Cook County Businessman Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Tax Fraud

CHICAGO, IL – Judge Clayton Crane of the Circuit Court of Cook County sentenced Mohammad Aburish, to a term of 24 months in the Illinois Department of Corrections and 12 months Mandatory Supervised Release, after he pleaded guilty to the charge of Failure to File a Corporate Income Tax Return, a Class 4 felony.  As part of his plea, the Defendant was also ordered to pay $561,916.49 in Restitution to the Department of Revenue.

“Tax fraud is a serious crime, and we are gratified the sentence included a substantial prison term, in addition to requiring delinquent taxes to be paid,” said Revenue Director Brian Hamer.  “In the wake of this and other recent successful prosecutions, the Department is reaching out to Illinois retailers, reminding them that if they purchase tobacco products for resale, they must either have proof that taxes had been paid by their distributor, or they must pay the tobacco tax directly themselves.”

The Defendant was operating a tobacco distribution business called Suha & Jana Company in Orland Park.  The indictment alleged that for the entire time period charged (July 2010 – March 2012), the Defendant failed to report up to $5,655,956.00 in tobacco products purchased, sold or otherwise disposed of on the company’s tobacco tax forms, Federal Income Tax Returns or Illinois Income Tax Returns.  The indictment also alleged that the Illinois Tobacco Products Tax due on Suha & Janna Company’s unreported tobacco sales was $1,018,072.08.

The case was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office based on a referral from the Department of Revenue’s Criminal Investigation Division.