On December 5, 2019, Meredith purchased, in cash, a 6,500-square-foot waterfront mansion in St. Petersburg for $2,625,000. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A St. Petersburg man has been sentenced after an investigation by the IRS found that he had falsified documents to receive refunds totaling over $6 million in cash.
Matthew Walker Meredith, 40, St. Petersburg, has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for theft of government money and money laundering.
As part of his sentence, the Court also entered an order forfeiting real property, six Mercedes Benz vehicles, and $6,374,576.92, representing the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.
Meredith pleaded guilty on March 24, 2023.
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According to court documents, in 2016, Meredith was sentenced in federal court to three years imprisonment for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute Ethylone, also known as “Molly.”
Those charges stemmed from Meredith’s importation of kilogram quantities of Ethylone from China. The Bureau of Prisons released Meredith in October 2017, and he began serving a three-year term of federal supervised release.
While under federal supervision, Meredith began to submit claims for tax refunds to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the names of entities under his control.
According to investigators, in just six months, Meredith submitted five claims to the IRS seeking more than $170 million. Each claim was fraudulent because Meredith falsified his income and withholdings.
On November 23, 2019, the IRS issued Meredith a refund check in the amount of $6,374,576.92, which Meredith quickly deposited into his bank account.
In the following weeks, Meredith laundered the illicit proceeds by purchasing luxury vehicles and a waterfront home.
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In one week, authorities say he purchased six new Mercedes Benz totaling $843,269.32.
| Date of Purchase | Type of Vehicle | Cost |
| 11.30.19 | 2020 Mercedes Benz S63AMG3 | $187,327.68 |
| 11.30.19 | 2019 Mercedes Benz SL63 | $156,404.27 |
| 11.30.19 | 2020 Mercedes Benz C63WS | $103,547.17 |
| 12.6.19 | 2020 Mercedes Benz GLE350W | $72,707.55 |
| 12.6.19 | 2020 Mercedes Benz AMG GTR | $232,368.12 |
| 12.7.19 | 2019 Mercedes Benz C63WS | $90,914.53 |
On December 5, 2019, Meredith purchased, in cash, a 6,500-square-foot waterfront mansion in St. Petersburg for $2,625,000.
“The American tax system is designed to provide vital government services to our people. It is not a slush fund for thieves and fraudsters,” said Brian J. Payne, IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge. “As today’s sentence demonstrates, those who illegally target our nation’s tax dollars for personal financial gain, will face criminal prosecution and a lengthy stay in prison.”
This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation.
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