NJ Man Convicted In $1.3M 'Mortgage Recovery' Scheme NJ Man Convicted In $1.3M 'Mortgage Recovery' Scheme
NJ Man Convicted In $1.3M 'Mortgage Recovery' Scheme A South Jersey man was convicted in federal court for his role in a scheme to defraud the IRS of more than $3 million. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Camden agreed that John Barry Jr., of Pemberton and accomplices in New York and elsewhere doctored tax returns that helped clients eliminate outstanding mortgage debts by claiming that a substantial amount of taxes had already been withheld. In exchange, Barry collected 20 to 35 percent of the refunds and split the money with his co-conspirators, federal prosecutors said. (Barry also didn’t file his own 2016 return or report any of his ill-…
More Stimulus Money Could Be On The Way, Feds Say More Stimulus Money Could Be On The Way, Feds Say
More Stimulus Money Could Be On The Way, Feds Say Haven’t received any federal stimulus checks yet? Well, now a fourth payment from the U.S. Treasury Department may arrive soon, federal officials say. Debate persists in the U.S. Congress and among other public officials over how many dollars will be spent and who will get the money, according to multiple news media reports. A couple dozen congressmen are pushing for new federal stimulus checks with a guarantee that the money will make it to Americans' bank accounts. Some lawmakers also are requesting that the federal government figures out ways to get the money to anyone without a bank…
Former Big-Time NJ Businessman Sent To Fed Pen For Payroll Scheme Former Big-Time NJ Businessman Sent To Fed Pen For Payroll Scheme
Former Big-Time NJ Businessman Sent To Fed Pen For Payroll Scheme A disgraced former up-and-coming New Jersey businessman who once tried to jump to his death from the George Washington Bridge is headed back behind bars. Jerry Carter Jr., 42, a self-described self-made millionaire was once touted as one of New Jersey’s “Top 40 Business People Under 40.’’ Then things went south. The Mercer County resident ended up spending more than two years behind bars on a tax evasion conviction after failing to report $1.8 million in income from a Hoboken payroll company he founded. Instead of staying straight following his release, Carter and two accomplices hatched a…
Jersey Shore Contractor Admits Ducking $609,668 In Employment, Personal Income Taxes Jersey Shore Contractor Admits Ducking $609,668 In Employment, Personal Income Taxes
Jersey Shore Contractor Admits Ducking $609,668 In Employment, Personal Income Taxes The owner of a Jersey Shore construction and demolition company admitted in federal court Wednesday that he ducked employment and personal income taxes. Peter Alvarez, 54, of Atlantic Highlands didn’t report income from clients’ checks that he cashed and then used, in part, to pay employees at Mr. Demo, a construction and demolition business that he owned and operated in Leonardo, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Rather than face a trial, Alvarez took a deal from federal prosecutors. In exchange for leniency, the Middletown native pleaded guilty to evading employment and person…
Feds: Passaic County Union Plan Admin Charged In Tax Evasion Kickback Scheme Feds: Passaic County Union Plan Admin Charged In Tax Evasion Kickback Scheme
Feds: Passaic County Union Plan Admin Charged In Tax Evasion Kickback Scheme A Passaic County man working as a union health plan administrator is facing federal charges for his role in a kickback tax evasion scheme, authorities said. Jose Santa Maria, aka “Joe,” of North Haledon, served as a plan admin through a health and training fund-related company that provided admin services to a labor union, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Between 2013 and 2019, he failed to report his $750,000 earned from "Company-1" to the IRS, and failed to pay the associated income taxes, court papers say. Santa Maria also paid $50,000 to an unnamed individual in or…
NJ Con Man Who Swindled Elderly Out Of $2M Headed To Fed Pen NJ Con Man Who Swindled Elderly Out Of $2M Headed To Fed Pen
NJ Con Man Who Swindled Elderly Out Of $2M Headed To Fed Pen A confessed Somerset County con man is headed to federal prison for 6½ years for swindling elderly investors out of $2 million that he used, in part, to pay for his daughter’s college tuition and sorority fees. For nearly a decade, ex-financial advisor Daniel Rivera, 51, told primarily elderly investors that his Robbins Lane Properties was “staffed by experienced real estate professionals, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Rivera promised a “guaranteed monthly income” thanks to a rate of return based on secure investments, she added. The truth, Honig said, was: “Robbins Lane had …
Jersey Shore Bookie Admits Running Own ‘Pick Six’ Lottery, Cash Prizes Topped $100,000 Jersey Shore Bookie Admits Running Own ‘Pick Six’ Lottery, Cash Prizes Topped $100,000
Jersey Shore Bookie Admits Running Own ‘Pick Six’ Lottery, Cash Prizes Topped $100,000 A Jersey Shore bookmaker admitted in federal court on Tuesday that he operated his own lottery game in Hudson County using the numbers from the New Jersey Lottery Pick Six to award winners. Up to 8,000 participants at a time selected six numbers from 1 to 49 at $20 a pop, Edward O’Neill, 54, told a U.S. District Court judge in Newark. The sole winner of the illegal lottery was whoever matched all six numbers selected in the official Pick Six drawing. Prizes often exceeded $100,000, said O’Neill, of Beachwood, who skimmed a 10% vig off the total bets. Like bookies of days past, O’Neill per…
IRS Roots Out $440M In Fraud In First Year Of Pandemic Assistance, Hunts For More IRS Roots Out $440M In Fraud In First Year Of Pandemic Assistance, Hunts For More
IRS Roots Out $440M In Fraud In First Year Of Pandemic Assistance, Hunts For More Along with the welcome relief brought by the federal Paycheck Protection Program have come scams, more than 350 of which are tax and money laundering crimes that have totaled $440 million over the past year, the IRS says. On what will be the one-year anniversary of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act this Saturday, the service’s top officials pledged to continue rooting out the wrongdoing. “As we continue to navigate through this pandemic, businesses and families continue to struggle through financial hardships,” said Michael Montanez, the special agent in charge o…
COVID-19: NJ Man, 51, Scammed $1.9 Million From Business Relief Funds, U.S. Attorney Says COVID-19: NJ Man, 51, Scammed $1.9 Million From Business Relief Funds, U.S. Attorney Says
Covid-19: NJ Man, 51, Scammed $1.9 Million From Business Relief Funds, U.S. Attorney Says A Sussex County man was arrested Thursday on accusations of having obtained nearly $2 million in fraudulent loans through the federal government’s COVID-19 business relief plan. John Jhong, of Sparta, applied for 10 fraudulent PPP loans for businesses of which he claimed to be an owner, manager and/or partner, according to a statement from New Jersey Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig. Jhong’s applications contained fraudulent statements and falsified records claiming to come from the IRS, authorities said. “In fact, according to IRS records, none of the tax documents Jhong submitted wi…
Bergen Businessman In Previous Coach-Stalking Case Charged With Tax Evasion Bergen Businessman In Previous Coach-Stalking Case Charged With Tax Evasion
Bergen Businessman In Previous Coach-Stalking Case Charged With Tax Evasion A once-renowned Bergen County businessman who has had more than his share of publicized predicaments is now in hot water with the IRS. David Kushner, a 55-year-old real-estate investor and property manager from of Cresskill, ducked hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal income taxes without even getting creative, the government alleges. He simply “deposited payments and income from the businesses and elsewhere into the accounts and then used most of the funds for personal expenses,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Kushner also “failed to file any income tax returns, faile…
SCAM ALERT: Don't Let Sketchy Tax Preparer Rip You Off, IRS Warns SCAM ALERT: Don't Let Sketchy Tax Preparer Rip You Off, IRS Warns
Scam ALERT: Don't Let Sketchy Tax Preparer Rip You Off, IRS Warns The IRS began accepting and processing 2020 tax year returns on Friday -- with a warning. Although most tax preparers deliver honest and professional service, “there’s a small number of dishonest preparers who set up shop during filing season to steal money and personal and financial information from clients,” said Michael Montanez, the special agent in charges of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Newark Field Office. Look no further than the results of some his squad’s year-round investigative work. The most recent example is Joseph Kenny Batts, a tax preparer in New Jersey who was sentence…
NJ Tax Preparer Gets 5 Years In Fed Pen For $1.6M IRS Scam NJ Tax Preparer Gets 5 Years In Fed Pen For $1.6M IRS Scam
NJ Tax Preparer Gets 5 Years In Fed Pen For $1.6M IRS Scam A twice-convicted tax preparer who helped New Jersey clients scam the IRS out of $1.6 million is headed to federal prison for the next five years. Joseph Kenny Batts, 52, of Elkridge, MD became the third of five men sentenced for preparing bogus tax returns at Tax Pro’s and Tax Solutions & Associates in Essex and Union counties. Batts, who already had a federal tax fraud conviction on his record, was the only one of the group to go to trial. U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp convicted him of conspiracy to defraud the United States, as well as five counts of aiding in preparing fals…