Christopher Chierchio and Anthony Milohnic Charged with Felony Donnelly Act Violations
Chierchio – A Reputed Genovese Mafia “Soldier” – Also Charged with Criminal Tax Fraud for Attempting to Evade Over $94,000 in Personal Income Tax Liability
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the arrest and indictment of Christopher Chierchio and Anthony Milohnic for their role in a bid-rigging scheme – a class E felony – in which they allegedly colluded to ensure a lack of competition for the plumbing, sprinkler, and HVAC bids for a new luxury residential building at 613 Baltic Street in Brooklyn. Chierchio is also charged with Criminal Tax Fraud – a class C felony – for his alleged evasion of $94,094 of personal income taxes owed since April 2016.
“We have zero tolerance for crooks who try to game the system to line their pockets,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “We'll continue to work with our partners in law enforcement to crack down on bid-rigging, tax fraud, and all other forms of corruption.”
These arrests are the result of an investigation conducted by Attorney General Schneiderman’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), in collaboration with the New York City Police Department’s Criminal Enterprise Investigations Section (NYPD-CEIS), the New York City Department of Investigations (DOI), the United States Department of Labor - Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. That investigation included the scrutiny of intercepted communications from court-authorized wiretaps, the execution of search warrants, and the review of financial records. These indictments are an offshoot of a previous joint OCTF/NYPD investigation, “Operation Shark Bait,” which resulted in the indictment and arrest of 13 defendants for Enterprise Corruption in Brooklyn.
DOI Commissioner Mark Peters said, “Bid-rigging undercuts fairness and equality in the contracting process. DOI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to expose and stop this type of pernicious corruption.”
According to the indictments, which were unsealed today in New York County Supreme Court, Christopher Chierchio, 49, of Staten Island, is charged with Agreement, Arrangement, or Combination in Restraint of Trade or Competition, in violation of the New York State Donnelly Act, as well as Criminal Tax Fraud in the Second Degree. If convicted of both counts, he faces up to 19 years in prison.Chierchio is a reputed “soldier” in the Genovese organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra. Anthony Milohnic, 43, of North Merrick, was also charged with the Donnelly Act violation.
The tax indictment against Chierchio is a result of a joint investigation by OCTF and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance’s Criminal Investigations Division.
The Attorney General would like to thank New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. for his cooperation in this matter, and Kip Brailey, Tansey Brent, and John Yaros of the United States Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes and Enforcement Network (FinCEN) for their assistance throughout this investigation.
The charges against the defendants are merely accusations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
No comments:
Post a Comment