Year-Long Joint OCTF-NYPD Investigation Revealed That Ring Laundered More Than $55 Million In Illegal Proceeds; Dodged At Least $80 Million In New York Taxes.
Schneiderman: This Indictment Is The Result Of Our Relentless Fight Against Organized Crime Rings.
NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly today announced the indictment of 16 members of a criminal ring that flooded New York City, Albany County and Schenectady County with more than a million cartons of untaxed cigarettes illegally imported from Virginia. A 244-count indictment, unsealed in Brooklyn Supreme Court, charges 16 co-conspirators with enterprise corruption, money laundering and related tax crimes. Each of the defendants faces up to 25 years behind bars.
During a 12-month investigation, law enforcement seized more than 65,000 forged NYC/NYS cigarette tax stamps that were not yet affixed to packs of cigarettes, and nearly 20,000 cartons of untaxed cigarettes. The investigation, which has so far uncovered $55 million in illegal cigarette sales, is continuing. While it hasn’t been established yet where the illicit proceeds ended up, similar schemes have been used in the past to help fund organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah.
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Sounds like a new job opening.
ReplyDeletesorry about being out of the pc box but if you really read this article they describe this as cheating the public, anti smoking campaigns etc out of money. if you really think about it if the taxes on cigaretes in New York were not so out of this world this would not be possible especially to the degree that they supposedly "stole" from the public
ReplyDeleteYeah I thought taxing cigarettes out the wazoo was supposed to make people stop smoking? Did nothing but create a black market for them which in turn creates more government jobs which is and was the ultimate goal. Wow, and no terrorist connection at all. Just lowly old cigarette smugglers.
ReplyDeleteActually they are very connected to terrorist.
ReplyDeleteThat headline is not totally accurate. The cigs were stamped, Virgina tax stamp, Carolina tax stamp, etc., just not New York tax stamp.
ReplyDeleteLower the friggin taxes on cigs and poof, profit motive is gone. But, oh no, can't do that. Lower taxes?! lol yeah right