Former Hempstead Town Councilman Edward Ambrosino was sentenced Friday to six months in jail following his guilty plea to federal tax evasion.
The 55-year-old North Valley Stream man was also sentenced at Central Islip federal court to three years’ supervised release. Judge Joanna Seybert addionally ordered him to pay $700,000 in restitution to his former employer and $254,628 in restitution to the Internal
Revenue Service.
“This is yet another example of a public official on Long Island breaking the law, this time by failing to pay his fair share of taxes like every other citizen,” Richard P. Donoghue, U.S.Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Federal prosecutors said Ambrosino, an attorney who was disbarred due to the felony conviction, diverted more than $800,000 in legal fees from clients that he was required to provide to his former Uniondale-based law firm. The clients included the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency and the Nassau County Local Economic Assistance Corporation. The Republican resigned from the town board following his guilty plea.
Ambrosino also evaded substantial income tax, and filed false and fraudulent
corporate tax returns on behalf of Vanderbilt in 2011, 2012, and 2013, authorities said. He claimed false and fraudulent business expense deductions, and failing to report funds he diverted from his former law firm, according to investigators.
