Harrison's Ex-Police Chief Evaded $780,000 In Taxes

HARRISON, NY — Anthony Marraccini, once Harrison's police chief, pleaded guilty Wednesday to tax evasion, according to Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Jonathan D. Larsen, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service.

“As he admitted in court today, former Harrison Police Chief Anthony Marraccini failed to report more than $2.5 million he earned through his ownership of a construction company and several rental properties," Berman said. "At a time when he was the top law enforcement officer in Harrison, Marraccini broke the law and evaded more than $780,000 in income taxes. Sworn officers of the law should be held to a higher standard. At a bare minimum, they should be expected to obey the law.”

From 2011 to 2016, Maraccini was the Chief of Police for the Town of Harrison. He also owned and operated Coastal Construction Associates LLC, a construction business, and was also employed as a salesperson for two title companies. In addition, he owned several residential rental properties. He reported some of Coastal Construction’s revenue and expenses, and the rental income from some of his rental properties, on his personal federal income tax return.

However, he failed to report all of Coastal Construction’s revenue on his income tax returns from 2011 through 2016. Instead, he deposited some checks Coastal Construction received for construction work into his personal bank accounts. He also cashed some checks Coastal Construction received at a check cashing service and kept the cash for his personal use.

In some instances, Marraccini deposited checks Coastal Construction received into Coastal Construction’s bank accounts but took portions of the deposits as cash, thus reducing the amounts of the deposits on Coastal Construction’s bank account statements. He then falsely represented to his tax return preparers that Coastal Construction’s bank account statements showed the vast majority of the company’s revenue for each year.

He failed to report more than $2.3 million in revenue for Coastal Construction for the tax years 2011 through 2016.

Also, he failed to report a total of more than $199,800 in rents received from two rental homes he owned in Purchase, New York, from 2011 through 2015; and failed to report $24,500 in rents he received from a rental home he owned in Rye, New York, in 2013 and 2014.

Thereby he evaded more than $782,000 in federal income tax from 2011 through 2016, prosecutors said.

Marraccini, 54, of West Harrison, New York, pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentence will be determined by the court.

He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Karas on May 16, 2019.

Marriccini retired in 2016 after he had been suspended by the town. He was a 32-year veteran of the department.

SEE: Harrison Police Chief Retires While Suspended

PHOTO: Police Chief Anthony Marraccini at a Harrison Town Board meeting in 2012/ Zach Oliva