Accountant on the run after fraud allegations
Threat of 15 years in jail prompts accused accountant to flee
A US accountant is on the run after evading police custody this week,
following his indictment on fraud charges.
David Cohen and his partner in crime, Jeffrey Rosner, faced up to 15 years in
prison after being indicted on grand larceny charges and 21 counts of fraud and
tax evasion.
Cohen escaped police custody at the Staten Island home of his daughter early
this week, while Rosner was placed on a $350,000 bond after pleading not guilty.
Cohen and Rosner, who had offices in the Empire State Building, allegedly
helped some 600 tax clients file false tax returns by inflating expenses,
misrepresenting married taxpayers and changing clients’ corporate names.
They also allegedly reported their own incomes falsely – sometimes receiving
city and state refunds of more than $5,000.
The charges are the result of a three-year investigation into one of the
men’s clients that revealed several questionable tax deductions. Two of their
former clients have pleaded guilty to participating in the scheme and are now
cooperating with authorities.