Cranston man convicted on tax charges for second time gets probation

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Cranston man has been sentenced for the second time on federal tax charges after admitting he failed to pay more than $1.3 million in taxes, penalties, fees, and interest owed to the IRS.

William N. L’Europa, 60, of Cranston, was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay $1,367,336.08 in restitution under a plea agreement. The unpaid taxes cover tax years 2007 through 2013. L’Europa pleaded guilty this summer to tax evasion in federal court as part of the agreement.

First Federal Tax Conviction

This is L’Europa’s second federal tax conviction. In 2012, he and a business partner were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States and filing a false tax return. Prosecutors said they underreported business income for tax years 2007 through 2010, resulting in more than $500,000 in unpaid federal taxes.

In January 2013, L’Europa was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison and ordered to file amended tax returns for 2007 through 2011 and pay all taxes owed.

IRS Investigation Revealed Continued Tax Evasion

Court records show that in March 2019, following his release from prison, L’Europa submitted false income statements to the IRS, claiming little or no income. In 2022, he signed an Offer in Compromise to reduce his tax liability, even though he was understating his actual income.

According to court filings, L’Europa “manipulated the finances and records of a business, for which he worked and functioned as a de facto manager, to have it underreport his personal income to the IRS by not having personal expenditures he made from business accounts reported as personal income.”

Prosecutors claim those personal expenditures included more than $10,000 on Harley Davidson accessories, $12,000 on a down payment for a SUV for his wife, a family stay at a luxury resort in Florida, and $100,000 to pay debt to the state of Rhode Island.