An electrician from New York has been sentenced to probation for failing to pay his personal income taxes and for failing to claim his employees on Workers Compensation paperwork. According to a report from the Times-Herald, Scott Duffie, 62, was arrested in late 2014 and pleaded guilty in November 2015 to two felony counts: repeated failure to file personal income tax returns, and fraudulent practices under state Workers Compensation Law.
As of his sentencing, Duffie had paid the full $94,063 he owed, with $34,744 going to the Department of Taxation and Finance and $59,319 to Workers Compensation carrier The Hartford. Duffie's lawyer, Thomas Petro, told the judge his client had handed over the balance of $41,000 that morning.
The Superior Court Judge agreed to sentence Duffie to three years' probation instead of six months in jail because he had paid restitution. The Judge also granted Duffie a certificate of relief from disabilities, a document that will allow him to remain eligible to work on government projects.
Duffie’s company has been in business since 1982 and has won contracts in the past for state and federal public works projects.
