Two 5Towners face tax charges

Two Five Towners were arrested as part of a statewide sweep targeting residents who have refused to file their state income taxes, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced on Tuesday.

Among the five arrested in the sweep were Gerald Gartner, 53, of Lawrence, and Avelino Rosales, 62, of Cedarhurst. Gartner, a certified public accountant and chief financial officer for the AHRC-NYC Foundation, a fundraising and grant entity, has been charged with Criminal Tax Fraud in the Third Degree and Repeated Failure to File Personal Income Taxes. Gartner failed to file state tax returns from 2005 to 2008. During that time he earned more than $1.5 million and failed to pay more than $68,900 in taxes, according to the district attorney's office. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

Rosales, a physician, has been charged with Repeated Failure to File Personal Income Taxes. Rosales failed to file state tax returns from 2002 to 2006, according to the DA's office. During that time period he earned more than $1.179 million and failed to pay more than $44,000 in taxes. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.