‘Mafia Cop’ author sentenced in tax case
A former New York police detective accused by authorities of helping the mafia commit murder was sentenced in Las Vegas on Tuesday after pleading guilty to filing false tax returns.
Louis Eppolito, author of "Mafia Cop: the Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family was the Mob," was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. Eppolito is already detained in New York awaiting trial in New York on charges that include racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, narcotics conspiracy and narcotics distribution.
U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt allowed Eppolito to receive credit for time served in prison. He has been jailed since his 2005 arrest.
Eppolito and his wife, Frances, were indicted on the tax charges in Las Vegas in 2006. Frances Eppolito was allowed to enter a diversion agreement for the tax charges.
The Eppolitos acknowledged they filed a 2001 tax return that said they earned a total income of $127,386. Their true income for the year 2000 was $327,386, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Louis Eppolito also failed to declare $130,000 in income in 2001 and $45,000 in 2002.
The couple was ordered to pay $102,108 in restitution, the amount of loss reported by the Internal Revenue Service.
