Former Harrison Police Chief Sentenced To 18 Months In Prison For Tax Evasion

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ANTHONY MARRACCINI, the former chief of the Harrison Police Department, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for tax evasion.  MARRACCINI pled guilty in January 2019 before U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas, who imposed today’s sentence. 

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “When Anthony Marraccini became a police officer in the Town of Harrison, he swore to uphold the law.  Instead, he violated the public’s trust when he evaded more than $902,000 in federal and state income taxes.  Today’s sentence serves as a reminder that the laws of our land apply to all, regardless of position or power.”

According to the allegations contained in the Information:

During the relevant time period of 2011 to 2016, MARRACCINI was the Chief of Police for the Town of Harrison, New York.  MARRACCINI also owned and operated Coastal Construction Associates LLC (“Coastal Construction”), a construction business, and was also employed as a salesperson for two title companies.  In addition, MARRACCINI owned several residential rental properties.  MARRACCINI reported some of Coastal Construction’s revenue and expenses, and the rental income from some of his rental properties, on his personal federal income tax return.

MARRACCINI failed to report all of Coastal Construction’s revenue on his income tax returns from 2011 through 2016.  Instead, he deposited some checks Coastal Construction received for construction work into his personal bank accounts.  He also cashed some checks Coastal Construction received at a check cashing service and kept the cash for his personal use.  In some instances, MARRACCINI deposited checks Coastal Construction received into Coastal Construction’s bank accounts but took portions of the deposits as cash, thus reducing the amounts of the deposits on Coastal Construction’s bank account statements.  MARRACCINI then falsely represented to his tax return preparers that Coastal Construction’s bank account statements showed the vast majority of the company’s revenue for each year.

MARRACCINI failed to report more than $2.3 million in revenue for Coastal Construction for the tax years 2011 through 2016.

MARRACCINI also failed to report a total of more than $199,800 in rents received from two rental homes he owned in Purchase, New York, from 2011 through 2015.  In addition, MARRACCINI failed to report $24,500 in rents he received from a rental home he owned in Rye, New York, in 2013 and 2014.

In total, MARRACCINI failed to report more than $2.5 million in revenue from Coastal Construction and the rental properties, thereby evading more than $782,000 in federal income tax and more than $119,000 in state income tax, from 2011 through 2016.

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In addition to the prison term, MARRACCINI, 54, of West Harrison, New York, was sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine.

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the IRS-CI and the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. 

This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant United States Attorney James McMahon is in charge of the prosecution.