A celebrity pizza chef who co-owns several pizza restaurants in Connecticut and New York was sentenced Thursday to a month in prison for his role in a tax evasion scheme.
U.S. District Court Judge Victor A. Bolden imposed the sentence on Bruno DiFabio, 51, of Ridgefield.
DiFabio gained fame as a television personality on the Food Network and appeared on programs such as the Today Show and Good Morning America. He was also a guest judge on Chopped.
He pleaded guilty in 2018 to one count of conspiracy to file false income tax returns and payroll tax returns. He must report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his sentence on July 12.
After DiFabio serves his sentence, he will be on supervised release for three years.
DiFabio has ownership interest in several pizzerias, including Pinocchio Pizza in New Canaan and Wilton, Amore Cucina and Bar in Stamford, ReNapoli Pizza in Old Greenwich, and eateries in Scarsdale and Pound Ridge, New York.
DiFabio’s business partner, Steven Cioffi, was sentenced in April to a month in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser urged the judge to impose a prison term on DiFabio, noting the conduct went on for years.
“While it is hoped that this defendant will be specifically deterred going forward, there is the important issue of general deterrence in tax cases and sending a message so that similarly situated business owners will think twice before engaging in illegal tax avoidance behavior,” Schmeisser wrote, in a pre-sentencing memorandum.
Attorney Joseph W. Martini of Southport, who represents DiFabio, said his client is known as the “Lord of the Pies” in the pizza world, gaining widespread notoriety for his television appearances.
Martini had asked the judge to impose a period of probation and no prison time. Martini said his client is a first time offender who accepted responsibility and is working toward making restitution.
Federal prosecutors said the Internal Revenue Service lost $816,954 in income and employment taxes for the 2013 through 2015 tax years.
The judge ordered DiFabio to make full restitution. He has paid approximately $125,000 so far, and he has agreed to provide additional assets, including interests in his home and businesses.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said DiFabio and Cioffi removed cash from their businesses’ cash registers, then didn’t deposit the money in the restaurants’ bank accounts.
Their outside bookkeeper and accountant used bank records to determine their gross receipts. Therefore, earnings weren’t reported to the IRS. The pair also paid certain wages to employees in cash, resulting in the IRS losing withholding taxes.
The pair’s bookkeeper, Idalecia Lopes Santos, pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion and was sentenced in March to three years of probation. Their accountant, James Guerra, pleaded guilty to one count of willful failure to collect and pay over withholding taxes in January, and he awaits sentencing.
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.
