Rochester Man’s Decades-Long Tax Dodge Ends in Guilty Plea
Anthony Cerame, a 64-year-old Fairport resident, has pleaded guilty to obstructing the administration of the tax laws in a move that brings an end to a decades-long campaign of tax evasion.
According to court documents, Cerame attempted to avoid paying approximately $270,000 in federal income taxes by using trusts and aliases to hold assets, concealing income, claiming improper deductions, and instructing witnesses to withhold information from the government. He even went so far as to destroy evidence, further complicating the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney John J. Field stated that Cerame’s actions were a clear attempt to impede Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service from performing their duties.
However, in a move that suggests Cerame’s guilt was not in question, he paid $200,000 of his unpaid tax obligation after learning of the government’s criminal investigation.
The investigation, which was led by Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Toni M. Weirauch, culminated in Cerame’s guilty plea.
Cerame now faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both, when he is sentenced on May 23, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer.
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