A tobacco wholesaler from Connecticut was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts for violating the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act.
Syed I. Bokhari, 57, was granted one year probation by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni. The government had recommended an 18-month prison sentence. Bokhari pleaded guilty on April 19, 2022. In a related civil forfeiture suit, Bokhari agreed to forfeit seized tobacco, currency, and other assets, resulting in the government reclaiming $2,197,985.
The PACT Act was established in 2010 to prevent the imposition of tobacco taxes by the government on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Among other things, the PACT Act requires businesses to submit a statement to the state tobacco tax administrator before shipping cigarettes or smokeless tobacco into the state.
Bokhari owns and operates a wholesale supply business in Scranton, Pennsylvania, selling smokeless tobacco to customers in Massachusetts. Between 2010 and June 5, 2012, Bokhari's business shipped smokeless tobacco to customers in Massachusetts but failed to submit the required declarations to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
Rachel S. Rollins, U.S. Attorney; Geoffrey E. Snyder, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue; Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in charge of criminal investigations at the Boston office of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Special Agent Matthew Milholland, in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, announced this news. The Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher L. Morgan at the Springfield branch of the Rollins office filed the case.
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