Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Returns

ROCHESTER, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Patrick Dandrea, 55, of Rochester, N.Y., pleaded guilty to two counts of filing false tax returns before U.S. District Court Judge Frank P. Geraci. The charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 on each count.

            Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant was awarded a contract from Erie County in 2006 to remove damaged trees and branches following the October Storm. As a result of this contract, Dandrea received over $5,000,000 in payments which he failed to report on his 2006 and 2007 Federal Income Tax Returns. As a result, the IRS incurred a tax loss of over $460,000. In addition to being responsible for the tax loss, the defendant is also liable for interest payments and penalties of over $265,000 going back to 2006.

            The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Toni Weirauch, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel.