AG: Nassau County auto shop owner indicted on tax fraud charges
The owner of two Nassau County collision repair shops has been indicted on tax fraud and grand larceny charges, the state attorney general said Thursday.
Jose Cardona, 38, failed to remit to the state more than $410,000 in sales tax collected between June 2010 and June 2016 at No Limit Auto Body, also known as Perry’s Hub Auto, in Hempstead, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said in a news release.
The attorney general said Cardona also failed to remit more than $70,000 in sales tax collected at Henry Street Auto Body in Freeport between June 2011 and December 2015.
Cardona and his wife, Veronica Cardona, 38, filed a false personal income tax return for 2011 and failed to file personal income tax returns for 2012 and 2013, Schneiderman said.
One of Cardona’s employees, Peter Bifolco, 35, was charged with felony insurance fraud after causing additional damage to a car brought in for repair and then billing $3,000 for unnecessary work, Schneiderman said.
The defendants were arraigned before Judge Meryl Berkowitz in Nassau County Court in Mineola, the attorney general said.
Veronica Cardona and Bifolco were released on their own recognizance, and bail was set at $60,000 bond or $20,000 cash for Jose Cardona.
Jose Cardona faces 5 to 15 years in prison if convicted on the most serious charge, Schneiderman said.
Veronica Cardona and Bifolco each a maximum of 2 1⁄3 to 7 years in prison, Schneiderman said.
'No one wants to pay more taxes than they need to' Nearly 20,000 Long Islanders work in town and city government. A Newsday investigation found a growing number of them are making more than $200,000 a year. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.
'No one wants to pay more taxes than they need to' Nearly 20,000 Long Islanders work in town and city government. A Newsday investigation found a growing number of them are making more than $200,000 a year. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.
