Michael A. Zapara and Gina A. Zapara - Page 14

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         Mr. Zapara’s declaration attached to that same motion.  In his               
         declaration, Mr. Zapara declares that following a June 2000                  
         meeting with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, special agents asked                
         petitioners to leave and asked Mr. and Mrs. Spirtos to remain and            
         that “Mr. and Mrs. Spirtos informed us that they were being                  
         investigated and the agents wanted to question them about that               
         investigation.”                                                              
              We do not rely on Mr. Mather’s and Mr. Zapara’s declarations            
         for the truth of the matters asserted therein.  Petitioners                  
         provided no independent evidence to establish their allegations.             
         Mr. Zapara did not testify, petitioners did not call Mrs. Spirtos            
         as a witness, and although Mrs. Zapara testified, she did not                
         testify regarding Mr. Spirtos’s alleged conflict.  In addition,              
         even if we were to assume that the declarations are true and that            
         Mr. Spirtos was under investigation by the Government,                       
         petitioners introduced no evidence as to how this purported                  
         circumstance influenced Mr. Spirtos’s representation of                      
         petitioners, and prejudiced them, in their signing the Form 4549-            
         CG.  We also point out that the District Court, which presumably             
         reviewed these declarations in issuing its February 28, 2002,                
         order, found Mr. Zapara’s arguments (other than his argument                 
         regarding the loss calculation) to be “without merit”.                       
                   3.  Conclusion                                                     
              Petitioners have not shown that they signed the Form 4549-CG            
         under duress or coercion.  Consequently, petitioners are                     




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