Conviction Includes $55 Million in Restitution and $5.5 Million in Forfeiture
February 24, 2025 – Washington, DC – Florida Businessman Sentenced: A Florida businessman will serve 48 months in federal prison and forfeit over $5.5 million in assets after pleading guilty to multiple fraud-related charges and a workplace safety violation that led to an employee’s death. He must also pay more than $55 million in restitution.
Fraudulent Employment Scheme Uncovered
Manuel Domingos Pita, of Wesley Chapel, owned and operated Domingos 54 Construction, a subcontracting company that provided workers for home construction projects. However, instead of operating legally, Pita engaged in an elaborate scheme to hire undocumented workers, avoid taxes, and defraud insurance providers.
To conceal the number of workers he employed, Pita falsified workers’ compensation insurance applications, ensuring his company paid far less in premiums than required. Additionally, he failed to pay federal employment taxes on these workers’ wages between 2018 and 2022.
As a result:
- Workers’ compensation insurance companies lost over $22.7 million in unpaid premiums.
- The IRS suffered $33.7 million in lost federal employment tax revenue.
Repeated Safety Violations Lead to Fatal Workplace Incident
Florida Businessman Sentenced: Between February and July 2019, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Domingos 54 six times for failing to provide workers with fall protection. Despite these warnings, Pita ignored safety regulations, continuing to put employees at risk.
In March 2020, he assigned four carpenters to install roofing without proper fall-protection gear—even in dangerously windy conditions. Tragically, one worker was blown off the roof and died from his injuries.
Justice Department Officials Condemn Pita’s Actions
- Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson emphasized that “Pita’s history of OSHA violations and deception tragically led to a worker’s death.”
- Acting U.S. Attorney Sara C. Sweeney stated that Pita’s fraud caused “huge losses to the U.S. Treasury” and “put workers at unacceptable risk.”
- FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor warned that “the FBI will aggressively pursue those who selfishly ignore laws designed to protect workers.”
- IRS Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker condemned Pita’s attempt to “gain an illegal advantage” by exploiting undocumented labor.
Federal Agencies Investigate and Prosecute
This case was investigated by:
- FBI
- IRS Criminal Investigation
- Homeland Security Investigations
- Florida Department of Financial Services’ Bureau of Insurance Fraud
- Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General
Prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay L. Hoffer and Senior Trial Attorney Banumathi Rangarajan of the Environmental Crimes Section.
For more legal updates on workplace safety and labor fraud, visit MedLegalNews.com.
🔗 Source: U.S. Department of Justice.
