WHITE PLAINS, NY –Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore announced that over the period of nearly two years, the two defendants named below are charged with stealing approximately $280,000.00 from the City of Yonkers for school bus services that were never provided for the Nepperhan Community Center. The bus company vendor submitted false invoices for bus services that were never provided and the Board of Education’s Transportation Supervisor would knowingly approve these invoices for payment, notwithstanding the fact that these services were never provided.
William Ahern (DOB 05/01/56) of 28 High Street, Armonk, New York was arraigned on a Felony Complaint charging him with:
•one count Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class “C” Felony,
•one count of Rewarding Official Misconduct in the Second Degree, a class “E” Felony,
Anna Sollozzo (DOB 05/06/62) of 101 Highland Avenue, Yonkers, New York was arraigned on a Felony Complaint charging her with:
•one count Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class “C” Felony,
•one count of Criminal Tax Fraud in the Third Degree, a class ”D” Felony,
•one count of Receiving Reward for Official Misconduct in the Second Degree, a class “E” Felony,
•three counts of Criminal Tax Fraud in the Fourth Degree, class “E” Felonies,
•three counts of Offering a False instrument for Filing in the First Degree, class “E” Felonies.
“The allegations outlined in the Complaint are the essence of fraud, corruption and mismanagement. These defendants, over an eighteen month period, conspired to defraud the City of Yonkers Board of Education and by extension, all its students by providing non-existent services. How many music or art classes could have been maintained with that misappropriated money?” said District Attorney Janet DiFiore.
Between September 24th, 2012 and April 11th, 2014, William Ahern, owner of A Plus Transportation, located at 57 Alexander Street, in Yonkers, and co-defendant Anna Sollozzo, Transportation Supervisor for the City of Yonkers Board of Education, while aiding and abetting and acting in concert, stole approximately $280,000 from the City of Yonkers for bus services that were never provided for the Nepperhan Community Center.
In effect Ahern and Sollozzo created a phantom bus route by invoicing the Board of Education for bus pickups at the Nepperhan Community Center, when in fact no buses ever were dispatched. Ahern then would submit false invoices for the services that were never provided. Sollozzo would knowingly approve these invoices for payment, notwithstanding the fact that these services were never provided.
During this same time period, Ahern was secretly depositing monies into Sollozzo’s personal bank account totaling $107,250. A Plus Transportation had contracts for bus services with the City of Yonkers totaling approximately $2,805,612 for the period from September 24, 2012 through February 7, 2014.
Sollozzo, who was a Yonkers City public servant, in turn approved invoices for the buses that were intended to be provided for the Nepperhan Community Center, with full knowledge that the bus services were never provided by A Plus Transportation.
In addition, Sollozzo, from March 8th, 2011 to April 14th, 2014 neglected to remit a total of $282,398 to New York State Income Tax.
The fraud came to light as the Yonkers Inspector General was investigating an unrelated complaint.
The defendants were arrested today by detectives from the Yonkers police department.
Their next court appearance is pending.
Each faces a maximum sentence of fifteen years in prison.
Assistant District Attorney Brian Conway, Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity Bureau is prosecuting the case.
