Tampa man sentenced to 46 months in federal prison and ordered to pay over $700,000 to the Internal Revenue Service

Date: Sept. 3, 2026

Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov

Tampa, FL – Mahmoud Mehdi has been sentenced 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. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $137,931.33, the proceeds of his criminal conduct, and ordered Mehdi to pay restitution in the amount of $732,521.18. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, beginning in January 2019, and continuing through December 2022, Mehdi conspired with others to commit wire fraud by knowingly causing the electronic submission of fraudulent forms to the IRS. The tax returns contained fabricated figures for gambling winnings and losses, as well as for federal tax withholding amounts (based on the fake gambling winnings). The false tax returns requested substantial refunds from the IRS that the taxpayers were not legally entitled to receive. The total intended tax loss from Mehdi’s conduct was $1,401,587.88. The actual tax loss was $732,521.18, which was paid by the IRS to taxpayers, including Mehdi, either as tax refunds or credits applied to prior debts.

“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. “This sentencing reinforces that those who cheat the system will be held accountable.”

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Samantha Newman, Brooke Padgett and Jennifer Peresie. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne C. Nebesky.

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 16 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.