TAMPA — A federal grand jury has indicted the founder and CEO of a Temple Terrace technology company on five counts of wire fraud for allegedly defrauding investors of more than $7 million, United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced.
Meade Lewis, 32, of Temple Terrace, is accused of fraudulently raising the money from investors by making false and misleading statements about his company, mIQroTech, Inc., a purported technology company in the oil and gas industry. According to the indictment, Lewis lied about mIQroTech’s financials, customers and product, and used some of the investors’ funds for his personal enrichment. Each of the five wire fraud counts carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
The indictment notifies Lewis that the United States intends to forfeit at least $7,096,458, which is alleged to represent proceeds obtained from the offenses. Lewis was the founder, chief executive officer and majority shareholder of mIQroTech, Inc.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Ross Roberts will prosecute the matter, while Assistant United States Attorney Blain Goff is handling the forfeiture.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.