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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
News
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
News
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
News
$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
News
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
News
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
News
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
Police & Fire
Former Orange County Contractor Sentenced For Defrauding Customers Former Orange County Contractor Sentenced For Defrauding Customers
Former Orange County Contractor Sentenced For Defrauding Customers A 48-year-old Orange County man was sentenced Monday to seven to 14 years in prison for weapons possession, tax evasion and defrauding customers of his home improvement business. Daniel McInerney, of Blooming Grove, was sentenced by Orange County Court Judge Craig Stephen Brown after pleading guilty to the crimes that go back as far as 2010, said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler. McInerney was arrested after the Town of Blooming Grove Police Department received numerous complaints that he had accepted payment in connection with multiple home improvement projects, and failed to …

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by Kathy Reakes