Two men have pled guilty to a fraudulent scheme to evade payroll taxes and workers’ compensation requirements in the Florida construction industry.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, Gregorio Jose Fuentes-Zelaya (27, Orlando) and Dennis Alexander Barahona (38, Chelsea, MA) have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit tax fraud. Fuentes-Zelaya has pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud and two counts of tax fraud.

Barahona has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of tax fraud. Each wire fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and each tax fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. The United States also will seek forfeiture of $1,367,625, the approximate amount of proceeds obtained as a result of the wire fraud offenses, as well as funds seized from two bank accounts utilized during the scheme, with balances totaling $230,764. Fuentes-Zelaya and Barahona also owe a total of approximately $5,766,286 in restitution for the tax fraud offenses.

Read the entire news release, here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/two-men-plead-guilty-fraudulent-scheme-evade-payroll-taxes-and-workers-compensation