MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — A former Ashland restaurant owner has been sentenced in federal court in Florida to seven years in prison for his role in a tax and debt elimination scheme.
The Mail Tribune reported that 62-year-old Eugene “Gino” Casternovia was one of three men sentenced Monday in Pensacola, Fla., for helping people set up sham businesses to avoid taxes.
Federal prosecutors said Casternovia had faced a possible 25-year prison sentence and $750,000 in fines for his role in a complicated scheme involving tax fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
Another Oregon man, Mark Lyon of Williams, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. As part of a plea agreement, Lyon cooperated with the government and testified at trial against Casternovia and six others convicted by a federal jury.
