Convicted Newington landscape contractor fined $1.75 million for tax evasion

Date: July 16, 2024

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Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that Anthony Niro of Newington, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to three years of probation and ordered to pay a fine of $1.75 million for tax evasion. Judge Williams noted Niro's medical condition and family circumstances when imposing the sentence.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Anthony Niro was a co-owner of A. Niro Landscape Contractors, Inc. ("ANLC"), a business that provided landscaping and snowplowing services for large commercial properties and for personal residences. Nanette Niro, who is married to Anthony Niro, was the bookkeeper for ANLC and maintained ANLC's financial records. For the 2006 through 2010 tax years, Anthony Niro, his business partner, and Nanette Niro conspired to evade both corporate and individual income tax by causing a large portion of ANLC's receipts to be deposited into two non-interest-bearing checking accounts, and transferring money out the accounts to themselves for their benefit. Anthony Niro, his business partner, and Nanette Niro failed to provide information about these non-interest-bearing accounts to the tax return preparer who prepared ANLC's federal income tax returns. In their 2006 through 2009 personal tax returns, the Niros failed to reflect accurately monies received from ANLC and other sources. A 2010 tax return was not filed.

For the 2006 through 2010 tax years, Anthony and Nanette Niro failed to report to the IRS more than $7.8 million in income, resulting in a tax loss to the IRS of $1,451,725. As an example, on their 2009 federal individual tax return, Anthony and Nanette Niro reported taxable income of $131,895 when their correct taxable income for that year was $1,891,955.

Anthony Niro has paid restitution of $1,472,735 to the IRS, and has forfeited an additional $127,300. He is still required to pay substantial interest and penalties to the IRS.

On January 4, 2024, Anthony Niro pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion. Nanette Niro pleaded guilty to the same charge on January 9, 2024, and awaits sentencing.

This investigation has been conducted by the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS CI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.

CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90 percent federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 12 attaché posts abroad.