Miami, FL – Eston “Dusty” Melton III, a prominent lobbyist in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for evading over $2 million in federal income taxes. The sentencing took place on June 17, 2025, and was announced by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Bryne for the Southern District of Florida, alongside Emmanuel Gomez, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation.
Melton, who owned and operated a lobbying business in the mentioned counties, was found guilty of evading tax payments from 2005 to 2014. Court documents reveal that Melton’s federal income tax returns recorded a liability of $1,313,840, which increased to $2,143,381 with penalties and interest. Of this amount, Melton only managed to pay $62,100, while the IRS collected an additional $537,231 through liens and levies.
From 2012 to 2021, Melton engaged in intricate schemes to hide his assets and income, preventing the IRS from recovering his mounting tax debt. When the IRS signaled an intention to levy his house, Melton feigned cooperation by attempting to sell the property but simultaneously took steps to thwart the sale. Eventually, he sold the house six years later.
Melton further attempted to evade IRS collections by paying $80,000 in cash from his lobbying business to his wife, transferring his clients to a new business supposedly owned by her, and continuing to provide services there for minimal compensation. He also assisted his wife in buying a house in her name, utilizing funds from his business, and transferred ownership of cars and life insurance policies to her.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg ordered Melton to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $1,736,586 in restitution.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Osborne for the Southern District of Florida. The public can access further details and related court documents on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
