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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…

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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. …

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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…

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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…

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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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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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 …

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Atlantic City Man Gets 6½ Years In Fed Pen For $2.5 Million Tax Fraud Atlantic City Man Gets 6½ Years In Fed Pen For $2.5 Million Tax Fraud
Atlantic City Man Gets 6½ Years In Fed Pen For $2.5 Million Tax Fraud An Atlantic City man was sentenced to 6½ years in federal prison for running a $2.5 million “mortgage recovery” tax scam. Kenneth Crawford Jr. will have to serve just about all of the sentence because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. The judge also ordered him to serve three years of supervised release and pay $1,393,511 in restitution to the United States. Crawford led a ring that obtained refunds from the IRS for clients who were facing foreclosure or behind on their mortgage payments and weren’t entitled to them, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Crawford and his accom…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Jersey Shore Construction Contractor Admits Ducking Nearly $1,000,000 In Taxes Jersey Shore Construction Contractor Admits Ducking Nearly $1,000,000 In Taxes
Jersey Shore Construction Contractor Admits Ducking Nearly $1,000,000 In Taxes A Jersey Shore businessman admitted in federal court that he ducked more than $952,778 in payroll and personal income taxes by putting his Manhattan construction company in an associate’s name, paying workers in cash and hiding the scheme from his accountant. Bilal Salaj, 55, of Morganville admitted in U.S. District Court downtown that he “continued to hold principal control and decision-making authority over the business and its financial affairs” of the business after changing ownership in July 2014, Southern District of New York Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said. That included con…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Pizzeria Owner Gets 15 Months In Fed Pen For Ducking $425,000 In Taxes Jersey Shore Pizzeria Owner Gets 15 Months In Fed Pen For Ducking $425,000 In Taxes
Jersey Shore Pizzeria Owner Gets 15 Months In Fed Pen For Ducking $425,000 In Taxes The owner of a Wildwood Crest pizzeria must serve a plea-bargained 15 months in federal prison for filing false income tax returns, authorities said. Giuseppe D’Arancio, 61, of Cape May Court House must serve the entire term handed down Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Camden because there's no parole in the federal prison system. He also must spend a year of supervised release and pay $507,246 in restitution to the IRS under the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez. D'Arancio and a co-owner of Sal's Pizza on New Jersey Avenue "kept two sets of acco…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Police Sink 300-Person South Jersey Pool Party Police Sink 300-Person South Jersey Pool Party
Police Sink 300-Person South Jersey Pool Party South Jersey police sank a huge "for-profit" pool party that snubbed the state's COVID-19 restrictions Sunday. The rowdy, backyard Sicklerville party featuring an in-ground pool attracted about 300 people. But it also came with a price -- a cover charge of $100 to $150 apiece -- and a risk of contracting coronavirus, according to Gloucester Township police. Homeowner Lionel Mincey, 56, of Jarvis Road was charged with maintaining a nuisance, a disorderly persons offense and issued summonses for noise, littering and zoning violations, police said. Twenty-five parking tickets were issued and …

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Restaurant Owner Admits Ducking $185,000 In Federal Taxes Jersey Shore Restaurant Owner Admits Ducking $185,000 In Federal Taxes
Jersey Shore Restaurant Owner Admits Ducking $185,000 In Federal Taxes The owner of a Jersey Shore Italian restaurant admitted stiffing the IRS out of $185,000 in personal and corporate taxes. Raimondo Schiano, 55, admitted diverting unreported income from Biagio’s Trattoria in Lacey Township to his personal account for four straight years, beginning in 2014, during a video conference with a federal judge in Trenton on Wednesday, Special IRS Agent Robert Glantz said. None of the diverted funds was reported as income on either the corporate tax returns for the Lanoka Harbor restaurant or on Schiano’s personal tax returns, Glantz said. As a result, Schiano, of…

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by Jerry DeMarco