Last Updated:June 30,. 2009

 

Old Brookville Doctors Arraigned
New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Acting Commissioner Jamie Woodward announced that husband-and-wife doctors from Old Brookville were arraigned yesterday in Nassau County on felony charges for failing to file state personal income tax returns for three consecutive years.
Dr. Wilson Ko, 53, an ophthalmologist, and Dr. Shirley Bow, 52, a radiologist, both residing at 12 Overbrook Lane, Old Brookville, are charged with two felony counts of failing to file state personal income tax returns for tax years 2002, 2003 and 2004 while having a tax liability in each of those years.
Both doctors are charged with Class E felonies in violation of New York State Tax Law. If convicted, they could each face up to four years in prison.
The charges are the result of an initiative undertaken by the New York State Department of Taxation & Finance's Office of Tax Enforcement to identify individuals who have failed to file and remit personal income taxes to the state.
Acting Commissioner Woodward said, "Tax cheats can be found among all professions, from blue collar workers to high-wage earners in the medical and legal fields. Regardless of how they cheat, these scofflaws force all other New Yorkers to shoulder a greater share of the tax burden, taxes that pay for essential services such as health care, education and transportation. The Department is committed to pursuing all tax cheats so that every New Yorker pays their fair share.
"The Department offers programs such as the Voluntary Disclosure and Compliance Program to encourage delinquent taxpayers to become compliant without facing criminal prosecution or civil penalty. It is hoped that these arrests will encourage such taxpayers to come forward and satisfy their tax obligation. For more information about these programs, go to the Department's website at www.nystax.gov.
Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said, "These two defendants lined their pockets on the backs of honest New York taxpayers, and will now face the consequences of stealing from the state. These arrests are indicative of what can happen when government agencies work together to protect all of us."

 

 

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