Yankees tix deadbeat Walter Hass gets four years in prison for tax evasion

A New Jersey man has been sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay over $3.5 million in restitution after pleading guilty to tax evasion. Walter Hass of Hewitt, a shipping company owner, had previously stiffed the New York Yankees out of more than $626,000 for seats, food, and beverages in a suite he had signed up for.

Hass, 63, used the cash that should have gone to the taxman on luxury cars like Aston Martins and McClarens, high-end watches, designer clothes, and vacations. Despite pleading guilty in October 2023, he later fabricated a kidney cancer diagnosis and submitted fake letters from doctors to the court in an attempt to avoid having his guilty plea entered.

The US Attorney’s Office in New Jersey revealed that Hass did not actually have cancer and even attempted to travel extensively throughout the United States and around the world during this time. Only when law enforcement uncovered his deception did he finally admit to his actions. His sentence includes three years of supervised release.

Court records show that Hass failed to collect, account for, and pay payroll taxes between 2014 and 2022. During this period, he was also cheating the Yankees by not paying for the seats in the suite he had agreed to. The Bronx Bombers took him to Manhattan Federal Court in 2020, claiming he had signed an eight-year deal for eight seats in a suite with food and beverages.

Initially, the Yankees demanded $1.5 million in payment, but arbitrators reduced the amount, and a judge later confirmed the award. It remains unclear whether Hass ever paid the reduced amount owed to the Yankees.

The case serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of tax evasion and fraudulent behavior. The legal system has caught up with Hass, holding him accountable for his actions and ensuring that justice is served.