Pennsylvania Businessman Seeks House Arrest for $15 Million Tax Dodge

• Joseph Nocito, a Pennsylvania businessman, was sentenced for a $15 million fraud scheme used to construct a 51,000-foot mansion.
• Nocito, 81, requested his one-year prison term be converted to house arrest, proposing to reside in a smaller home without his butler.
• The legal team argued for leniency based on new sentencing guidelines effective February, highlighting Nocito's lack of prior criminal history.

Joseph Nocito, the former CEO of Automated Health Systems in Pittsburgh, was sentenced in September to a year in prison for defrauding $15 million to finance the construction of a lavish 51,000-foot mansion, named 'Villa Noci'.

The fraud involved classifying personal expenses as deductible business costs. As he awaits his sentence commencement in January at the Federal Medical Center in Kentucky, Nocito's lawyers have filed a motion for house arrest with electronic monitoring, proposing he serve his time in a smaller residence, away from 'Villa Noci'.

Photo by@AP/dailymail.co

Attorney Philip DiLucente urged District Judge Joy Flowers Conti to consider applying new sentencing guidelines set to take effect next February, arguing for a reduced sentence due to Nocito's clean criminal record. The government, however, intends to oppose this request firmly. Nocito was initially charged in 2018 for tax evasion from 2006 to 2012, using the funds to build Pennsylvania's largest home, complete with luxury amenities.

In addition to the mansion, Nocito's fraudulent expenses included luxury cars, artwork, and education costs for his grandchildren. At his sentencing, he cited health issues, including a knee replacement need. His son and personal assistant have also faced legal consequences for related crimes. Nocito has already paid $15 million in restitution after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud the US.

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