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Steve Sabba, 61, of Yorktown Heights, and his company, Tax Pro Financial Network, Inc. was sentenced after pleading guilty in February to multiple charges of criminal tax fraud, felonies.
Sabba has been sentenced to five years’ probation, during which he will be monitored by an authorized tax professional in the preparation of tax returns. He’s also made restitution of $25,270 to the IRS, $7,717 of which will be paid to Synchrony Bank.
Tax Pro was sentenced to a three-year conditional discharge.
According to Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr., Sabba defrauded the state from February 2012 through March last year. Sabba sold a tax preparation business in 2009, and subsequently failed to report the income from the sale in the following years.
Scarpino said that Sabba “evaded personal and corporate income tax by using credit cards in the name of a former employee to avoid detection by authorities. “
Sabba used corporate accounts to pay the bills on the fraudulent cards, failing to report the income he used to pay those bills, and did not pay taxes on the income. He was arrested on March 8, 2016 by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. He was indicted on multiple charges on Monday.
Scarpino noted that Sabba previously was convicted of tax fraud in 2009, when he pleaded guilty to filing a false state personal tax return.
“The flagrant nature of the scheme alleged in this indictment—a deliberate attempt to conceal income and use the stolen identities of unsuspecting clients for personal gain—is especially disturbing given the defendant’s previous conviction for tax fraud,” acting New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Nonie Manion stated.
“Anyone who steals money from the State of New York, steals money from all of us,” Scarpino added. “We are proud of our collaboration with New York State Department of Taxation and Finance in bringing to light this serious ongoing tax fraud and we will prosecute the perpetrator to the fullest to see justice done for the residents of Westchester and New York State.”
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