Lobbyist Who Evaded Payment of More than $2 Million in Taxes Sentenced to Prison

MIAMI – Eston “Dusty” Melton III, a lobbyist operating in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties, was sentenced on June 17, 2025, to 18 months in federal prison for evading the payment of over $2 million in federal income taxes.

According to court documents and Melton’s plea agreement, Melton owned and operated a lobbying business in both Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties. For tax years 2005 through 2014, Melton filed personal federal income tax returns showing a total tax liability of $1,313,840. With penalties and interest, his total tax debt rose to $2,143,381. Melton made payments totaling $62,100 toward this debt. Additionally, the IRS collected $537,231 through liens and levies.

Between 2012 and 2021, in order to prevent the IRS from collecting his growing tax debt, Melton engaged in a sophisticated scheme to conceal his assets and income in an effort to prevent the IRS from collecting on his increasing tax debt. When an IRS Revenue Officer indicated the IRS intended to levy (or foreclose) on Melton’s house, Melton appeared to cooperate by attempting to sell the house. Melton purported to try to sell the house himself, while actually taking steps to undermine the sale. Melton finally sold the house six years after purporting to put it on the market.

Melton also took other actions to avoid IRS collection efforts. He paid roughly $80,000 in cash from his lobbying business to his wife. He transferred all his clients to a new lobbying business that was supposedly owned by his wife, then continued providing lobbying services there for little or no pay. Melton helped his wife purchase a home solely in her name, using funds primarily from his own business, and transferred ownership of cars and life insurance policies to her as well.

In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg ordered Melton to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $1,736,586 in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Bryne for the Southern District of Florida, and Emmanuel Gomez, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Osborne for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number  25-cr-80001.

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