Debbie Schlussel: Guess the Religion, Cigarette Tax Fraud Edition
Thanks to the many readers who sent in this story. As usual, we know who the perpetrators are, and as usual, who they are isn't exactly identified. You know, the "Religion of Peace" and tax fraud and cigarette smuggling and on and on and on. Hmmm . . . maybe one of these names is actually of Samoan or Hawaiian derivation. My fave is that one of these men used an alias of "Anthony Stallone." No, he was not from the Islamic branch of Sylvester's family (so no calls of "Allahu Akbar, Adrian!" in the very near future).
This is one of the many reasons why I've always been against taxes on cigarettes. They tax the working class to pay for Hezbollah and other Islamic terrorists' activities:
A federal tax-fraud case against a group of 14 men who cheated the state of Minnesota out of $2.5 million in cigarette tax revenues ended on Thursday when the last two men likely to be punished for the fraud were sentenced to prison.
Kamil Madfoun Al-Esawi and Musaab Fares Wazwaz were each sentenced to two years in prison and fined $500. Three more defendants remain at large overseas and are not expected to return to the United States. [DS: Shocker.]Most of the 14 defendants belonged to four groups of brothers with the last name Wazwaz. According to the indictment, they owned 52 Twin Cities-area tobacco stores, and made numerous attempts to conceal earnings and wealth through fraudulent bookkeeping and tax returns, as well as property transfers and large cash transactions.
In addition to the men sentenced today, those who pleaded guilty to tax-fraud charges were:
* Sabry Mohamed Wazwaz: 42 months in prison, three years supervised release, restitution of $1,244,859.93.
* Tawfiq Othman Wazwaz: 42 months in prison, three years supervised release, restitution of $723,936.27.
* Kennedy Mohamed Wazwaz: 30 months in prison, three years supervised release, restitution of $720,260.37.
* Ziad Mahmoud Wazwaz: 33 months in prison, three years supervised release, restitution of $699,805.17.
* Houd Othman Wazwaz: 27 months in prison, three years supervised release, restitution of $389,369.71.
* Adel Salem: Two years in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution of $262,541.53.
* Taleb Mohamed Wazwaz: 15 months in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution of $192,754.40.
* Raed Yassin Wazwaz: One year and a day in prison, three years supervised release, restitution of $151,733.96.
* Yousef Mahmoud Wazwaz, also known as Joseph Mahmoud: Two years in prison, three years supervised release, restitution of $100,343.
The men who remain overseas are Anthony Stallone, also known as Zuhair Yassin Wazwaz, Fares Othman Wazwaz and Othman Majed Wazwaz.
Hmmm . . . "overseas" where? Why won't they even report the name of th country? HUH?!
Posted by Debbie on March 7, 2008 01:28 PM to Debbie Schlussel