A New Jersey businessman, who co-owned a company that peddles body parts for medical science, is going to do time for skirting the taxman. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Agostino Perna was slapped with a six-month federal prison term and six months of house arrest for his role in filing phony tax returns that cost Uncle Sam a hefty $455,463.
Running a business named Life Quest, Perna admitted last year to assisting in the falsification of the firm's corporate tax returns from 2014 to 2019, while also cooking his own books. The illicit haul included over $300,000 that he pilfered from Life Quest, and for his personal use, another quarter mil of undeclared income from other ventures he owned, wearing multiple hats. The scam didn't stop there, as Perna pulled a fast one, disguising a cool $632,000 as "loan repayments" and failing to report north of $80K in rent bucks.
"It's April 15, a day when many people are rushing to file last-minute returns so they can claim refunds or pay what they owe," U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero pointed out. In a statement obtained by the Justice Department, she emphasized, "Our tax system relies on the honesty and integrity of our citizens to do just that — pay what they legitimately owe to the U.S. Treasury. If they don't, we can't properly fund government services, which so many people rely on." She added that Perna's sentencing delivers a stark warning that cheating the tax system will bring down the hammer of justice.
IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty underscored the importance of corporate and personal income taxes, lifeblood for government programs like Social Security and Medicare. "These cases continue to be a priority for IRS-CI and we will aggressively pursue those who do not comply with those tax obligations," he told the U.S. Attorney's Office. Perna, in addition to the prison and home confinement, is on the hook for a $25,000 fine and must pay back the swindled amount in full.
Assistant United States Attorney Eric D. Gill led the prosecution of Perna, whose days of playing fast and loose with the IRS are firmly behind bars. With the gavel down, this path of deception cut by Perna should send a clear signal to anyone thinking they can outsmart the tax code - there's no escaping Uncle Sam's long arm.
