THOMAS MILO PLEADS GUILTY TO MONEY LAUNDERING CONSPIRACY AND FORFEITS INTEREST IN DANBURY GARBAGE COMPANIES
Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that THOMAS MILO, 70, of Mamaroneck, New York, pleaded guilty today before Senior United States District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven to one count of conspiring to launder money.
In pleading guilty, MILO admitted that he was a silent partner in numerous trash hauling entities operating in Connecticut and Eastern New York, including Automated Waste Disposal (AWD), Diversified Waste Disposal (DWD) and Superior Waste Disposal (SWD), and that to facilitate the operation of these enterprises and their many affiliated companies, he and others agreed to pay approximately $120,000 annually to Matthew Ianniello of New York. Ianniello has previously pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and tax charges before Judge Burns and currently is incarcerated.
MILO further acknowledged that from approximately January 2004 to June 2005, approximately every three months, members of the conspiracy withdrew $30,000 from a DWD bank account and placed the cash in an envelope that was given to a co-conspirator at 307 White Street in Danbury. The courier would deliver the money to Ianniello or his representative in New York. As part of his guilty plea, MILO admitted that the funds involved the proceeds of mail and wire fraud.
According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, as a condition of his guilty plea, MILO and his spouse, who is not a defendant to this action but who does own a 40% minority share in AWD, DWD and SWD and many affiliated companies, agreed to forfeit the entirety of their interests to the United States, less outstanding shareholder loans to the company. In this regard, MILO has guaranteed that a forfeiture sale will net the United States at least $5,000,000.
Judge Burns has scheduled sentencing for May 9, 2008, at 9:00 a.m., at which time MILO faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, the United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and the Connecticut State Police. The United States Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Office of Professional Responsibility, and the Connecticut Department of Correction have provided critical assistance in the Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J. Gustafson, Raymond F. Miller, and Henry K. Kopel are prosecuting this case. |
