FORMER SPRINGFIELD POLICE OFFICER PLEADS GUILTY TO CONSPIRACY AND FILING FALSE PERSONAL INCOME TAX RETURNS

SPRINGFIELD, MA – United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan; Eileen J. O’Connor, Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division; Douglas A. Bricker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation; Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New England; and Peter C. Emerzian, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General, announced today that CHESTER ARDOLINO, 40, of 84 Wheeler Avenue, Springfield, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor to one count of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and four counts of Filing False Personal Income Tax Returns.

ARDOLINO, formerly a police officer for the Springfield Police, was charged in a sixteen-count Indictment, unsealed on October 31, 2005, together with his brother, Anthony Ardolino, the former Chief of Staff for former Springfield Mayor Michael Albano, and Matthew Campagnari, a private real estate developer and bar owner.

At today’s hearing ARDOLINO admitted that he conspired with co-defendants and others to under-report and conceal income and expenses of the bars they owned as well as filed false personal income tax returns in order to avoid paying federal taxes.  As a result of their tax fraud conspiracy, the defendants collectively did not report approximately $725,000 in additional income and employee wages and failed to pay approximately $300,000 in additional federal taxes.

According to the Indictment, Campagnari owned several bars in the Springfield area. In the summer of 1997, CHESTER ARDOLINO, Anthony Ardolino, and Campagnari decided to open a bar together, which later became known as The Civic Pub, located at 1248-1252 Main Street in Springfield.  CHESTER ARDOLINO admitted that he and his co-defendants, however, decided to keep the ARDOLINOS' ownership interests hidden due to their positions with the City of Springfield.  Campagnari and the ARDOLINOS owned The Civic Pub until February 2000 when they sold the bar for $150,000.  Campagnari and the ARDOLINOS, however, reported the sale price as only $40,000.

Shortly after the sale of The Civic Pub, Campagnari and the ARDOLINOS decided to open another bar together, which later became known as The Pour House, located at 280 Worthington Street in Springfield. CHESTER ARDOLINO and Campagnari owned the bar publicly, but in reality shared the ownership with three other individuals, including Anthony Ardolino. Anthony Ardolino’s ownership interest again remained hidden due to his position with the City of Springfield.

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