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JIW why don't you release some videos calling for harsher penalties on employers of illegal labor? Seems to me that's time better spent than filming post avenue from a bus window.
I do, all the time! I'm always criticizing those that hire illegals, where have you been...??
I know of one local contractor who was heavily fined and sent to jail four years ago. His crew was working on a site that the union should have been on. The union turned him in. The story was kept quiet -- buried in a Saturday edition of Newsday.
Quote:
A subcontractor who provided carpenters to many large-scale home building projects on Long Island pleaded guilty Friday to failing to pay federal taxes on the wages of his workers, many of whom were illegal immigrants from Ecuador working off the books, according to officials.
The plea by *******, the head of ****** Construction of St. James, is just the start of a large-scale federal investigation into illegal practices in the construction industry on Long Island that cheat the government out of tax revenue, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
***** pleaded guilty to one count of evading payroll taxes on his workers' wages for the last quarter of 2005, as part of a plea bargain with the Internal Revenue Service in U.S. District Court in Central Islip. He faces between 21 months and 27 months in prison and must pay almost $400,000 in withholding taxes to the IRS as part of the plea.
*****'s company employs dozens of carpenters who specialize in framing - erecting the wooden structure of buildings. But his attorney said ***** was not solely to blame.
"My client is the victim of a bad immigration policy, caught between immigrants willing to work for low wages and home builders who want the lowest cost," said James O'Rourke of Hauppauge.
O'Rourke said that his client had tried to help some of his workers become citizens, even hiring lawyers for them, but that it was a time-consuming process. He added that many of ****'s workers would work only if they were paid off the books.
But Antonio Martinez, an organizer for the Empire State Regional Council of the Carpenters Union, who was in court Friday, said ****'s company was part of "a cancer in the industry," in which illegal immigrants are willing to take lower wages, driving down the pay for all carpenters while builders look the other way.
He noted that union carpenters on Long Island earn about $30 an hour plus fringe benefits, while ***** was paying at most $12 an hour.
I know of one local contractor who was heavily fined and sent to jail four years ago. His crew was working on a site that the union should have been on. The union turned him in. The story was kept quiet -- buried in a Saturday edition of Newsday.
Story was kept quiet, buried in a Saturday edition?? What?? Why do you assume that it was kept quiet because they reported on it on Saturday?? Why do you feel the need to play up some kept quiet or buried conspiracy?? Could it be something as simple as it was in Saturday's paper because well the person plead guilty on Friday, otherwise known as the day before?? Isn't that what daily papers do?? Have stories on the prior days events?? Isn't that a much simpler explanation than playing up the conspiracy they kept this on the hush hush clap trap.
Story was kept quiet, buried in a Saturday edition?? What?? Why do you assume that it was kept quiet because they reported on it on Saturday?? Why do you feel the need to play up some kept quiet or buried conspiracy?? Could it be something as simple as it was in Saturday's paper because well the person plead guilty on Friday, otherwise known as the day before?? Isn't that what daily papers do?? Have stories on the prior days events?? Isn't that a much simpler explanation than playing up the conspiracy they kept this on the hush hush clap trap.
Part of the arrangement was that this would be kept low profile; the pleading was done on a Friday for that reason. His sentencing, almost a year later, was also done on a Friday. He turned the investigators on to another local guy and in return received this 'kindness'. He also didn't serve full jail time, but wound up in a federal halfway house for half a year. He was allowed out every day to work. He had some sort of probation, but that's just ended.
Part of the arrangement was that this would be kept low profile; the pleading was done on a Friday for that reason. His sentencing, almost a year later, was also done on a Friday. He turned the investigators on to another local guy and in return received this 'kindness'. He also didn't serve full jail time, but wound up in a federal halfway house for half a year. He was allowed out every day to work. He had some sort of probation, but that's just ended.
Found the link to it. Newsdays archive was pulled for some reason 404 error.
Interesting. He faces between 21 months and 27 months in prison and must pay almost $400,000 in withholding taxes to the IRS as part of the plea.
If people want to know why this country is broke, here's a BIG reason for that. This is the first and ONLY case I have ever heard this happening on LI. Can you imagine the $Billions (possibly $Trillions) that the US Treasury and states are losing due to unpaid withholding taxes from employing illegals.... man, people need to think twice about hiring them (or maybe not since no one gets punished for it).
I just found a way we can reduce the deficit dramatically in this country. How is it that ordinary taxpayers would get audited, thrown in jail and fined to oblivion if we shorted the IRS $1,000. Yet these companies are shorting Uncle Sam $MILLIONS on a daily basis. I don't care if this subject is taboo or people get offended -- this crap needs to end. If you can't see how hiring illegals steals from OUR future and our kids future, then you're part of the problem.
Found the link to it. Newsdays archive was pulled for some reason 404 error.
Interesting. He faces between 21 months and 27 months in prison and must pay almost $400,000 in withholding taxes to the IRS as part of the plea.
If people want to know why this country is broke, here's a BIG reason for that. This is the first and ONLY case I have ever heard this happening on LI. Can you imagine the $Billions (possibly $Trillions) that the US Treasury and states are losing due to unpaid withholding taxes from employing illegals.... man, people need to think twice about hiring them (or maybe not since no one gets punished for it).
I just found a way we can reduce the deficit dramatically in this country. How is it that ordinary taxpayers would get audited, thrown in jail and fined to oblivion if we shorted the IRS $1,000. Yet these companies are shorting Uncle Sam $MILLIONS on a daily basis. I don't care if this subject is taboo or people get offended -- this crap needs to end. If you can't see how hiring illegals steals from OUR future and our kids future, then you're part of the problem.
The subject of the article was constantly underbidding local framers. One guy I know lost countless jobs to him because his men were citizens, were getting paid comparable to union scale and were receiving some benefits.
It is amazing that we don't hear more of these cases -- imagine how much we could recoup? As you pointed out this was only one business but $400K in withholding taxes alone. Seeing as business liability insurance in some trades is calculated using payroll exposure, workers comp went unpaid, NYS taxes avoided, unemployment taxes, etc. -- imagine what the total net figure he pocketed was utilizing illegal labor. Grrrrrr.
The only reason this case EVER saw the light of day is because he landed a big framing job and screwed the union guys out of it. The union dropped the dime on him. The IRS isn't actively seeking these guys out.
If people want to know why this country is broke, here's a BIG reason for that. This is the first and ONLY case I have ever heard this happening on LI. Can you imagine the $Billions (possibly $Trillions) that the US Treasury and states are losing due to unpaid withholding taxes from employing illegals.... man, people need to think twice about hiring them (or maybe not since no one gets punished for it).
I don't disagree with this, but small operators like this are small potatos compared to major corporations hiding literally trillions overseas using creative business structuring. Then they lobby Congress to grant another tax amnesty, pay 5% rather than 35% on their repatriated money, and use that money to pay executive bonuses and dividends instead of creating jobs. This is largely why, for example, GE paid $0 in US income taxes last year.
Of course, there's also the Bush tax cuts, and our low income tax rates in general. That's why we're broke. Illegal aliens are not an unimportant issue but it's mostly a distraction.
I don't disagree with this, but small operators like this are small potatos compared to major corporations hiding literally trillions overseas using creative business structuring. Then they lobby Congress to grant another tax amnesty, pay 5% rather than 35% on their repatriated money, and use that money to pay executive bonuses and dividends instead of creating jobs. This is largely why, for example, GE paid $0 in US income taxes last year.
Of course, there's also the Bush tax cuts, and our low income tax rates in general. That's why we're broke. Illegal aliens are not an unimportant issue but it's mostly a distraction.
One man's company swindled $400K. How many hundreds of thousands like him are doing the same out there. Sure it is not on the scale as the corporations, but $400K times, say, 100,000 swindlers is still 40,000,000,000. Forty billion dollars. Not exactly chump change. If we had that, perhaps we wouldn't be sweating defaulting next month.
Cash under the table -- whether to illegals driving into churches, or Bob next door doing plumbing on the side -- does add up.
Like I said, I don't disagree. I just wish there was half as much outrage at the huge multinationals not paying their taxes as there was at illegals and those who hire them. It's like complaining about the guy littering while ignoring someone else committing a murder next door.
Like I said, I don't disagree. I just wish there was half as much outrage at the huge multinationals not paying their taxes as there was at illegals and those who hire them. It's like complaining about the guy littering while ignoring someone else committing a murder next door.
Gotcha.
Meanwhile -- did you read the story about TransCanada filing a condemnation suit to ED property from a family in Oklahoma so they can run their pipeline through it?
Since when does a privately owned foreign company have the right to sieze property from US citizens?
There are so many things wrong out there. This country is a mess.
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