Page 18 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, June 28, 2024 Nine Maldonians to pedal toward record-breaking $75M fundraising goal in 2024 Pan-Mass Challenge Residents cycle to cross $1B in lifetime fundraising for Dana-Farber O n Saturday, August 3, and Sunday, August 4, 6,500 riders, including nine residents from Malden, will participate in the milestone 45th Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) with the goal of raising a record $75 million for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Dana-Farber). This year, the PMC, which is Dana-Farber’s largest single contributor, will cross $1 billion in lifetime fundraising for the Institute. “Thanks to the fierce determination of PMC riders, volunteers, donors and sponsors, I’m confident that this will be our biggest fundraising year yet,” said PMC Founder/Executive Director Billy Starr. “We’re well positioned to cross $1 billion in total donations for cancer research and treatment since I founded the PMC in 1980 – I am looking forward to cycling alongside everyone on the road in August as we hit this momentous achievement together.” As the #3 top-grossing, peerto-peer fundraising organization in the country, PMC donates 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to Dana-Farber to support cancer research and patient care, accounting for 62 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue. For more than four decades, PMC funds have allowed Dana-Farber to achieve lifesaving clinical breakthroughs and advancements. In the last five years alone, Dana-Farber doctors and researchers have played a substantial role in developing more than half of all cancer drugs approved by the FDA. Cyclists come together from all corners of the world – six countries and 44 states, territories and districts – to ride between 25 and 211 miles with one mission: to raise as much money as possible for Dana-Farber. Most participate in honor of a family member or friend fighting cancer, and nearly 1,000 riders and volunteers are cancer survivors or current patients, considered Living Proof® of the PMC mission. There are also 160 Dana-Farber employees committed to the cause as riders and volunteers, in some cases to fund their own cancer research. There is still time to be #OneInABillion by participating in this year’s ride – registration for PMC 2024 is open through July 1. Join riders from your community in the fight against cancer by registering for one of the following routes still available: • 25- & 50-mile routes (oneIRS CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DIVISION T he IRS Criminal Investigation Division files reports on an annual basis relating to investigations relating to tax fraud, corporate fraud, money laundering, identity theft as well as drug trafficking. The Internal Revenue Service states that its conviction rate was 88% in calendar year 2023. The IRS makes it a point of continuously releasing press releases in order to inform the public of its role in seeking prosecutions of people violating the tax laws. What types of tax fraud might the IRS look for? Claiming losses on lottery tickets that don’t exist, point-of-sale systems that delete a certain amount of revenue from being reported, the filing of false tax returns, claiming of fraudulent fuel tax credits, employee retention tax credits, paycheck protection plan forgivable loan applications, cryptocurrency crimes, narcotics trafficking, unreported income, underreported income, fictitious expense deductions, etc. The IRS allocated $38million in fiscal year 2022 in order to pay to whistleblowers. The IRS compensated whistleblowers between 15% to 30% of the amount of tax dollars recovered by the IRS, which amounted to over $143miilion paid to whistleblowers. Since 2007, the IRS has paid a whopping $1.1billion to whistleblowers. 71 percent of all claims filed by whistleblowers were denied. A Whistleblower would file Form D-3949-A with the IRS, (Tax Fraud and Identity Theft Information Report). The IRS is now using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in order to assist in its data gathering activities. The IRS will be able to increase its data gathering activities exponentially with the use of AI in order to more efficiently review tax-related data in order to detect income tax fraud and other types of crimes. We’ve entered a new age where governmental agencies will have just one more tool at their disposal to achieve their objectives. . Joseph D. Cataldo is an estate planning/elder law attorney, Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Planner, AICPA Personal Financial Specialist and holds a master’s degree in taxation. day, 25 or 50 miles; Sunday, August 4): Starting and finishing in either Wellesley or Foxboro at Patriot Place, these Sunday routes are perfect one-day options. • Wellesley Century Ride (oneday, 100 miles; Sunday, August 4): The scenic Wellesley Century Pan-Mass Challenge 2023 highlights. (Courtesy photo) route is for riders looking to challenge their endurance in a oneday format while making an impact in the fight against cancer. The PMC is co-presented by the Red Sox Foundation® and M&T Bank. To make a financial contribution to a rider from your town or to register as a rider, visit www.pmc.org or call 800-WE-CYCLE. Connect with #PMC2024 on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. Thank you to the following riders from Malden: Janice Carte, Domenic Crugnale, John DeNisco, Kate Flores, Brett Gillis, Dakota Girard, Madison Litchfield, Matthew Muniz and Alex Yu. About the Pan-Mass Challenge: The PMC is a bike-a-thon that today raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the world. The PMC has raised $972 million for adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber through The Jimmy Fund. The event donates 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the cause, generating 62 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue as Dana-Farber’s single largest contributor. The PMC’s hope and aspiration is to provide Dana-Farber's doctors and researchers with the necessary resources to discover cures for all cancers. For more info, visit pmc.org. Malden man who robbed market with airsoft gun sentenced to three years in prison A Malden man, John Schurko, 58, was sentenced on Friday, June 21, 2024, in federal court in Boston for robbing a local market using an airsoft gun in December 2021. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton sentenced him to three years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. In February 2024, Schurko pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery. On Dec. 12, 2021, at approximately 8 p.m., Schurko entered the Harvard Market in Malden, displayed what appeared to be a black handgun, went behind the counter and demanded money from the clerk. On Dec. 16, 2021, Schurko’s getaway vehicle was located in a hotel parking lot in Medford, where he was subsequently arrested. A search of the vehicle recovered, among other things, a black airsoft gun that resembled a real firearm. The sentencing announcement was made by the following: Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy; FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division Jodi Cohen, Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police John E. Mawn Jr., Malden Police Chief Glenn Cronin, Medford Police Chief Jack Buckley, Billerica Police Chief Roy Frost and Woburn Police Chief Robert F. Rufo Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. Richardson of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case. Book Group to Meet at St. Paul’s, Malden S t. Paul’s Parish, Malden will host a 12-week book group to study and discuss Richard Rohr's Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps. The group will meet every Tuesday from July 9th through September 24th, from 6 to 7 PM at 26 Washington Street, Malden MA. Father Rohr, a Franciscan Priest and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (https://cac.org/), is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher whose work is grounded in Christian mysticism, practices of contemplation and self-emptying, and compassion for the marginalized. Breathing Under Water addresses cycles of addiction and dependency by uniting the Twelve Steps - used by Alcoholics Anonymous and other programs - with the Christian principles that underlie them. In a culture that promotes and enables all sorts of addictions, from drugs to alcohol to shopping to social media, setting ourselves free can mean seeking support greater than our own wills. The book shows how anyone can apply these principles in their lives and is not intended to serve as a Twelve Step program. Every week the group will read together and reflect on a chapter in the book. Copies of the book will be provided each Tuesday. For more information, please contact St. Paul’s Parish, Malden, at info@stpaulsmalden. org or (781) 324-9544.
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