Fred Ippolito, former town official, to be sentenced Wednesday

Fred Ippolito, the former Town of Oyster Bay commissioner of planning and development, is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Central Islip for income-tax evasion.

Ippolito 77, of Syosset, who also once was an influential Republican politician in both Oyster Bay and Nassau County, pleaded guilty in January to one count of tax evasion in connection with failing to report $2 million in outside income he had received.

As part of the plea agreement, Ippolito faces between 18 to 24 months in prison. The agreement also calls for Ippolito to pay back taxes on the money which Eastern District federal prosecutors Catherine Mirabile and Raymond Tierney estimated could be $548,000.

But the final amount will be determined by the U.S. District Judge Leonard Wexler who will impose the sentence.

Ippolito has been visibly ill in recent court appearances, using either a cane or wheelchair. So Ippolito’s attorney Brian Griffin, of Garden City, could argue that the judge should impose a lesser sentence based on his client’s age and ill health.

Griffin declined to comment Monday, as did Nellin McIntosh, a spokeswoman for the Eastern District.

Ippolito had been indicted in March of 2015 on six counts of evading taxes on $2 million he had received in consulting fees between 2008 and 2013 from Carlo Lizza & Sons Paving, of Old Bethpage, as well from the Lizza family trust.

The money was paid by a member of the Lizza company who had not been identified or charged, following an investigation by the criminal division of the Internal Revenue Service.

The Lizza company is a prominent paving contractor in Nassau and Oyster Bay, getting tens of millions of dollars in government work. The company also is a large-scale contributor to both the Republican and Democratic parties, but mainly to the Republicans.

Ippolito had worked as the Oyster Bay Town building and planning commissioner from 1978 to 1987, then for Lizza & Sons until 2009, when he again began working as the town planning and development commissioner. He resigned his position in January, after pleading guilty.

After the guilty plea, Griffin had noted that it was “in no way connected to Mr. Ippolito’s role as a public official, nor does it impact his years of dedication and service to the public.”

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.