An electrician in New York state pleaded guilty to ducking income taxes and lying about employee numbers on paperwork for Workers Compensation insurance. The Times-Herald Record reported that Scott Duffie, 62, of Walden, N.Y., pleaded guilty last week to two charges: repeated failure to file personal income tax returns, a felony under state Tax Law; and fraudulent practices, a felony under state Workers Compensation Law.
In court, he admitted that he owes the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance $34,744 in unpaid tax liabilities. Prosecutors say Duffie paid some workers off the books.
A labor union complaint triggered the investigation. In exchange for Duffie's guilty plea, the District Attorney's Office will recommend a sentence of one to three years in prison on each count, to run concurrently.
In a prepared statement, District Attorney David Hoovler noted that Duffie’s business, in operation since 1982, had worked on state and federal projects, in which contracts are generally awarded to the lowest bidder.
