Armonk Man Pleads Guilty for Orchestrating Bus Company Scam
An Armonk man who owned a school bus company faces up to 15 years in prison pleaded guilty Thursday to two felony charges for billing the Yonkers Board of Education for bogus bus pickups.
William Ahern, 60, of 28 High St., pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny and second-degree rewarding official misconduct for creating a false bus route by invoicing student bus pickups at the Nepperhan Community Center, according to the Westchester County district attorney’s office.
From September 2012 to April 2014, Ahern, the owner of A Plus Transportation on Alexander Street in Yonkers, acted in concert with Anna Sollozzo, the transportation supervisor for the Yonkers Board of Education. Authorities said that $313,825 was stolen from the city for bus services that were never provided to the community center.
The district attorney’s office said Ahern would submit invoices for the false services to Sollozzo, who knowingly approved them for payment. During the 19-month period, Ahern secretly deposited $107,250 into Sollozzo’s bank account. From March 8, 2011 to Apr. 14, 2014, she also neglected to remit $282,398 in state income tax.
A Plus Transportation had bus service contracts with Yonkers totaling about $2.8 million during the time in question.
Sollozzo had pleaded guilty on June 1 to one count each of second-degree grand larceny and third-degree criminal tax fraud, both felonies. She is currently serving two to six years in state prison.
Sentencing for Ahern is scheduled for Feb. 16. As part of his plea deal, Ahern must pay $179,203 in restitution on the day of his sentencing.
The fraud came to light as the Yonkers inspector general was investigating an unrelated complaint.
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