Repeat Watertown Lottery Winners Not So Lucky In Federal Court: DOJ
There was no one quite as lucky as the Jaaffar family of Watertown. The father and his two sons cashed in more than 14,000 winning lottery tickets to the tune of $21 million in prize money to make them some of the state's biggest winners every year for nearly a decade. And what was their unbeatable system?
They cheated, a federal court ruled.
Ali Jaafar, 63, and Yousef Jaafar, 29, were found guilty on Friday, Dec. 9, of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and of filing a false tax return, the US Attorney for Massachuset…
CT Attorney Specializing In Personal Injury Admits To Tax Evasion, Must Repay IRS $750K
An attorney based in Connecticut faces jail time after admitting to tax evasion.
Wallingford resident Mark Carbutti, age 48, who is an attorney specializing in personal injury law, pleaded guilty to tax evasion on Thursday, Dec. 1, according to the Connecticut US Attorney's Office.
For several years starting in 2013, Carbutti only made limited payments of the over $585,000 he owed the Internal Revenue Service as a result of his legal practice and rental income for tax years 2013 through 2017. As a result, he also owed interest and penalties that accrued during this time as well,…
NJ Tax Preparer Admits Helping Dozens Of Clients Cheat IRS Out Of $500,000
A Union County tax preparer admitted that she helped dozens of clients cheat the government out of nearly a half-million dollars, federal authorities said.
Nehemie Leon, of Roselle, worked for Preferred Tax Choice in Irvington, records show.
While there, Leon admitted in court, she “fabricated and inflated” certain tax credits, itemized deductions, expenses, and exemptions for a host of clients, said Tammy Tomlins, the acting special agent in charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Newark Field Office.
Altogether, Leon prepared more than 100 individual returns for 31 clients, Tomlins said. …
Bucks Man Causes $1.5M In Damage Stealing Copper Wire From Old Power Plants To Resell: Feds
A 43-year-old Bucks County man has been charged with causing at least $1.5 million in damage to old power plants while stealing copper wire, authorities said.
The crimes were allegedly committed at four coal-fired power plants in Pennsylvania and Maryland, according to US Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero.
Michael Garrison, of Croydon, PA, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to destroy an energy facility, eight counts of wire fraud, two counts of destruction of an energy facility, and one count of filing a false tax return, Romero said.
S…
CPA From Passaic County Admits Scheme To Hide $150,000 From IRS
A CPA from Passaic County admitted trying to hide $150,000 from the taxman with a little help from a friend.
His unidentified pal compensated William Kawam, 57, of Hewitt, for his accounting services by giving him a credit card belonging to one of the friend’s businesses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
Kawam racked up $146,605 in charges from 2015 through 2017 that neither he nor his friend reported, Sellinger said.
The scheme shortchanged the Internal Revenue Service by $54,400, he said.
Kawam, a former partner at SKC & Co. LLC in Boonton, took a deal from the government rat…
Owners Of Popular Philly Cheesesteak Joint Plead Guilty In Tax Fraud Scheme
The owners of a popular Philadelphia cheesesteak joint pleaded guilty Monday, May 9 to federal charges in a tax fraud scheme, authorities said.
Anthony Lucidonio, Sr., 84, of Philadelphia, and Nicholas Lucidonio, 56, of New Jersey, the owners of Tony Luke’s on Oregon Avenue were accused of hiding more than $8 million from the IRS for around a decade, according to the US Attorney's Office.
Federal prosecutors say the father-son duo did this by paying their employees in cash to avoid withholding payroll taxes between 2006 and 2016. The pair were indicted in 2020.
The pros…
