Two Orlando residents, Rene Mauricio Escobar and Juana Nelida Escobar, were sentenced for a $148 million construction payroll fraud scheme. U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger sentenced Rene Escobar to four years and nine months and Juana Escobar to two years in federal prison. The court ordered restitution of over $37 million to the IRS.
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Media Coverage · May 6, 2026
Two Orlando residents, Rene Mauricio Escobar and Juana Nelida Escobar, were sentenced for their roles in a $148 million construction payroll scheme that defrauded the IRS and workers' compensation insurers. Rene Escobar received a four-year and nine-month prison sentence, while Juana Escobar was sentenced to two years' imprisonment. The court also ordered the defendants to pay $37 million in restitution to the IRS.
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Two Orlando Residents Sentenced for $148 Million Construction Payroll Scheme that Defrauded the IRS and Workers’
Media Coverage · May 06, 2026
Coverage
1 article
1 source tracked
Participants
1 Presiding Judge
1 linked entity
Judge
Wendy W. Berger
The court metadata has not been resolved yet, so Juryvine is keeping the page conservative until a reliable court match lands.
The newest docket activity we have is a media coverage dated May 06, 2026.
The visible party/entity graph currently includes Wendy W. Berger.
Press monitoring has found 1 related article from 1 distinct source.
Two Orlando Residents Sentenced for $148 Million Construction Payroll Scheme that Defrauded the IRS and Workers’ Compensation Insurers is an active criminal matter. The case is assigned to Wendy W. Berger.
Named participants include Wendy W. The case is currently organized around Charge status, plea posture, and court supervision, Current docket activity and next procedural step, Sentencing exposure and post-conviction consequences, Prison conditions and incarcerated-plaintiff claims.
The available docket gives enough signal to track the case, but not enough to overstate the merits. This page will become more useful as filings, orders, hearings, and party appearances add detail.
On May 6, 2026, the docket recorded a media coverage: Two Orlando residents, Rene Mauricio Escobar and Juana Nelida Escobar, were sentenced for their roles in a $148 million construction payroll scheme that defrauded the IRS and workers' compensation insurers. Rene Escobar received a four-year and nine-month.
The next thing to watch is whether the latest media coverage produces a substantive order, a scheduling change, a settlement signal, or a filing that clarifies the parties' positions.
Jacksonville, Florida – Rene Mauricio Escobar (55) and Juana Nelida Escobar (36), residents of Orlando, have been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger for conspiracy to commit tax fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Rene Escobar was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison. Juana Escobar was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. The court also ordered the defendants to pay $37,174,388 in restitution to the IRS for unpaid payroll taxes. U.S. Attorney Gregory W.
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Two Orlando residents, Rene Mauricio Escobar and Juana Nelida Escobar, were sentenced for their roles in a $148 million construction payroll scheme that defrauded the IRS and workers' compensation insurers. Rene Escobar received a four-year and nine-month prison sentence, while Juana Escobar was sentenced to two years' imprisonment. The court also ordered the defendants to pay $37 million in restitution to the IRS.
Jacksonville, Florida – Rene Mauricio Escobar (55) and Juana Nelida Escobar (36), residents of Orlando, have been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger for conspiracy to commit tax …
Sources tracked
1 outlet · 1 article
Timeline events
1 record on file
Last updated
6 hours, 35 minutes ago
Juryvine aggregates docket entries from PACER/CourtListener, press coverage, and GDELT signals. Ingestion timestamps do not appear in the What Changed feed — that reflects real court activity only.