Farmington Accountant Sent To Prison For Tax Fraud: Feds

FARMINGTON/BRIDGEPORT, CT — A Farmington accountant will spend some time behind bars in federal prison after being sentenced in court Monday for filing phony tax returns.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. attorney for Connecticut, said Mark Legowski, 60, of Farmington, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to eight months of imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release, for filing false tax returns.

Dooley also ordered Legowski to pay a $10,000 fine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from January 2015 through December 2017, Legowski was a self-employed accountant and tax return preparer doing business as Legowski & Company, Inc. (“LCI”) in Farmington.

Avery said Legowski prepared income tax returns for approximately 400 to 500 individual clients and approximately 50 to 60 businesses.

For the 2015 through 2017 tax years, in order to reduce his personal income tax liability, Legowski willfully underreported LCI’s gross receipts in LCI’s computer bookkeeping system by excluding some customer payment checks, she said.

He then filed false personal income tax returns that failed to report a total of more than $1.4 million in business income, which resulted in a loss to the IRS of $499,289, according to Avery.

In 2015, Legowski reported $0 in taxable income when the true figure was $415,697; in 2016, he reported $29,343 in taxable income when the true figure was $531,294; and in 2017, he reported $56,060 in taxable income when the true figure was $496,808, according to authorities.

Legowski has paid the IRS $499,289 in back taxes and he still must pay substantial tax penalties and interest, officials said.

On Aug. 29, Legowski pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return.

Legowski, who is released on bond, is required to report to prison on Jan. 8, 2025.

This investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen.

For the full announcement, click on this link.