A St. Petersburg man has been sentenced to six years in prison for a multimillion-dollar scheme in which he filed false claims for tax refunds, then laundered the money to buy a waterfront Pinellas County mansion and luxury vehicles, federal authorities announced Monday.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa, Matthew Meredith submitted five fraudulent tax claims to the IRS between August 2019 and February 2020, seeking refunds that totaled more than $170 million.
In November 2019, the IRS sent Meredith a refund check of $6,374,576.92 for his first submitted claim. After depositing the money in his bank account, Meredith bought six Mercedes-Benz vehicles and paid cash for a 6,500-square-foot mansion in St. Petersburg, prosecutors said. Meredith purchased the luxury waterfront home at 5238 62nd Ave. S for $2,625,000, according to Pinellas County Property Appraiser records.
Meredith filed the fraudulent tax claims while under federal supervision stemming from a 2016 conviction on drug charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release. He was sentenced to three years in prison for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute ethylone, known as “molly.” The Bureau of Prisons released Meredith in October 2017 under the condition the St. Petersburg man would remain under federal supervision for three years.
Meredith was arrested in the tax claims case last November after a probe by the IRS’ criminal investigation division. He pleaded guilty to theft of...
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