Milton resident sentenced to three years in federal prison for wire fraud and money laundering, ordered to pay over $800,000 in restitution
Florida – A 54-year-old Milton resident, Timothy S. Gilbert, has been sentenced to three years in federal prison following his guilty plea on multiple charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion. This announcement was made by Jason R. Coody, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
A Scheme of Fraud and Deception
Over a span of several years, while serving as a rehab manager for a local hospital and medical group, Gilbert engaged in a scheme to defraud his employer and evade his tax obligations. Utilizing a corporate credit card, he made unauthorized purchases of prepaid credit cards and gift cards. Gilbert laundered these funds through his personal PayPal, Stripe, and bank accounts to conceal the origins of his ill-gotten gains, which were then spent on personal indulgences and gambling sprees at casinos.
Gilbert’s methodical approach to concealing his fraudulent activities involved circumventing company policies to hide the payments made with the corporate credit card. From 2019 to 2022, his criminal activities amounted to the theft and laundering of over $607,000, a sum that underscores the significant financial impact of his actions.
U.S. Attorney Coody stated, “Abuse of trust, embezzlement, and tax evasion warrant significant criminal consequences. This defendant’s years-long theft from his employer and his efforts to launder and conceal his fraud proceeds are both illegal and offensive to the hardworking Americans who pay their taxes to defend our country and maintain its operations. It is fitting and proper that he pay restitution, unpaid taxes, and investigative costs for his criminal conduct.”
IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge Lani I. Rosado-Espinal also commented on the case, “Devising a scheme to conceal income from the IRS is blatant criminal activity, especially when you abuse your position of trust and embezzle funds from a hospital that serves the community. Taxpayers who pay their fair share need to be reassured that IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to devote the resources needed to uncover these types of schemes which defraud the honest taxpayers.”
As part of his sentencing, Gilbert is mandated to make substantial restitution payments. These include over $607,000 to the victimized hospital to compensate for the stolen funds, more than $160,000 to the Internal Revenue Service for unpaid taxes, and additional payments exceeding $38,000 for the costs of prosecution incurred by the IRS and the Pensacola Police Department. Furthermore, Gilbert is required to pay $3,700 in special monetary assessments.
This case was brought to a close through a collaborative investigation by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the Pensacola Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia Forbes and Jessica Etherton prosecuted this case.
