You are reading

Former Major World Managers Plead Guilty to Corporate Tax Fraud

July 26, 2018 By Tara Law

Two former senior managers of embattled car dealership chain “Major World” pleaded guilty yesterday to filing a false corporate tax return for calendar year 2009.

The pair admitted to under reporting their income and inflated the business’s expenses to avoid paying the taxes owed, and now face up to three years of prison apiece, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. 

Harold Bendell, 64, or Englewood Cliffs, N.J. and Bruce Bendell, 64, of Roslyn, N.Y., were managers of Major Automotive Companies, Inc., which operates as “Major World.”

On or around Aug. 10, the pair filed a corporation tax return for 2009 that did not report approximately $1,417,814 in gross receipts that Major Automotive had received, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. They also did not report $2,116,000 in cash payroll expenses, for which Major Automotive did not pay payroll taxes.

The pair resigned from “Major World” before pleading guilty and paid more than $3,888,267 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

United States Attorney Richard Donoghue said that the prosecution of the pair indicated his office’s commitment to catching individuals who cheat on their taxes.

“By their pleas, Harold and Bruce Bendell admitted that they concealed millions of dollars of their company’s income and avoided paying their fair share of taxes to the United States government,” United States Attorney Richard Donoghue said.

IRS-CI Special Agent-in-Charge James Robnett discussed the importance of protecting the tax system, which is based on voluntary compliance.

“Harold and Bruce Bendell took unlawful advantage of the system that financially impacts all Americans,” Robnett said. “Our special agents along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office are committed to protecting the system that contributes to our way of life.”

The incident is one of two major scandals to hit Major World in the last few years. 

The Department of Consumer Affairs filed charges against Major World for deceptive sales practices in March 2017. The department said that the company has a longstanding practice of fooling customers with deceiving lending practices and falsified vehicle histories.

In December, the department increased the damages sought against the company from $1.5 million to $36.5 million.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

6 Comments

Click for Comments 
Nunya

HAROLD AND BRUCE BENDELL ARE THE (OWNERS) OF MAJOR WORLD !!!!!! NOT MANAGERS !!!!!!!

10
Reply
Government is the real crook

This is a complete joke! These business owners were specifically sought out by the government crooks because of their real estate ownership! Real Estate Developers would bribe elected useless people to do their dirty work. Taxation is theft and the real people behind bars should be the politicians and the IRS.

6
41
Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.

Astoria doctor sentenced to more than two decades in prison for rape and sexual abuse: DA

An Astoria doctor was sentenced to 24 years in prison on Thursday in Queens Supreme Court for raping unconscious acquaintances and sexually abusing hospital patients.

Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, 35, of Broadway, pleaded guilty on June 30 to four counts of rape in the first degree and three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree in satisfaction of the consolidated indictments against him. He additionally entered an Alford plea to one count of sexual abuse. The defendant — a former gastroenterologist at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital — recorded the abuse of his unconscious victims with his cell phone in both his Astoria apartment and at the hospital.