MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced that a Deer Park man has been arrested on tax charges for allegedly failing to pay over $110,000 in sales tax for his Plainview-based Subway shop.
Amit Joshi, 50, was arraigned yesterday before District Court Judge Paul Meli on charges of:
- Grand Larceny in the 2nd Degree (a C Felony)
- Four counts of Criminal Tax Fraud in the 3rd Degree (a D Felony)
- Criminal Tax Fraud in the 4th Degree (an E Felony)
Bail was set at $1,000 bond or cash and the defendant is due back in court June 20. If convicted, the defendant faces up to five to 15 years in prison.
“Sales tax revenue pays for essential public services that Nassau residents depend upon, and businesses who steal the taxes they collect leave the public to foot the bill,” DA Singas said. “We thank the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance for working with us on this case.”
“Business owners are obligated to remit all sales tax collected from customers to the State – and that didn’t happen in this case,” said New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Acting Commissioner Nonie Manion. “This arrest should put merchants on notice: tax evasion will never be tolerated, and can result in significant fines and criminal prosecution.”
DA Singas said that from March 1, 2010 through August 31, 2016, Amit Joshi, allegedly under reported sales tax collected from customers of his independently owned and franchised Subway shop located at 82 Manetto Hill Plaza in Plainview to the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance. During that time, the Subway restaurant made more than $1.9 million dollars in taxable sales and the total sales tax liability is $110,266.33.
The defendant is the responsible party for Bobby International, Inc. and Ishaash, Inc., two corporations that consecutively operated the shop. The arrest follows a joint investigation by the NCDA and NYS Department of Taxation and Finance. The NCDA received this case in June 2016.
The case is part of the Crimes Against Revenue Grant (CARP) in which the NCDA, along with other NYS district attorney offices, works with the NYS Department of Taxation to investigate and prosecute cases to recover New York State revenue that was stolen or misappropriated.
Sales tax is required to be collected from customers by business owners. The business owners are required to remit the sales tax money to New York State. One half of the sales tax collected in Nassau County belongs to New York State and the other half belongs to the county.
ADA Lauren Littman of DA Singas’ Economic Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case. Joshi is represented by Lawrence Carra, Esq.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.