BOSTON (WWLP) – Seven commercial fishermen, including four from Massachusetts, have been indicted for tax evasion and failing to file return charges.
All of the fishermen worked for fishing companies out of New Bedford, Massachusetts or Point Judith, Rhode Island. The companies allegedly paid the fishermen as independent contractors and documented their income by filing Forms 1099 to the IRS. It is alleged that these seven fishermen did not file individual tax returns or pay all the taxes owed, some for decades or more.
One of the fishermen allegedly used the name and Social Security number of another person to hide their income. Some are also alleged to file false income tax returns by either not reporting their fishing income or by reporting false business expense deductions. Each fisherman is believed to have evaded between $900,000 and $1.9 million in income.
The seven fishermen have been identified and charged with:
- Jorge Cazarin of New Bedford
- Five counts of tax evasion
- Five counts of willful failure to file tax returns from 2016 to 2020
- Christopher Garraty of Newport and East Greenwich, Rhode Island
- Three counts of tax evasion
- Three counts of willful failure to file tax returns from 2016 to 2018
- Forth count of tax evasion for taxes allegedly owed for 2007 through 2011
- Wojciech Kaminski of West Warwick, Rhode Island
- Five counts of tax evasion from 2014 and 2016 through 2019
- Four counts of willful failure to file tax returns for 2016 through 2019
- Brian Kobus of Durnham, Connecticut
- Five counts of tax evasion for 2017 through 2021
- Rodolfo Membreno of Fall River, Massachusetts
- Six counts of tax evasion for 2012 and 2017 through 2021
- Four counts of willful failure to file tax returns for 2017 through 2019 and 2021
- John Doe of New Bedford
- Six counts of tax evasion for 2016 through 2021
- Three counts of willful failure to file tax returns for 2016 through 2018
- Miguel Cruz Rubio of New Bedford and Elizabethtown, North Carolina
- Four counts of tax evasion for 2016 through 2019
