Manchester, CT – A Middletown convenience store owner has copped to attempting to interfere with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by cashing and depositing over $787,000 in U.S. Treasury tax refund checks into his personal accounts.
The defendant, ASAFAK BHURA, 50, of Manchester, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty in Hartford federal court yesterday. His crime: circumventing IRS regulations designed to prevent money laundering.
BHURA operated Nafisa, LLC and later BAB Enterprise, LLC, a convenience store registered with the U.S. Department of Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) as a money service business. Despite being unlicensed to cash checks for more than 50 cents per check in Connecticut, BHURA accepted numerous tax refund checks between March and June 2012.
According to court documents, BHURA knew these checks were obtained fraudulently through stolen personal information. He purposefully violated his store’s anti-money laundering (AML) program by depositing the funds into his own accounts instead of the business accounts. His fee for this service? A five percent cut worth $39,359.
Sentencing is set for August 23, where BHURA faces up to three years in prison and a fine of $250,000. He has agreed to pay the IRS his fee as restitution.
The investigation was conducted by the IRS-Criminal Investigation Division, with prosecution handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Jongbloed. BHURA was released on bond pending sentencing.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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