COLUMBUS, Ohio – United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio and Jose Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge, IRS, Criminal Investigation, announced the sentences of two men sentenced for their roles in a marijuana distribution conspiracy. Joseph Marasco, 42, of Pataskala and Robert Fusner, 34, of Grove City each received 24 months imprisonment on each count. Marasco pleaded guilty on April 1, 2009 to one count of willfully filing a fraudulent 2002 federal tax return and one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana. Fusner pleaded guilty to one count of willfully filing a fraudulent 2001 federal tax return and one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana.
According to public court documents and testimony, Marasco located sources of marijuana that he and Fusner sold to friends and associates. Fusner would arrange for the drugs to be brought into Central Ohio from out-of-state. Neither Marasco nor Fusner reported profits from the sale of marijuana on their tax returns. The IRS estimated for the years 2001 through 2003, each failed to pay approximately $84,000 in federal income taxes.
In addition to the imprisonment, both must pay restitution to the IRS and serve a period of 5 years on supervised release.
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