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Bookkeeper Admits Helping Restaurant Owner In Westchester, Fairfield Counties Evade Taxes Bookkeeper Admits Helping Restaurant Owner In Westchester, Fairfield Counties Evade Taxes
Bookkeeper Admits Helping Restaurant Owner In Westchester, Fairfield Counties 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
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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
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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
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Connecticut Landlord Admits To Tax Evasion Connecticut Landlord Admits To Tax Evasion
Connecticut 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
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Disbarred Area Attorney Sentenced For Mail Fraud, Tax Evasion, Other Crimes Disbarred Area Attorney Sentenced For Mail Fraud, Tax Evasion, Other Crimes
Disbarred Area Attorney Sentenced For Mail Fraud, Tax Evasion, Other Crimes A disbarred area lawyer who had been disbarred has been sentenced after being convicted on multiple charges for his role in misappropriating funds from a landowner he represented and later attempting to obstruct the IRS from finding out the details of his scheme. Former Orange County attorney Joseph Scali has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted on charges that include mail fraud, structuring cash transactions, making false statements to the IRS, obstructing the IRS, tax evasion, obstruction of justice, and perjury. He must also pay a total of $1,511,534.73 in r…

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by Zak Failla
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$1.39M Suit Seeks Unpaid Taxes From Area Couple $1.39M Suit Seeks Unpaid Taxes From Area Couple
$1.39M Suit Seeks Unpaid Taxes From Area Couple Federal officials are suing a Hudson Valley couple who owe more than a million dollar in unpaid taxes to the Internal Revenue Service. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced that the federal government is suing Michael Satz and Marietta Staples of Staatsburg in Dutchess County in an effort to help the IRS collect $1.39 million in unpaid taxes. The lawsuit alleges that they have refused or failed to pay on income taxes dating back more than a decade, to 2016. According to reports, tax liens have previously been levied against the couple in 2008, 2009 and 2016. They were refiled in each of t…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Michael Cohen Will Serve Sentence At Prison Called 'Castle Behind Bars' In Hudson Valley Michael Cohen Will Serve Sentence At Prison Called 'Castle Behind Bars' In Hudson Valley
Michael Cohen Will Serve Sentence At Prison Called 'Castle Behind Bars' In Hudson Valley Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer and so-called "fixer" for President Donald Trump, is headed to a facility in the Hudson Valley once named by Forbes as one of the "10 cushiest prisons" in America. The 52-year-old Cohen was sentenced earlier this week 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 in March, is located…

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by Joe Lombardi
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Nationally Known Westchester Restaurant Owner Admits To Evading $816K In Taxes Nationally Known Westchester Restaurant Owner Admits To Evading $816K In Taxes
Nationally Known Westchester Restaurant Owner Admits To Evading $816K In Taxes A nationally known food celebrity known as "Lord of the Pies" who owns restaurants in Westchester and Fairfield counties has admitted to filing false income tax returns and payroll tax returns totaling nearly a million dollars.Bruno DiFabio, 49, of Ridgefield has ownership interest in the following: Pinocchio Pizza in New Canaan and Wilton, Connecticut; Amore Pizza in Scarsdale, Amore Cucina and Bar in Stamford; ReNapoli Pizza in Old Greenwich. DiFabio’s business partner, Stamford resident Steven Cioffi, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting in the filing of a false t…

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by Joe Lombardi
Politics
Trump Engaged In 'Dubious Tax Schemes,' 'Outright Fraud,' NY Times Investigation Finds Trump Engaged In 'Dubious Tax Schemes,' 'Outright Fraud,' NY Times Investigation Finds
Trump Engaged In 'Dubious Tax Schemes,' 'Outright Fraud,' NY Times Investigation Finds President Trump participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud, that greatly increased the fortune he received from his parents, according to this investigation by The New York Times. Trump won the presidency proclaiming himself a self-made billionaire, and he has long insisted that his father, the legendary New York City builder Fred C. Trump, provided almost no financial help. Related story: New Forbes Rankings Of 400 Wealthiest Americans: Trump Takes Another Plunge However, the Times’s investigation, based on a trove of confidential tax retur…

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by Jon Craig
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Medical Tech Company Owner From Hudson Valley Admits To Failing To Report $21M Medical Tech Company Owner From Hudson Valley Admits To Failing To Report $21M
Medical Tech Company Owner From Hudson Valley Admits To Failing To Report $21M The owner of a Manhattan medical technology company who lives in the Hudson Valley has admitted to failing to report more than $21 million in business income to the IRS and evading millions of dollars in income taxes. Lewis Stahl of the Village of Florida in Orange County pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to evade or defeat taxes, and agreed to pay $6,349,689 in restitution to the IRS before U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams this week. In total, Stahl’s failure to report the millions then filing the falsified delinquent returns cost the IRS more than $6.3 million in taxes due and ow…

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by Zak Failla
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Ex-Comptroller Sentenced In White Plains For Embezzling $2.5 Million Ex-Comptroller Sentenced In White Plains For Embezzling $2.5 Million
Ex-Comptroller Sentenced In White Plains For Embezzling $2.5 Million The former comptroller of a pair of prominent Hudson Valley companies is going to spend some time behind bars after stealing millions of dollars from his employer to fund gambling and a lush lifestyle. Mark Cina, the former comptroller of two Poughkeepsie companies, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for mail fraud and tax evasion in White Plains Federal Court. He pleaded guilty to the charges in April. Cina, 56, must also pay $3,385,665 in restitution and forfeit a total of $2,254,820. In 2008, Cina was hired by an entrepreneur to act as a part-time bookkeeper for his company. Two years …

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by Zak Failla