Travis Morgan Slaughter and Tripp Charles Slaughter, the owners of several Jacksonville-based roofing companies, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as conspiracy to commit tax fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
The two men operated their roofing business under multiple names, including Great White Construction, Florida Roofing Experts, and 5 Star Roofing Services. They used their companies to execute a series of fraudulent schemes, leading to significant unpaid payroll taxes, workers’ compensation premiums, and personal income taxes owed to the IRS.
Payroll and Tax Fraud Scheme
From 2017 to 2020, the Slaughters contracted with professional employer organizations (PEOs) to manage payroll and file tax returns. However, the Slaughters withheld information about employees’ actual wages and hours, issuing additional pay through separate checks without deducting required payroll taxes. This deception resulted in a staggering $2,768,377 in unpaid payroll taxes.
In addition to payroll fraud, the Slaughters manipulated their workers’ compensation premiums by underreporting payroll to avoid paying accurate insurance premiums. As a result, the company evaded $2,780,947 in workers’ compensation premiums, and caused $271,217 in unpaid claims.
Personal Income Tax Evasion
The Slaughters also evaded taxes on their personal incomes. Travis Slaughter failed to report $2,467,183 in income from 2014 to 2019, while his brother Tripp Slaughter avoided paying $263,614 in taxes from 2015 to 2019.
Restitution and Forfeiture
As part of their guilty pleas, the Slaughters agreed to significant financial restitution and asset forfeiture. Travis Slaughter will forfeit $2,780,947 and pay restitution of $9,820,776, while Tripp Slaughter will forfeit $416,800 and pay $1,177,847 in restitution.
Between 2017 and 2020, their companies issued a total of $18,545,845 in untaxed payroll checks, far exceeding the $4,930,613 reported by the PEOs. This fraudulent activity deprived both the IRS and workers’ compensation insurers of millions of dollars.
