New York Auto Repair Shop Owner Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Tax Fraud

A New York man was sentenced today to 20 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by concealing income from the IRS.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Aniello Strocchia, of Maspeth, owned and operated an auto repair shop. From 2013 to 2017, Strocchia cashed, with the help of others, more than $1.3 million in checks made out to the shop at commercial check-cashing businesses, instead of depositing those funds into the shop’s bank account. Strocchia then hid the check-cashing activity from his return preparers, thereby causing his preparer to file false tax returns for himself and his business. The business returns underreported the shop’s gross receipts and ordinary business income; and his personal returns underreported his total income. In addition, Strocchia did not pay the full amount of the taxes he reported as due on his personal returns. Instead of reporting all his income and paying all the taxes he owed, Strocchia spent money on luxury items, including a luxury car collection, a second home and approximately $500,000 on extensive home renovations.

In total, Strocchia caused a loss to the IRS of $989,976.

In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Hector Gonzalez for the Eastern District of New York ordered Strocchia to serve two years of supervised release and to pay approximately $989,976 in restitution to the United States.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York made the announcement. 

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. 

Trial Attorney Matthew Cofer of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.