Fair 52°
News
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…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
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…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Business
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…

SHARE

by Valerie Musson
News
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…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
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…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
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…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
PA Residents Who Use Tax Prep Companies Could See Delayed Stimulus Checks PA Residents Who Use Tax Prep Companies Could See Delayed Stimulus Checks
PA Residents Who Use Tax Prep Companies Could See Delayed Stimulus Checks Pennsylvania residents who use tax preparation companies to file taxes might have to wait a little longer for their stimulus checks, state officials said. Tax preparation companies, like H&R Block and Intuit, use temporary bank accounts when they assist with filing tax returns, Attorney General Josh Shapiro explained. Unfortunately, the IRS used that information to issue stimulus checks, and therefore, some of the checks have been held up. "If you’re eligible for a stimulus check and haven’t received one, you can call the IRS or visit their website to file a complaint," Shapiro said. …

SHARE

by Nicole Acosta
News
IRS Warns Of Brand-New Wave Of Scams Tied To Stimulus Checks, COVID-19 IRS Warns Of Brand-New Wave Of Scams Tied To Stimulus Checks, COVID-19
IRS Warns Of Brand-New Wave Of Scams Tied To Stimulus Checks, Covid-19 ALERT: No sooner did the second round of stimulus checks start going out than a new wave of scams began, authorities said. With COVID-19 still rampant and tax filing season near, thieves have been busy tricking honest Americans out of their hard-earned money, warned Michael Montanez, the special agent in charge of the IRS – Criminal Investigation Field Office in Newark. Aiming to protect them, Montanez assembled information to help New Jersey taxpayers protect their finances and not “fall victim to criminals looking to take advantage of them.” Look out for: Text messages asking taxpayers…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Track Your Stimulus Payment With This Tool (If You're Patient) Track Your Stimulus Payment With This Tool (If You're Patient)
Track Your Stimulus Payment With This Tool (If You're Patient) The IRS doesn’t want you calling to ask about your second stimulus payment, so the agency has created a “Get My Payment" tool. But here's the thing: There's a wait. The online aid is designed to let eligible taxpayers know whether or not your second stimulus payment is on the way. It also tells you whether your first payment was directly deposited or mailed in a check or debit card in advance of the official Jan. 4 (Monday) payment date. GO TO: Get My Payment (IRS) There's a catch, though: It might take you awhile to get in. Also, keep in mind: The IRS said the data is updated once daily…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Clifton Trader Sent To Federal Prison For $17 Million Market Manipulation Scheme Clifton Trader Sent To Federal Prison For $17 Million Market Manipulation Scheme
Clifton Trader Sent To Federal Prison For $17 Million Market Manipulation Scheme A securities trader from Clifton was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in federal prison for orchestrating a market manipulation scheme that netted him and others more than $17 million, authorities said. Joseph Taub, 41, must serve the entire term because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez also sentenced Taub via teleconference from Newark to one year of supervised release, while ordering him to forfeit $17.1 million and pay restitution of $394,424 to the IRS. The Department of Justice also has reached a settlement of a civil forfeiture ca…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
NYC Restaurant Owner Who Ducked Taxes, Bought Luxury Cars And More Gets 2 Years In Fed Pen NYC Restaurant Owner Who Ducked Taxes, Bought Luxury Cars And More Gets 2 Years In Fed Pen
NYC Restaurant Owner Who Ducked Taxes, Bought Luxury Cars And More Gets 2 Years In Fed Pen A New York City restaurateur must spend the next two years in federal prison for evading $771,195 in taxes. Adel Kellel, 63, of New Hyde Park, “cooked his books to conceal income” from state and federal authorities that was generated by Raffles Bistro in the Lexington Hotel in East Midtown, Acting Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said following his sentencing in downtown Manhattan. He used the diverted money to buy vehicles from Mercedes, Porsche and Maserati, to patronize luxury retailers such as Hugo Boss and Saks Fifth Avenue, to travel domestically and interna…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJ COVID-19 Scammer Pocketed $1.8M In Taxpayer-Funded Rescue Loans, Feds Charge NJ COVID-19 Scammer Pocketed $1.8M In Taxpayer-Funded Rescue Loans, Feds Charge
NJ Covid-19 Scammer Pocketed $1.8M In Taxpayer-Funded Rescue Loans, Feds Charge A North Jersey businessman fraudulently secured nearly $2 million in federal COVID-19 pandemic loans he wasn't entitled to, then diverted the money into accounts held by family members, including his young children, federal authorities charged. Rocco A. Malanga, 48, of Hackettstown, “used a variety of false statements to fraudulently obtain approximately $1.8 million in federal COVID-19 emergency relief funds meant for distressed small businesses,” U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said Thursday. He then diverted the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) money to “accounts under the control of his …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco