United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

CPA PLEADS GUILTY TO TAX EVASION

Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LORENZO A. MENDIZABAL, age 49, formerly of Ridgefield, Connecticut and now of White Plains, New York, pleaded guilty today to income tax evasion. Senior United States District Judge Ellen Bree Burns accepted MENDIZABAL’s plea of guilty this morning in New Haven federal court.

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, MENDIZABAL, a certified public accountant, admitted that, in April 1999, he attempted to evade the payment of a large part of the income tax owed by him and his spouse for the calendar year 1998 by filing a false and fraudulent joint U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, Form 1040. Specifically, MENDIZABAL acknowledged the he stated on the return that their joint taxable income for the calendar year 1998 was $7,991.04, and that the amount of tax due and owing was $1,196.00, when, in fact, their joint taxable income for that year was $96,991.04. By omitting this additional income, he evaded the payment of $20,578.00.

Judge Burns has scheduled sentencing for August 8, 2005, at which time MENDIZABAL faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and a fine of up to $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James G. Genco.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov