Ex-Lewisboro Justice Seedorf Jailed for Tax Dodge

WHITE PLAINS, NY – A former pillar of the Westchester County legal system is trading his robes for prison stripes. MARC A. SEEDORF, 64, of South Salem, New York, was sentenced today to six months in federal prison for deliberately dodging his tax obligations for over a decade. The sentencing, handed down by U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel, closes a chapter on a scheme that saw the former Town Justice and Administrative Law Judge conceal assets and lie to federal investigators.

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss didn’t mince words. “Marc Seedorf, a member of the judiciary and former Assistant District Attorney, knew well his obligations under the law to file income tax returns and pay tax when due,” she stated. “Instead, he chose to conceal assets and provide false information to the IRS. For his admitted crime, Seedorf will now serve a six-month prison sentence and be compelled to pay his unpaid taxes.” The case lays bare a pattern of calculated deception from a man entrusted with upholding the law.

Court filings reveal that from 2009 through October 2019, while serving as Town Justice for Lewisboro and an Administrative Law Judge, SEEDORF simultaneously pocketed income from a private law practice – and systematically avoided reporting it. He failed to file U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns for the years 2005 through 2015, accumulating a staggering federal income tax liability of approximately $323,000 (including interest and penalties) from 2005-2008, and another $164,000 from 2009-2013. This wasn’t simple oversight; it was a deliberate attempt to defraud the government.

The scheme took a particularly brazen turn in 2012 when SEEDORF received $1,524,116 from a civil lawsuit settlement. Instead of reporting the funds, he directed his law firm (“Law Firm-1”) to deposit the money into an attorney trust account, instructing them to disburse it to various accounts – including his brother-in-law’s – to hide its existence. He then used these concealed funds to make payments to the IRS and other creditors, attempting to cover his tracks. When the IRS began to investigate his outstanding debt in 2013, SEEDORF doubled down on the lies, falsely claiming a “loan” from his own law firm trust account.

The deception continued during an IRS interview in 2014, where SEEDORF conveniently “forgot” to mention the $1.5 million settlement or the remaining $540,000 hidden in the law firm’s trust account. The IRS estimates SEEDORF’s actions caused losses exceeding $200,000, including penalties and interest. Judge Seibel didn’t just hand down a prison sentence; she also ordered three years of supervised release and a $55,000 fine, on top of the $207,200 SEEDORF had already paid. A legal mind brought low by greed, Marc Seedorf will have plenty of time to reflect on his choices behind bars.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas F. Moura handled the prosecution. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on any further developments. It serves as a stark reminder that no one – not even those sworn to uphold the law – is above scrutiny when it comes to financial crimes.