Westchester Guardian/The Court Report.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

The Court Report
By Richard Blassberg

Chappaqua Accountant Pleads Guilty To
Stealing Client Tax Refund Checks.

LEV L. DASSIN, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and RAFAEL PRIETO, the Resident Agent in Charge of the White Plains Office of the United States Secret Service, announced that RANDAL L. KASE pleaded guilty in White Plains Federal Court to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars of his clients’ tax refund checks.

According to the Information to which KASE pled guilty, statements made in Court, and other documents publicly filed in the case: From approximately 1998 through February 2009, RANDAL L.KASE, a licensed certified public accountant in New York State, prepared tax returns for his clients. During this time, KASE diverted the tax refund checks of numerous clients to his address in Chappaqua, New York, without the knowledge or permission of these clients.

After the Internal Revenue Service mailed his clients’ tax refund checks to KASE, KASE forged his clients’ endorsements and falsely represented
that his clients had signed the refund checks over to him. KASE then deposited his clients’ tax refund checks into his own bank accounts or used the checks to pay off his credit card bills. In total, KASE misappropriated at least 60 tax refund checks from his clients, totaling more than $320,000.

KASE was arrested on February 2, 2009, and pleaded guilty to one count of forging endorsements on United States Treasury checks and one count of mail fraud before United States District Judge CATHY SEIBEL.

KASE faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison; a fine on the forgery count of $250,000 and on the mail fraud count of $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense; and the imposition of restitution.

KASE, 55, resides in Chappaqua, New York. Judge SEIBEL set sentencing for July 28, 2009, at 10:30 a.m.

Mr. DASSIN praised the efforts of the Secret Service.

This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorney JASON P.W. HALPERIN is in charge of
this prosecution.