A Tampa businessman has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for filing fraudulent tax returns. U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven handed down the sentence to Brian Davison, who was also ordered to pay $6,293,592 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, reflecting the total tax loss incurred by the United States. Davison pleaded guilty on March 24, 2025.
Court documents show that Davison was the co-founder and former CEO of Equialt, LLC, a real estate investment firm based in Tampa. The company was placed into judicial receivership after a complaint from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in February 2020. Between October 2018 and December 2020, Davison filed multiple personal tax returns that underreported his income from Equialt and other business entities by at least $29.7 million.
The investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation unit with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Tampa office. Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Duso prosecuted the case.
“This case demonstrates our commitment to holding individuals accountable for willfully evading their tax obligations,” said Gregory W. Kehoe, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.
