Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a West Hempstead woman was arraigned on charges she failed to pay income taxes from 2017 through 2020 and owed more than $49,000 in back taxes over a three-year period.
Cynthia Ciaccio, 62, was arraigned Tuesday before Judge Jaclene Agazarian on charges of violating New York State Tax Laws including Criminal Tax Fraud in the Third Degree (a D felony); Personal Income and Earnings Taxes: Repeated Failure to File (an E felony); and Criminal Tax Fraud in the Fifth Degree (an A misdemeanor). The defendant pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance. She is due back in court on April 19, 2023. If convicted of the top count, the defendant faces up to 2-1/3 to 7 years in prison.
“This defendant allegedly evaded her tax obligations for four years while collecting more than $400,000 in annual income and failed to submit income tax returns that honest taxpayers diligently and reliably file every year,” said DA Donnelly. “No one is above this obligation, and individuals who deliberately evade paying their fair share of taxes will be prosecuted.”
DA Donnelly said, according to the charges, the defendant worked for a company in Maspeth as the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In late 2019, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (NYSDTF) began a criminal investigation of the defendant as a potential Personal Income Tax evader.
After an extensive investigation, it was determined that the defendant allegedly failed to file New York State Personal Income Tax Returns in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.
The defendant had an Adjusted Gross Income of $428,964 in 2017, $452,386 in 2018, $462,357 in 2019 and $556,406 in 2020.
Because of her alleged failure to file, the defendant incurred an annual unpaid tax liability, and a total unpaid liability of approximately $49,792 for the three-year period encompassing tax years 2017, 2018 and 2019.
During the audit period, the defendant resided in Nassau County.
The NCDA thanks the NYSDTF for their partnership and cooperation in this prosecution.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Investigative Attorney and Attorney-in-Charge of Tax Crime Prosecutions Kathleen Casey of the Revenue, Auto, Insurance and Labor Crime Bureau. The defendant is represented by Brian Griffin, Esq.
The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.