TAX PREPARER CHARGED WITH STEALING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS
FROM NEW YORK STATE BY FILING FRAUDULENT TAX RETURNS OVER A
FOUR YEAR PERIOD
Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson and New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Commissioner Robert L. Megna announced today that a joint investigation has resulted in the arrest of a Manhattan man on charges that he engineered the theft of more than $41,000 from the State by allegedly filing fraudulent tax returns sixteen times for six clients over a four year period beginning in January 2005 through November 2008.
Ramuntxo Bosch, the owner of Bosch Tax Services at 111 West 225th Street in the Marble Hill section of the Bronx, has been charged with 3 counts of Grand Larceny in the 3rd degree, 2 counts of Attempted Grand Larceny in the 3rd degree, 1 count of Grand Larceny in the 4th degree, 16 counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the 1st degree, 3 counts of Attempted Grand Larceny in the 4th degree, and Aiding or Assisting in the Giving of Fraudulent Returns.
District Attorney Johnson said: “The pattern of looting of the State’s coffers, as alleged in this criminal complaint, represents unconscionable greed, particularly during these tough economic times when resources are limited and the need for services is high. Aside from being illegal, conduct of this kind exacerbates the hardship endured by honest citizens. Let this arrest send a strong message that those who engage in this kind of white collar economic crime, will be vigorously prosecuted.”
Commissioner Megna said: "This arrest marks another in the Tax Department’s year-long, statewide investigation of corrupt tax preparers who use their specialized training and knowledge of tax law to game the system. The case also demonstrates how the Tax Department’s enforcement personnel are working closely with prosecutors and aggressively using investigative techniques not previously common in tax enforcement to penetrate the criminal activities of corrupt tax preparers. Together with dedicated and concerned prosecutors like Bronx District Attorney Johnson, we are using these types of techniques to investigate dozens of fraudulent preparers across the state. I thank District Attorney Johnson for his support in this investigation and for his aggressive prosecution of this case.”
Bosch, 61, of 205 West 95th Street, Manhattan, is facing a maximum sentence of up to 7 years imprisonment on each count if convicted of the most serious offense of Grand Larceny in the 3rd degree, a Class D felony offense. Bosch was arraigned before Criminal Court Judge Gilbert Hong who set bail at $30,000 bond or $15,000 cash.
Although at this time, Bosch has only been charged with filing fraudulent returns on sixteen different occasions, the scheme which he allegedly carried out, may have involved hundreds of tax filings which generated refunds amounting to over $1,000,000. According to court papers, the defendant filed tax returns which fraudulently claim a number of foster children as dependents and child care deductions for these ‘phantom’ children.
The scheme began to unravel when the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance noticed that the same children with the same social security numbers were being claimed as dependents on multiple returns by unrelated taxpayers. Investigators traced the social security numbers in question to children who were born in Puerto Rico, some of whom were enrolled in schools on the Island. It is alleged that the defendant profited from the fraudulent scheme by charging extra fees and retaining a portion of the tax refunds. Bosch filed the tax returns electronically.
District Attorney Johnson and Commissioner Megna thanked members of their staffs for their hard work on the investigation that resulted in this arrest. The list of personnel includes NYPD Detective Steven Swindell, of the DA’s Squad, Bronx DA Detective Investigator Juan Medina, Attorney-in-Charge, Robert Eisman, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, and Investigator Angelique Aponte, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ann Cherry of the Arson/Auto/Economic Crime Bureau.
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