Guilford Landscaper Sentenced To Prison: Feds

GUILFORD, CT — Louis Pocograno, 58, of Guilford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to three months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for tax evasion.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Pocograno owns Poco & Son Lawn Care, LLC, a landscaping and snowplowing business based in Guilford.

Between approximately 2013 and 2016, Pocograno cashed numerous checks from clients that were made payable to him rather than his business, and he failed to report this income to the IRS, federal authorities said. He also used a portion of the cash to pay undocumented workers he employed, and failed to collect and pay over the employment taxes for these employees, officials said.

He will pay the IRS restitution of $33,383, which represents income tax that is due for the 2013 through 2016 tax years, and an additional $250,364.59, which represents the employment tax that is due for those years, plus interest and penalties.

On March 22, Pocograno pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion.