Matthew Tucci of West Long Branch, New Jersey, found himself in hot water today as federal authorities arrested him on charges of tax evasion and obstructing the IRS.
The arrest comes following an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Trenton, New Jersey, accusing Tucci of concealing a multimillion-dollar real estate portfolio and providing false information to the IRS to evade paying taxes.
According to the indictment, Tucci received millions of dollars in income in 2015 and 2016, purportedly from refunds by the Customs and Tax Administration of the Kingdom of Denmark.
However, he allegedly failed to report this income accurately on his federal tax returns for those years, claiming he owed over $2 million in taxes but making no payments.
Instead, Tucci is accused of attempting to evade IRS collection efforts and concealing his assets, including over $7.6 million in real estate.
Tucci allegedly went to great lengths to hide his ownership of these assets, transferring titles to some properties to nominees and providing false statements and incomplete information to the IRS regarding his financial resources and his ability to pay taxes.
If found guilty, Tucci could face a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The case is being investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI, with prosecution handled by Senior Litigation Counsel Nanette Davis and Trial Attorney Catriona M. Coppler of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Boden for the District of New Jersey.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey announced the arrest, emphasizing the government’s commitment to holding individuals accountable for tax evasion and obstruction of justice.
