Hotelier should have been jailed years ago
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I am deeply troubled to learn of the seemingly never-ending controversy surrounding James Cosentino and his failure to remit taxes that his companies collected from his hotel guests. For more than 16 years, Cosentino has owed upward of $600,000 to a financially strapped Erie County. A proposed settlement agreement has him saving more than $100,000 to close the matter. County Attorney Cheryl Green categorizes the settlement as a “pretty good deal.”
I cannot help but wonder: What would happen to me if I decided to not pay my taxes for 16 years and later attempted to settle for 76 cents on the dollar? Cosentino should have been in a jail cell many years ago, and Green should be terminated for incompetence. Once again, a victory for the Wall Street crowd, while those of us on Main Street pick up the tab.
M. Scott Chismar
Lake View
Published: November 19, 2009, 12:30 am