bank accounts c…
Wilton Contractor Admits To Tax Offense: Provided False Invoices To IRS Wilton Contractor Admits To Tax Offense: Provided False Invoices To IRS
Wilton Contractor Admits To Tax Offense: Provided False Invoices To IRS A contractor from Fairfield County faces prison time after admitting to providing fabricated invoices and letters to the Internal Revenue Service, federal officials announced.  Wilton resident David Anspach, age 67, pleaded guilty to a tax offense in Hartford federal court on Wednesday, Nov. 15, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced.  According to federal officials, Anspach operates a construction and remodeling business. As a result of a civil audit of Anspach's 2013 tax return, the IRS found that his business receipts were un…
Stafford Man Gets Prison Time For Tax Evasion: Ordered To Pay Over $160K To IRS Stafford Man Gets Prison Time For Tax Evasion: Ordered To Pay Over $160K To IRS
Stafford Man Gets Prison Time For Tax Evasion: Ordered To Pay Over $160K To IRS A 61-year-old Connecticut man will spend time in prison for filing a false tax return and providing false documentation to an Internal Revenue Service attorney, federal officials announced.  Tolland County resident David Kamal, age 61, of Stafford, was sentenced on Monday, Sept. 11 to eight months in prison for tax evasion, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced.  Earlier Report - CT Man Charged With Tax Fraud, Obstruction, ID Theft Offenses According to federal officials, Kamal, a former Hebron resident, purposefully evaded taxes for the 2012 tax…
$2M Scheme: 6 Steal Property Deeds, Obtain Fraudulent Loans In New Rochelle, Yonkers, DA Says $2M Scheme: 6 Steal Property Deeds, Obtain Fraudulent Loans In New Rochelle, Yonkers, DA Says
$2M Scheme: 6 Steal Property Deeds, Obtain Fraudulent Loans In New Rochelle, Yonkers, DA Says Six people, including a licensed real estate broker and salesperson, and a corporation, have been charged with defrauding homeowners in Westchester and fraudulently obtaining $2 million in loans by stealing property deeds, DA officials said.  The six defendants involved in the scheme, including three Westchester residents and a Long Island man, were arrested and arraigned in late June for their role in a scheme that allegedly defrauded homeowners in Yonkers and New Rochelle, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office announced on Monday, July 3.  According to officials, the…
$2M Federal Tax Fraud Scheme: Bloomfield Restaurant Closes After Owner's Sentencing $2M Federal Tax Fraud Scheme: Bloomfield Restaurant Closes After Owner's Sentencing
$2M Federal Tax Fraud Scheme: Bloomfield Restaurant Closes After Owner's Sentencing A popular Connecticut restaurant has closed months after its part-owner's sentencing in a $2 million tax fraud scheme. Hartford County staple Ginza Japanese Restaurant posted on the door of its Wintonbury Mall hibachi location in Bloomfield that Friday, June 30 was its last day in business. The eatery cited an ending lease for its closure and thanked customers for their support through the years. Federal prosecutors say Ginza's part-owner, William Chen, and others who worked at Ginza and various area restaurants, deleted cash transactions to reduce the gross receipts and the amou…
$135K Spent At Strip Clubs: Westchester Government Contractor Admits Hiding Expenses $135K Spent At Strip Clubs: Westchester Government Contractor Admits Hiding Expenses
$135K Spent At Strip Clubs: Westchester Government Contractor Admits Hiding Expenses A Westchester County government contractor and its manager from Fairfield County have admitted to trying to hide tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money spent at strip clubs.  City Carting of Westchester, Inc. and its manager, 37-year-old Christopher Oxer of Darien, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, June 6 to submitting false financial records that hid more than $100,000 in company money that was spent at strip clubs, according to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.  According to the DA's Office, City Carting held an annual $20 million contract with the county …
Out-Of-State Tax Preparer Set Up Shop In Norwich To File False Returns Out-Of-State Tax Preparer Set Up Shop In Norwich To File False Returns
Out-Of-State Tax Preparer Set Up Shop In Norwich To File False Returns A Florida tax preparer who flew to Connecticut every year to work on people's federal returns will spend next year's tax season behind bars, authorities said on Tuesday, May 30.  Keyante Paul, age 34, was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison after she pleaded guilty in February to aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false income tax return, the US Attorney for Connecticut said. Paul ran Keys Tax Services and would set up shop in the New London County town of Norwich each year to prepare tax returns for clients that included false "adjustments," which reduced what the …
$1M Fraud: Business Owner From Woodstock Gets Prison Time $1M Fraud: Business Owner From Woodstock Gets Prison Time
$1M Fraud: Business Owner From Woodstock Gets Prison Time A Massachusetts business owner from northern Connecticut will spend time in prison for tax fraud after failing to report just under $1 million in income for several years, federal officials said.  Windham County resident Mariusz Kalinowski, age 48, of Woodstock, was sentenced to seven months in prison on Wednesday, April 26 for tax fraud, according to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut.  According to federal officials, Kalinowski is the owner of Webster, Massachusetts-based Kalinowski General Construction, Inc., in Worcester County, which provides&n…
Tax Fraud: West Hempstead Businesswoman Owed $49K In Unpaid Taxes, DA Says Tax Fraud: West Hempstead Businesswoman Owed $49K In Unpaid Taxes, DA Says
Tax Fraud: West Hempstead Businesswoman Owed $49K In Unpaid Taxes, DA Says A Long Island businesswoman who once made six figures could spend more than six years in prison for tax fraud, authorities said. West Hempstead resident Cynthia Ciaccio, age 62, was arraigned in Nassau County Court on Tuesday, April 4, for allegedly failing to pay over $49,000 in personal income taxes. Ciaccio was the vice president and COO of office product retailer Weeks Lerman at the time, according to her LinkedIn profile.  Nassau County prosecutors allege that she failed to file New York State personal income tax returns from 2017 through 2020. During that time, Ciaccio had a…
IRS Bags Hundreds Of Tax Cheats, Money Launderers As COVID Relief Fraud Tops $3.2 Billion IRS Bags Hundreds Of Tax Cheats, Money Launderers As COVID Relief Fraud Tops $3.2 Billion
IRS Bags Hundreds Of Tax Cheats, Money Launderers As COVID Relief Fraud Tops $3.2 Billion It wasn't long after the government began offering COVID relief loans three years ago that IRS investigators were hot on the tails of scammers. Since then, agents with IRS Criminal Investigation have pursued 975 tax and money-laundering cases nationwide involving $3.2 billion worth of fraudulently obtained loans, credits and payments meant to help American workers, families, and small businesses who were rocked by the pandemic. Over that time, IRS-CI has kept its conviction rate at nearly 100%, federal authorities say. It has produced indictments against 458 defendants, …
Norwich Tax Preparer Helped Falsify Dozens Of Clients' Returns: Feds Norwich Tax Preparer Helped Falsify Dozens Of Clients' Returns: Feds
Norwich Tax Preparer Helped Falsify Dozens Of Clients' Returns: Feds A Connecticut tax preparer is out on bond after a federal court charged him with more than two dozen counts of helping his client falsify tax returns over several years, authorities announced on Tuesday, Jan. 31.  David Etienne, age 48, pleaded not guilty to 25 counts of tax fraud on Monday and was released on a $100,000 bond, the US Attorney for Connecticut announced.  From 2015 through 2019, Etienne ran tax preparation services at Los Maestros Inc, Los Maestros Group, Tax Experts USA, and Tax Experts USA Inc. Prosecutors alleged he helped clients prepare numerous federal ta…
Repeat Watertown Lottery Winners Not So Lucky In Federal Court: DOJ Repeat Watertown Lottery Winners Not So Lucky In Federal Court: DOJ
Repeat Watertown Lottery Winners Not So Lucky In Federal Court: DOJ There was no one quite as lucky as the Jaaffar family of Watertown. The father and his two sons cashed in more than 14,000 winning lottery tickets to the tune of $21 million in prize money to make them some of the state's biggest winners every year for nearly a decade. And what was their unbeatable system?  They cheated, a federal court ruled.  Ali Jaafar, 63, and Yousef Jaafar, 29, were found guilty on Friday, Dec. 9, of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and of filing a false tax return, the US Attorney for Massachuset…
Jury Finds Trump Organization Guilty On All Counts In NY Tax Fraud Case Jury Finds Trump Organization Guilty On All Counts In NY Tax Fraud Case
Jury Finds Trump Organization Guilty On All Counts In NY Tax Fraud Case A New York jury has found former President Donald Trump’s company guilty of all charges in a tax fraud scheme that prosecutors said spanned more than a decade. Jurors deliberated for just over a day before finding the Trump Organization guilty on 17 counts, including criminal tax fraud, conspiracy, and falsifying business records, in State Supreme Court in Manhattan Tuesday, Dec. 6. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the scheme was orchestrated by “high managerial agents”, including chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg and controller Jeffrey McConney. BREAKING: For the …
NJ Tax Preparer Admits Helping Dozens Of Clients Cheat IRS Out Of $500,000 NJ Tax Preparer Admits Helping Dozens Of Clients Cheat IRS Out Of $500,000
NJ Tax Preparer Admits Helping Dozens Of Clients Cheat IRS Out Of $500,000 A Union County tax preparer admitted that she helped dozens of clients cheat the government out of nearly a half-million dollars, federal authorities said. Nehemie Leon, of Roselle, worked for Preferred Tax Choice in Irvington, records show. While there, Leon admitted in court, she “fabricated and inflated” certain tax credits, itemized deductions, expenses, and exemptions for a host of clients, said Tammy Tomlins, the acting special agent in charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Newark Field Office. Altogether, Leon prepared more than 100 individual returns for 31 clients, Tomlins said. …
Doctor From Watervliet Sentenced for Filing False Tax Returns, Ordered To Pay $245,212 Doctor From Watervliet Sentenced for Filing False Tax Returns, Ordered To Pay $245,212
Doctor From Watervliet Sentenced for Filing False Tax Returns, Ordered To Pay $245,212 A New York doctor will avoid prison after admitting that he filed false tax returns. Albany County resident Ehab Kodsi, age 56, of Watervliet, was sentenced to pay $245,212 in restitution and pay an additional $25,000 fine Thursday, Nov. 3, in federal court in Albany. The sentence followed Kodsi’s guilty plea to filing a false tax return and admission that he deliberately underreported revenue from both his pain management company in Queensbury, in Warren County, and his real estate company between 2015 and 2018. He was also accused of improperly deducting personal and business expenses.…
Central Valley Father-Son Owners Of Orange County Car Dealership Sentenced For Fraud Central Valley Father-Son Owners Of Orange County Car Dealership Sentenced For Fraud
Central Valley Father-Son Owners Of Orange County Car Dealership Sentenced For Fraud A father and son who own a Hudson Valley car dealership are heading to federal prison for their role in a multimillion-dollar tax and bank fraud scheme. Orange County residents Mehdi and Saaed Moslem, owners of the Exclusive Motor Sports dealership in Central Valley, were sentenced to eight years and three years in prison, respectively, in federal court in White Plains Monday, Oct. 17. Earlier Report: Father/Son Owners Of Area Auto Dealership Charged With Tax, Bank Fraud The pair was previously found guilty of defrauding their lenders and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) following …
Woman Who Owns Danbury Grocery Store Sentenced For $400K Tax Offense Woman Who Owns Danbury Grocery Store Sentenced For $400K Tax Offense
Woman Who Owns Danbury Grocery Store Sentenced For $400K Tax Offense An owner of a Fairfield County grocery store was sentenced for a tax fraud offense that caused the IRS a loss of more than $400,000. Lizbel Sanchez, of Brookfield, was sentenced on Tuesday, Oct. 18, to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $400,000 fine, according to Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut. Sanchez pleaded guilty on April 14 to one count of willful failure to collect or pay over taxes, Avery reported. Earlier report - Woman Who Operates A C-Town In Danbury Admits To Failure To Pay Taxes Sanchez is a minority owner…
Employee At Port Washington Pharmaceutical Company Admits To Embezzling $1.38M, Tax Fraud Employee At Port Washington Pharmaceutical Company Admits To Embezzling $1.38M, Tax Fraud
Employee At Port Washington Pharmaceutical Company Admits To Embezzling $1.38M, Tax Fraud A former employee at a New York pharmaceutical company has admitted to embezzling nearly $1.5 million and committing tax fraud. Long Island resident Maria Porras, age 32, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of grand larceny and tax fraud Friday, Sept. 30, in Nassau County court. Prosecutors said Porras worked as an officer manager at RxUSA in Port Washington, where her duties gave her access to the company’s bookkeeping system. Over a five-year period between 2015 and 2019, she generated checks written from RxUSA’s account and from the accounts of two other affiliated companies, Eveready Wh…
Swampscott Man Who Ripped Off Congolese Immigrants In Boston Headed To Jail: Prosecutor Swampscott Man Who Ripped Off Congolese Immigrants In Boston Headed To Jail: Prosecutor
Swampscott Man Who Ripped Off Congolese Immigrants In Boston Headed To Jail: Prosecutor A Swampscott man will spend more than two years in jail after he pleaded guilty to ripping off after a court found that he had ripped off Congolese immigrants in Boston, authorities said. He must also repay what he reportedly stole.  Boris Shadari, 46, pleaded guilty to a slew of fraud charges earlier this year, the Department of Justice said. A judge sentenced him on Tuesday, Aug. 2, to 30 months in prison. He must also repay $496,082, prosecutors said. His co-conspirator Christian Zynga, a former bank manager, pleaded guilty to the scheme as well.   The U.S. Attorney a…
Fraudster Resentenced For Stealing IDs Of Hundreds Of Victims In $2.2M Scheme In Maryland Fraudster Resentenced For Stealing IDs Of Hundreds Of Victims In $2.2M Scheme In Maryland
Fraudster Resentenced For Stealing IDs Of Hundreds Of Victims In $2.2M Scheme In Maryland A Columbia man has been sentenced to 126 months in federal prison after two separate schemes to obtain fraudulent tax refunds, authorities say. Toyosi Alatishe, also known as "Felix Victor Johnson", 51, was re-sentenced Tuesday, July 12, after he appealed his 2019 conviction and sentencing. The new sentence reduced the original by six months, and rejected a request for time served. From 2012 to 2013, Alatishe misused his position as a caretaker for residents of a group home for individuals suffering from severe mental and physical disabilities, and used their information to file fraudulent …
Naugatuck Woman Who Prepared Taxes Sentenced For Filing False Returns Naugatuck Woman Who Prepared Taxes Sentenced For Filing False Returns
Naugatuck Woman Who Prepared Taxes Sentenced For Filing False Returns A woman from Connecticut whose business prepared tax returns for thousands of people will spend time behind bars and pay more than $500,000 in restitution for filing false returns, federal authorities announced. New Haven County resident Ana Nunez, also known as Ana Pagoda, age 51, of Naugatuck, was sentenced in Hartford to 36 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for filing false tax returns for clients of her tax preparation service. US Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery said that between 2011 and 2016, Nunez owned and operated Nunez MultiServices, a tax return prepa…
Owners Of Popular Philly Cheesesteak Joint Plead Guilty In Tax Fraud Scheme Owners Of Popular Philly Cheesesteak Joint Plead Guilty In Tax Fraud Scheme
Owners Of Popular Philly Cheesesteak Joint Plead Guilty In Tax Fraud Scheme The owners of a popular Philadelphia cheesesteak joint pleaded guilty Monday, May 9 to federal charges in a tax fraud scheme, authorities said. Anthony Lucidonio, Sr., 84, of Philadelphia, and Nicholas Lucidonio, 56, of New Jersey, the owners of Tony Luke’s on Oregon Avenue were accused of hiding more than $8 million from the IRS for around a decade, according to the US Attorney's Office. Federal prosecutors say the father-son duo did this by paying their employees in cash to avoid withholding payroll taxes between 2006 and 2016. The pair were indicted in 2020. The pros…