Prosecutors say a New Rochelle accountant who was supposed to keep a client’s books in order instead treated the business like his personal ATM, and now both he and his wife are facing felony charges in Westchester County.
Carmine Disanto, 59, of New Rochelle, and his wife, 57-year-old Patricia Kruse Disanto, a civilian employee of the Harrison Police Department, were arrested on July 1 after investigators alleged that Carmine wrote roughly $200,000 in unauthorized checks to himself from a plumbing-business client. Authorities also accuse both of failing to file New York State personal income tax returns from 2021 through 2024, leaving Carmine with an alleged $36,155 state tax liability and Patricia with about $1,633. Both were arraigned this week and remain before the court while the investigation continues.
According to Daily Voice, prosecutors have charged Carmine Disanto with second-degree grand larceny, two counts of third-degree criminal tax fraud and repeated failure to file, and have charged Patricia DiSanto with repeated failure to file and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing. The District Attorney’s announcement says the alleged tax violations cover tax years 2021 through 2024, and that Carmine is due back in court on August 7, while Patricia is scheduled to appear on July 26. All charges are accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Prosecutors’ Account Of The Alleged Scheme
In the prosecution’s telling, the trouble started when the plumbing business hired Disanto as a consultant. With that role came access to the company’s accounting system, and authorities say he used that access to quietly cut himself checks that were never authorized by the business, ultimately totaling about $200,000, according to Talk of the Sound. The Westchester County District Attorney’s Economic Crimes Bureau worked the case alongside a forensic accountant and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, with help from local police, the outlet reports. Assistant District Attorney Nicole Gamble is handling the prosecution.
What The Charges Can Mean
Under New York law, grand larceny in the second degree is a class C felony that covers thefts over $50,000, as set out in the state penal code (New York Penal Law §155.40). Repeated failure to file personal income tax returns is charged under New York Tax Law §1808 as a class E felony when a person intentionally skips filing returns for three consecutive years and has unpaid tax liabilities (Tax Law §1808). Offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree is also a class E felony, defined in Penal Law §175.35 (Penal Law §175.35).
The DA’s Economic Crimes Bureau says the investigation is ongoing, and prosecutors have not publicly identified the plumbing business or provided details about any potential restitution. For now, the case is set to wind its way through the Westchester courts over the summer as both sides prepare for the next round of hearings.
