Business Owner Accused Of Stealing $1M Sales Tax
Posted on Thursday, 15 of October , 2009 at 3:11 pm
SUFFOLK COUNTY—The owner of a tile company faces felony grand larceny charges in a 57-count indictment unsealed in Suffolk County court Thursday afternoon.
Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota said a year-long investigation of Procida Tile by investigators from the district attorney’s Tax Crime Unit and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance led to the indictment of Frank Procida, 48, of 75 Garner Lane, Bayshore.
“This defendant is charged with first degree grand larceny for his alleged theft of more than $1 million in county and state sales tax collected by Procida Tile from customers for goods and services from 2003 to February of this year,” DA Spota said.
The district attorney said the investigation involved the execution of four search warrants and the collection of 280 boxes of business records.
Procida operates four Suffolk retail locations in Coram, Patchogue, Medford, Deer Park and Lindenhurst. In addition to first degree grand larceny, a class “B” felony punishable by a maximum prison term of 25 years, the indictment charges Procida with 41 counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, nine counts of second degree grand larceny, three counts of third degree grand larceny and three counts of willful failure to file a return.
The defendant pleaded not guilty before Judge Martin Efman. Procida will return to court on Dec. 2. 10-15-09
Category: Business, Courts, Crime, New York State, Taxes
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