Two New Hyde Park business men were arrested on Tuesday, April 8 for underreporting gross sales, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced.
DA Rice said Gerard Losquadro, 61 of Garden City and Charles DiMarino, 48, of East Norwich, as the former and current owner, respectively, of New Hyde Park Auto Body Works, failed to remit $149,936.65 in sales tax collected from customers to the New York State
Department of Taxation and Finance from Sept. 1, 2009 to May 31, 2013, according to the DA’s office.
Losquadro was arrested and arraigned last week before Judge Lerose and charged with third-degree grand larceny, four counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, third-degree criminal tax fraud and fourth-degree criminal tax fraud. DiMarino, was also arrested and arraigned before Lerose and charged with second-degree grand larceny, nine counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing and two counts of third-degree criminal tax fraud. The corporation was also charged with second-degree grand larceny.
An investigation by the NYSDTF of insurance claims filed with the state revealed that New Hyde Park Auto Body Works significantly underreported gross sales, Rice said. In December 2013, investigators obtained court-ordered search warrants and additional records were seized.
Losquadro and DiMarino are due back in court on May 6.
“Everyone is required to report their income and pay the taxes they owe in a timely fashion, regardless of their occupation,” DA Rice said. “Those who fail to do so create a burden for other taxpayers – including the millions of people rushing to file ahead of the upcoming tax filing deadline.”
Losquadro, the former owner, was the responsible party for New Hyde Park Auto Body Works from September 2009 to December 2010. During that time, Rice said he failed to remit $27,588.39 of collected sales tax. DiMarino, the current owner, failed to remit $122,348.26 of collected sales tax from January 2011 to the present.
“These cases remind us that while the overwhelming number of New Yorkers do the right thing and comply with their tax obligations voluntarily, there are those who try to cheat the system, and by extension every other taxpayer,” said New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Thomas H. Mattox.
