Construction firm owner heads to prison for multimillion-dollar IRS, insurance fraud

A 35-year-old Polk County construction company owner will spend nearly four years in federal prison for a scheme that included defrauding the IRS while skirting worker compensation laws and laws governing the employment of undocumented immigrants.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle sentenced Mayra Velasquez, of Apopka, to three years and five months at a Tuesday hearing in Tampa. Along with serving prison time, Velasquez must pay $2.5 million in restitution and forfeit assets, including four properties in Davenport, Polk County.

According to court documents, including the plea agreement, a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice issued April 26 and previous press releases, here is what happened: