Connecticut
CT attorney ordered to pay over $750K in back taxes sentenced to prison for tax evasion
A Wallingford attorney was sentenced to over a year in federal prison on Wednesday for failing to pay over half a million dollars in taxes plus interest and penalties, federal officials said.
Mark Carbutti, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 15 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of tax evasion on Dec. 1, 2022, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Nagala also ordered Carbutti to pay $750,180 in back taxes, interest and penalties.
For the 2013 through 2017 tax years, Carbutti, an attorney specializing in personal injury law, reported around $585,025 in taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service as a result of his legal practice and rental income, court records said. Carbutti reportedly made only limited payments, and interest and penalties accrued as a result.
According to court reports, Carbutti received at least 12 notices from the IRS between December 2014 and May 2019 reminding him of the amounts due and offering instructions on how to make the payment.
When the IRS levied Carbutti’s personal bank accounts for failure to pay, he closed the accounts, court records said. He continued to avoid payments by writing checks from his law firm’s operating account payable to his paralegal, which were then converted to cash and deposited into bank accounts of limited liability companies he created in connection with his real estate holdings, according to court records.
Carbutti also took additional large cash withdrawals from his law firm bank accounts and redeposited them in the bank accounts of his LLCs, court records said. Between 2013 and 2019, he withdrew approximately $600,000 from those bank accounts for personal expenses including gambling at casinos, restaurants, vacations and a BMW, according to court records.
Carbutti is scheduled to report to prison on July 17, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
Connecticut
‘Significant' water main break affecting traffic on Main Street in Cheshire
There is a water main break on Main Street in Cheshire and detours are in place.
Police said there is a “significant water main break” in the area of 660 West Main St. and all eastbound traffic will be detoured until the water main is fixed, which could take into the evening hours.
Police are asking drivers to avoid the area if possible and they warn of delays for those traveling in the area.
Traffic will be detoured and drivers will need to take a right onto Mountain Road, a left onto Cornwall Avenue, a left onto Willow Street and a right onto West Main Street.
Connecticut
Authorities investigate reports of tremors in Stamford
Police and fire officials are investigating multiple reports of tremors in Stamford Thursday night.
The police department said they received reports of tremors and shaking in the Turn of River Road and High Ridge Road area.
Fire officials told NBC Connecticut that they received more than a dozen calls from residents. Crews said they checked the area extensively but couldn’t find anything.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hasn’t yet reported any earthquakes in the area.
No injuries or damage were reported. It’s unclear what specifically caused the tremors at this time.
Connecticut
Enfield Police to increase presence to deter shoplifters during holiday season
It’s that time of year! Thousands of shoppers from Connecticut and Massachusetts will be heading to Enfield’s big box stores to get presents for the holiday season.
But in doing so, you might see more of a police presence.
Enfield police say shoplifting is a year-round problem, but it increases every holiday season due to the number of shoppers who come by.
They’re upping their efforts to reduce shoplifting by doing more focused operations to catch people.
“Busy. Very busy. Crazy around here,” Heather Merrill said of Enfield’s shopping district this time of year.
“I try to shop really early in the morning, really late at night,” Kate Garrity said.
Shoppers flock to the stores to get special gifts and the best deals, but Enfield police say not everyone goes in ready to pay.
“I could not quantify how many shoplifting calls we have. It feels like we get 100 in a week,” said Sergeant Steven Austin of Enfield police.
Earlier in the week, Austin and other Enfield Community Police Officers spent the day working with stores like Kohl’s and Target, looking for shoplifters.
Austin says they chose a random day and ended up catching — and arresting — five people.
“We’re on scene with the loss prevention officer so we’re watching it ourselves on surveillance and able to apprehend the suspects right then and there,” said Austin.
Police say that of those arrested, one woman had $4,000 worth of stolen goods alone. The others stole a couple hundred dollars worth of goods.
Austin says this is the first year the community policing unit is doing focused operations against shoplifting, hoping to deter people from even trying.
We don’t want to say when and where – but we look forward to working with loss prevention again,” said Austin.
There are consequences for shoplifting in Connecticut, such as thousands of dollars worth of fines and the potential for prison depending on how much money the stolen items are worth.
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