WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. – A Wesley Chapel contractor has been sentenced to federal prison for a scheme involving workers’ compensation fraud, tax evasion, and a workplace safety violation that resulted in the death of an employee.
Manuel Domingos Pita, owner and operator of Domingos 54 Construction, was sentenced on February 20th to 48 months in prison and ordered to forfeit over $5.5 million, numerous properties, and pay over $55 million in restitution.
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Pita pleaded guilty in July 2024 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and willful violation of a workplace standard that resulted in death.
According to court documents, Pita used his company as a shell to provide construction jobs to workers, including undocumented immigrants.
He falsified worker’s compensation insurance applications to avoid paying the required premiums and failed to pay federal employment taxes on workers’ wages. This resulted in over $22.7 million in losses for insurance companies and over $33.7 million in unpaid taxes to the IRS.
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Furthermore, Pita repeatedly ignored safety regulations, leading to a tragic incident in March 2020. Despite being cited for safety violations by OSHA, Pita assigned workers to install roof sheeting in windy conditions without providing fall protection. One worker was blown off the roof and died from his injuries.
This case was investigated by multiple agencies, including the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, ICE Tampa, the Florida Department of Financial Services, and the Department of Labor.
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