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Press Release

White Plains Accountant Sentenced To 22 Months In Prison For $23 Million Tax Fraud Scheme

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York

Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JOSEPH CERVONE was sentenced to 22 months in prison on tax fraud charges.  CERVONE plead guilty on March 29, 2017, to one count of endeavoring to obstruct and impede the due administration of the internal revenue laws and one count of subscribing to false tax returns before U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román, who imposed today’s sentence.

           

According to the Information previously filed in White Plains federal court and court proceedings:

 

From 2009 through 2012, CERVONE, a certified public accountant with an office in White Plains, obstructed and impeded the IRS by filing false tax returns claiming more than $23 million of energy and coal credits on behalf of his clients in order to obtain tax refunds.  In addition, CERVONE also filed false tax returns for the tax years 2010 and 2011 that failed to report income relating to personal expenses paid on behalf of CERVONE from funds obtained as a result of his clients’ false tax returns.

 

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In addition to the prison term, CERVONE, 64, of White Plains, New York, was sentenced to one year of supervised release and a $15,000 fine. 

 

Mr. Kim praised the outstanding efforts of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation.  He also thanked U.S. Department of Justice’s Tax Division for its significant assistance in the investigation

 

This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Collins Jr. is in charge of the prosecution.

Updated October 25, 2017

Topic
Tax
Press Release Number: 17-346