Salinas Resident Pleads Guilty To Tax Fraud

SAN JOSE – Richard Anello pleaded guilty yesterday to filing a false income tax return, United States Attorney Melinda Haag and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge Jose M. Martinez, announced.

According to his plea agreement, Anello was a fifty percent owner of Marco Warehouse Corp. Marco Warehouse Corp. operated under the trade names Salinas Valley Public Warehouse and Monterey Wine Warehouse. Anello was in charge of the daily operations, and at various times held the title of secretary or president of Marco Warehouse Corp. Anello was also a twenty-five percent owner and president of Adonis Transport Inc.

During 2006, as president of Marco Warehouse Corp., Anello wrote, or caused to be written, checks payable to a Salinas bodega, drawn on Marco Warehouse Corp.’s business bank account at Bank of America. Anello, or individuals at his direction, went to the bodega and cashed these checks and additional checks made payable to “Cash.” Anello then directed that these checks be falsely categorized on Marco Warehouse Corp.’s business records as fuel expenses. The bodega does not sell fuel and Anello knew and understood that the cash obtained from the bodega in this manner was not used to purchase fuel. Some of the cash obtained in this manner was used to purchase legitimate business goods. However, a significant amount of the cash obtained was used for personal expenditures. As a result, the 2006 U.S. Income Tax Return for Marco Warehouse Corp. was false because it claimed fuel deductions that included $944,000 that was obtained by cashing checks at the bodega.

During 2005 and 2007, Anello also cashed a substantial number of checks payable to the bodega or “Cash”, and falsely categorized these checks on Marco Warehouse Corp.’s business records as fuel expenses in the amount of $340,600 in 2005, and $885,800 in 2007.

In addition, Anello cashed a substantial number of checks at the Salinas bodega, drawn on Adonis Transport Inc.’s business bank account, payable to the bodega or “Cash”. These checks were then falsely categorized on Adonis Transport Inc.’s business records as fuel expense. Anello obtained the following amounts of cash in this manner from Adonis Transport Inc.’s business bank account: $815,000 in 2005; $736,800 in 2006; and $409,000 in 2007.

Anello, 61, of Salinas, California was charged on March 21, 2013 with one count of filing a false tax return, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7206(1). He pleaded guilty to the one count. The maximum statutory penalty for filing a false tax return in violation of Title 26, U.S.C § 7206(1) is three years in prison and a fine of $250,000. However, any sentence will be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Matthew Kluge, Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division, and Thomas Moore, Assistant U.S. Attorney, are the attorneys who are prosecuting this case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the IRS, Criminal Investigation.