Accountant Sentenced To 2 Years In Prison For Conspiracy, Violating Tax Laws

PITTSBURGH - A Hampton Township resident was sentenced yesterday in federal court to 24 months imprisonment and a fine of $30,000 on his conviction of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens and violating federal tax laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States District Judge Terrence F. McVerry imposed the sentence on Martin R. Bujaky, 65, of Gibsonia, Pa.

According to information presented to the court, between approximately 2000 and 2007, Bujaky, an accountant, conspired with others to harbor out-of-status aliens employed in the hotel housekeeping industry in the Pittsburgh area, as well as Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati, Ohio, by knowingly preparing false tax returns on behalf of their employers, which failed to report their wages as income. Bujaky assisted in the preparation and presentation of false quarterly tax returns for portions of 2005 and 2006 for B&M Best Consulting Co. by understating the size of the payroll and the employment taxes due to the Internal Revenue Service. These false returns accounted for approximately $9 million in unreported wages. United States Attorney Hickton stated that the entire scheme, over the course of seven years, resulted in a tax loss of approximately $3.7 million.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge McVerry stated that Bujaky’s role in the conspiracy enabled his co-conspirators to conceal their true earnings and continue to victimize the workers.

Assistant United States Attorney Margaret E. Picking prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Department of Labor for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Bujaky.