Senior Vice President Of Operations At White Rose Food Pleads Guilty To Tax Evasion

TRENTON, N.J. – The senior vice president of operations of an independent wholesale food distributor admitted today to evading taxes on income he received from third parties, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

John Annetta, 61, of Marlboro, N.J., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan to an Information charging him with one count of tax evasion.

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

Between approximately 2006 and 2011, Annetta worked at White Rose Food, an independent wholesale food distributor in the New York City and New Jersey metropolitan areas. During that time he was given $1,648,085 from two people met in the course of his employment. He failed to report this money as taxable income for the calendar years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 in the amounts of $106,500, $234,000, $317,406, $398,542, $292,700 and $298,936, respectively. He admitted that for 2006 through 2011 he would have owed the government $536,530 if he had reported the additional cash on his income tax returns.

The charge to which Annetta pleaded guilty to is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 4, 2013.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Marie Kelokates, and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen, for the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lakshmi Srinivasan Herman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

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Defense counsel: Matt D. Mandel Esq. of Millburn, N.J.

Annetta Information