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Police & Fire
Harrison Names Fourth Police Chief In Four Years Harrison Names Fourth Police Chief In Four Years
Harrison Names Fourth Police Chief In Four Years There’s a new sheriff in town. For the fourth time in four years, the Town of Harrison has appointed a new police chief, this time turning to a familiar face to fill the shoes of Joseph Yasinski, who retired in October. Harrison Police Lt. John Vasta, who has been with the Harrison Police Department for more than two decades, will officially take over as chief of police after serving in the role as interim chief for two months following Yasinski’s retirement. Vasta will reportedly earn $210,000 this year and if the budget for 2020 is approved, he will see a pay bump more than $10,000, up t…

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by Zak Failla
News
Ex-Westchester Construction Manager Admits To $35OK Bribery Scheme Ex-Westchester Construction Manager Admits To $35OK Bribery Scheme
Ex-Westchester Construction Manager Admits To $35OK Bribery Scheme A former construction manager from Westchester who worked for a global financial firm admitted to evading taxes on more than $350,000 in bribes that he received from sub-contractors over the course of several years. Michael Campana, 33, of Tuckahoe, pleaded guilty to a single count of tax evasion this week, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced, in connection to a bribery scheme he used to pay for personal expenses. Between 2013 and 2017, Campana was a construction manager for a global financial firm engaged in various building projects in New York City and elsewhere. He and others p…

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by Zak Failla
News
Ex-CEO From Area Sentenced For Embezzling $1.5 Million Ex-CEO From Area Sentenced For Embezzling $1.5 Million
Ex-ceo From Area Sentenced For Embezzling $1.5 Million A Hudson Valley man who embezzled $1.5 million from a nonprofit organization he helped found in Connecticut is going to spend more than a year in prison. Paul Gileno, 47, of Brewster, the founder and CEO of the United States Pain Foundation, was sentenced in Bridgeport district court to 12 months and one day in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for embezzlement and failing to pay federal income taxes. Gileno operated the Middletown, Connecticut-based nonprofit organization, which was designed to find support and resources for individuals with pain issues.  Between …

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by Zak Failla
News
New York Landlord Sentenced For Tax Evasion New York Landlord Sentenced For Tax Evasion
New York Landlord Sentenced For Tax Evasion A landlord with properties in Connecticut and New York has been sentenced after admitting to failing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes. Anthony Valentino, of Palm City, Florida, pleaded guilty in Bridgeport district court earlier to one count of tax evasion after attempting to avoid paying more than $300,000 in income taxes, U.S. Attorney John Durham announced. This week, he was sentenced to nine months in prison, followed by a year of supervised release. Valentino must also pay a $10,000 fine. Durham said that Valentino, 76, is a real estate investor with properties in New Y…

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by Zak Failla
News
Westchester Bookkeeper Admits Assisting Restaurant Owner Evade Taxes Westchester Bookkeeper Admits Assisting Restaurant Owner Evade Taxes
Westchester Bookkeeper Admits Assisting Restaurant Owner Evade Taxes A former bookkeeper working for a prominent pizzeria owner in Fairfield and Westchester counties is facing time behind bars after admitting to helping her boss evade paying federal taxes. Queens Village resident Idalecia Lopes Santos, 59, has pleaded guilty in Bridgeport district court to one count of tax evasion for her role in helping Bruno DiFabio, the owner of several restaurants, avoid paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes. Santos worked as an outside bookkeeper for DeFabio - who had restaurants in New Canaan; Wilton; Scarsdale; Stamford; Greenwich and Pound Ridge - while sh…

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by Zak Failla
News
Trash-Hauling Owner Working In Westchester Sentenced For Not Filing Taxes Trash-Hauling Owner Working In Westchester Sentenced For Not Filing Taxes
Trash-Hauling Owner Working In Westchester Sentenced For Not Filing Taxes A 72-year-old refuse company owner from Fairfield County will spend time behind bars after admitting to failing to file tax returns for more than a decade in Stamford and parts of Westchester County. Stamford resident Wayne Margarum has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to two counts of willful failure to file an income tax return after failing to do so for his business dating back to 2004. For more than 40 years, Margarum has owned and operated Margarum Refuse, which provides garbage removal services. The business servi…

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by Zak Failla
News
Former Police Chief In Westchester Sentenced To Prison For Tax Evasion Former Police Chief In Westchester Sentenced To Prison For Tax Evasion
Former Police Chief In Westchester Sentenced To Prison For Tax Evasion A former police chief in Westchester will be bumping elbows with some of the people he put away after pleading guilty to federal tax evasion charges. Former Harrison Police Chief Anthony Marraccini has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after admitting to failing to pay more than $900,000 in state and federal taxes over the course of six years. He pleaded guilty to the charge in January. Marraccini retired early from the department while he was the target of a federal investigation in 2016. The former chief had pleaded for no jail time, but received less than the two years that prosecuto…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Michael Cohen Starts Sentence At Area Prison Called 'Castle Behind Bars' Michael Cohen Starts Sentence At Area Prison Called 'Castle Behind Bars'
Michael Cohen Starts Sentence At Area Prison Called 'Castle Behind Bars' Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer and so-called "fixer" for President Donald Trump, will be reporting to a facility on Monday, May 6 once named by Forbes as one of the "10 cushiest prisons" in America. The 52-year-old Cohen was sentenced in December, 2018 to three years after he admitted to lying to Congress about Trump’s business dealings in Russia, breaking campaign finance laws on behalf of Trump and evading $1.4 million in taxes related to his personal businesses.  The Otisville Federal Correctional Institution, where Cohen will begin his sentence, is located in O…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Ex-Cop From Area Admits To Tax Evasion, Fraudulently Obtaining Disability Benefits Ex-Cop From Area Admits To Tax Evasion, Fraudulently Obtaining Disability Benefits
Ex-Cop From Area Admits To Tax Evasion, Fraudulently Obtaining Disability Benefits A former NYPD detective from the area has admitted to his role in a million dollar disability fraud scheme. Gerard Scparta, a former New York City Police Department officer from Campbell Hall in Orange County, has pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining more than $630,000 in disability benefits from the Social Security Administration and underreporting income on his taxes to the tune of $268,000. Scparta pleaded guilty to lying to the Social Security Administration about his disability, and falsely represented that he was unable to work due to his disability. While he was collecting disabi…

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by Zak Failla
News
Former Police Officer Sentenced For Tax Evasion, Grand Larceny, Westchester DA Says Former Police Officer Sentenced For Tax Evasion, Grand Larceny, Westchester DA Says
Former Police Officer Sentenced For Tax Evasion, Grand Larceny, Westchester DA Says A former police officer has been sentenced for tax evasion and grand larceny, according to Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. Mario Sasso of Haverstraw in Rockland County, who was a member of the Yonkers Police Department, was sentenced to four concurrent terms of one to three years in state prison by Westchester County Court Judge Barry Warhit on Thursday, March 28. Sasso pleaded guilty to these charges in October of 2018: Second-degree grand larceny, a Class C felony (2 counts) First-degree scheme to defraud, a Class E felony Third-degree criminal tax fra…

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by Valerie Musson
Business
Nationally Known Restaurant Owner In Westchester, Fairfield Counties Launching New Pizzeria Nationally Known Restaurant Owner In Westchester, Fairfield Counties Launching New Pizzeria
Nationally Known Restaurant Owner In Westchester, Fairfield Counties Launching New Pizzeria Six months after pleading guilty to tax evasion, a nationally acclaimed food celebrity is opening a new pizzeria in Greenwich. Bruno DiFabio, known as "Lord of the Pies," admitted in federal court in Bridgeport last October that he filed false income and payroll returns that the IRS said he used to duck $816,954 in taxes. The Ridgefield resident and six-time World Pizza Champion owns Pinocchio Pizza in New Canaan and Wilton; Amore Pizza in Scarsdale; Amore Cucina and Bar in Stamford; and ReNapoli Pizza in Old Greenwich. DiFabio was released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.  He …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
New York Landlord Admits To Tax Evasion New York Landlord Admits To Tax Evasion
New York Landlord Admits To Tax Evasion A landlord with properties in Connecticut and New York has admitted to failing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars. Anthony Valentino, of Palm City, Florida, has pleaded guilty in Bridgeport district court to one count of tax evasion after attempting to avoid paying more than $300,000 in income taxes, U.S. Attorney John Durham announced. Durham said that Valentino, 76, is a real estate investor with properties in New York and Connecticut, including a 100-unit apartment complex in Naugatuck. From 2011 through 2013, Valentino deposited more than $1.1 million of real estate receipts into …

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by Zak Failla