A Hollister couple was arrested Jan. 30 and charged with one
felony count of aggravated white collar crime enhancement each,
according to the Franchise Tax Board (FTB).
Jonas Z. Lona, 47, a maintenance worker at a Watsonville-area
produce company, was arrested by Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies
and transferred to the San Benito County Jail.
A Hollister couple was arrested Jan. 30 and charged with one felony count of aggravated white collar crime enhancement each, according to the Franchise Tax Board (FTB).
Jonas Z. Lona, 47, a maintenance worker at a Watsonville-area produce company, was arrested by Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies and transferred to the San Benito County Jail.
Corrina C. Lona, 42, a wholesale seller of pre-paid telephone cards, was arrested by San Benito County Sheriff’s deputies and also booked into the county jail.
Their bail was set at $200,000 each due to an imminent flight risk, because Jonas is not a United States citizen, said John Barrett, a spokesperson for the FTB.
Both residents had self-surrendered to special agents from the FTB on Jan. 13, on six counts of state income tax fraud and state income tax evasion. They owe the state more than $110,000 in back taxes over a three-year period between 1999 and 2001, Barrett said.
“It turns out it wasn’t just the tax charges, and when (the FTB) found out they also qualified for the aggravated while collar crime enhancement, they got arrested again,” Barrett said. “The investigation uncovered added information that led to the charge.”
When they were arraigned in January, Jonas was charged with three counts of state income tax fraud and Corrina was charged with three counts of state income tax evasion related to more than $1.2 million in unreported income.
Because a person who commits two or more related felonies, such as tax fraud, which involve more than $100,000, they are eligible to be punished upon conviction with the aggravated white collar crime enhancement.
The additional charge allows the superior court to preserve any assets or property under control of the person charged in order to pay the restitution and fines imposed, according to the FTB.
Each felony tax count carries a maximum of three years in state prison, and the enhancement charge can carry an additional two years.
