June 16, 2014

Casino Owner Sentenced in New Jersey to 46 Months in Prison for Evading Nearly $1.3 Million in Income Taxes from Trinidad Casino

TRENTON, NJ—The owner of several New Jersey businesses was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for evading taxes on income from his ownership of a casino in Trinidad, costing the United States approximately $1.3 million in tax losses, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

David Migliore, 51, of Brielle, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper to one count of an indictment charging him with evading taxes with respect to his 2011 personal tax return. Judge Cooper imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.

According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Migliore owns Brielle Investment LLC, Brielle Investments & Management Co. LLC, and La Soufriere Maritime Inc.—all headquartered in New Jersey—as well as Island Club Casino in Trinidad.

From 2009 to 2011, Migliore earned millions of dollars from Island Club Casino, resulting in $1,286,657 in taxes due. During that time, Migliore took steps to conceal his income and assets from the IRS. At his guilty plea proceeding, Migliore admitted to using unreported bank accounts in Trinidad to deposit personal income, using U.S. bank accounts in the names of his New Jersey business entities to receive income from Island Club Casino and to using those business entities to pay for personal expenses.

Migliore also admitted to transferring income from Island Club Casino directly to vendors in the U.S. for personal expenses and directing Island Club Casino employees to send his income through Western Union to individuals in New Jersey who collected the cash on his behalf.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Cooper sentenced Migliore to serve three years of supervised release. As part of his guilty plea and sentence, Migliore also has paid restitution of $1,286,657 to the IRS.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen; the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford in Newark; and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew M. McLees in Newark; as well as law enforcement officers from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni; police officers from Wall Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Robert Brice; and international assistance from the Financial Intelligence Unit for Trinidad & Tobago with the investigation. U.S. Attorney Fishman also thanked the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for assistance provided.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Agarwal of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.