Middlesex CPA Amit Govil Jailed for $672K Tax Fraud

Amit Govil, a 58-year-old certified public accountant from New Brunswick, New Jersey, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison today for filing a false tax return, dodging more than $672,000 in taxes. The conviction marks the fall of a once-trusted financial professional who exploited his position to hide income from the IRS.

Govil, licensed in both New York and New Jersey, operated P&G Associates, an East Brunswick-based firm offering risk management and audit services to community banks. Despite handling sensitive financial audits for clients, he failed to report the full gross receipts of his own business on Schedule C of his personal tax return for the 2010 tax year.

According to court documents and statements made during his guilty plea, Govil deliberately underreported income, creating a paper trail designed to mislead federal tax authorities. His actions resulted in a tax loss exceeding $672,000—a figure that federal prosecutors called both brazen and calculable.

U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares, presiding in Newark federal court, handed down the 27-month sentence and added one year of supervised release. Govil previously pleaded guilty to Count 1 of a federal indictment charging him with making and subscribing a false tax return, a felony under U.S. law.

The investigation was led by special agents from the Internal Revenue Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John R. Tafur. U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito emphasized that professionals entrusted with financial integrity will face consequences when they betray that duty.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Courtney A. Howard and Catherine R. Murphy of the Economic Crimes Unit. Govil’s conviction serves as a stark reminder: even those who audit others aren’t above the law.