LI Town Councilman Pleads Guilty To Tax Evasion, Resigns

In court today, Town of Hempstead Councilman Ed Embrosino pleaded guilty to tax evasion. As a result of his guilty plea, he resigned from his position on the town board.

Ambrosino, 54, of North Valley Stream, faces up to five years in prison, as well as having to pay restitution to the IRS and the state Department of Taxation and Finance for the taxes he owes. In addition, he agreed to pay $700,000 in restitution.

“Just like the people who put him in office, Ambrosino owed it to his fellow citizens to pay his fair share of taxes,” said United States Attorney Richard Donoghue. “This office and our law enforcement partners are committed to holding accountable public officials who violate the law.”

Ambrosino, who has been a Hempstead Town Board member since 2003, was an attorney and was "of counsel" at a Uniondale law firm.

In 2011, Ambrosino incorporated Vanderbilt Consulting Group, Inc., and was the company’s sole shareholder. He then opened a bank account in the company's name, and was the only one with access to it. From 2013 through 2015, Ambrosino diverted more than $800,000 in legal fees from clients, including the Nassau County IDA and the Nassau County Local Economic Assistance Corporation, that he was required to provide to his firm and deposited them in the Vanderbilt account.

As part of his plea, Ambrosino neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing in the case, but agreed to pay $700,000 in restitution to the firm.

Ambrosino also evaded income taxes and filed false corporate tax returns for Vanderbilt for 2011, 2012 and 2013. He claimed false business expense deductions and didn't report the money he diverted into the account. He defrauded the IRS of $254,628, which he will have to repay.

At the same time he was pleading guilty, Ambrosino sent a letter to the town attorney resigning from his seat on the Hempstead Town Board. His last day is Friday.

"Today is a sad day for the Town of Hempstead as yet another Republican official is convicted of a crime," Town Supervisor Laura Gillen said in a release. "Hardworking taxpaying residents deserve better from their elected officials. I was elected to break up the one-party rule that has left a stain of corruption across our town and county. So, I now call on the Town Council to do the right thing and break from their past practices of appointing a successor to the seat. The only way to properly restore integrity to this town and to this council district is by letting the voters decide who should represent them, not Republican Party bosses."

Under current town law, the board can appoint a replacement for Ambrosino. Gillen, however, has been fighting to change the town code to make vacancies on the board filled by special elections.