Brothers get 21-month prison terms in tax evasion case

Staff report

CLEVELAND

Two brothers who operated a Youngstown construction company have been sentenced, both to 21 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for failing to pay federal taxes.

They also were ordered to pay $138,496 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Scott Bonamase, 48, of Streetsboro earlier had pleaded guilty to willful failure to truthfully account for and pay taxes due to the Internal Revenue Service and making false statements to a government agency.

His brother, David Bonamase, 52, of Canfield had pleaded guilty to the willful failure to account for and pay taxes charge.

The men were sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher A. Boyko.

“It’s the shortcuts that kill you. ... You guys took the shortcut, and here you are in federal court,” Judge Boyko told the brothers, referring to their failure to hire an accountant to ensure that the company followed proper payroll procedures.

“Somebody who’s looking at your business objectively, from outside looking in, would say, ‘This is a train wreck waiting to happen,’” Judge Boyko added.

While operating A. Bonamase Contracting Inc. between 2006 and 2009 and employing 10 to 25 people, Scott Bonamase under-reported employee gross wages to the IRS, and he and his brother omitted employee payments in company records, the U.S. attorney said.

Both men falsified prevailing-wage records they provided to the government, the U.S. attorney added.

The indictment said the defendants conspired to evade more than $279,000 in taxes.

The case was investigated by the IRS and the U.S. departments of Labor and Housing and Urban Development.