Two East Stroudsburg women, Hope Carbone, 72, and Donna Venturini, 70, have been sentenced for conspiring to evade federal excise taxes on imported large cigars.
The women, who served as the U.S. importer for Victor Sinclair Cigars, a Dominican Republic-based cigar manufacturer, were found to have collected approximately $3.9 million in excise taxes from U.S. purchasers of Victor Sinclair manufactured cigars from 2009 to 2011.
However, the co-conspirators only paid approximately $2.1 million to the government, retaining approximately $1.8 million for themselves.
Carbone and Venturini pleaded guilty to conspiracy to evade federal excise taxes in August 2022. They were sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to two years of probation and ordered to pay restitution.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the Department of Treasury, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlo D. Marchioli and Joseph J. Terz prosecuted the case.
Jose Dominguez, the owner of Victor Sinclair Cigars, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to evade federal excise taxes in June 2022 and is awaiting sentencing.
The sentencing was a result of a long investigation into the women’s dealings with Dominguez and his company.
Carbone and Venturini’s actions not only evaded taxes but also cheated the government out of millions of dollars.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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