RAYMOND GEORGE, Tax Evasion, Connecticut 2020

A Hamden deli owner has been sentenced to prison for tax evasion, according to the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

RAYMOND GEORGE, 53, of Hamden, was sentenced to nine months of imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release, for tax evasion. Judge Stefan R. Underhill also ordered George to pay a $5,000 fine.

George owns and operates a Ray & Mike’s, LLC, a delicatessen located at 3030 Whitney Avenue in Hamden. For the 2012 and 2013 tax years, George evaded payment of his federal income taxes in multiple ways.

According to court documents and statements made in court, George failed to deposit all of the cash receipts of the business into his business bank account. He used a portion of the cash to fill an in-store ATM and failed to report the cash as income.

In addition, George used the Ray & Mike business account to pay personal expenses. He also deposited three large checks totaling nearly $300,000 from the Ray & Mike’s business account into his personal investment account, without reporting the funds as income in any capacity.

On his federal tax returns, George underreported his income by approximately $365,065 for the 2012 tax year and by $273,108 for the 2013 tax year, and failed to pay a total of approximately $220,000 in taxes for those two years.

George has paid the IRS approximately $480,000 in back taxes, interest and penalties. On May 17, 2019, George pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/hamden-deli-owner-sentenced-prison-tax-evasion