TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s Office for the Middle District of Florida.<\/p>\n
A federal judge also ordered Mehdi to forfeit $137,931.33 and pay $732,521.18 in restitution.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors said the scheme ran from January 2019 through December 2022 and involved the electronic submission of fraudulent tax forms to the IRS.<\/p>\n
The returns allegedly contained fabricated gambling winnings and losses, along with false federal tax withholding amounts based on those fake winnings.<\/p>\n
According to court documents, the fraudulent returns sought refunds that the taxpayers were not entitled to receive.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cTax fraud isn\u2019t just a numbers game\u2014it\u2019s a crime that harms every honest taxpayer,\u201d IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller said.<\/p>\n
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Middle District of Florida.<\/p>\n
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