Wyoming County Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Theft From An Employee Benefit Plan And Failure To File A Tax Return

     The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a Wyoming County man was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge James M. Munley to serve 17 months in prison on the charges of Theft from an Employee Benefit Plan and Failure to File an Income Tax Return.

     According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Charles Yaskulski, age 43, of Nicholson, Wyoming County, was the former president and majority shareholder of Eagle Warranty Corporation, located in Eynon, Lackawanna County, a business which marketed and sold used car warranty policies to customers in twelve states nationwide. Eagle Warranty also established a profit sharing plan, whereby company employees could make payroll-funded contributions to a company-sponsored 401(k) retirement plan. Yaskulski previously admitted to the theft of approximately $16,000 from the retirement plan in 2008 and 2009. Yaskulski also failed to file employer’s quarterly federal tax returns for Eagle Warranty for each tax quarter in 2009.

     In addition to the prison term, Senior Judge Munley also ordered that Yaskulski be supervised by a probation officer for two years following his prison sentence. Yaskulski was also ordered to pay restitution to former employees of Eagle Warranty and to the Internal Revenue Service.

     The investigation was conducted by the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefit Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations.

     The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara.

    
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