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A once-influential Miami lobbyist is now facing federal prison after orchestrating a years-long tax evasion scheme that included fake property sales, shell companies, and disguised income. Eston Eurel “Dusty” Melton III was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $1.7 million in restitution after pleading guilty to defrauding the U.S. government.

The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg, comes after Melton admitted to dodging tax payments by concealing income and assets—while continuing to live lavishly behind a facade of family obligations and personal sacrifice.

"A Morally Right, Legally Wrong Choice"

Melton, who ran Global Projects Inc., a lobbying firm in Miami-Dade County, confessed in February to owing over $1.3 million in taxes from 2005 to 2014, having paid just $62,000 of it. In court, Melton attempted to justify his actions by calling them a “moral” decision—choosing to pay family expenses like $900,000 in alimony, school tuition, and buying a lobbying firm—rather than paying the IRS.

"The court will not find fancy vacations or luxury cars," Melton told the judge. "What the court will find is a lot of debt because of life’s necessities."

But prosecutors were unmoved. They argued Melton willfully and repeatedly took steps to deceive, not merely neglecting to pay taxes but actively hiding income, using his son's and wife’s bank accounts, and closing his own accounts to operate in cash.

The Home Sale That Never Was

One of the more audacious parts of the scheme, prosecutors said, involved pretending to sell his home to pay off tax debts. For six years, Melton told the IRS the house was on the market—while continuing to live in it, pricing it 20% higher than its IRS-assessed value, and forbidding his Realtor from putting up signs or listing it publicly.

He claimed this was a mere attempt to “maximize value,” but prosecutors called it deliberate obstruction.

"He spent six years only pretending to sell the home," prosecutors said, "all while paying the taxpayers nothing."

Shadow Companies and Family Fronts

Melton further drew scrutiny for transferring clients to Gryphon Partners, a company owned by his wife but allegedly controlled and operated by him. He claimed this move was for reasons unrelated to tax evasion, and also to avoid alimony payments—a claim that, prosecutors said, clashed with his image as a “family-first” man.

At one point, his tax debt exceeded $2 million, according to court documents.

Melton’s request for home confinement was denied, though the judge did not impose the 30-month sentence federal prosecutors recommended. His prison term begins in November.