Documents: Larry Wainstein owes $100k to IRS

North Bergen mayoral candidate Larry Wainstein owes the IRS more than $100,000 in unpaid taxes, according to documents obtained by the New Jersey Globe.

Wainstein is challenging longtime mayor Nicholas Sacco in the May non-partisan election.  He is reportedly self-financing much of his campaign.

Companies owned by Wainstein have been hit with tax liens and judgments in recent years.  While some have been satisfied, records show that Wainstein owes the IRS $101,787 for unpaid taxes owed by a company he owns, Laundry Pros Inc.

Another Wainstein-owned company, United Laundromat Inc., owes the state $5,239 in unpaid taxes.

“Lying Larry Wainstein is a very wealthy man who chooses not to pay his taxes, even though he can easily afford to,” said Wendy Martinez, a spokesperson for the Sacco campaign. “He is a liar, a cheat and a conman who hides his assets behind dummy corporations and highly questionable financial maneuvering. Wainstein is the last person anyone in North Bergen should trust or believe about anything.”

Hank Scheinkopf, a spokesman for Wainstein, disputed the allegations of unpaid taxes.

“The lien has to do with a clerical issue due to the IRS switching from paper filings to electronic filings for payroll taxes. All the taxes are paid and the lein will be vacated soon. The IRS stated to us that this is a common problem,” Scheinkopf said.

Scheinkopf laughed off mud-throwing from the Sacco team.

“Sacco’s running mate Julio Morenco filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy and Sacco’s other running mate Frank Gargiulo is the biggest con artist in town,” Scheinkopf said. “Gargiulo has a $3.1 million lien against him from Wells Fargo bank while collecting over $300,000 in salary and benefits for a no show job at the County High School. If Sacco were half serious he’d immediately fire Morenco and Gargiulo from the ticket.”

Martinez said that the allegations are not true.

“Once again Larry Wainstein is lying to North Bergen voters,” said Martinez.  “Julio Marenco has never filed for bankruptcy, and in fact he’s still paying off his student loans from law school today. As a member of the State Parole Board he is subject to a State Police Background Check and he could not be a member of the board without a clean financial history.”

Martinez said that Gargiulo has no liens against him at all.

“The debt Wainstein cited was paid off nearly 10 years ago in August of 2009 and pertained to a business that Commissioner Gargiulo was a minority shareholder in. Wainstein is desperate to change the subject from his blatant tax evasion and these latest lies are just more proof that North Bergen can never trust a word he says,” Martinez said.

Editor’s Note: this story was updated at 12:57 PM to include comment from the Wainstein campaign and again at 2:39 PM with comment from the Sacco campaign.   The New Jersey Globe received a threatening letter from Wainstein’s attorney, Mario Blanch.  The letter is being posted as part of this story.

Larry Wainstein Mario Blanch April 12, 2019
Wainstein Tax Lien April 2019