A Scarsdale concrete contractor has been accused of evading federal taxes for more than a decade by using various schemes to conceal his personal income.
Filip Lala, an Albanian citizen also known as Fatimtar Lala, was arrested on Sept. 4 and charged with tax evasion and subscribing to false tax returns. He pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern, in White Plains, and was released from custody on posting a $100,000 bond.
Lala disguised his ownership and control of five construction companies, according to the government, and also owns Albanian Powerplant Construction Company in his native country.
From 2011 to 2021, according to the criminal information papers, Lala schemed to evade taxes on personal income for 2006 to 2009.
His businesses were registered in the names of his wife or brother. As he ran the businesses, he claimed that he was unemployed and a stay-at-home dad and his wife was the breadwinner.
Business receipts were deposited into his sister-in-law’s bank account. A $260,000 fire insurance check was deposited into his wife’s bank account and was used for a down payment on a Scarsdale house that was bought in her name.
One of his construction companies made $130,000 in payments to an individual who had loaned $800,000 to his Albanian business, and another $76,000 was transferred directly to the business.
Some years, according to the charging papers, he either failed to report taxes or claimed $0 income.
In 2011, Lala had a representative tell the Internal Revenue Service that he no longer had a business. Lala submitted a form stating that he made $4,200 a month but had monthly living expenses of $15,200.
The IRS concluded that Lala’s account was not collectible and paused its efforts. In 2012, the IRS renewed collection efforts.
In 2017, after more false representations, according to the charging papers, the IRS paused collection efforts again, for unpaid taxes from 2006 through 2009.
From 2009 to 2011, the IRS had tried to collect those taxes but received a single payment for $87.88. In 2013, when the outstanding balance for 2006 to 2009 was $460,388, Lala offered to settle the obligation for $2,300. As of February 2021, he owed $597,734.
Lala was also accused of filing false tax returns for the 2017 to 2019 tax years. He claimed a total income of $67 for three years, according to the charging papers, and underreported his income by $705,510.
Lala’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 22, 2025, a week after this year’s tax filing deadline.
