Bloomingdale man gets 9 years in prison for tax evasion, fraud

BLOOMINGDALE, Ill. - A DuPage County man will spend 9 years behind bars after being found guilty of tax evasion, wire fraud and mail fraud. 

Joseph Cipolla Jr., 39, of Bloomingdale, did not file individual income tax returns from 2015 to 2020.

Over that time, Cipolla failed to pay the IRS $415,043 and the State of Illinois $75,045. Cipolla hid his income by listing a relative’s Social Security number on casino tax forms, using family members as nominee owners of vehicles, and using a nominee to rent airplane hangars at the DuPage County Airport.  

Federal prosecutors said in 2020 Cipolla fraudulently procured four loans under the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, two sources of relief under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security ("CARES") Act that were intended to support small businesses during the pandemic.  

Cipolla qualified for more than $1.18 million in PPP and EIDL loans by manufacturing false tax documents and submitting them to the lenders.

Cipolla pleaded guilty in 2023 to several federal charges of fraud. He was ordered to pay $2,096,285 in restitution to the IRS, State of Illinois, U.S. Small Business Administration, and other entities and individuals victimized by his schemes.