Agostino Perna, one of the owners of Life Quest, a company that sells body parts for medical use, has been given a six-month prison sentence followed by six months of being confined at home. The sentence was given by Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl of the United States District Court on Monday. This came after Perna admitted guilt in 2023 for filing fake corporate and personal tax returns. In addition, Perna must pay a fine of $25,000 and restitution of $455,463.
The investigation, led by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), found that from 2014 to 2019, Perna consistently hid a large portion of the money he earned from certain clients for his company, Life Quest. He kept $332,157 of this money for himself instead of reporting it as income. He kept his business partner and the company’s accountant in the dark, which made it difficult to accurately report taxes.
In addition, Perna’s personal tax returns from the same time were also found to be misleading. He did not report more than $300,000 that was taken from Life Quest customer payments, over $250,000 that he received from other businesses through reimbursement schemes, around $632,000 of extra business income that he disguised as “loan repayments,” and over $80,000 in rental income from properties that he owned.
Also Read: Biden Targets Wealthy in Pennsylvania Tour With a Hometown Visit
The sentencing is happening at an important time, when people in the United States are filing their taxes. It shows that the federal government is serious about making sure people follow tax laws. U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero highlighted the importance of citizens being honest and responsible in fulfilling their tax obligations. She mentioned that not doing so can harm the funding of important government services.
Yury Kruty, who is in charge of the IRS-CI as a Special Agent, emphasized the importance of corporate and personal income taxes. These taxes are crucial for funding programs like Social Security and Medicare. The IRS-CI is strongly focused on catching tax evaders and making sure everyone follows the tax rules.
The case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Eric D. Gill, who worked together with the IRS-CI and the United States Attorney’s Office to protect public finance and enforce tax laws.
Leave a Reply