BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Bergen County accountant stands accused of defrauding a public insurance coverage service of greater than $7 million in staff’ compensation premiums by submitting doctored payroll data that vastly decreased the dimensions of a shopper’s workforce, authorities stated.
Steven Lyon, an Edgewater accountant, was employed by New York specialty contractor Oneteam to organize and file its quarterly payroll experiences with the state Division of Labor, and its yearly state and federal tax returns. Lyon additionally acted as Oneteam’s consultant throughout annual audits carried out by the New York State Insurance coverage Fund, Manhattan District Lawyer Alvin Bragg, Jr., stated.
As alleged, from Jan. 1, 2019, to Could 15, 2021, Lyon used separate e mail accounts to file payroll-related paperwork with the labor division and insurance coverage fund, Bragg stated.
Whereas filings submitted to the labor division have been correct, these submitted to the insurance coverage fund have been doctored to “drastically cut back” the dimensions of Oneteam’s workforce, the district lawyer stated.
The state insurance coverage fund relied on these paperwork to calculate Oneteam’s staff’ comp insurance coverage prices, and “grossly undercharged” the mason contractor because of this, the district lawyer stated. Over the course of the alleged scheme, Oneteam underreported payroll by greater than $16 million, and underpaid the insurance coverage service by greater than $7 million.
“By deliberately underreporting payrolls, scammers save hundreds of thousands in premiums on the expense of hardworking New Yorkers,” the district lawyer stated.
Lyon, together with Oneteam and its proprietor Mario Rojas, Jr., have been every charged in a New York Supreme Court docket indictment with three counts of felony insurance coverage fraud, and three counts of felony falsifying enterprise data, the district lawyer stated.