Saratoga County Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Bruce Bochette, age 67, of Charlton, New York, pled guilty today to evading taxes on about $825,000 in business income.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Thomas Fattorusso, Executive Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York Field Division, made the announcement.

Bochette operates a commercial painting business. In pleading guilty, he admitted that for tax years 2017 through 2021, he evaded income taxes by depositing checks, and portions of checks, into his personal account that were payments from his company’s commercial painting clients. Bochette did not report this income to the IRS, on either his company’s tax returns or his personal tax returns, and did not pay taxes on this income. Bochette admitted to not reporting $825,719.56 in business income, and to evading the assessment and payment of $219,706 in taxes.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 4, 2024, before United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci. Bochette faces up to 5 years in prison, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a maximum $100,000 fine. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

IRS-CI investigated this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett is prosecuting this case.