East Islip Business Owner, Second Defendant Dodge Prison After $1M Sales Tax Fraud

Brian Soltan, age 62, of West Islip, and Gerald McCrystal, age 51, of Dix Hills, were both ordered to pay six-figure restitution payments in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, June 26.

According to prosecutors, Soltan admitted that he intentionally failed to report more than $2.8 million in taxable sales between January 2011 and November 2015 from several auto body businesses he owned in East Islip.

Those companies included Long Island Auto Body, Long Island Towing, and High End Collision.

Soltan pleaded guilty to grand larceny in September 2019. As a condition of his plea, he was ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution.

Prosecutors said McCrystal confessed to purposely not reporting nearly $9 million in taxable income between February 2008 and November 2015 at his Farmingdale-based furniture stores.

Among them were Levetz Inc., Roma Fli Corporation, and Roma New York, Inc.

Following his guilty plea to grand larceny, a Suffolk County judge ordered him to pay $745,000 in restitution.

“The deliberate theft of tax dollars is a serious offense that undermines the integrity of our tax system and places an unfair burden on law-abiding citizens and businesses,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.

“Both defendants collected sales tax from customers, fraudulently underreported taxable sales on dozens of returns, and then failed to remit that money to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.

“These cases serve as clear reminders that tax fraud will not be tolerated, and those who attempt to cheat the system will be held accountable for their actions.”

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