Bergen county, n.J., man sentenced to 28 months in prison for fraudulent tax refund claims
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
March 13, 2012 |
NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, N.J., man was sentenced today to 28 months in prison for his involvement in a scheme to file fraudulent tax returns in order to obtain more than $200,000 in tax refunds, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Stephen Pirrone, 51, of Norwood, N.J., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls to two counts of an Indictment charging him with filing false, fictitious and fraudulent tax returns. Judge Walls also imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Pirrone created false W-2 forms for himself and a family member that contained fabricated names of employers and names of employers who did not employ Pirrone or the family member, and which contained fabricated amounts of tax withholdings.
Knowing that the false information contained in these forms would be used to create tax returns claiming refunds for himself and the family member, Pirrone caused the fraudulent forms to be submitted as purportedly legitimate to commercial tax return preparers. The forms were used to prepare false income tax returns for 2003 through 2008, which were filed with the IRS on behalf of Pirrone and the family member. Pirrone allegedly received more than $200,000 in tax refunds from the IRS as a result of his scheme.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Walls sentenced Pirrone to three years of
supervised release and ordered that he pay $199,355.73 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge JoAnn Zuniga, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan W. Romankow of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime/Gangs Division in Newark.
12-087
Defense counsel: David Holman Esq., Newark
