Middle District of Florida
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Members of the “Oviedo Soldiers” Sentenced to Prison for Heroin Conspiracy and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway has sentenced Freddrick Dorr (46, Oviedo), James Dellafield, Jr. (24, Sanford), Beth Farber (30, Orlando), and George Materazzi (46, Orlando) to federal prison for drug trafficking. The Court also ordered each to forfeit firearms and U.S. currency that are traceable to proceeds of the offenses. A fifth individual, Danny Hampton (36, Oviedo) is scheduled to be sentenced on October 17, 2017. Each previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute heroin. In addition, Hampton and Dellafield each pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Hampton, Dorr, Dellafield, Farber, and Materrazi were affiliated with a drug trafficking organization known as the “Oviedo Soldiers” that distributed heroin, cocaine, and other narcotics in Seminole and Orange Counties. The organization was also known to law enforcement as the source of several violent crimes in the area. During the investigation, agents recovered multiple firearms. Each of the defendants has a criminal history involving drugs, firearms, and/or violent crimes.
Dellafield received a sentence of seven years in federal prison. Dorr was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment. Farber was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, and Materazzi received a sentence of three years and one month in federal prison.
“The investigation and prosecution of members of this organization demonstrates the collective hard work of our law enforcement partners and prosecutorial team,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen Muldrow. “We will continue to combine and utilize our resources to combat violent crime and drug trafficking in our communities.”
"This case emphasizes how successful the collaboration between state, local and federal law enforcement can be," said Paul Wysopal, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division. "The combined effort made our community safer by ridding the streets of these violent career criminals."
“I am extremely proud of the work done by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Gang and Narcotics Units in partnership with the MBI, the FBI, and ICE-HSI to bring this criminal group to justice,” said Sheriff Jerry L. Demings. “Cocaine and heroin trafficking result in violence and death, and the dismantling of this organized group will have a positive impact on public safety in our community.”
“The Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation was pleased to work with federal and local law enforcement partners to bring the defendants in this drug trafficking organization to justice,” said Director Ron Stucker. “The prosecution of this drug trafficking organization will disrupt the flow of illegal drugs and reduce violence in the community.”“These sentencings send a clear message to criminals that law enforcement will use every investigative technique possible to ensure the dismantling of criminal organizations in our communities,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “HSI and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to making communities safer by bringing violent criminals to justice.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Embry J. Kidd.
Tampa Man Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for Stealing Identities from Medical PracticeRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida– U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced Anthony Michael Harris (26, Tampa) to six years in federal prison for conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. He pleaded guilty on November 29, 2016.
According to court documents, Harris worked as an administrative employee at a pediatric gastroenterology practice where he had access to patient medical records that contained the personally identifiable information (“PII”) of the practice’s patients, their parents, and their guardians. Harris conspired with his co-defendants, Larry Chance Cox and Maurice Rahmaan, to steal PII from his employer so that Cox, Rahmaan, and others could use that information to apply for credit cards online and file fraudulent federal income tax returns using the victims’ identities. The conspirators further agreed to share in the proceeds of the fraud.
Investigators recovered the PII of more than 13,000 individuals that had been stolen by Harris and used by the conspirators to apply for unauthorized credit cards. They also attempted to file approximately 180 fraudulent federal income tax returns.
On January 4, 2017, Cox pleaded guilty to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3, 2017. Rahmaan pleaded guilty to the same charges on January 24, 2017, and his sentencing hearing is set for April 10, 2017.
This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mandy Riedel.
Owner of Car Dealership Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Laundering Drug and Tax Fraud ProceedsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven today sentenced Raymond L. Rodriguez, Jr. (52, Tampa) to three years and one month in federal prison for money laundering. As part of his sentence, the Court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $1,751,648, which are the proceeds traceable to the offense.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty on September 21, 2015.
According to court documents, Rodriguez owned and operated Rodriguez Auto Wholesale. Between 2009 and 2013, he sold 87 vehicles for a total of $1,751,648 to individuals who paid him with proceeds from the sale of illegal narcotics and/or stolen identity refund fraud (SIRF) offenses. Rodriguez knew the funds had been illegally derived and agreed to disguise the large cash transactions from the government in a number of ways. First, he agreed to accept large cash payments for vehicles without filing Forms 8300 with the Internal Revenue Service, as required by law. He also agreed to place vehicles in the names of straw buyers so that law enforcement and other governmental entities would not be aware of the true owners of the cars or the illegal proceeds used to purchase them. Rodriguez further promised purchasers that he would keep a lien on certain vehicles, despite receiving payment in full, so that in the event those vehicles were seized by law enforcement authorities, Rodriguez could reclaim possession and return the seized cars to the purchasers or their family members.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mandy Riedel.
New York Man Sentenced for Making False Statements in Connection with A Federal Sex Trafficking InvestigationRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Michael Manswell (30, Bronx, NY) to 3 years and 10 months in federal prison for making a false statement. He pleaded guilty on December 9, 2016.
According to court documents, on March 7, 2016, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement interviewed Manswell as part of an investigation involving sex trafficking. During the interview, Manswell stated that he was friends with a particular minor, but falsely denied any type of relationship with that minor. He further stated that they had not had intimate sexual contact of any kind within the past two years. These statements were false, as Manswell and the minor had frequently engaged in sexual contact during that time, including intimate sexual relations while the minor was under the age of 18.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the FDLE. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington and former Deputy Chief Assistant United States Attorney Mac D. Heavener.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Media Advisory: Press Conference in Orlando on WednesdayRead the Press Release
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES TO ANNOUNCE PRISON SENTENCES IMPOSED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKERS
WHO: Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow
Orange County Sheriff Jerry L. Demings
Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ronald Hopper, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Chad Holth, Group Supervisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations
Director Ron Stucker, Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation
WHAT: Press conference to announce the sentences imposed for individuals involved in
drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
WHEN: WEDNESDAY, March 29, 2017 at 10:30 A.M. EST
WHERE: Orange County Sheriff’s Office
Mel Martinez Auditorium
2500 West Colonial Drive
Orlando, Florida
OPEN PRESS
NOTE: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license).
Media may begin arriving at 10:00 A.M.
Please RSVP to [email protected] by 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 29, 2017.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than Six Years for Possessing Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced Vaughn Matthews (25, St. Petersburg) to six years and six months in federal prison for possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and for possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. He pleaded guilty on December 22, 2016.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Matthews’s residence on March 23, 2016. During the search, officers recovered over 20 pounds of marijuana, 3 firearms, more than 50 rounds of assorted ammunition, and over $86,000 in cash. Further investigation revealed that Matthews had been working with individuals in California and had trafficked at least 50 packages of marijuana into Florida via the mail. As a previously convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the St. Petersburg Police Department, and the U.S. Postal Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaitlin R. O’Donnell.
This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow, along with Daryl R. McCrary, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
VR Labs Principals Charged with Scheme to Defraud Lee County of Millions in Grant Program FundsRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, FL – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Kay F. Gow (66, Naples), Robert T. Gow (75, Naples), and John G. Williams, Jr. (65, Virginia Beach, VA) with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, wire fraud, and illegal monetary transactions. If convicted on all counts, the Gows each face a maximum penalty of 45 years in federal prison, and Williams faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit over $5.1 million, that is alleged to be traceable proceeds of the offenses. All three individuals will make their initial appearances today at 3:00 p.m. before United States Magistrate Judge Carol Mirando.
According to the indictment, , the Gows owned and controlled multiple entities, including HerbalScience Group, LLC and HerbalScience Singapore Pte, Ltd. In 2010, the Gows formed VR Laboratories, LLC to apply for a $5 million grant from Lee County through the Financial Incentives for Recruiting Strategic Targets (“FIRST”) program, which consisted of taxpayer funds set aside by the county to bring economic development projects to the Ft. Myers area. In seeking the award, the Gows made numerous false and fraudulent representations to various individuals and government entities about their financial success and that of HerbalScience and VR Labs, including that VR Labs was poised to become a leading global formulator and manufacturer of botanical pharmaceuticals. Ultimately, Lee County awarded VR Labs $5 million in FIRST incentive program funds to build a manufacturing facility that the Gows had claimed would bring hundreds of high-paying jobs and economic growth to Lee County.Once VR Labs executed an agreement with Lee County, Williams, a long-time friend of the Gows, registered a fictitious name, “Williams Specialty Bottling Equipment,” with the Florida Secretary of State. The Gows then represented that Williams would provide the bottling line for the manufacturing facility when he had no such experience or expertise. Williams used false and fraudulent invoices for work and services allegedly performed on the bottling line to make demands for payment and, once paid, kicked back a substantial portion of the funds to VR Labs and the Gows. The Gows then used Williams’s false and fraudulent invoices to justify requests to Lee County for the payment of the grant money. Once VR Labs received the grant funds, the Gows fraudulently transferred those funds to entities they owned and controlled, and ultimately to themselves, by disguising the transfers as fees, salaries, expenses, and other items. They also tried to conceal the source of the kickbacks through the creation of fictitious entities and documents. Ultimately, Lee County disbursed approximately $4.7 million in FIRST incentive grant funds to VR Labs, but the manufacturing facility was never completed or operational.
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.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josephine W. Thomas.
Jacksonville Woman Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Mexican National into the United States for Purposes of Forced Labor and SurrogacyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, FL – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that Esthela Clark (47, Jacksonville) today pleaded guilty to a charge of forced labor. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Clark paid so-called “coyotes” approximately $3,000 to smuggle a woman from Mexico into the United States for the purpose of serving as her pregnancy surrogate. Clark assured her victim that the surrogacy would be medically supervised. Clark instead forced her victim to engage in domestic labor through physical and psychological abuse. She attempted to impregnate the victim using syringes containing Clark’s boyfriend’s sperm that she had retrieved from used condoms. The attempts at insemination lasted approximately nine months, however, no pregnancy resulted.
Clark isolated the victim from her family and limited her to a diet consisting exclusively of beans, resulting in a 65-pound weight loss. She also attempted to collect from the victim’s family the cost she had paid to the “coyotes,” with interest.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor.
Former Bosnian Army Prison Guard Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Fraudulently Procuring U.S. CitizenshipRead the Press Release
A Jacksonville, Florida man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for unlawfully procuring U.S. citizenship by failing to disclose during his naturalization process his membership in the Bosnian Army and crimes that he committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian Conflict in the 1990s, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the Middle District of Florida.
Slobo Maric, 56, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard of the Middle District of Florida who also ordered his U.S. citizenship revoked. On July 18, 2016, Maric pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge James R. Klindt of the Middle District of Florida to one count of unlawful procurement of naturalization.
According to the plea agreement, in 1993, Maric served as a shift leader, the second in command to the warden, of a detention facility in Bosnia that housed captured Bosnian-Croat soldiers. Many of the guards in the facility routinely subjected detainees to serious physical abuse and humiliation. According to the plea agreement, Maric selected detainees for other guards to abuse; directly participated in abusing several prisoners; and sent prisoners on dangerous and deadly work details on the front line of the conflict. The Bosnian government charged Maric for his criminal conduct and, after Maric immigrated to the United States, Bosnia indicted and convicted Maric in absentia for war crimes against prisoners. According to the plea agreement, Maric knew about the Bosnian court proceedings, yet he failed to disclose the proceedings and lied about his conduct on his application for U.S. citizenship. Maric became a naturalized U.S. citizen on Oct. 31, 2002.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville Field Office investigated the case under the supervision of the HSI Tampa Field Office with support from ICE’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center.
Trial Attorney Clayton O’Connor and Historian David Rich of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dale Campion of the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.
Former Bosnian Army Prison Guard Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Fraudulently Procuring U.S. CitizenshipRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, FL – Slobo Maric (56, Jacksonville) was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for unlawfully procuring U.S. citizenship by failing to disclose during his naturalization process his membership in the Bosnian Army and crimes that he committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian Conflict in the 1990s, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow and Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Maric was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard of the Middle District of Florida who also ordered his U.S. citizenship revoked. On July 18, 2016, Maric pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge James R. Klindt of the Middle District of Florida to one count of unlawful procurement of naturalization.
According to the plea agreement, in 1993, Maric served as a shift leader, the second in command to the warden, of a detention facility in Bosnia that housed captured Bosnian-Croat soldiers. Many of the guards in the facility routinely subjected detainees to serious physical abuse and humiliation. According to the plea agreement, Maric selected detainees for other guards to abuse; directly participated in abusing several prisoners; and sent prisoners on dangerous and deadly work details on the front line of the conflict. The Bosnian government charged Maric for his criminal conduct and, after Maric immigrated to the United States, Bosnia indicted and convicted Maric in absentia for war crimes against prisoners. According to the plea agreement, Maric knew about the Bosnian court proceedings, yet he failed to disclose the proceedings and lied about his conduct on his application for U.S. citizenship. Maric became a naturalized U.S. citizen on Oct. 31, 2002.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville Field Office investigated the case under the supervision of the HSI Tampa Field Office with support from ICE’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center.
Trial Attorney Clayton O’Connor and Historian David Rich of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dale Campion of the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.
Florida Man Ordered to Pay over $1.1 Million in Restitution to Victims of Sex Trafficking and Interstate Prostitution SchemeRead the Press Release
U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza of the Middle District of Florida today ordered defendant Abdullah Hamidullah, 43, to pay $1,179,000.00 in restitution to six victims of his sex trafficking and interstate prostitution enterprise, the Justice Department announced. Last month, the court sentenced the defendant to serve 482 months’ imprisonment and a lifetime of supervised release. On June 17, 2016, the defendant pleaded guilty to sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion and related interstate prostitution violations, and agreed as a term of his plea agreement to pay restitution to six victims identified in the indictment.
At the Feb. 24, 2017 sentencing hearing, the court made detailed findings, noting that the defendant engaged in “fraud and deception to lure young women” whom he then “enslaved … using violence and intimidation and permanently branding them as [his] property.” The court cited violent physical and sexual assaults which the defendant perpetrated “out of greed,” demonstrating the capacity to “view these women as nothing more than property.” In imposing the sentence, the court emphasized that, “these women will carry the scars of their enslavement with memories of your brutality, the manner in which you branded them as your property, and with the fact that you forced them to engage in countless sexual encounters with total strangers for you own profit.”
“This defendant preyed on vulnerable young victims and cruelly exploited them for his profit,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Trafficking Victims Protection Act requires traffickers to pay restitution to their victims, with good reason. Restitution compels traffickers to relinquish the proceeds of their crimes, and helps restore victims to lives of independence and freedom. We will continue to pursue restitution as an integral part of our efforts to seek justice on behalf of victims of human trafficking.”
“Victims of sex trafficking can never be truly compensated for the horrors that they have endured,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the Middle District of Florida. “However, our Office is firmly committed to seeking restitution in these cases to help victims transition to normal lives.”
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Orlando-based Metropolitan Bureau of Investigations, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera Miranda of the Middle District of Florida, and Trial Attorney William Nolan of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Florida Man Ordered to Pay over $1.1 Million in Restitution to Victims of Sex Trafficking and Interstate Prostitution SchemeRead the Press Release
Defendant Previously Sentenced to Over 40 Years’ Imprisonment Ordered to Pay Restitution to Six Victims of Interstate Sex Trafficking and Prostitution Enterprise
Orlando, FL - U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza today ordered Abdullah Hamidullah (43) to pay $1,179,000.00 in restitution to six victims of his sex trafficking and interstate prostitution enterprise, the Justice Department announced. Last month, the court sentenced Hamidullah to serve 482 months’ imprisonment and a lifetime of supervised release. On June 17, 2016, he pleaded guilty to sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion and related interstate prostitution violations, and agreed as a term of his plea agreement to pay restitution to six victims identified in the indictment.
At the Feb. 23, 2017, sentencing hearing, the court made detailed findings, noting that Hamidullah engaged in “fraud and deception to lure young women” whom he then “enslaved … using violence and intimidation and permanently branding them as [his] property.” The court cited violent physical and sexual assaults which Hamidullah perpetrated “out of greed,” demonstrating the capacity to “view these women as nothing more than property.” In imposing the sentence, the court emphasized that, “these women will carry the scars of their enslavement with memories of your brutality, the manner in which you branded them as your property, and with the fact that you forced them to engage in countless sexual encounters with total strangers for you own profit.”
“Victims of sex trafficking can never be truly compensated for the horrors that they have endured,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow. “However, our Office is firmly committed to seeking restitution in these cases to help victims transition to normal lives.”
“This defendant preyed on vulnerable young victims and cruelly exploited them for his profit,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Trafficking Victims Protection Act requires traffickers to pay restitution to their victims, with good reason. Restitution compels traffickers to relinquish the proceeds of their crimes, and helps restore victims to lives of independence and freedom. We will continue to pursue restitution as an integral part of our efforts to seek justice on behalf of victims of human trafficking.”
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Orlando-based Metropolitan Bureau of Investigations, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera Miranda of the Middle District of Florida, and Trial Attorney William Nolan of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Lee County Man Convicted of Failing to Register as A Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that a federal jury has found Eric David Erdmann (44, Punta Gorda) guilty of failing to register as a sex offender. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 22, 2017; he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Erdmann was required to register as a sex offender following a July 13, 2010, sex offense conviction in Oregon. He registered as a sex offender in Oregon but then absconded, traveling to the Kingdom of Cambodia. In December 2010, Oregon authorities issued a warrant for his arrest.
On April 8, 2016, at the U.S. Embassy in Phenom Penh, Cambodia, the United States Department of State served Erdmann with a notice informing him that his passport was being revoked due to his outstanding arrest warrant. Two weeks later, Cambodian authorities arrested him for being in that country illegally. Erdmann agreed to depart Cambodia voluntarily, and he arrived in Florida on April 28, 2016, where he took up residence in Lee County and failed to register as a sex offender.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael C. Baggé-Hernández.
Florida Businessman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Tax and Bank FraudRead the Press Release
Concealed Approximately $2.5 Million in Secret Belize Accounts
A Florida businessman pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida to conspiracy to commit tax and bank fraud, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to documents filed with the court, Casey Padula, 48, of Port Charlotte, was the sole shareholder of Demandblox Inc. (Demandblox), a marketing and information technology business. Padula conspired with others to move funds from Demandblox to offshore accounts in Belize and disguised them as business expenses in Demandblox’s corporate records. Padula created two offshore companies in Belize: Intellectual Property Partners Inc. (IPPI) and Latin American Labor Outsourcing Inc. (LALO). He opened and controlled bank accounts in the names of these entities at Heritage International Bank & Trust Limited (Heritage Bank), a financial institution located in Belize. From 2012 through 2013, Padula caused periodic payments to be sent from Demandblox to his accounts at Heritage Bank and deposited approximately $2,490,688. Padula used the funds to pay for personal expenses and purchase significant personal assets. However, he falsely recorded these payments in Demandblox’s corporate books as intellectual property rights or royalty fees and deducted them as business expenses on Demandblox’s 2012 and 2013 corporate tax returns causing a tax loss of more than $728,000.
Padula also conspired with investment advisors Joshua VanDyk and Eric St-Cyr at Clover Asset Management (CAM), a Cayman Islands investment firm, to open and fund an investment account that he would control, but that would not be in his name. Heritage Bank had an account at CAM in its name and its clients could get a subaccount through Heritage Bank at CAM, which would not be in the client’s name but rather would be a numbered account. Padula transferred $1,000,080 from the IPPI bank account at Heritage Bank in Belize to CAM to fund a numbered account.
In addition to the tax fraud, Padula also conspired with others to commit bank fraud. Padula had a mortgage on his Port Charlotte, Florida home of approximately $1.5 million with Bank of America (BoA). In 2012, he sent a letter to the bank stating that he could no longer repay his loan. At the same time, Padula provided Robert Robinson, III, 43, who acted as a nominee buyer, with more than $625,000 from his IPPI bank account in Belize to fund a short sale of Padula’s home. Padula and Robinson signed a contract, which falsely represented that the property was sold through an “arms-length transaction,” and agreed that Padula would not be permitted to remain in the property after the sale. Padula in fact never moved from his home and less than two months after the closing, Robinson conveyed it back to Padula by transferring ownership to one of Padula’s Belizean entities for $1. Robinson also pleaded guilty today to signing a false Form HUD-1 in connection with his role in the scheme.
“Casey Padula employed secret offshore bank accounts and shell companies to hide millions and evade U.S. taxes,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg. “As his guilty plea today demonstrates, there are no safe havens any more, whether in Belize, Switzerland or elsewhere around the world, for U.S. taxpayers intent on not paying their fair share of taxes.”
“Today’s plea is the result of another exercise in following the money and it sends a clear message to those who believe they can avoid taxes by hiding their money offshore,” said Chief Richard Weber of IRS Criminal Investigation (CI). “Together with our law enforcement partners, IRS-CI will continue to unravel complex financial transactions and hold those accountable who break the law. IRS-CI special agents will use their financial investigative expertise to ensure taxpayers who violate the law will be brought to justice which is necessary to foster voluntary compliance of our tax laws.”
Padula faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison, a term of supervised release and monetary penalties. As part of his plea agreement, Padula agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $728,609 to the IRS and to BoA in the amount of $728,609. Robinson faces a statutory maximum sentence of one year in prison, a term of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg thanked special agents of IRS-CI, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant Chiefs Todd Ellinwood and Caryn Finley of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Florida for its assistance.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Edgewater Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bank Fraud Scheme Involving over $1.3 Million in LossesRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron today sentenced Mrugesh G. Patel (38, Edgewater) to 18 months in federal prison for bank fraud. The Court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $405,087.99, the proceeds of the offense. Patel pleaded guilty on December 19, 2016.
According to court documents, between February 2011 and December 2012, Patel participated in a scheme to defraud federally insured banks, including TD Bank and Centerstate Bank. Specifically, he opened numerous bank accounts under the names of various Florida-based companies that he had established. He then used these accounts to make bulk deposits of fraudulent bank drafts made payable to his companies. The bank drafts were made using the unauthorized account information of other individuals, businesses, and entities. Patel also made false representations to bank representatives when he opened the accounts and during the time period that he was making the deposits.
Patel's fraud scheme caused more than $1,352,956 in losses to victims whose account information was used to create the fraudulent bank drafts. He used some of this money for personal expenditures and to pay third parties. During the investigation, law enforcement seized over $400,000 in illegal proceeds from bank accounts that Patel controlled.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew C. Searle and Nicole Andrejko.
Tampa Mother Sentenced for Tax Fraud Conspiracy Along with Her SonsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced Elise Ellis to 18 months in federal prison and 6 months’ home detention for conspiracy to commit tax fraud and aggravated identity theft. As part of her sentence, the Court also entered a joint and several money judgement in the amount of $221,000, representing the proceeds of the tax fraud conspiracy. Ellis pleaded guilty on January 3, 2017.
Her sons, Keith Godbolt and Paul Johnson, were previously sentenced to four years and three years and six months, respectively, for their roles in this case.
According to court documents, from August 2011 through April 2013, Ellis, Godbolt, and Johnson conspired to commit wire fraud, theft of government property, and identity theft by electronically filing fraudulent tax returns in the names of others, using their social security numbers. The fraudulent tax refunds were directed to bank accounts in the defendants’ names, or in some cases, to debit cards that they controlled. Ellis and her sons then withdrew the fraudulent refunds by writing checks or otherwise transferring funds to each other through bank transfers or cash withdrawals.
Most of the fraudulently filed tax returns claimed unusually high taxable interest or dividend income, many using the exact same figure, with a large withholding amount, and a false occupation listed for the taxpayer. Many of the victims were deceased when their false tax return was filed.
This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley C. Howard-Allen.
Cape Coral Man Receives 30 Years in Prison for Producing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, FL – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Joseph Spradlin (41, Cape Coral) to 30 years’ imprisonment for producing and possessing child pornography. He pleaded guilty on December 9, 2016.
According to the plea agreement, after downloading child pornography directly from Spradlin’s computer over a peer-to-peer network, members of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force executed a search warrant at Spradlin’s residence. The agents located more than 65,000 images and 668 videos of child pornography on four thumb drives. Further investigation revealed that Spradlin had produced child pornography images and videos of an 8-year-old girl on at least two occasions.
This case was investigated by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, with assistance from the Cape Coral Police Department and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles Schmitz.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Tampa Woman Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison for Bank Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington has sentenced Ebony Stillwell (31, Tampa) to three years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The Court also ordered her to forfeit $252,107.07, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense. Stillwell pleaded guilty on October 25, 2016.
According to court documents, in December 2014, Stillwell began working as the onsite manager for St. Giles Manor, an apartment complex located in Pinellas Park and managed by SPM Property Management. St. Giles Manor was undergoing a refurbishment and, as part of her duties, Stillwell received and processed invoices from vendors and contractors for payment.
During the refurbishment, SPM and St. Giles Manor contracted with Erickson’s Drying Systems, a cleaning and restoration company based in Ft. Myers. In conjunction with this work, Erickson’s submitted invoices for payment to St. Giles Manor and Stillwell that were paid by checks from an SPM LLC bank account.
On January 22, 2015, Stillwell’s brother and co-defendant, David Chambers Opembe, registered a shell company called Erickson’s Drying Systems with the Harris County Clerk in Texas. On the same date, he opened a bank account at Regions Bank in the name of Erickson’s Drying Systems, listing himself as the sole signatory on the account and his home address in Texas. No one at the actual Erickson’s in Ft. Myers was aware of or approved the establishment of the Texas corporation or business bank account.
Between January 22, 2015, and October 23, 2015, Stillwell caused approximately 21 checks to be issued from the SPM disbursing account to the “fake” Erickson’s Drying Systems account. She facilitated the automated issuance of these checks by submitting fabricated invoices that she had altered using prior legitimate invoices from Erickson’s. Stillwell had all of these checks delivered to her office instead of having them mailed to Erickson’s in Ft. Myers. She then deposited the checks into the Erickson’s account her brother had established. After the funds were deposited, Opembe withdrew cash and transferred funds to his personal checking account. Stillwell and Opembe used the funds to make their car payments and to pay for other personal expenses. In total, Opembe and Stillwell deposited approximately $262,067 in fraudulently obtained checks into the “fake” Erickson’s bank account.
David Chambers Opembe previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and, on March 2, 2017, he was sentenced to 36 months’ incarceration.
This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Pinellas Park Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mandy Riedel.
Palmetto Woman Indicted on Tax Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Latronda Brooks with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with income tax fraud. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on the wire fraud count, followed by an additional two-year, consecutive sentence for the aggravated identity theft charge. The indictment also notifies Brooks that the United States is seeking a money judgment in the amount of $327,521, representing the proceeds of the alleged fraud.
According to the indictment, Brooks opened an Urban Trust Bank account in her name, doing business as Magnificent Tax Services. Although she had a tax preparer number, Brooks did not use it in preparing any tax returns instead, she used a “permission” form purportedly signed by the taxpayer that allegedly gave her permission to deposit and cash numerous third-party tax refund checks in her bank account, less a “service charge” of up to 25 percent. Brooks spent the money from the third-party tax refunds on personal expenditures and did not provide any of the funds to the taxpayers.
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.
This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the Manatee County Sherriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley Howard-Allen.
Orlando Man Sentenced to over 15 Years for Drug and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Eric C. Falkowski (35, Orlando) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Falkowski pleaded guilty on December 15, 2016.
According to court documents, Falkowski obtained fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, butyrl fentanyl, and other controlled substances from China in order to manufacture counterfeit prescription pills, including Xanax and Percocet. After receiving the fentanyl and other controlled substances, he would prepare and manufacture counterfeit pills using pill presses and dyes. Falkowski, and others acting at his direction, would then ship and transport parcels containing the counterfeit pills to Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, and other places.
In February 2016, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Falkowski’s residence. During that search, law enforcement officers recovered more than 300 grams of fentanyl, various other controlled substances, pill presses, and dyes. In addition, officers recovered seven firearms, including a 9mm Luger Beretta pistol, a 9mm Luger Heckler & Koch pistol, a .22 caliber Ruger pistol, a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol, a 5.56 caliber NATO Sig Sauer M400 rifle, a 9mm Ruger pistol, and a .380 caliber Walther pistol. Falkowski’s fingerprints were found on the .380 caliber Walther pistol. As a previously convicted felon, Falkowski is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn P. Napier.
Orlando Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Heroin and Fentanyl That Resulted in DeathRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that Hugo Margenat-Castro (25, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and distribution of fentanyl that resulted in the death of another. He faces a mandatory minimum term of 20 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Margenat-Castro used a social media website called the “Experience Project” to distribute heroin and fentanyl in Orlando. He posted the equivalent of an advertisement on the website under the headings “I Love Heroin” and “Heroin in Orlando.” Margenat-Castro would then post his phone number in order for individuals to contact him if they wanted to purchase heroin, bragging about the potency of the heroin. From January 2015 through October 7, 2015, Margenat-Castro distributed over 100 grams of heroin.
After visiting the “Experience Project” website, W.G. contacted Margenat-Castro and arranged to purchase heroin from him. W.G. drove to Orlando from Georgia and purchased the heroin on August 18, 2015. He overdosed and died several hours later. A medical examiner determined that W.G. had died of fentanyl toxicity. A laboratory analysis of the remaining drugs W.G. had purchased from Margenat-Castro revealed that the suspected heroin was actually fentanyl.
Following his arrest, Margenat-Castro admitted that he had been selling heroin mixed with fentanyl, and that he often had warned customers that the “heroin” was so strong that that they should only use a half a bag at a time.
This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Osceola County Investigative Bureau. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn P. Napier.
Tampa Resident Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Prison for Punching A Federal OfficialRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Virginia Covington yesterday sentenced Quentin Cephus (30, Tampa) to three years and five months in federal prison for forcibly assaulting and inflicting bodily injury on a federal official, while that employee was carrying out his official duties. Cephus pleaded guilty on December 19, 2016.
According to court documents, on February 9, 2016, Cephus approached a U.S. Bureau of Prisons official who was conducting an audit at the Hillsborough County Residential Re-entry Center. Cephus, who was a resident at the center, punched the official in the face with a closed fist and inflicted bodily injury on him. Moments later, he spat in the official’s face.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kaitlin R. O’Donnell and Mandy Riedel.
Jamaican Law School Student Sentenced to Prison for Role in Lottery SchemeRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza today sentenced Teresa Wilson (27, Jamaica) to 16 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud. As part of her sentence, the Court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $270,000, which are proceeds of the offense.
Wilson pleaded guilty on October 19, 2016 and is the third defendant to plead guilty during this investigation. Yanique Coach and Dwayne Breary were previously sentenced to 12 months and a day, and 6 months’ imprisonment, respectively.
According to court documents, an 89-year-old victim in Virginia received phone calls from two people in October and November 2014, advising that she had won $3.5 million dollars from the Mega Millions Sweepstakes. One of the callers identified himself as being associated with the sweepstakes, and the other purported be an attorney. The callers told the victim that her name had been entered into the lottery through a magazine subscription, but that the victim needed to pay fees and taxes before receiving her winnings. From October 31, 2014 to November 25, 2014, at the direction of the callers, the victim complied and mailed $282,600 in cash to various locations in Florida and Georgia, concealing the money in magazines and cereal boxes.
The family of the victim learned about the large withdrawals of money from the victim’s bank account and contacted the FBI. On March 6, 2015, the victim was instructed by the callers to send $150,000 in cash to an apartment in Orlando, Florida. On March 19, 2015, a third co-conspirator signed for and accepted the package upon delivery. Agents then executed a search warrant and recovered the package.
During the fraud scheme, Wilson, who was attending law school in Jamaica, had co-conspirators hold packages for her containing hundreds of thousands of dollars, which they had received from the victim in the United States. Wilson would then travel from Jamaica to retrieve the money or make arrangements for another co-conspirator to travel from Jamaica to do the same. Wilson then either transported the money, or clothes purchased with the victim’s money, back to Jamaica and delivered the items to the leaders of the scheme.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James D. Mandolfo.
Former Attorney Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that Josiah E. Hutton (60, Winter Haven) today pleaded guilty to concealment of assets from a bankruptcy estate. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. Sentencing has been set for June 5, 2017.
According to the plea agreement, Hutton was retained to represent a debtor who was planning to file for bankruptcy. In anticipation of filing a bankruptcy petition, Hutton received a settlement check, which was property of the debtor’s bankruptcy estate, and deposited it into his attorney escrow account. Hutton later prepared and certified the debtor’s bankruptcy petition, yet he failed to list the settlement check as an asset, thereby concealing the asset from creditors and the Bankruptcy Court.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.
W. Stephen Muldrow to Serve as Acting U.S. AttorneyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – W. Stephen Muldrow has been named as the Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. He assumed this post following the resignation of A. Lee Bentley, III on March 13, 2017.
From July 2013 to March 2017, Mr. Muldrow served as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney to United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III. Mr. Muldrow has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of Florida since 2001, where he also served as an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) prosecutor, a Senior Litigation Counsel, and Chief of the Major Crimes Section. Before that, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Puerto Rico from 1995 to 2001, where he served as that district’s Lead OCDETF Attorney and Coordinator for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force. In 1989, Mr. Muldrow joined the Department of Justice through the Honors Program as a Trial Attorney in the Tax Division, Civil Trial Section, Northern Region (Washington, D.C.), where he remained until 1995. From 1988 to 1989, he worked as a Law Clerk for the United States Marshals Service, Office of Legal Counsel (Washington, D.C.). Mr. Muldrow earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with a minor in Spanish from Bucknell University (1986), his law degree with honors from The American University, Washington College of Law (1989), and a Master of Arts in Law & International Affairs, also from The American University (1989).
The Middle District of Florida serves 35 of the 67 counties in Florida, which is over half the population of Florida, from Jacksonville in the north, Orlando and Ocala in the center of the state, through Tampa on the west coast, and south to the Ft. Myers area. Headquartered in Tampa, five offices are located throughout the district.
Indialantic Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Federal Prison for Armed Bank Robbery and Other OffensesRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. yesterday sentenced Skyler Christian Awad (28, Indialantic) to 13 years and one month in federal prison for bank robbery, carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, attempted robbery affecting interstate commerce, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and other federal firearm offenses. The Court also ordered Awad to forfeit an H&R (model 949) .22 caliber revolver and rounds of ammunition, which he had used to commit some of the offenses he was convicted of.
Awad was found guilty by a jury on December 22, 2016.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, between May 12, 2016, and May 16, 2016, Awad went on a crime spree in Brevard County, beginning with the theft of a loaded .22 caliber revolver from a residence in West Melbourne. Four days later, he entered a Subway restaurant in Melbourne, and attempted to rob the establishment while armed with a knife. Later that same day, he entered and robbed a TD Bank by threatening to shoot a bank teller. Law enforcement subsequently located Awad in a vehicle, where he then led them on a high-speed chase through residential areas and across busy intersections until he was stopped. Upon his arrest, officers recovered the stolen .22 caliber revolver and the bank money from Awad’s vehicle. As a convicted felon, Awad was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Melbourne Police Department, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Palm Bay Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew C. Searle and Chauncey A. Bratt.
Fort Myers Resident Convicted of TraffickingRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that a federal jury has found Jason Sanon (30, Ft. Myers) guilty of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit trademarks on DVDs and trafficking in DVDs bearing counterfeit trademarks. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 1, 2017.
According to the testimony and evidence presented at trial, Sanon owned and operated WipeoutDVDs.com, an online company that sold counterfeit DVDs to retail customers across the United States, from the end of 2010 until mid-2013. Sanon bought the DVDs that he sold from TM Wholesale, a Chinese manufacturer of counterfeit DVDs. The testimony established that Sanon had bought at least $600,000 in movies and TV box sets from his source in China, and then re-sold them for a profit to his customers. All of the DVDs that Sanon sold through his company bore counterfeit trademarks and logos of the movie studios that had produced the authentic versions of these disks.
The investigation leading to this prosecution was the off-shoot of a related investigation conducted by the Department of Homeland Security which resulted in the successful prosecution of 15 other individuals who had also trafficked in counterfeit DVDs from the same Chinese source. That investigation led to criminal forfeitures of over $2,400,000 and other seizures of vehicles and a business in Polk County.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Motion Picture Association of America. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer, continuing the work that had previously been done by former Assistant United States Attorney Mark Bini.
U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III of the Middle District of Florida Announces ResignationRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – A. Lee Bentley, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, announced today that he will step down from his post on March 13, 2017. Mr. Bentley has tendered his resignation to President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
“Serving for the past four years as United States Attorney has been a humbling experience. I have been privileged to serve with many of the finest lawyers in the country on criminal and civil matters of critical importance to the citizens of the Middle District of Florida. I am extremely grateful to my colleagues and to our partners in federal, state, and local law enforcement.”
Mr. Bentley has been an Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Florida since 2000. During that time, he served as First Assistant to former United States Attorney Robert E. O'Neill and Chief of the Criminal Division. Prior to that, he worked at the law firm of Hogan & Hartson in Washington, D.C. as an associate (1990-1992) and a partner (1993-2000). Mr. Bentley also has served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Florida (Miami), an Attorney Advisor in the Office of Legal Counsel, Department of Justice (Washington, D.C.), a law clerk to Hon. Lewis F. Powell, Jr., United States Supreme Court (Washington, D.C.), and a law clerk to Hon. Clement F. Haynsworth, Jr., United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (Greenville, South Carolina). He graduated with highest honors from the University of Georgia (1980) and the University of Virginia School of Law (1983). Mr. Bentley was nominated by President Barack Obama on June 19, 2014, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 16, 2014.
During Mr. Bentley’s tenure as U.S. Attorney, the Office indicted over 4,200 cases and charged more than 5,500 defendants in criminal conduct impacting the Middle District of Florida (MDFL). The Office also handled nearly 1,000 criminal and civil appeals, and defended the United States in thousands of civil cases. Additionally, operating with an annual budget of approximately $28 million, the MDFL collected more than $1.2 billion in criminal and civil actions between 2014 and March 2017. These recoveries are part of ongoing efforts to recover money and assets from criminals, and to seek restitution for crime victims.
As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Bentley oversaw complex cases involving some of the nation’s highest priorities and Department of Justice initiatives, including:
- Terrorism
- Violent Crime & Gangs
- Health Care Fraud
- Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation
- Civil Rights
- Ex-Offender Re-Entry
The Middle District of Florida serves 35 of the 67 counties in Florida, which is over half the population of Florida, from Jacksonville in the north, Orlando in the center of the state, through Tampa on the west coast, and south to the Ft. Myers area. Headquartered in Tampa, five offices are located throughout the district.
Tampa Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to More Than Twenty-Four Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington today sentenced Ernest Vereen, Jr. (40, Tampa) to 24 years and 5 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as an Armed Career Criminal. He was found guilty on November 1, 2016, after a two-day trial.
According to trial testimony, when officers from the Tampa Police Department confronted Vereen pursuant to an ongoing investigation, he reached for his firearm before ultimately complying with their demands. During the sentencing hearing, the judge described Vereen’s decades-long history of sexual and physical violence, noting that she was particularly concerned that Vereen targeted people with less physical strength than him, specifically women and, in one instance, a 4-year-old child. The judge explained her decision to sentence Vereen at the high end of his guidelines range, explaining that the Court’s first obligation was to keep society safe.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Natalie Hirt Adams.
This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Daryl R. McCrary, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Sixteen Defendants Charged in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of three indictments charging 16 individuals with federal drug trafficking crimes. Felix Mejia Lagunas, a/k/a “Carlos Lagunas Salgado,” (41, Riverside, California); Jesus Alberto Bermudez Caraballo, a/k/a “Bebo,” (28, Orlando); Jose Carlos Polanco Vasquez, a/k/a “Pola,” (28, Orlando); Raul Vicente Espada Ortiz, a/k/a “Gordo,” (39, Orlando); Deyvis Lee Echevarria (29, Orlando); Angel Alexis Alicea, a/k/a “Maly,” (28, Tampa); Jose Leonardo Jimenez, a/k/a “Cuzzy,” (28, Tampa); Jose Angel Leonardo Jimenez, a/k/a “Chuki,” (26, Tampa); Jose Antonio Crespo-Negron, a/k/a “Chepo,” (30, Tampa); Rachel Augustine Thomas (55, St. Petersburg); Juan Carlos Lopez, a/k/a “Bori,” (33, Tampa); Freddie Resto (58, Tampa); and Robert Kelly (55, Tampa) were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. Additionally, Hector Luis Vazquez Alvalle, a/k/a “Hectitor,” (40, Orlando); Alberto Torres Ortiz, a/k/a “El Viejo,” (39, Homestead); and Christian Torres Vasquez (30, Guayama, Puerto Rico) were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison. The indictments also notify the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit an Acura ILX, Ford F-250, and $79,520 which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses.
According to the indictments, between December 2015 and March 2017, the defendants conspired to distribute heroin or cocaine.
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.
“FBI Tampa Division is proud of the multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional effort to disrupt an alleged drug distribution network in our community. We as law enforcement officers took an oath to serve and protect and this operation exemplifies that commitment,” said Special Agent in Charge of FBI Tampa Division Paul Wysopal.
“This is the result of a collaborative, long-term effort by local, state, and federal agencies,” said Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward. “We’re working together to get dangerous drugs and dangerous individuals off the streets, and making our communities safer.”
FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen said, "After FDLE agents worked with Tampa police officers to initiate this long term investigation, FDLE, along with our partners, seized numerous kilos of cocaine and heroin, firearms and currency from an international, criminal street gang and successfully shut down a major heroin and cocaine trafficking organization in our state. Detecting and dismantling this type of criminal organization is a priority of FDLE and we work diligently in collaboration with our local, state, and federal partners to remove these threats."
These cases were investigated by a multi-agency task force through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. Agencies involved in this OCDETF operation include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.
Pasco County, Florida, Man Pleads Guilty to 2012 Cross BurningRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced that Thomas Herris Sigler, III, 45, of Port Richey, Florida, pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division, to one count of conspiring with others to threaten, intimidate, and interfere with an interracial couple’s enjoyment of their housing rights, in violation of U.S. Code, Title 18 U.S.C. § 241.
“The defendant threatened and intimidated a couple in their home and neighborhood, denying them of the simple ability to feel safe where they lived, on account of race,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute those who engage in such violent acts.”
“No one should be threatened or intimidated in his home because of his race, color, or creed,” said U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III for the Middle District of Florida. “It is sad that crosses are being burned in front yards in the 21st century. Acts of hatred such as this simply cannot be tolerated under law.”
“Unfortunately, people hold bias and prejudice against others for no apparent reason,” said Special Agent in Charge Paul Wysopal of the FBI Tampa Division. “This case demonstrates people who act out such prejudices will be held accountable. Such behavior is unacceptable.”
According to court documents, in September and October 2012, Sigler was living on Seward Drive in Port Richey in a predominantly white community. After an interracial couple moved next door, Sigler harassed the African-American neighbor with racial slurs and derogatory statements, and on one occasion, physically assaulted him.
On Halloween night, Sigler attended a party at a neighbor’s house, where several Seward Drive residents decided to burn a cross in the front yard of the interracial couple in order to intimidate them and force them to move from the residence. Using wood and tools from the host of the Halloween party, Sigler and his co-conspirators constructed a wooden cross and poured gasoline on the cross. Sigler’s co-conspirators then carried the cross to the victims’ front yard, leaned it against their mailbox, and set the cross on fire.
One of Sigler’s co-conspirators, Pascual Carlos Pietri, pled guilty to the same charge as Sigler in 2015, and was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment on March 23, 2016. A third co-conspirator, William A. Dennis, 56, of Pasco County, Florida, is also charged for his role in the conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the FBI. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josephine W. Thomas and Simon A. Gaugush of the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney William E. Nolan of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
Pasco County Man Pleads Guilty to 2012 Cross BurningRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III today announced that Thomas Herris Sigler, III (45, Port Richey) pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring with others to threaten, intimidate, and interfere with an interracial couple’s enjoyment of their housing rights.
“No one should be threatened or intimidated in his home because of his race, color, or creed,” said U.S. Attorney Bentley. “It is sad that crosses are being burned in front yards in the 21st century. Acts of hatred such as this simply cannot be tolerated under law.”
“The defendant threatened and intimidated a couple in their home and neighborhood, denying them of the simple ability to feel safe where they lived, on account of race,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute those who engage in such violent acts.”
“Unfortunately, people hold bias and prejudice against others for no apparent reason,” said Special Agent in Charge Paul Wysopal of the FBI Tampa Division. “This case demonstrates people who act out such prejudices will be held accountable. Such behavior is unacceptable.”
According to court documents, in September and October 2012, Sigler was living on Seward Drive in Port Richey in a predominantly white community. After an interracial couple moved next door, Sigler harassed the African-American neighbor with racial slurs and derogatory statements, and on one occasion, physically assaulted him.
On Halloween night, Sigler attended a party at a neighbor’s house, where several Seward Drive residents decided to burn a cross in the front yard of the interracial couple in order to intimidate them and force them to move from the residence. Using wood and tools from the host of the Halloween party, Sigler and his co-conspirators constructed a wooden cross and poured gasoline on the cross. Sigler’s co-conspirators then carried the cross to the victims’ front yard, leaned it against their mailbox, and set the cross on fire.
One of Sigler’s co-conspirators, Pascual Carlos Pietri, pled guilty to the same charge as Sigler in 2015, and was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment on March 23, 2016. A third co-conspirator, William A. Dennis, 56, of Pasco County, Florida, is also charged for his role in the conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the FBI. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josephine W. Thomas and Simon A. Gaugush and Trial Attorney William E. Nolan of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
Maintenance Director for Aircraft Company Pleads Guilty to Obstructing FAA and NTSB InvestigationsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that David Esteves (52, Port Richey) today pleaded guilty to obstructing proceedings before a federal agency or department. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Esteves was the Director of Maintenance at Avantair, Inc., a now-defunct aircraft fractional ownership company based at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in Clearwater, Florida. On the morning of July 28, 2012, a Piaggio P.180 Avanti airplane owned and operated by Avantair was taking off from Camarillo, California, en route to San Diego when the plane’s left elevator fell off on the runway. The plane managed to land in San Diego and pick up passengers for a second flight to Henderson, Nevada, during which the captain reported to Avantair headquarters in Clearwater that he was experiencing difficulty controlling the plane. The report was captured on the plane’s Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR).
After landing in Henderson, the missing elevator was discovered, and the nuts and bolts attaching the plane’s right elevator were also found to be unsafely loose. Federal regulations and company policy required that the plane be quarantined pending an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (“NTSB”) and Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”), which soon arrived to investigate. Before federal investigators were able to inspect the plane, however, Esteves instructed a third-party contractor to remove the loose right elevator and send it back to company headquarters. Esteves also instructed the contractor to power up the plane, knowing that doing so would erase the CVR, including the recording of the flight to Henderson in which the pilot reported problems controlling the plane. These actions were undertaken to obstruct and impede the NTSB’s and FAA’s investigation of the accident and Avantair’s continuing operation of its aircraft in an unsafe condition.
This case was investigated by the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Gerard.
Clay County Man Sentenced to 30 Years’ for Producing and Transporting Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan today sentenced Leonard Leland Walters, Jr. (45, Green Cove Springs) to 30 years in prison for production of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography. Following imprisonment, Walters was ordered to a lifetime term of supervised release.
According to court documents, in March 2015, Walters began communicating with an undercover law enforcement officer online, during which he bragged about having sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old on a regular basis. Walters offered to assist the undercover officer with sexually abusing the undercover’s fictitious 14-year-old “niece.” On or about March 24, 2015, Walters transmitted a photograph depicting an image of a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. On April 27, 2015, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office executed a federal search warrant at Walters’s residence in Green Cove Springs, Florida. Several electronic devices were seized and approximately 619 still images and 11 videos depicting a minor victim engaging in sexually explicit conduct, in many instances with Walters, were recovered.
"This sentence serves as a reminder of the gravity of this crime," said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. "It’s also a testament to the dedicated HSI special agents who aggressively investigate these criminals, ensuring they receive the punishment they deserve.”
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Texas Woman Found Guilty of Murder-For-Hire Plot to Kill Trial WitnessesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found Priscilla Ann Ellis (52, Killeen, TX) guilty of murder-for-hire, retaliating against witnesses, and conspiring to create counterfeit securities. She faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
Ellis was first indicted on November 22, 2016, on charges of witness retaliation and murder-for-hire. A superseding indictment was filed on January 17, 2017, adding the counterfeit security conspiracy charge.
According to evidence presented at trial, on October 21, 2016, Ellis and two co-defendants were convicted at trial of conspiracies to commit international money laundering and mail and wire fraud. They were remanded to custody at the Pinellas County Jail. Over the next 48 hours, Ellis solicited other inmates to assist her in finding a hitman to murder several witnesses who had testified for the government during the trial. She then “hired” an undercover FBI agent posing as the hitman to murder one trial witness and to kill the mother of another in retaliation for the witnesses’ testimony. On October 28, 2016, a family member acting at Ellis’s direction provided a down payment on the murder contracts to the undercover agent posing as the hitman in Texas, with the remainder to be paid only after the intended victims were killed.
As the murder-for-hire plot unfolded, Ellis conspired with a Nigerian-based counterfeiter to create counterfeit cashiers’ check images, steal bank customer data to open new bank accounts, and email the counterfeit check images to conspirators in the United States to print and cash or deposit into the new accounts. From there, the illicit funds were to be wired into other accounts controlled by the conspirators or distributed as cash. The scheme was devised, in part, to pay for the two contract murders. The intended loss of the scheme was several million dollars.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the City of Austin (Texas) Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Eric K. Gerard and Patrick Scruggs, who also tried the case last October.
Tampa Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Stolen IdentitiesRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Jordan Tito (23, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft. He faces a mandatory penalty of two years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, in September 2016, a cooperating informant (CI) told investigators that Tito offered to sell him stolen identities for $10 each. The identities that Tito offered included names, dates of birth, and social security numbers, that the CI could use to make counterfeit credit cards and fake ID’s, and otherwise access the victims’ credit. In September 2016, Tito met with the CI and sold him approximately 86 stolen identities each printed on a separate sheet of paper. Each of the documents included the name, address, date of birth, and social security number of an identity theft victim. Of the 86 stolen identities, 29 were children.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mandy Riedel.
Former State Representative Indicted on Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging former Florida House of Representatives member Dwayne L. Taylor (49, Daytona Beach) with nine counts of wire fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count. The indictment also notifies Taylor that the United States is seeking a money judgment in the amount of $62,834, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.
According to the indictment, during Taylor’s 2012 and 2014 re-election campaigns, he falsely reported thousands of dollars of expenditures to the State of Florida in order to conceal a series of cash withdrawals, checks written to himself, and checks written to petty cash, in violation of Florida law. Taylor then used the misappropriated funds for personal expenditures unrelated to his re-election campaigns. As set forth in the indictment, in the State of Florida, neither a candidate nor the spouse of a candidate may use funds on deposit in a campaign account to defray normal living expenses for the candidate or the candidate’s family, other than expenses actually incurred for transportation, meals, and lodging during travel in the course of the campaign.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Embry J. Kidd and Roger B. Handberg.
Colombian Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Smuggling Cocaine Onboard Go Fast VesselsRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. has sentenced Francisco Heleno Jaramillo (40, Colombia, South America) to 15 years in federal prison for conspiring with others to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine on vessels subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. He pleaded guilty on December 19, 2016.
According to court documents, Heleno Jaramillo was responsible for several marine smuggling ventures in international waters involving more than 1,000 kilograms of cocaine. In July 2013 and January 2014, the United States Coast Guard interdicted over 1,000 kilogram loads of cocaine that were being smuggled aboard vessels (commonly referred to as “go-fast boats”) traveling from Venezuela to the Dominican Republic.
This case was investigated by the Panama Express Strike Force, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) comprised of agents and analysts from the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Castaneda.
Florida Medical Clinic Manager and Son Arrested for “Pill Mill” Conspiracy to Distribute Oxycodone and Other Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the arrests and return of an indictment charging Yolanda Camara (47) and Justin Oliveria (26), both of Brandon, Florida, with one count of conspiracy and five counts of distributing controlled substances outside the usual course of professional medical practice and without a legitimate medical purpose from the Family Medical Express Center, Inc., a medical clinic located at 107 W. Robertson Street in Brandon, Florida. Camara is a part-owner and manager of the clinic. Oliveria, Camara’s son, is an employee of the clinic.
If convicted, each faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the conspiracy count and up to 20 years on each of the drug distribution counts. Camara is also charged with one count of lying to federal investigators during the investigation, that charge carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment. The indictment also notifies the individuals that the United States intends to forfeit a Brandon residence and seek a forfeiture money judgment of at least $709,651.75, which are alleged to be traceable proceeds of the offenses.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel George.
Tampa Man Pleads Guilty to Paying Health Care KickbacksRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Anthonio Miller (26, Tampa) today pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay kickbacks in connection with a federal health care benefit program. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
According to the plea agreement, Miller was an active duty petty officer with the U.S. Navy stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Beginning in October 2014, he became a sales representative for Centurion Compounding Inc., Centurion, a marketing firm located in Wesley Chapel, utilized sales representatives as independent contractors to market compounded medications, specifically creams for pain and scars, to health care benefit program beneficiaries. Centurion focused its promotional efforts on TRICARE beneficiaries based upon an understanding and belief that TRICARE would pay claims for these compounded creams.
Miller was initially recruited into the Centurion scheme by other active-duty military members, including his co-defendant Cordera Hill, to be a patient and to obtain compounded creams marketed by Centurion. On October 22, 2014, Miller received a prescription from a doctor for pain cream and scar cream. He went on to obtain additional prescriptions in his own name, for which TRICARE paid approximately $60,673.06.
Miller agreed and conspired with other members of his Centurion sales marketing group, self-labeled “team cream,” to give and offer to give TRICARE beneficiaries incentives, such as cash, meals, entertainment, and travel expenses, to visit a doctor and obtain prescriptions for Centurion-marketed compounded creams for which Miller and other “team cream” members would receive commissions. Between October 2014 and February 2015, Miller caused approximately $655,611 in claims to be submitted to TRICARE, resulting in the payments of $558,090.04 for prescriptions, from which Centurion and Miller received commissions. Miller received commissions from Centurion totaling approximately $19,977.53 and, at the time Centurion was shut down in February 2015, Miller was owed an additional $34,999.25 in commissions from Centurion.
This case was investigated by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mandy Riedel and Megan Kistler.
Tampa Brothers Sentenced for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced two Tampa brothers for conspiracy to commit tax fraud and aggravated identity theft. Keith Godbolt was sentenced to three years and six months in federal prison and Paul Johnson was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment. As part of their sentences, the Court also entered joint and several money judgements in the amount of $221,000, representing the proceeds of the tax fraud conspiracy. Godbolt and Johnson pleaded guilty in December 2016.
According to court documents, from August 2011 through April 2013, Godbolt, Johnson, and their co-defendant and mother, Elise Ellis, conspired to commit wire fraud, theft of government property, and identity theft by electronically filing fraudulent tax returns in other people’s names, using their social security numbers. The fraudulent tax refunds were directed to bank accounts in defendants’ names, or in some cases, to debit cards they controlled. Godbolt, Johnson, and Ellis then withdrew the fraudulent refunds by writing checks or otherwise transferring funds to each other through bank transfers or cash withdrawals.
Most of the fraudulently filed tax returns claimed unusually high taxable interest or dividend income, many using the exact same figure, with a large withholding amount, and a false occupation listed for the taxpayer. Many of the victims were deceased when their false tax return was filed.
Ellis pleaded guilty on January 3, 2017, she is scheduled to be sentenced on March 20, 2017.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley C. Howard-Allen.
Texas Man Sentenced for His Role in A Bank Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington has sentenced David Chambers Opembe (25, Texas) to three years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The Court also ordered him to forfeit $252,107.07, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense.
Chambers pleaded guilty on November 14, 2016.
According to court documents, in December 2014, Opembe’s sister, Ebony Chambers Stillwell, began working as the onsite manager for St. Giles Manor, an apartment complex located in Pinellas Park. St. Giles Manor, which was managed by SPM Property Management, was being refurbished. As part of her duties, Stillwell received and processed invoices from vendors and contractors for payment.
During the refurbishment, SPM and St. Giles Manor contracted with Erickson’s Drying Systems, a cleaning and restoration company based in Ft. Myers. Pursuant to this work, Erickson’s submitted invoices for payment to St. Giles Manor and Stillwell that were paid by checks from an SPM LLC bank account.
On January 22, 2015, Opembe registered a shell company called Erickson’s Drying Systems with the Harris County Clerk in Texas. On the same date, he opened a bank account at Regions Bank in the name of Erickson’s Drying Systems, listing himself as the sole signatory on the account and his home address in Texas. No one at the actual Erickson’s in Ft. Myers was aware of or approved the establishment of the Texas corporation or business bank account.
Between January 22, 2015, and October 23, 2015, Stillwell caused to be issued approximately 21 checks from the SPM disbursing account to the “fake” Erickson’s Drying Systems. She facilitated the automated issuance of these checks by submitting fabricated invoices that she altered using prior legitimate invoices from Erickson’s. Stillwell directed that all of these checks be delivered to her office, rather than mailed to Erickson’s in Ft. Myers. She then deposited those checks into the “fake” Erickson’s bank account opened by her brother at Regions Bank. Once the funds were deposited into the Erickson’s account at Regions Bank, Opembe withdrew cash and transferred funds to his personal checking account. The Erickson’s account at Regions was also used by Opembe and Stillwell to make their car payments and for other personal expenses. In total, approximately $262,067 in fraudulently obtained checks were deposited into the “fake” Erickson’s Regions Bank account by Opembe and Stillwell.
Ebony Chambers Stillwell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud On October 25, 2016. She is scheduled to be sentenced on March 20, 2017.
This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Pinellas Park Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mandy Riedel.
Sarasota Man Sentenced to More Than Five Years for Being A Felon in Possession of A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Anthony Leroy Haygood (28, Sarasota) to six years and five months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The Court also ordered him to forfeit a Smith & Wesson revolver and six rounds of ammunition.
Haygood pleaded guilty on November 10, 2016.
According to court documents, on May 3, 2016, law enforcement officers in Sarasota attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle that was traveling at a high rate of speed. Haygood was a passenger in that car. The vehicle crashed and the driver fled. Haygood then moved from the passenger seat into the driver’s seat and drove off. After a brief chase, the officers executed an immobilization maneuver and stopped the vehicle. Haygood then fled from the vehicle on foot and was later apprehended. Officers found a loaded Smith & Wesson .357 caliber revolver in the car that Haygood admitted belonged to him.
At the time of this offense, Haygood had several felony convictions, including aggravated fleeing and eluding, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and battery on a law enforcement officer. As a result, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Sarasota Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program – a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Daryl R. McCray, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law-enforcement officials.
Lehigh Acres Convicted Felon Sentenced for Gun and Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, FL – United States District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced James Thomas Bissell (32, Lehigh Acres) to 12 years and 7 months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine and heroin; possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, heroin, hydrocodone, marijuana, alprazolam, and morphine; and possession of firearms as a convicted felon.
Bissell was indicted on February 3, 2016.
According to the plea agreement, on October 23, 2015, Bissell sold cocaine and heroin to an undercover detective from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office from his home in Lehigh Acres. On December 3, 2015, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the home and recovered six types of controlled substances that Bissell was holding for distribution, along with 28 firearms and cash. As a convicted felon, Bissell was prohibited from possessing firearms, two of which had been previously reported stolen.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jesus M. Casas and David G. Lazarus.
This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Daryl R. McCrary, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Dual Citizen Convicted by Federal Jury of International Parental KidnappingRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found Salih Zeki Uces (39) guilty of international parental kidnapping. Uces, a dual Turkish/United States citizen, faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 5, 2017.
Uces was indicted on December 1, 2016, after being arrested at the Miami International Airport on November 10, 2016.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Uces asked his estranged wife for an overnight visit with their two-year-old child at a Jacksonville hotel on September 16, 2016, and promised to return the child on the following day or the day after. Instead, he took the child to the Jacksonville International Airport and boarded a series of three flights bound for Adana, Turkey.
Two days before taking the child, Uces had gone to his estranged wife’s apartment, rifled through her personal items, and stolen her passport. While in her apartment, he also viewed a draft divorce petition in his wife’s email.
Three days before leaving, Uces signed a power of attorney over to his brother, allowing his brother to sell his car while he was in Turkey. On the day of the kidnapping, Uces closed out his safety deposit box at a local bank branch.
Uces refused his estranged wife’s requests to return the child until after he learned that a state court had issued an authorization for his arrest. Ultimately, on November 10, 2016, he returned to the United States with the child and was arrested by FBI agents. The child was immediately returned to her mother.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Laura Cofer Taylor and Kelly Karase.
People, Technology and Processes, LLC and Its Principals Pay $320,000 to Resolve False Claims AllegationsRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that People, Technology and Processes, LLC (“PTP”), Victor Buonamia, and Nicole Buonamia have paid the government $320,000 to resolve allegations that they submitted improper invoices for work allegedly performed for the United States in support of the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.
PTP is an information technology and professional services company located in Lakeland, Florida. Victor Buonamia is the President and CEO of PTP, and Nicole Buonamia is the CFO. During 2011 and 2012, PTP was a subcontractor to the prime contractor on a government contract awarded by the United States Army Communications-Electronics Command through the Strategic Sources Services (“S3”) Program.
As a subcontractor, PTP submitted invoices for its services to the prime contractor, who then paid those invoices and, in turn, billed those costs to the United States, which paid them. PTP and its principals were aware that PTP was a subcontractor on a United States government contract and that PTP’s bills would ultimately be presented to and paid by the United States.
Between November 2011 and June 2012, PTP submitted invoices that were signed by Victor Buonamia and/or Nicole Buonamia for work allegedly done by PTP employees in Afghanistan under the S3 Contract; however, some of that work was not actually performed. Specifically, during that period, PTP submitted invoices for one employee while he was in another country on R&R for a month, billed for another employee for several weeks after PTP terminated him and flew him back to U.S., and billed one or more weeks for two other employees before they actually started working for PTP. In all, PTP improperly billed $127,990.90 for work never performed by those employees.
“While healthcare fraud recoveries are an important focus of this office, we pay equal attention to investigating fraud in government procurement, including defense spending,” stated U.S. Attorney Bentley. “No matter their size, government contractors and subcontractors who improperly seek or obtain payment from the United States will be investigated, prosecuted, and made to repay their ill-gotten gains.”
“This settlement demonstrates the continued commitment of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and our partners to enforce laws intended to protect the integrity of U.S. Department of Defense programs,” said Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin, Southeast Field Office. “All contractors and subcontractors, who are ultimately paid with American taxpayer dollars, will be held accountable for submitting fraudulent claims to the Government.”
This settlement resolves allegations in a lawsuit filed by relator Aidan Tamer Toprakci in February 2013. That suit was filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which authorizes private parties to sue for false claims on behalf of the United States and to share in any recovery. Toprakci was employed by PTP in 2012 and disclosed certain of the conduct internally to PTP. The relator has received $64,000.00 from the proceeds of the settlement.
This case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Harden. The case was investigated by the Tampa Resident Agency of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Commands Major Procurement Fraud Unit, and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.
The lawsuit was filed in the Middle District of Florida, and is captioned United States ex rel. Toprakci v. People Technology and Processes, LLC, Victor Buonamia, and Nicole Buonamia, Case No. 8:13-cv-432-T-33-MAP (M.D. Fla.).
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.
Jury Convicts Orlando Resident for Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida– United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury has found Shaka Smith (27, Orlando) guilty of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 24, 2017, and he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Smith was indicted on September 28, 2016.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on June 28, 2016, Smith ran from Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies, through a residential neighborhood, with a backpack containing a .380 caliber semiautomatic firearm. The gun had an obliterated serial number and held an extended magazine containing 15 rounds of ammunition. Deputies also recovered two small bags of drugs from the backpack. Prior to his arrest in 2016, Smith had been convicted (2010) in the Orange County, Florida Circuit Court for carrying a concealed firearm. As a previously convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Vincent S. Chiu and Sean P. Shecter.
This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Daryl R. McCrary, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Sarasota Real Estate Professional Sentenced to Prison for Mortgage FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore yesterday sentenced Freddy Orjuela, Sr. (49, Sarasota) to two years in federal prison and to pay $960,020 in restitution for making false statements in a mortgage loan application to a federally insured financial institution. As part of the sentence, the Court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $1,475,950, the proceeds of the fraud.
A jury found Orjuela guilty on December 14, 2016, following a three- day trial.
According to court documents, Orjuela submitted a mortgage loan application to Century Bank on which he knowingly and willfully overstated his income, understated his liabilities, and falsely denied he had declared bankruptcy within the past seven years.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Callan Albritton and Bob Mosakowski.
Naples Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Connection with A “PIP” Scheme to Defraud Automobile Insurance CompaniesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, FL – U.S. District Judge Sheri Poster Chappell has sentenced Nesly Loute (52, Naples) to 14 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit mail fraud. In addition, the Court ordered him to pay restitution in the amount of $2,146,147.23 to the victim automobile insurance companies.
Loute was found guilty by a federal jury on September 29, 2016.
According to the evidence introduced during the six-day trial, Loute conspired with others to operate unlicensed chiropractic clinics and bill automobile insurance companies for Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits. Members of the conspiracy also paid patients to induce them to seek treatment at the unlicensed clinics so that the automobile insurance companies could be billed for their PIP benefits. In addition, members of the conspiracy participated in staged motor vehicle accidents and then submitted claims to automobile insurance companies for PIP benefits based on those fake motor vehicle accidents.
Five others previously pleaded guilty to charges relating to this conspiracy. Four of those individuals have already been sentenced. Garry Joseph (37, Naples) pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment. Anouce Toussaint (33, Naples) pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and conspiracy to launder money and received 18 months’ imprisonment. Maria Victoria Lopez (44, Moore Haven) pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and was sentenced to 3 years’ probation. David Adamson (47, Bonita Springs), a licensed chiropractor, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to serve a 5-year term of probation and 180 days of home confinement. Wisler Cyrius (35, Naples) pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and conspiracy to launder money. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, 2017.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Fort Myers Office, the State of Florida’s Department of Financial Services Division of Insurance Frauds - Fort Myers Office, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation in Fort Myers, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Fort Myers. Assistance was also provided by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Health, Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration, and the State Attorneys’ Offices for the 13th and 19th Judicial Circuits. The following insurance companies also assisted in the case: Travelers, Nationwide, Bristol West, Esurance, Windhaven, Farmers, Direct General, Allstate, State Farm, Progressive, Geico, Infinity, and Foremost. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Charles D. Schmitz and David G. Lazarus.
Jury Convicts Mims Man of Drug Trafficking and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury has found Benjamin Jenkins (36, Mims) guilty of distributing and possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute it, possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug-trafficking crime, and using a telephone in committing the drug offense. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 15, 2017. Jenkins was indicted on November 22, 2016.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on October 11, 2015, Jenkins, who was a Titusville High School football coach and Brevard County teacher’s aide at the time, sold 28 grams of cocaine to a confidential informant for $1,300 in the parking lot of a Titusville Wal-Mart. While Jenkins sat in his car and counted the money for the cocaine, he had a Springfield Arms .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol in his lap. The transaction was arranged over Jenkins’s cellphone.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Titusville Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs Jr.