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Date: 12-21-2023
Case Style:
Case Number:
Judge: Richard J. Arcara
Court: The United States Court for the Western District of New York (Erie County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: The United States Attorney’s Office for Buffalo
Defendant's Attorney:
Description:
Greg MacKinnon, 58, of Wheatfield, NY, was convicted of conspiring to defraud the United States.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell T. Ippolito, who handled the case, stated that between June 2011, and April 27, 2017, MacKinnon operated Vantage Point Services, a debt collection business. MacKinnon and others involved in the conspiracy fraudulently and unlawfully collected on debt, earning income exceeding $10,000 every year from such criminal activity. The criminal activity included using illegal tactics to collect on debt, such as coercion by making false threats of arrest to debtors; collecting more than was owed on a debt; and attempting to collect on debt that had already been paid in full.
MacKinnon, and his co-conspirators, diverted money that represented the unlawful proceeds of illegal debt collection activities employed by Vantage Point Services to other debt collection business entities controlled by co-conspirators. The money was diverted, and made to appear as ordinary business expenses, to avoid reporting income exceeding $10,000 in any year from criminal activity and paying income taxes. The total tax loss to the United States was $3,067,341.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas Fattorusso, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.
Outcome:
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: