Feds: Former Ohio soccer exec facing tax charges

CLEVELAND

Federal authorities say the former general manager and president of a Cleveland indoor soccer team has been charged with filing false personal income tax returns.

U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach says 51-year-old Paul Garofolo of South Russell is accused of underreporting his adjusted gross income by about $217,000 over tax years 2003 through 2005.

The government says Garofolo worked for North Coast Professional Sports Ltd. from 1999 to 2005 as head of the Cleveland Crunch -- later renamed the Cleveland Force -- and that he was co-owner of Sports & Marketing, Inc.

Garofolo also has been president and CEO of Wolstein Sports & Entertainment Group LLC, which once owned the Force and worked to attract a Major League Soccer team to northeast Ohio.

A woman who returned a phone message left at a listing for Garofolo said there would be no comment.