A Belle Vernon resident has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and ordered to pay over $3.6 million in restitution for failing to pay employment taxes and harboring individuals not legally authorized to be in the United States. The sentencing was announced by Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti.
United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon handed down the sentence to Andy Ha, 28, who pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this year. Ha was the president and owner of Prosperity Services, Inc., a staffing agency based in Charleroi. He employed unauthorized workers and arranged for their accommodation at a former hotel.
Ha filed false employment tax returns for Prosperity Services, reporting less than 10% of its employees, which led to a tax loss of at least $3.1 million over one year.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William Guappone. Acting U.S. Attorney Rivetti praised the efforts of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations for their role in bringing about Ha’s prosecution.
