Tampa contractor ordered to pay $55 million, serve 4 years in prison

A Pasco man who ran a wood-framing construction company for residential homes out of Tampa was recently sentenced for his role in a wide-ranging criminal case that included failing to pay more than $33.7 million in taxes.  

Manuel Domingos Pita, owner of Domingos 54 Construction, pleaded guilty to the charges last July. He was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and willful violation of a workplace standard that resulted in the death of his employee, according to a statement from the Department of Justice. As part of his sentencing, he is expected to forfeit more than $5.5 million, numerous real properties and cash to the United States and to pay over $55 million in restitution, the release states. 

While operating the construction company, Pita did not provide the proper amount of workers compensation insurance coverage for his employees by falsifying in worker’s compensation insurance applications the number of workers for which he sought coverage, authorities contended.