Sayreville Man Gets 15 Months In Prison For Tax Fraud

SAYREVILLE, NJ — A Sayreville man was sentenced this week to 15 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy filing fraudulent tax returns, the IRS Criminal Investigation Newark Field Office said.

Luis Crespo, 43, of Sayreville, was sentenced on Wednesday. He will also serve three years of supervised release and pay $510,668 in restitution, ruled U.S. District Court Judge Anne E. Thompson.

Crespo previously pleaded guilty to count one of a three-count indictment that was handed out by a grand jury on Aug. 27, 2020.

According to documents and statements made in court, Crespo was part of a conspiracy led by Michael Watsey.

The IRS says they filed the false tax returns on significant gambling winnings, using Forms W2-G.

These false Forms W2-G showed gambling winnings to Crespo, authorities said. For tax years 2016 and 2017, Crespo filed income tax returns with the IRS that included the false Form W-2Gs that requested a total of $508,787 in federal tax refunds, according to court documents. Based on this, the IRS paid Crespo tax refunds totaling approximately $510,668, authorities said.

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