Imtiaz Shaikh, Tax Evasion, New Hampshire 2018

A Manchester man was sentenced to 16 months in prison for participating in a wire fraud scheme to defraud the State of New Hampshire out of tobacco excise tax revenue.

Imtiaz Shaikh, 46, of Manchester, was sentenced on Monday to 16 months in prison for his role in the scheme, which involved the purchase of tobacco products other than cigarettes from various suppliers located in Pennsylvania.

Shaikh and others transported the products to New Hampshire for sale to retail businesses, but Shaikh avoided most of the licensing and reporting requirements by conducting business through a number of shell corporations.

As a result of the scheme, the State of New Hampshire lost an estimated $2.8 million in tax revenue.

Shaikh previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud on June 29, 2018.

In addition to the sentence of imprisonment, the court ordered Shaikh to pay $2,845,270 in restitution to the State of New Hampshire and to forfeit $132,538 in seized funds.

“This scheme swindled the State of New Hampshire out of much needed tax revenue,” said U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray. “The Defendant’s conduct effectively made each honest taxpayer the victim of fraud. In order to protect the public treasury, we will always work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who choose to engage in fraudulent conduct.”

Shaikh was charged with wire fraud and was sentenced in New Hampshire in 2018.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nh/pr/manchester-man-sentenced-16-months-scheme-defraud-state-new-hampshire-connection-untaxed