JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The video attached to this story is from an unrelated report.
A Jacksonville father and son have been sentenced to federal prison for conspiring to defraud the IRS, according to a release from the United States District Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.
They also have to pay $5,613,082.38 in restitution to the IRS.
Raul Solis, 52, is sentenced to 2 years and 9 months in prison, while his son, Raul Solis-Martinez, 33, is sentenced to one year and nine months in prison.
Both pleaded guilty on August 4.
The father and son owned and operated Solis Brothers Company, LLC and Duval Framing, LLC, construction subcontracting companies in Jacksonville, according to a press release.
They conspired to pay their employees "off the books" so that they could lower labor costs.
By paying employees with a mix of checks and cash, they avoided payroll taxes for over $22 million in wages that were never reported to the IRS.
“This father and son criminal team profited financially by perpetrating fraud against the United States and private industry, while taking advantage of the country’s workforce,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “In partnership with the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the Florida Department of Financial Services, we will continue to hold these criminals accountable for defrauding both the government and private industry.”