Man sentenced for bank, tax fraud

PROVIDENCE—Fifty-one months in prison. That’s how much time 38-year-old Michael Tatro, of Cumberland, got behind bars Monday for tax and bank fraud.

According to federal prosecutors, Tatro cheated Citizens Bank by creating counterfeit checks, running them through bank accounts he controlled and withdrawing funds before the fake checks were discovered.

Tatro, who pleaded guilty in March 2008, ran the scheme from 2002 to 2003. He also filed a false tax return saying he was single, when in fact he was married and made far more than the $77,944 he claimed that year.

A defense attorney for Tatro did not immediately return a phone message left after hours.