TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa man has been sentenced to three years and 10 months in federal prison for his role in a tax fraud scheme that prosecutors said sought more than $1.4 million from the IRS.
Mahmoud Mehdi was sentenced after being convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and making and subscribing a false tax return, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
A federal judge also ordered Mehdi to forfeit $137,931.33 and pay $732,521.18 in restitution.
Prosecutors said the scheme ran from January 2019 through December 2022 and involved the electronic submission of fraudulent tax forms to the IRS.
The returns allegedly contained fabricated gambling winnings and losses, along with false federal tax withholding amounts based on those fake winnings.
According to court documents, the fraudulent returns sought refunds that the taxpayers were not entitled to receive.
Prosecutors said the intended tax loss totaled about $1.4 million. The actual loss was $732,521.18, which the IRS paid through refunds or credits applied to prior debts.
“Tax fraud isn’t just a numbers game—it’s a crime that harms every honest taxpayer,” IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller said.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
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