Canfield doctor sentenced for failure to pay taxes
Staff report
CLEVELAND
A Canfield doctor will spend six months behind bars after failing to pay Social Security, Medicare and employment taxes collected from his employees.
Judge Christopher A. Boyko, of U.S. District Court in Cleveland, also ordered Dr. Nicholas Garritano to pay $105,673 in fines.
Dr. Garritano, 55, of Canfield, had pleaded guilty to one count of willful failure to collect or pay over tax.
An indictment charged him with 11 counts, and said the offenses occurred over 11 quarters between 2009 and 2011.
Judge Boyko agreed to dismiss 10 counts in exchange for a guilty plea.
A sentencing memorandum submitted by Dr. Garritano’s defense claimed Garritano suffered financial and legal setbacks in both his personal and professional lives.
Ryan Kroner, acting special agent in charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Cincinnati Field Office, said Dr. Garritano’s failure to meet his obligations harmed his employees.
“His failure to pay over the withheld taxes not only affected the revenue to the U.S. government,” Kroner said, “but more importantly, it affected the employees’ Medicare and Social Security benefits.”
After his incarceration, Dr. Garritano will be under supervised release for two years.