Auto Store Owner Admits Cheating on Taxes

A Whippany man has admitted cheating on his taxes by filing false returns on revenue earned via a chain of auto parts stores he owns.

Emanuel Marques of Whippany, the owner of several Wilson Auto Parts outlets, faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine after pleading guilty last week to one count of subscribing to false personal federal income tax returns in U.S. District Court in Trenton.

Marques also agreed to make full restitution to the IRS, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.

The Whippany man admitted that he filed returns in 2009, 2010 and 2011 that under-reported his income from Wilson Auto Parts by more than $1.1 million, which he kept for his personal benefit, Fishman said. 

His omission resulted in a tax loss of $375,869 to the United States, Fishman said.

Marques is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 18.

Correction: A prior version of this article incorrectly identified Marques as the owner of a Wilson outlet in Mahwah.