Audrey Strauss, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that Bilal Salaj was sentenced in Manhattan federal court to 19 months in prison for perpetrating tax fraud. SALAJ previously pled guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang to conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"), tax evasion, and failure to pay over payroll taxes. U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel, who accepted Salaj's guilty plea, imposed today's sentence.
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: "Bilal Salaj failed to pay his tax obligations to the IRS and maintained a cash payroll for his business while cheating the government out of almost $1 million. Our self-assessment system of tax reporting is not synonymous with 'forthrightness optional.' The government — and especially our law enforcement partners — won't miss, overlook, or ignore those who misreport on their tax returns. In the competitive small business world, being dishonest and underreporting tax obligations might be tempting. But Salaj's sentence is a reminder that tax fraud is a serious federal crime and not worth the risk."