JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two Jacksonville men have been sentenced to federal prison for a long-running payroll tax and workers’ compensation fraud scheme tied to roofing businesses they operated, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced Thursday.
Travis Morgan Slaughter was sentenced to 41 months and Tripp Charles Slaughter to 21 months in federal prison after both pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit tax fraud. Their plea agreements were entered in November 2024.
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According to court records, the Slaughters operated multiple roofing businesses under various names, including Great White Construction, Florida Roofing Experts, and later 5 Star Roofing Services. While they used professional employer organizations (PEOs) to process payroll and file taxes, the Slaughters are said to have withheld wage and hour information to underreport payroll.
They reportedly paid workers directly with separate checks that did not include payroll tax deductions—avoiding millions in tax liability. From October 2015 through June 2020, the businesses are said to have paid over $23 million in unreported wages, leading to more than $4.2 million in unpaid payroll taxes.
The scheme also allowed the Slaughters to defraud insurance companies of over $2.7 million in unpaid workers’ compensation premiums and nearly $400,000 in paid claim amounts.
Travis Slaughter was ordered to pay over $6.7 million in restitution to the IRS and more than $3 million to insurance companies. Tripp Slaughter was ordered to pay more than $1.1 million in restitution. Additionally, the court entered a forfeiture judgment against Travis Slaughter for nearly $2.8 million and against Tripp Slaughter for more than $400,000.
Federal prosecutors said the men also underreported their personal income. Travis Slaughter’s unpaid personal income tax from 2014 through 2019 totaled over $2.4 million, while Tripp Slaughter’s unpaid tax from 2015 through 2019 was more than $263,000.
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“This blatant disregard for U.S. law and our financial systems gave them an unfair edge over honest businesses,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Tampa Field Office Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker.
Tim Hemker, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations in Jacksonville, said the defendants also “exploited the labor of hundreds of illegal aliens” as part of the criminal operation.
IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, and the Florida Department of Financial Services led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier prosecuted the case, with asset forfeiture handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer M. Harrington.
