New York Man Charged in $9M Fraud Conspiracy

A Brooklyn, New York, man was charged for conspiring to defraud the IRS, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.

Aleksander Zaretser is charged by indictment with conspiracy to defraud the IRS. He will be arraigned on a date to be determined.

According to documents filed in this case, from 2011 to August 2018, Zaretser helped “Individual-1” conceal millions of dollars in insurance reimbursement checks that Individual-1 diverted from the Prime Aid Pharmacies, located in New Jersey and New York.

For a fee, Zaretser either cashed the checks at Brooklyn check-cashing businesses using fraudulent check-cashing accounts or diverted them through Canadian bank accounts back into U.S. accounts that Individual-1 owned and controlled. Zaretser was recorded saying that Canada was “the best place” because it was more lenient “for white collar crime.”

After law enforcement attempted to question Zaretser about his criminal conduct, Zaretser asked Individual-1 to pay for his legal fees, stating that he would stay quiet and not cooperate with law enforcement. Later, Zaretser encouraged Individual-1 to lie to law enforcement about their scheme and stated that he would not provide information if questioned about hiding checks from the IRS.

The scheme resulted in total tax loss to the IRS of approximately $9.1 million.

The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

The charge and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey

Topics New York Fraud