Panacea realtor found guilty of failing to file income tax returns

FLORIDA — A Panacea realtor known as the “Land Man” has been found guilty of failing to file federal income tax returns for five consecutive years.

Sedita Charles Cayson, 59, was convicted on five counts of willfully failing to file tax returns for the years 2017 through 2021. Trial evidence showed Cayson earned annual real estate commissions exceeding $150,000 while deliberately evading his tax obligations.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, Mr Cayson instructed his broker to split his commission checks into amounts below $10,000, which he then cashed immediately, beginning in 2017.

Further evidence revealed Cayson’s history of tax delinquencies, including liens for unpaid taxes from 2004-2007 and 2011-2013.

Mr Cayson is scheduled for sentencing on February 24, 2025, at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee. He faces up to one year in federal prison and a $25,000 fine for each count, followed by supervised release.

The case was investigated by the IRS-Criminal Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harley Ferguson and Justin M. Keen.