Fairfield man Donald Biagi Jr., 55, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison today for orchestrating a three-year scheme to evade hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes through his landscaping business. U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello handed down the sentence in Hartford, followed by one year of supervised release, holding Biagi accountable for deliberately funneling business income off the books.
Biagi, the sole owner of Don Biagi Landscaping, provided services to residential and commercial clients across Fairfield County, raking in cash by cashing 574 client checks directly at banks instead of depositing them. Between 2008 and 2010, the checks totaled approximately $848,750—money that never passed through official business accounts and was kept hidden from tax authorities.
Acting as his own bookkeeper, Biagi withheld critical financial records from his tax return preparer, omitting a staggering $1,321,305 in gross receipts across three tax years. In 2008, he failed to report 62% of his income; in 2009, 47%; and in 2010, nearly 60%. The pattern revealed a calculated effort to undercut tax liability while running a cash-heavy operation under the radar.
As part of Judge Covello’s ruling, Biagi was ordered to pay $445,579 in back taxes, plus mounting penalties and interest. The defendant made a partial restitution payment of $50,000 on the day of sentencing, but the remaining balance looms as a financial reckoning years in the making.
Biagi pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion on September 29, 2016, and was instructed to surrender to federal custody on April 1, 2017. His case underscores the IRS Criminal Investigation Division’s ongoing crackdown on small-business owners exploiting cash transactions to dodge federal obligations.
The investigation was led by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Jongbloed. Authorities say the sentence sends a clear message: even off-the-books cash work leaves a paper trail when federal agents come calling.
Related Federal Cases
- Ira Malkin Pleads Guilty to $484K Tax Evasion · Connecticut
- Hartford Dealer Roman Pantojas Cops to Guns, Heroin · Connecticut
- Regan Tippett Charged with Filing False Tax Returns · Connecticut
- Mario Pascual Aquino Admits to $1.4M Tax Refund Fraud · Puerto Rico
- Debra Biagi Sentenced for $700K Fraud Scheme · Connecticut
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News