www.Autobodynews.com, August 4, 2023
Jose Cardona, 45, of Oceanside, NY, was sentenced Aug. 2 for felony tax fraud related to his ownership and operation of two Nassau County collision repair shops, New York State officials announced.
In Nassau County State Supreme Court, Cardona was sentenced to six months in jail and five years of probation, after having already paid more than $700,000 in restitution.
Cardona’s two businesses previously pleaded guilty to felony tax fraud charges, and his wife, Veronica Cardona, 44, also of Oceanside, previously pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor false filing charge related to a fraudulent personal income tax return.
Cardona was the owner and operator of two collision centers: No Limit Auto Body, Inc., also known as Perry’s Hub Auto Care, located at 10 Jerusalem Ave. in Hempstead, NY, and Henry Street Auto Body, Inc., also known as No Limit Auto Body II, located at 110 Henry St. in Freeport, NY.
A joint investigation by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Auto Insurance Fraud Unit and the Department of Taxation and Finance (Tax Department) revealed Cardona and No Limit Auto Body collected but failed to remit to New York state more than $584,000 in sales taxes between June 2010 and May 2016, and that Cardona and Henry Street Auto Body collected but failed to remit more than $117,000 in sales tax between June 2011 and November 2015.
Cardona previously pleaded guilty to one count each of third-degree criminal tax fraud and fourth-degree criminal tax fraud, both felonies.
Pursuant to his pleas, Cardona paid more than $700,000 in restitution to the Tax Department prior to being sentenced. On Aug. 2, before Acting Supreme Court Justice Meryl J. Berkowitz, Cardona was sentenced to six months in jail, followed by five years of probation.
In addition to sales tax fraud, Cardona and his wife were both charged with filing a false personal income tax return for 2011 and failing to file personal income tax returns for 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015---thereby underpaying more than $204,000 in personal income taxes. Continue Full article