Edward Ambrosino tax case documents handed over, officials say

Federal prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed Wednesday that the government has handed over the appropriate pretrial documents to the defense in the case of Edward Ambrosino, the Hempstead Town councilman charged with failing to pay more than $250,000 in federal income taxes.

The agreement by Eastern District prosecutors Catherine Mirabile and Raymond Tierney, and defense attorney Dennis Lemke in federal court in Central Islip came at a brief status conference.

Ambrosino is accused of not paying the taxes on a large portion of the $1.3 million he had earned in working for two county agencies, according to officials. He has also served as special counsel to Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano.

Ambrosino was obligated to forward the money from the county agencies to his former Uniondale law firm, Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, but pocketed $800,000 of that $1.3 million in a complex scheme, and then failed to pay the taxes, prosecutors have said.

He has pleaded not guilty to income tax evasion and wire fraud, and has been released on a $250,000 bond. He and his attorney and the prosecutors declined to comment after the hearing.

The two county agencies — the Industrial Development Agency and the Local Economic Assistance Corp. — have severed their ties with Ambrosino.

U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert set June 16 for the next status conference in the case.

By Robert E. Kessler

Robert.Kessler@newsday.com

Bob Kessler covers federal law, including law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, DEA, IRS and ATF, as well as the federal courts.