CHARLEROI TAX SCOFFLAW SENTENCED
United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced today, January 12, 2006, that Antonio Ferrante, formerly a resident of Charleroi, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court in Pittsburgh to a six month period of imprisonment, to be followed by a three year period of supervised release, the first eight months of which are to be served in home detention, on his conviction for failure to account for and pay over income taxes withheld from employees, and failure to file federal unemployment tax returns.
United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Ferrante, age 58, who formerly owned and operated Ferra Co., Inc., in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, but who now resides in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida.
According to information presented to the court by Assistant United States Attorney Dennis P. Kissane, Ferrante, who was then President and Treasurer of Ferra Co., Inc., a corporation doing business in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, caused the company to fail to account for and pay over to the Internal Revenue Service federal income taxes and FICA taxes withheld from the wages of its employees during the period from April 30, 1999 through July 31, 2000. Also, Ferrante caused Ferra Co., Inc., to fail to file Employer's Annual Federal Unemployment Tax returns for 1999 and 2000. Tax losses in the case totaled $176,611.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Cercone stated that the period of incarceration imposed on Ferrante was justified by the seriousness of the offenses and the demoralizing effect which failure to pay taxes has on the community.
Ms. Buchanan commended the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Ferrante.
# # #