Arman Amirshahi, an Indian American businessman, has been sentenced by a US court for bribery and tax evasion. The sentencing comes as part of a wider investigation into sophisticated bribery schemes aimed at evading business taxes.
The Department of Justice announced that Arman Amirshahi, aged 46, has been sentenced to 18 months’ probation and 200 hours of community service for his involvement in bribery and tax evasion schemes.
Amirshahi was part of a complex network of individuals engaged in long-term bribery schemes, orchestrated by co-conspirators Anthony Merritt and Vincent Slater.
These schemes, masterminded by Merritt and Slater, involved several business owners, including Amirshahi, who paid cash bribes to Slater through Merritt, a former employee of the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
Merritt acted as a middleman, facilitating communication between the business owners and Slater, who was a former manager in the DC Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR).
The bribes were paid to evade business taxes, with Merritt ensuring that Slater maintained a distance from the payments while fraudulently reducing the business owners’ tax liabilities or intervening on their behalf within OTR.
The schemes, which lasted over five years, resulted in the deprivation of approximately USD 3 million from the District of Columbia.
Amirshahi pleaded guilty to bribery in January 2019, along with Charles Zhou, another co-conspirator. Slater, De Moya, and Merritt were charged in two separate indictments in 2019 and 2023, with Slater pleading guilty in June 2020.
A jury convicted De Moya and Merritt of conspiracy, bribery, and wire fraud in June 2023, while Jafari was convicted in October 2023.
Merritt received a significant prison sentence of 110 months for his central role in the conspiracies, while De Moya, Slater, and Jafari received sentences ranging from 24 to 30 months.
Zhou, the first co-conspirator to cooperate with the government, received a more lenient sentence of five years’ probation.
The sentencing of Amirshahi underscores the seriousness with which the authorities are tackling corruption and tax evasion, sending a strong message against fraudulent activities in business and government sectors.