Ethics and governance in the European Financial centers

In the context of the Stop Tax haven abuse act, an extensive investigation spearheaded by the Manhattan District Attorney's office revealed that Arrigo and Giuseppe Cipriani, and their corporation, Cipriani USA, Inc., filed false corporate tax returns in which they deducted business expenses of more than $30.5 million which they knew had never been paid. Specifically, the defendants admitted that they had deducted "royalty payments" that they claimed Cipriani USA had paid to its parent corporation, Cipriani SA, a Luxembourg corporation owned by defendant Arrigo Giusseppe.

Cipriani USA controls such noted eateries as the Rainbow Room, Harry Cipriani Downtown, Cipriani Dolci at Grand Central Terminal, and Cipriani 42nd Street.

Acting New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Billet said, "This investigation and enforcement should serve as a stark reminder that the State of New York will prosecute all tax offenders, even the powerful and famous, to ensure the fairness of our tax system. We thank DA Morgenthau for his zeal and commitment to assisting us in this mission. International tax cases are notoriously difficult to investigate and prosecute due to the privacy laws which often shield the evidence needed to prove a crime. Only the most dedicated prosecutors will persevere to bring these cases to fruition."

The Department's Revenue Crimes Bureau and the New York City Department of Finance assisted in the investigation.

In its press release, Manhattan District Attorney's underlines that "Records are not easily obtained from secrecy jurisdictions such as Luxembourg"

See press release from District Attorney's Office

See press release from New York State - departmentof Taxation and Finance