NEW YORK, March 5, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Seeger Weiss LLP today announced that New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has reached a settlement in a newly-unsealed multimillion-dollar tax fraud case against celebrity tailor Mohanbhai Ramchandani, popularly known as "Mohan," and his business, Mohan's Custom Tailors. This groundbreaking case – the first settlement obtained under the 2010 tax whistleblower amendment to New York's False Claims Act – was brought by the relator who blew the whistle on millions of dollars of unreported income and sales taxes by Mohan and his New York City-based tailoring business, which widely advertises in newspapers and other media. Stephen A. Weiss, a Managing Partner of Seeger Weiss, represented the relator in filing the lawsuit and bringing his information to the attention of the authorities.
"Mohan perpetrated a sophisticated tax fraud for over ten years that cost New York's taxpayers and the state treasury millions of dollars," said Mr. Weiss. "Today's settlement demonstrates how necessary and effective whistleblower laws are in uncovering small business fraud that may be known and visible only to company insiders," added Mr. Weiss. "We should all be grateful to whistleblowers like my client, who risk their reputations and wellbeing to do the right thing and bring wrongdoers like Mohan to justice."
Under the terms of the settlement, Mohan has agreed to pay $5.5 million in back taxes and penalties to the State of New York. Under the relator award provisions of New York's False Claims Act, the relator will receive a $1.1 million whistleblower reward.
Mr. Weiss and Seeger Weiss associate Asa R. Danes were joined in their representation of the relator by Benjamin Brafman of Brafman & Associates, P.C. and Professor Thane Rosenbaum of Fordham Law School. Mr. Weiss also praised Randall M. Fox, Bureau Chief of the New York Attorney General's Taxpayer Protection Bureau and Assistant Attorney General Lisa M. White, who prosecuted the case for the State of New York. "Randy and Lisa were relentless and extraordinarily effective in their investigation and prosecution of this case," said Weiss. "They are a tremendous credit to the people of New York."
Note: Seeger Weiss LLP is one of the nation's leading trial law firms handling qui tam (whistleblower) claims, as well as complex individual, mass and class action litigation on behalf of consumers, investors and injured persons. The firm, with offices in New York, Philadelphia and New Jersey, represents plaintiffs in a variety of practice areas, including qui tam, pharmaceutical injury, securities and investment fraud, consumer protection, environmental and asbestos exposures, personal injury and medical malpractice, product defect, antitrust, and commercial disputes. For more information, go to www.seegerweiss.com