Former Chairman Of Woodland Park, N.J., Democratic Committee Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For Bribing IRS Official

CAMDEN, N.J. — The former chairman of the Woodland Park, N.J., Democratic Committee was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for bribing two individuals he thought were IRS officials to eliminate his tax debt, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Michael Kazmark, 61, of Woodland Park, previously pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Simandle to an information charging him with one count of bribing a federal public official in exchange for official action. Judge Simandle imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Kazmark failed to pay federal income taxes from 1997 through 2005. In 2010, Kazmark owed the IRS $98,046 in unpaid federal income taxes, interest and penalties. On April 18, 2010, Kazmark made an application to the IRS for an offer in compromise, requesting that he pay $48,800 to the IRS in order to settle his entire federal tax debt.

On Oct. 5, 2010, Kazmark paid a $1,000 bribe to an undercover FBI agent and IRS employee, posing as IRS officials, in exchange for their official assistance in transferring his offer in compromise file to one of the officials for acceptance. On Nov. 23, 2010, Kazmark made a $17,500 bribe payment to the individuals, believing it was in exchange for their official assistance in placing his federal tax liability in noncollectible status for two years and agreeing to accept Kazmark’s offer in compromise for the amount of the check that he had already paid to the IRS – $9,760 – if he did not incur any additional federal tax liability for two years. 

In addition to the prison term, Judge Simandle sentenced Kazmark to two years of supervised release. As a condition of that release, Kazmark is required to pay his full tax liability to the IRS.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford, and special agents of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Robert Geary, for the investigation leading to today’s sentence.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

14-069                                                        

Defense counsel: Miles Feinstein Esq., Clifton, N.J.