Mary Esther fraudster pleads guilty in federal court

Date: May 13, 2026

Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov

Pensacola, FL – Treivorn McLeod of Mary Esther, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit of money laundering. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Fraudsters will try every angle and scheme to steal money from innocent, unsuspecting victims, so it remains of critical importance to educate the general public about these fraud threats to prevent more of our citizens from being victimized. Thanks to the excellent investigative work by our federal law enforcement partners and the aggressive prosecution by my office, this scheme has been dismantled and this fraudster finds himself in federal prison where he belongs.”

Between June 1, 2022, and Jan. 29, 2024, the defendant was part of a criminal conspiracy that defrauded victims by falsely claiming that the victims had won millions of dollars in the Publisher’s Clearing House lottery and the American Cash Rewards lottery. The conspiracy falsely told the victims that, to collect their winnings, the victims would have to pay fees and costs in advance. However, none of the victims received any money or prizes as promised after sending these fraudulent fee payments. In total, the defendant’s criminal conspiracy defrauded victims of approximately $530,000.

The defendant faces up to 80 years’ imprisonment.

The case involved a joint investigation by Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Air Force Department of Special Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp.

Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 24, 2026, in Pensacola, Florida before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.