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Phila. private detective gets 21 months for cheating the IRS

The owner of a Frankford detective agency was sentenced Thursday to 21 months in prison and ordered to pay $429,000 in restitution for underreporting to the IRS income he had earned from the agency.

The owner of a Frankford detective agency was sentenced Thursday to 21 months in prison and ordered to pay $429,000 in restitution for underreporting to the IRS income he had earned from the agency.

Yaser Khalil Masso, 71, sole owner of Masso Detective Agency at 1604 Margaret St., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno, who also ordered him to serve one year of supervised release.

Masso, who pleaded guilty in April, reported a total of $454,579 of taxable income for the years 2006 through 2009, but failed to report an additional earnings of about $2.1 million, officials said.

He failed to provide full records of his income to his accountants, leaving them unable to accurately complete his tax work. Officials said one accountant specifically asked him whether the 1099s that Masso provided included all of his income, and he falsely replied that they did.

Furthermore, Masso - despite having bank accounts at several institutions - cashed checks for significant amounts from his company at check-cashing stores in an attempt to hide his income, officials said.