An auto repair shop owner from New York has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for a significant tax fraud scheme, costing the United States nearly $1 million. Aniello Strocchia, who operated his business in Maspeth, was found guilty of deliberately concealing income from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over a five-year span.
Court documents revealed that between 2013 and 2017, Strocchia cashed over $1.3 million in checks intended for his shop at commercial check-cashing operations. Instead of depositing these funds into his business account, he hid this income from his tax return preparers, leading to substantial underreporting of both his business and personal income on his tax filings.
In addition to failing to report his income accurately, Strocchia neglected to pay the full amount of taxes due on his personal returns. He used the undisclosed income to support a luxurious lifestyle, which included building a collection of luxury cars, acquiring a second home, and investing about $500,000 in extensive renovations on his primary residence.
The IRS calculated the total tax loss due to Strocchia’s fraudulent actions to be $989,976.
Along with his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Hector Gonzalez imposed two years of supervised release after Strocchia completes his term. He is also required to make restitution payments amounting to $989,976 to the government.
This sentencing underscores the ongoing efforts by federal authorities to combat tax fraud and ensure accountability for financial misconduct.
