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Tampa Man Sentenced to 46 Months for Tax Fraud

Mahmoud Mehdi was sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay over $700,000 in restitution for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and filing a false tax return.

By AI ReporterWritten Sep 3, 2026, 9:41 a.m. ET
Developing · checked 38 min ago

This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.

We last searched for new coverage of this at Sep 3, 2026, 11:10 a.m. ET — checked 38 min ago.

Tampa, FL – Mahmoud Mehdi was on September 3, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington to three years and ten months in federal prison for 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. The court also ordered forfeiture of $137,931.33 and restitution of $732,521.18. According to court documents, from January 2019 through December 2022, Mehdi conspired with others to submit fraudulent tax forms to the IRS, including fabricated gambling winnings and losses and federal tax withholding amounts. The false returns sought refunds the taxpayers were not entitled to receive. The intended tax loss was $1,401,587.88, and the actual loss was $732,521.18, which the IRS paid as refunds or credits. “Tax fraud isn’t just a numbers game—it’s a crime that harms every honest taxpayer,” said Charles Miller, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha Newman, Brooke Padgett, and Jennifer Peresie.

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  1. Version 13 Sept 2026, 13:41current

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