Middle District of Florida
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced for Possessing Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge Wm. Terrell Hodges has sentenced Larry Garfield Letterman (63, Wildwood) to 48 months in federal prison for possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon.
According to the plea agreement, Letterman met with a confidential informant in October and November 2015, during which he sold the informant three firearms and ammunition, including an AR-15 rifle. On December 15, 2015, federal agents executed a search warrant at Letterman’s residence. They recovered an AK-47 rifle, a shotgun, a handgun, and more than 260 rounds of ammunition.
Letterman admitted to possessing the firearms and ammunition and also stated that he had multiple prior felony convictions, including possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, burglary, and sodomy of a male less than fourteen years of age. As a previously convicted felon, Letterman is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
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 Regina Lombardo, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, are coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline Strategy on reducing violent crime in communities.
Citrus County Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge Wm. Terrell Hodges has sentenced Alan Kenneth Thompson, Jr. (33, Crystal River) to 11 years and 4 months in federal prison for distributing child pornography.
According to court documents, agents from U.S. Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations determined that Thompson had been using a mobile app to post and receive images depicting child pornography online. The agents tracked the activity to Thompson’s residence. On September 10, 2015, a search warrant was executed at the residence and a cellphone and two laptop computers were seized. More than 4,500 images and 84 video files depicting child pornography were identified during forensic analyses of Thompson’s devices.
During an interview with law enforcement, Thompson admitted that he had been receiving and distributing child pornography, including some in which the victims were only four or five years old. Thompson further stated that he recently had begun to take non-pornographic photographs of neighborhood children without their knowledge, including more than 3,000 images of a minor girl.
“This criminal had thousands of horrible images, each of which represented an atrocious crime on a child,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “This sentencing should stand as a warning to child predators that you will be held accountable for your crimes.”
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
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.
Pill Mill Doctor and Wife Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced Dr. Edward Neil Feldman (76, Tampa) to 25 years in federal prison for conspiracy to prescribe controlled substances not for a legitimate medical purpose and not in the usual course of professional practice, for prescribing controlled substances that resulted in the deaths of three patients, and for money laundering. Yesterday, Kim Xuan Feldman (66, Tampa), Feldman’s wife, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for her part in the conspiracy to launder proceeds of the couple’s criminal medical clinic, Feldman Orthopedic and Wellness Center (FOWC), and for her role in the conspiracy to distribute prescription medications for no legitimate purpose and outside the usual course of professional practice. The couple dispensed primarily oxycodone and methadone, as well as alprazolam and diazepam. The Court also ordered the Feldmans to forfeit their home, a Mercedes Benz, an Infinity EX35, and $489,000 in cash, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense. They were also ordered to forfeit the building that housed FOWC, as a property that facilitated their crimes. In addition, the Court entered a money judgment in the amount of $6,787,103.99, the proceeds of the criminal conduct. In partial satisfaction of the money judgment, the defendants forfeited jewelry, gold coins, and precious metals valued at $116,131, and a 2011 Porsche.
A federal jury found the Feldmans guilty on February 24, 2016.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, from October 2009 through December 2014, the Feldmans operated FOWC in Pinellas Park. The clinic saw between 80-100 patients a day, with new patients paying $300 in cash for visits, and follow-up patients paying $150-$225 for visits. Insurance was not accepted at FOWC. The Feldmans gave the patients prescriptions for controlled substances, usually in significant quantities, not for any legitimate medical purpose.
During the trial, Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiners opined that three individuals had died as a result of multi-drug toxicity related to the large amounts of methadone, oxycodone, alprazolam, and diazepam found in their systems. Two of those patients had visited Dr. Feldman only once before their respective deaths.
Evidence also showed that the couple deposited more than $5 million in cash in dozens of bank accounts during the period of the charged crimes. They used proceeds from FOWC to purchase their home and property for their business, and to fund investment accounts.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. 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. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Shauna S. Hale and Kaitlin R. O’Donnell.
Four Individuals Sentenced to Prison for International Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme Involving Sale of GoldRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Michael Skillern (49, Houston, Texas) to 10 years’ imprisonment, Jon Craig Nelson (69, Houston, Texas) to 8 years’ imprisonment, Naadir Cassim (40, Barcelona, Spain and Orlando, Florida) to 5 years’ imprisonment, and Adriana Maria Camargo, a/k/a Adriana Palomino (37, Barcelona, Spain) to 2 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and mail fraud. Some were also sentenced for wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions. The Court also ordered Cassim and Camargo to pay a money judgment of approximately $3.3 million. Nelson and Skillern were ordered to pay a money judgment of approximately $7.3 million, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.
These individuals were convicted on February 3, 2016.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, from August 2011 through February 2014, Cassim, Nelson, Skillern, and Camargo, along with others, engaged in a fraud scheme where they directed and caused the sale of purported but nonexistent gold ore or gold doré from mines owned or controlled by them, through a company called OWN GOLD, LLC. The conspirators then caused victims to wire funds to bank accounts controlled by them. The conspirators used the victims' funds to perpetuate the scheme and for their own personal enrichment. Trial evidence established that approximately 440 victims wired over $7.3 million to the conspirators during the course of the fraud scheme.
“The dismantling of this transnational criminal organization is the result of international law enforcement agencies working together,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “HSI will continue to leverage our unique international authority to protect victims and bring criminals to justice.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Secret Service, with assistance from the City of London Police, Spanish National Police, and U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara C. Sweeney and Rachelle DesVaux Bedke.
Tampa Brothers Convicted in Child Sex Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found Maurice Williams (25, Temple Terrace) guilty of child sex trafficking and possession of child pornography. He faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 24, 2016. His brother, Antawan Hudson (30, Tampa), pleaded guilty to all charges on the first day of trial and also faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 16, 2016. Williams and Hudson were indicted on November 4, 2015.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Williams conspired with Hudson to traffic underage females by fraud, force, and coercion in the commercial sex trade. Williams and Hudson worked together to post online prostitution ads for the victims and then transported the girls throughout central Florida to have sex with customers. After the victims had sex with the customers, Williams and Hudson took some or all of the money and, in exchange, offered the victims drugs, alcohol, and beauty appointments.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Stacie Harris and Daniel George.
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.
Probationer Gets Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew today sentenced Theoridotes Collins (39, Sarasota) to 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm while on state probation. The Court also ordered him to forfeit a firearm and ammunition seized from his residence. Collins was found guilty in a stipulated bench trial on February 16, 2016.
According to court documents, on April 21, 2015, Collins was convicted of fraudulent use of a credit card and fraudulent use of personal identification arising out of a robbery in front of a Dollar Tree in Bradenton. He later used his victim’s credit/debit card. The Circuit Court sentenced Collins to a one-year term of probation for the credit card fraud charge. At the time of his conviction, Collins had 19 prior convictions, including a home invasion robbery.
After Collins was placed on probation, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office shared information with the Sarasota Police Department and ATF regarding Collins’s association with individuals suspected of being involved in recent shootings. On June 11, 2015, less than two months after Collins had been placed on state probation, the Florida Department of Corrections, Probation and Parole Field Service Office conducted a probation search of Collins’s residence in Sarasota. After two occupants falsely stated Collins was not at home, law enforcement officers saw him running out his back door into a neighbor’s yard. Collins was taken into custody and returned to the residence. During a search of his bedroom, the probation officers found a 9mm rifle and .40 caliber ammunition hidden between his mattress and a mattress pad. They also located crack cocaine, powder cocaine, baggies, a digital scale, and cash in the bedroom.
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, and Regina Lombardo, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, are coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials including Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino and Manatee County Sheriff W. Brad Steube. It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline strategy to reduce gun violence in our communities.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Sarasota Police Department, and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Jones and Simon Gaugush.
Two Arrested for Possession of Firearms Stolen from Federally Licensed Firearms DealerRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the filing of a criminal complaint and arrests of Kimberly Carnell White, Jr. (27, Orlando) and James Romando Harris, II (28, Orlando) for possession of firearms by convicted felons. If convicted, each faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
According to the complaint, a federally licensed firearms dealer in Marion County was burglarized during the morning of May 5, 2016. Later that day, ATF received information that White had several firearms to sell that came from a location he claimed to have “hit.” That same day, undercover agents from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office purchased five firearms from White and Harris. The serial numbers of those firearms matched those of the firearms that had been stolen from the federally licensed firearms dealer. Both White and Harris have prior felony convictions and therefore are prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
On May 13, 2016, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Orlando Police Department, and ATF executed federal search warrants at the Orlando residences where the undercover transactions had been conducted and where other firearms had been seen. During the execution of those warrants, law enforcement recovered seven firearms from one residence and four firearms from the other residence. Of those 11 firearms, 4 of them had serial numbers that matched those of the firearms reported stolen from the federally licensed firearms dealer. In total, investigators have seized 16 firearms, including 9 that were reported stolen from the firearms dealer.
These arrests were the result of a multi-agency investigation focused on the recovery of the firearms. This investigation is ongoing.
“These arrests demonstrate the resolve our local, state and federal partners have to keep guns off the streets, and put the felons that traffic in illegal firearms behind bars,” said Orange County Sheriff Jerry L. Demings. “Together we will continue to seek out any other subjects who assisted in this crime and who would endanger our children and communities.”
“By working together with our law enforcement partners at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Attorney's Office and ATF, we were able to get 16 illegal guns off the street,” said Orlando Police Chief John Mina. “Any time we can get crime guns out of the hands of criminals it's a victory for all of us.”
“I applaud the ATF special agents and the investigators with the Orange County Sheriff's Office and the Orlando Police Department for their excellent work in quickly arresting these individuals selling stolen guns,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Regina Lombardo. “This investigation will make our communities safer but we still have more work to do in recovering all of the guns stolen from a licensed federal firearms dealer.”
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation 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 is being investigated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Orlando Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Belleview Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean P. Shecter.
Unlawful Alien Convicted for Possession of Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida– United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury has convicted Hamid Mohamed Ahmed Ali Rehaif (25, Melbourne, and a citizen of the United Arab Emirates) on possession of firearms by an unlawful or illegal alien and possession of ammunition by an unlawful or illegal alien. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each count. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 26, 2016.
According to evidence presented at trial, Rehaif was admitted into the United States in 2013 under a student visa to attend the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). After completing three semesters at FIT, he was academically dismissed in December 2014. As a result, Rehaif became an unlawful alien when he failed to immediately depart the United States. While an illegal alien, he possessed firearms at a local shooting range and possessed ammunition. In addition, Rehaif provided ammunition to two hotel employees as “gifts.”
Law enforcement agents originally made contact with Rehaif in December 2015 at a hotel in Melbourne, where he had been living for two months. According to court documents, Rehaif stayed at the hotel for 53 straight days and paid over $11,000 in cash for room fees. Law enforcement found rounds of handgun and rifle ammunition in Rehaif’s hotel room and in a storage unit that he rented, but did not locate any firearms. However, Rehaif admitted to law enforcement that he had previously purchased three separate firearms and had either sold or given them away.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Melbourne Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn P. Napier and Special Assistant United States Attorney Christina R. Downes.
New Port Richey Man Indicted for Impersonating A U.S. SenatorRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Sidney C. Hines (67, New Port Richey) with five counts of false impersonation of a federal officer or employee of the United States. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison for each count.
According to the indictment, Hines received a mortgage loan secured by his home in New Port Richey and subsequently fell behind on his mortgage payments. In an effort to help delinquent borrowers such as Hines, the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) created the HomeSaver Advance (“HSA”) loan program. HSA allowed delinquent borrowers who were able to make future scheduled mortgage payments, but were unable to pay past due amounts immediately, to cure the delinquency by entering into an unsecured loan for the amount in the arrears. On October 15, 2008, Hines obtained a HSA loan for $5,863.73.
Hines failed to make the required payments on his HSA loan and the loan was turned over to ClearSpring Loan Services, a debt collection agency. Beginning in March 2013 and continuing through the end of 2014, Hines impersonated a sitting United States Senator on multiple occasions in telephone calls that he made to ClearSpring. During those calls, acting as the Senator, he stated that Hines’s HSA loan was paid in full and that the loan should be removed from his credit report.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the United States Capitol Police and the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General. It will be prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.
Naples Man Pleads Guilty in Connection with “Operation Fraudulent Pain”Read the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Wisler Cyrius (35, Naples) today pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count. In addition, he has agreed to pay restitution to the victim automobile insurance companies and forfeit the proceeds of the offenses.
Cyrius is the fourth individual to plead guilty following the culmination of a two-year joint federal and state law enforcement investigation, dubbed “Operation Fraudulent Pain.” The investigation disrupted five unlicensed chiropractic clinics that had received more than $2 million in ill-gotten Personal Injury Protection (PIP) payments from automobile insurance companies. Anouce Toussaint (33, Naples) previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and conspiracy to launder money. Garry Joseph (37, Naples) and Maria Victoria Lopez (44, Moore Haven) previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
According to the plea agreements, Tamiami Pain and Rehab LLC, First Choice Pain and Rehab Inc., Parkway Medical and Rehab LLC, T&C Consultants d/b/a Collier Chiropractic Center, and Immokalee Pain & Rehab LLC were unlicensed chiropractic clinics operating in Naples and Immokalee. At each clinic, conspirators paid licensed health care practitioners who, in exchange for payments, allowed their names to be listed on official documents as though they were the true owners of the clinics. The conspirators controlled the finances and oversaw and managed the clinics' day-to-day business, including the insurance billing practices.
According to his plea agreement, Joseph conspired to defraud automobile insurance companies of approximately $2 million from October 2012 to February 2015. He and a co-conspirator were the true owners of Parkway Medical and Rehab and Collier Chiropractic Center. They caused automobile insurance companies to be billed for claims that violated Florida law because the clinics were not properly licensed. They also submitted claims for unnecessary treatments and/or services that had not actually been rendered.
From June 2013 to February 2015, Cyrius and Toussaint conspired with others to solicit individuals to participate in staged motor vehicle accidents in exchange for compensation. The conspirators also sent automobile insurance companies claims for unnecessary services rendered to purported accident victims who had been paid to participate in the staged accidents. The conspirators also submitted claims to automobile insurance companies that were unlawful under Florida law because the clinics submitting the claims were not properly licensed. Cyrius and Toussaint used a shell corporation to conduct financial transactions designed to conceal the proceeds and to avoid reporting requirements.
According to her plea agreement, between October and December 2014, Lopez conspired with others to defraud automobile insurance companies. She had worked in billing and customer service at more than one clinic operated by her co-conspirators. Lopez was coached to mislead others about the true ownership of clinics and knew that non-health practitioners were directing medical treatments in order to maximize claims for payment. In addition, knowing that a patient had participated in a staged accident, Lopez coached that patient to receive medically unnecessary treatment. She directed another patient not to tell his insurance company that he was being compensated for receiving unnecessary treatment.
Joseph is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27, 2016. Toussaint and Lopez are scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, 2016. Each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The United States will also seek a forfeiture money judgment from each defendant equal to the amount of proceeds obtained as a result of each offense.
A fifth individual, Nesly Loute, was also charged in Operation Fraudulent Pain. He is scheduled for trial in July 2016.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State of Florida’s Department of Financial Services Division of Insurance Fraud, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Assistance was also provided by the Florida Highway Patrol, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the Florida Department of Health, and the State Attorneys’ Offices for the 13th and 19th Judicial Circuits. The following insurance companies also assisted with the case: Travelers, Nationwide, Bristol West, Esurance, Windhaven, Farmers, Direct General, Allstate, State Farm, Progressive, Geico, Infinity, and Foremost. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David G. Lazarus.
Jacksonville Men Sentenced for Aggravated Identity Theft, Attempted Bank Fraud and Possession of Counterfeit SecuritiesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Jacksonville residents David Lee Mitchell (60) and Hezekiah Williams (59) to 10 years in federal prison, respectively, for their role in an identity theft and counterfeit check scheme. Varying upward at the time of sentencing, both men were ordered to serve eight years in federal prison for attempted bank fraud and possession of counterfeit business checks, followed by a consecutive mandatory minimum term of two years’ imprisonment for aggravated identity theft.
A third co-defendant, Travis Ware (24, Jacksonville), was sentenced on March 9, 2016, to a mandatary minimum term of two years in federal prison for aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, on November 23, 2014, Florida Highway Patrol troopers pulled over a vehicle occupied by Williams, Mitchell, and Ware. During the traffic stop, the troopers observed marijuana inside the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed 25 counterfeit business checks made out to various individuals and 15 forms of identification from 7 different people. Many of the names on the identification documents matched those printed on the counterfeit checks. Further investigation determined that Mitchell, Williams, and Ware had been driving around three days earlier, attempting to fraudulently cash the counterfeit checks and recruiting others to use the various forms of identification to cash the counterfeit checks.
This case was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol and the United States Secret Service, Jacksonville Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
Cocoa Man Charged with Sex Trafficking and Child EnticementRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment charging Kennedy “KJ” Harris, Jr. (22, Cocoa) with sex trafficking of a minor and child enticement. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.
According to court documents, in January 2016, Harris took in a 16-year old girl, after she ran away from home. He promised to keep her safe, and to clothe and feed her. Instead, Harris took sexually suggestive photographs of the girl and posted ads online advertising her for sex. He also enticed the teen to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of photographing her. Over the course of approximately two weeks, the victim had sex with four to five men per day, and gave the money she received to Harris. On February 10, 2016, the victim was recovered by the Cocoa Police Department.
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 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.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cocoa Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany L. Cummins.
Two Indicted for Making False Claims to the BP Oil Spill Settlement FundRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III the return of indictments charging Marque Amason (49) and William Soong (27, both of Fort Myers Beach, with fraud-related offenses in connection with their submission of false claims to British Petroleum (“BP”) Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement fund. Amason is charged with one count of wire fraud, and Soong is charged with one count of mail fraud. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, Soong submitted a claim to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement fund seeking payment for damages he allegedly had sustained as a boat captain. However, Soong was not, and had not been, a boat captain and was not entitled to the payment that he sought and received.
According to a second indictment, Amason submitted a claim to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement fund seeking payment for damages he allegedly had received as a boat captain. To support his claim for damages, he falsely and fraudulently claimed that he had been a shrimp boat captain during a particular time period. However, Amason was actually incarcerated during a portion of that same time period.
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 and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David G. Lazarus and Sara Sweeney.
Final Two Individuals Sentenced in String of Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew today sentenced Samuel Lee Lynch (29, Temple Terrace) to life imprisonment and Reo Thomas Nance (31, Temple Terrace) to 52 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy, armed robbery, and firearms offenses in connection with five Tampa Bay area armed robberies occurring in March and April of 2015. As part of their sentences, the Court also entered money judgments in the amount of $93,519, the proceeds of the armed robberies. Lynch and Nance were found guilty on January 29, 2016.
According to evidence presented at trial, Lynch, Nance, and co-defendants Christopher Marquis Fruster (21, Tampa) and Brittany Jenae Hall (27, Tampa) targeted check cashing businesses that kept large amounts of cash on hand, ultimately stealing more than $93,000. During each robbery, Lynch and Nance brandished firearms. During the March 26, 2015 robbery of the Nebraska Food Market, Lynch shot an accomplice and bystander.
Both Fruster and Hall previously pleaded guilty in relation to this case. On March 22, 2016, Fruster was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison, and on April 12, 2016, Hall was sentenced to three years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Tampa Police Department, and the Temple Terrace Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.
Former Police Department Employee Sentenced for Computer Intrusion in Connection with Stolen Identity Refund FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington has sentenced Tonia Bright (53, Tampa) to two years in federal prison for obtaining information from a protected computer for a fraudulent purpose. The Court also ordered her to forfeit $29,057 and to pay restitution totaling $166,026, which are the proceeds traceable to the offenses.
According to court documents, Bright was a civilian employee of the Tampa Police Department and worked as a community service officer. As part of her authorized duties, Bright took reports from citizens related to incidents not requiring the response of a sworn police officer. In this capacity, she had access to local, state, and federal law enforcement databases, including the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computerized index that contains the personally identifiable information (PII) of millions of individuals. Bright’s use of these databases was restricted to the performance of her authorized duties.
Between 2009 and 2014, Bright accessed NCIC and other password-protected law enforcement databases to obtain PII, and then provided it to her friend, Rita Monique Girven, on at least ten occasions. for the purpose of Girven then used the information to file filing fraudulent federal income tax returns and claim refunds to which she was not entitled. When Girven received the fraudulently obtained refunds, she shared some of the proceeds with Bright.
Girven previously pleaded guilty in a separate case. On November 20, 2015, she was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mandy Riedel and Megan Kistler.
Florida Man Sentenced for Threatening to Firebomb Two Mosques and Shoot CongregantsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that Martin Alan Schnitzler, 43, was sentenced to one year and a day in prison for calling two mosques in Pinellas County, Florida, and threatening to firebomb them and shoot their worshippers.
Schnitzler pleaded guilty on Feb. 12, 2016, to obstructing persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs for issuing the threats. He was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge James D. Whittemore of the Middle District of Florida.
As part of his plea, Schnitzler admitted that on Nov. 13, 2015, he intentionally obstructed members of the Islamic Society of St. Petersburg, Florida, and the Islamic Society of Pinellas County from practicing their religion when he left voicemail messages threatening the safety of the mosques’ congregants. Schnitzler claimed that his threats were prompted by the terrorist attacks in Paris. Among other things, Schnitzler also admitted that in one of the voicemails he threatened to “personally have a militia” report to one of the mosques and “firebomb you, shoot whoever is there on sight in the head. I don’t care if they’re [expletive] two years old or a hundred.”
In response to the threats, both mosques requested increased law-enforcement presence at their locations and took extra safety precautions for congregants.
“Criminal threats of violence that target people and communities because of their religious beliefs threaten the core values that define a fair and just society – equal protection and mutual respect for all,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When individuals commit religion-based hate crimes, we will hold them accountable for their actions and ensure they face justice.”
“This prosecution sends a clear message to anyone who contemplates the use of threats or intimidation to interfere with the right of individuals to worship as they choose, without fear,” said U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III of the Middle District of Florida. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to taking whatever action is necessary to protect this important First Amendment right.”
The FBI investigated the case with the assistance of the St. Petersburg Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel George and Daniel Irick of the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Gabriel Davis of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
Florida Man Sentenced for Threatening to Firebomb Two Mosques and Shoot CongregantsRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – The Justice Department announced today that Martin Alan Schnitzler, 43, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for calling two mosques in Pinellas County, Florida, and threatening to firebomb them and shoot their worshippers.
Schnitzler pleaded guilty on Feb. 12, 2016, to obstructing persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs for issuing the threats. He was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge James D. Whittemore of the Middle District of Florida.
As part of his plea, Schnitzler admitted that on Nov. 13, 2015, he intentionally obstructed members of the Islamic Society of St. Petersburg, Florida, and the Islamic Society of Pinellas County from practicing their religion when he left voicemail messages threatening the safety of the mosques’ congregants. Schnitzler claimed that his threats were prompted by the terrorist attacks in Paris. Among other things, Schnitzler also admitted that in one of the voicemails he threatened to “personally have a militia” report to one of the mosques and “firebomb you, shoot whoever is there on sight in the head. I don’t care if they’re [expletive] two years old or a hundred.”
In response to the threats, both mosques requested increased law-enforcement presence at their locations and took extra safety precautions for congregants.
“This prosecution sends a clear message to anyone who contemplates the use of threats or intimidation to interfere with the right of individuals to worship as they choose, without fear,” said U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III of the Middle District of Florida. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to taking whatever action is necessary to protect this important First Amendment right.”
“Criminal threats of violence that target people and communities because of their religious beliefs threaten the core values that define a fair and just society – equal protection and mutual respect for all,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When individuals commit religion-based hate crimes, we will hold them accountable for their actions and ensure they face justice.”
The FBI investigated the case with the assistance of the St. Petersburg Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel George and Daniel Irick of the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Gabriel Davis of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
Cape Coral Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John E. Steele has sentenced Yaisel Rodriguez (25, Cape Coral) to 20 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. The Court also ordered him to forfeit his computer, tablet, a thumb drive, and two DVDs that were used to commit the offense. Rodriguez pleaded guilty on January 5, 2016.
According to court documents, on four separate occasions between April 2014 and January 2015, an FBI agent was able to download files depicting child pornography that Rodriguez had made available for sharing over the Internet.
On March 5, 2015, the FBI executed a search warrant at Rodriguez’s home. During the course of an interview with agents, he disclosed that he had been downloading and viewing child pornography since he was a teenager. He also told agents that he had recently ended a two-year relationship with a minor boy who lived in Ohio. Rodriguez said that he had met the boy in a chat room and the two later communicated via Skype and Facebook. Rodriguez also told the agents that he and the boy had exchanged naked photographs and videos.
Rodriguez further admitted that he had traveled to Ohio on at least three occasions to visit the boy, stayed in his home, and that one of his visits had lasted for a month. According to Rodriguez, in the summer of 2013, the boy and his mother traveled to Cape Coral and stayed in Rodriguez’s home for two weeks. Rodriguez said that he and the boy had shared a bedroom, and that he had taken sexually explicit images of and with the minor during this stay.
A subsequent digital forensic examination of the computer and media found in Rodriguez’s bedroom revealed that he had collected more than 120 videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. In addition, more than 500 images and 20 videos depicting the minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct were recovered.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes the Cape Coral Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
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.
Leader of Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell has sentenced Isaias Villa, a/k/a “Fish” (44, Duluth, GA) to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He pleaded guilty in February 2016.
According to court documents, Villa began obtaining methamphetamine from Georgia in approximately 2013. He arranged for shipments of multiple kilograms of methamphetamine to be delivered to others in the Polk County area. He then directed co-conspirators to collect the drug proceeds and transport them to him in Georgia.
On September 3, 2015, Villa was arrested in a Winter Haven motel room. He had in his possession close to a half kilogram of methamphetamine and more than $30,000. On September 8, 2015, while in the Polk County Jail, Villa was recorded calling co-conspirators regarding the delivery of drug proceeds and methamphetamine. An additional $42,000 in drug proceeds was recovered as a result of those calls.
To date, the investigation has resulted in the federal convictions of five individuals and the seizure of approximately two kilograms of methamphetamine, more than $100,000, and homemade explosives.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.
Former DEA Agent Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion and Witness TamperingRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Samuel Murad (62, Clearwater) has pleaded guilty to tax evasion and witness tampering. He faces a maximum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment for the tax evasion count and up to 20 years in federal prison for the witness tampering count. His sentencing hearing has been set for August 4, 2016.
According to the plea agreement, in the mid-1990’s, while working as a DEA Special Agent, Murad served as the case agent in an investigation of a marijuana importation conspiracy. One of the participants in that conspiracy, J.P., was convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Around 2009, after Murad had retired from the DEA, J.P.’s attorney hired Murad to assist with their effort to obtain a reduction in J.P.’s prison sentence. Because Murad was the former case agent in this investigation, he was prohibited by federal law from being physically present in any formal or informal setting on behalf of J.P., to include meeting with an employee of DEA, or appearing on behalf of J.P. before a judge. DEA’s Office of Professional Responsibility also advised Murad that he could not communicate with the government on behalf of J.P. with the intent to influence the government.
Around this time, J.P.’s attorney met with DEA Special Agent Robert Joseph Quinn about plans to initiate an effort to obtain a sentence reduction for J.P. During their meeting, J.P.’s attorney informed Agent Quinn that Murad — a friend and former colleague of Quinn — was involved in the effort to reduce J.P.’s prison sentence. After this meeting, Agent Quinn contacted Murad about the sentence reduction effort. During their conversation, Murad asked Agent Quinn to handle, on the DEA end, the effort to obtain a sentence reduction for J.P. Agent Quinn then communicated with representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office to explore the possibility of obtaining the sentence reduction.
In June 2012, once arrests had been made related to J.P.’s cooperation efforts, Murad became frustrated at the prospect of not getting paid for his involvement in the J.P. matter. Murad sent a series of emails to J.P.’s brother demanding large sums of money to stay involved. In one email, Murad asked for $700,000 and said, “if we can’t come [to] some kind of understanding, then you guys get to keep your money and [J.P.] stays in jail because good luck getting him out without my testimony.” In a subsequent meeting with J.P.’s brother, Murad demanded $750,000 to stay involved in the matter. Ultimately, J.P.’s brother agreed to pay Murad $500,000 in cash.
On Friday, August 17, 2012, J.P.’s brother handed Murad a shopping bag containing $223,000 in cash. During this meeting, Murad asked J.P.’s brother how much money he had in his wallet. J.P.’s brother showed Murad that he had $800 in his wallet; Murad took that money and added it to the shopping bag full of cash. Murad also told J.P.’s brother to tell J.P. to “shut up” on the prison telephone. Although Murad did not tell J.P.’s brother why he gave this instruction, Murad knew that J.P.’s jail calls were being monitored by law enforcement.
After this meeting, Murad told Agent Quinn that he had received over $200,000 in cash from J.P.’s brother and had put it in a safe deposit box. Murad laughed that he had to get a larger safe deposit box because there was so much cash. Murad never paid taxes on the $223,800 he received from J.P.’s brother.
The FBI then began investigating the effort to obtain a sentence reduction for J.P. In an interview on November 22, 2013, Agent Quinn lied about Murad not receiving any money, other than expenses, for his work on the J.P. matter. After his interview with the FBI, Murad met with Agent Quinn and directed Quinn not to talk to the FBI. Murad attempted to corruptly persuade Agent Quinn not to provide the FBI with information about the $223,800 cash payment and Murad’s concealment of those funds in the safe deposit box.
On February 13, 2014, the FBI executed a search warrant on Murad’s safe deposit box and seized $73,420. Pursuant to a seizure warrant, the FBI also seized $60,139.03 from Murad’s checking account. The day after the search, Murad met with Quinn (who had retired from the DEA) and accused him of saying too much to the FBI, which Quinn denied. Murad, again, instructed Quinn not to talk to the FBI any further. Two months later, in his second interview with the FBI, Quinn lied again about Murad not getting paid by J.P.’s family. After being confronted by the FBI, Quinn ultimately told the truth.
Quinn previously pleaded guilty for his role in this case. His sentencing hearing has been set for May 11, 2016.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Simon Gaugush and Josephine Thomas.
Armed Drug Dealer Sentenced to 10 YearsRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis today sentenced Darrell Maxwell (26, Satsuma) to 10 years in federal prison for possessing Molly, a Schedule I controlled substance, with the intent to distribute it and possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime. He pleaded guilty on December 14, 2015.
According to court documents, on June 10, 2015, Maxwell arrived at a gas station in Palatka where he had planned to sell Molly. Members of the Tri-County Drug Task Force were aware that Maxwell was in possession of the Molly and subsequently arrested him. During a search, a loaded .40 caliber pistol was recovered from Maxwell’s pants.
This case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Talbot.
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 Regina Lombardo, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, are coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline Strategy on reducing violent crime in communities.
Two Florida Residents Charged in Jamaican Lottery SchemeRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the filing of a criminal complaint and arrests of Yanique Chantel Coach (25, Orlando) and Dwayne Breary (31, Ft. Lauderdale) for conspiracy to commit mail fraud. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
According to the complaint, in October and November 2014, an 89-year-old woman in Virginia received phone calls from two individuals who claimed that she had won $3.5 million from the Mega Millions Sweepstakes. One of the callers said he was associated with the Mega Millions Sweepstakes and the other purported to be an attorney. The callers told the victim that her name had been entered into the lottery through a magazine subscription, but that she needed to pay fees and taxes before she could receive her winnings. From October 31, 2014, through November 25, 2014, the victim complied with the directions from the Mega Millions Sweepstakes callers and mailed $282,600 in cash to various locations in Florida and Georgia. She concealed the money in magazines and cereal boxes.
After the learning about the large withdrawals of money, the victim’s family contacted the FBI. On March 6, 2015, the victim was instructed by the callers to send $150,000 to an apartment in Orlando. On March 19, 2015, FBI agents conducted a controlled delivery of a UPS package, appearing to be from the victim, to the apartment. Agents had determined the apartment belonged to Coach. During surveillance, Breary signed for the package, using an alias, and accepted it. Agents then executed a search warrant and recovered the package from Coach’s bedroom.
Further investigation revealed that Coach and Breary had accepted the previously sent packages by signing a fake name. An individual from Jamaica then travelled to Florida to retrieve the cash. Coach and Breary were paid for their part in the scheme by that individual, who then returned to Jamaica with the victim’s money.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation 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 is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James D. Mandolfo.
Federal Jury Convicts Jacksonville Woman of Passport FraudRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury has found Syteria Hephzibah (62, Jacksonville) guilty of making a false statement on a passport application. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 15, 2016. Hephzibah was indicted on February 18, 2015.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Hephzibah submitted a passport application at a Putnam County Clerk’s Office using the name “Highly Favored Shekinah El.” To establish her identity in that name, she submitted a document that appeared to be a “Diplomat – Nationality Identification Card” and a name change document that appeared to have been issued by a court or other governmental body. Although Hephzibah was not a diplomat and the name change document had not been issued by any government agency, she signed the passport application under a declaration that she had not made false statements or submitted false documents in support of the application.
This case was investigated by the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.
Cape Coral Woman Pleads Guilty to 18-Year Conspiracy to Steal Government Assistance FundsRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Rose Ann Labarbera (61, Cape Coral) has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds involving the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV). She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, from at least January 1997 through November 2012, Labarbera posed as her husband’s (Ronald Raiola) landlord in order for Raiola to receive HUD HCV housing assistance subsidies to which they were not entitled. Labarbera took steps to conceal Raiola's true identity in order to continue receiving HUD funds. She also submitted, and caused to be submitted to HUD, documents containing material misrepresentations and false statements.
Labarbera and Raiola concealed their marital relationship, income, assets, and ownership interests in residential properties in New York and Florida from HUD so that Raiola could continue to receive HCV Program housing assistance subsidiaries.
Raiola is scheduled for trial in June 2016.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development - Office of Inspector General, and the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the Lee County Sherriff’s Office’s Economic Crimes and Special Operations Units, the City of Fort Myers Housing Authority, the New York City Housing Authority, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David G. Lazarus.
California Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years for Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich sentenced Saul Muro (32, formerly of Los Angeles, CA) today to six years and six months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess and to distribute methamphetamine. Muro was found guilty in September 2015 following a bench trial.
According to court documents, in February 2013, Muro arrived in Tampa with a female co-defendant to collect the payment for ten pounds of methamphetamine that had previously been delivered, on consignment, by co-defendant Gabriel Lujan-Gaziola to undercover law enforcement officers. Muro and the female co-defendant took receipt of a sealed metal box that ostensibly contained the $103,000 to pay for the consigned methamphetamine.
On February 14, 2014, Lujan-Gaxiola was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for his role in this case.
This case was investigated by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley Howard-Allen.
Two Orlando Men Involved in Carjacking of Federal Officer Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced two Orlando men for carjacking and using a firearm while committing that offense. Gregory McDonald (18) was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison and Dante Askins (18) was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. Both men pleaded guilty in February 2016.
According to court documents, on August 12, 2015, McDonald and Askins committed an armed carjacking of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer at a hotel in Orlando. The victim, who was on vacation with his family, had gone down to his SUV in the hotel parking lot to preload his GPS for a trip to Destin the next morning. Askins approached the victim and stuck a long-barreled .22 caliber revolver in his face. He, along with McDonald and two minors, then forced the victim into the backseat of his vehicle at gunpoint. McDonald pistol whipped the victim three times in the back of the head. The carjackers held the victim for approximately two hours. When OnStar location services contacted the vehicle, the carjackers fled and the victim escaped.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany L. Cummins.
Jacksonville Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced William Roland Baker (65, Jacksonville) to 10 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. Baker was also sentenced to a term of 10 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to two victims of his offenses. A federal jury found Baker guilty in November 2015. Baker is a registered child sex offender who was previously convicted of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child on November 22, 1995.
According to evidence presented during trial, in early 2013, an agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was able to download several images and a video of child pornography over the Internet from a computer using an Internet Protocol address that was traced back to Baker’s Jacksonville residence. On May 29, 2013, a federal search warrant was executed at this residence, and law enforcement seized two laptop computers from Baker’s bedroom. A forensic examiner was able to recover images of child pornography from Baker’s computers, even though Baker had used an eraser program on the evening before the search. During an interview, Baker claimed that he did not download child pornography. However, a forensic analysis of his laptop computer showed that he had used particular terms to search for child pornography in a file sharing program. Baker’s computers contained at least 338 images depicting the sexual abuse of young children.
This case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
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 the 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.
Chinese Chemical Engineer Sentenced for Conspiracy and Importation of Synthetic Drugs and Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Wei Zhang, a/k/a David Liteng (36, Tianjin, China) to 50 months in federal prison for conspiracy to import controlled substance analogues (synthetic cannabinoids) knowing they were intended for human consumption, and aiding and abetting the importation of controlled substances and cathinones, also known as “bath salts.” He also forfeited $1.5 million that had been seized from a Swiss bank account.
According to court documents, in late 2010, an individual met with Dan and Kevin Louie, the owners and operators of Source1Herbs, in Toronto, Canada. Source1Herbs was a large wholesale business that sold synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones. This individual met with the owners and learned that their Chinese-based supplier was Wei Zhang, a/k/a “David Liteng.” In October 2010, the individual made contact with Zhang and discussed ordering chemicals from him directly. In late February 2011, the individual and his business partner traveled to China and met with the suppliers, including Zhang. During these meetings, the individual and Zhang discussed finding a replacement chemical for 1-pentyl-3-(1-napthoyl)indole JWH-018, which was set to be temporarily listed as a Schedule I controlled substance by DEA on March 1, 2011. As a result of the meeting, the individual obtained a more favorable pricing from Zhang for synthetic chemicals. Zhang, a chemical engineer, explained the best chemical alternatives for JWH-018 that would give the end user a similar high, including stimulant and hallucinogenic effects.
On March 1, 2011, Zhang and others exchanged e-mail communications (including news articles) for specific chemicals banned that day, which included JWH-018. One such e-mail from Zhang states, “Hi we know there will be ban jwh and similar product on 1th (sic) march. Pls let me know what happen tomorrow.” When JWH-018 was placed on the DEA’s banned list, Zhang and others began selling other chemicals, including AM-2201, JWH-081, JWH-122, JWH-203, JWH-210, and JWH-250. Zhang routinely shipped large quantities of those chemicals to customers in the United States, Russia, and Europe, distributing a portion of the synthetic cannabinoids through mailing facilities in the Middle District of Florida. From March 2011 through February 2012, Zhang shipped approximately 798 kilograms of these chemicals to the individual. In addition, he supplied Source1Herbs with large quantities of synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones.
In July 2013, Zhang and the individual had several discussions about synthetic cannabinoids, the latest trends in the worldwide industry, and the controlled status of certain chemicals, including UR-144, 5F-UR-144, and RCS-4. Zhang sent the individual various samples of synthetic chemicals known as 5 Meo Dalt (a synthetic cathinone), A834, 5F-UR-144, JWH-308, and WIN48098. Zhang also discussed emerging synthetic cannabinoids PB-22 and 5F-PB-22, both of which were controlled substance analogues of JWH-018 at the time, and then later designated as Schedule I controlled substances. After receiving a spreadsheet of Zhang’s inventory, the individual negotiated a purchase deal with Zhang for large quantities of UR-144, 5F-UR-144, and RCS-4. The negotiated price for approximately 773 kilograms of chemicals was $265,000, and Zhang agreed to provide the chemicals on consignment. Zhang agreed to ship mislabeled parcels containing 2 or 3 kilograms of those substances per parcel to various mailing facilities within the Middle District of Florida.
From February 3, 2014, through May 16, 2014, Homeland Security Investigations received 48 packages containing 144 kilograms of UR-144, 47 packages containing 106 kilograms of 5F-UR-144 (XLR-11), and 8 packages containing 16 kilograms of RCS-4. During the receipt of those packages, the individual further negotiated to pay Zhang $150,000 for the 266 kilograms of Schedule I controlled substances. In April 2014, Zhang traveled to the United States to retrieve $150,000 in cash for the substances, where he was ultimately arrested.
On May 7, 2014, the United States Treasury Department - Office of Foreign Asset Control used the Kingpin Act to designate Source1Herbs and Dan and Kevin Louie, both Canadian nationals, on the Specially Designated National List. The Kingpin Act permits the imposition of economic sanctions to preclude a variety of worldwide economic transactions.
Zhang’s conviction marks the third Chinese national convicted in the United States for importation of synthetic drugs. Jin Liu was also prosecuted in the Middle District of Florida for conspiracy to import 100 kilograms of PB-22, a synthetic cannabinoid.
"This international investigation brings the first U.S. arrests and convictions of Chinese synthetic drug manufacturers and suppliers," said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. "HSI special agents, working with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the North Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, have stopped these dangerous synthetic drugs from entering our communities.”
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The investigation was part of Special Operations Division Project Synergy. The Special Operations Division, along with the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section of the Department of Justice, coordinated Project Synergy to investigate and prosecute the leaders in the synthetic drug business both domestically and internationally. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney A. Tysen Duva.
Lee County Man Sentenced to Four Years for Theft of Government Money and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John E. Steele has sentenced George Joyner, III (36) to four years in federal prison for theft of government money and aggravated identity theft. The Court also ordered Joyner to pay $169,456.90 in restitution to the United States Department of the Treasury.
According to court documents, on August 10, 2013, Joyner was arrested for driving with a suspended license. Prior to the car being towed from the scene, officers from the Fort Myers Police Department conducted an inventory of Joyner’s vehicle and found a laptop, various digital media storage devices, two credit card readers, a credit card encoder, credit card blanks, and several pieces of paper containing the personally identifiable information (PII) of others. The officers obtained a search warrant for Joyner’s electronic media. Subsequent forensic analyses of the media revealed a spreadsheet containing the PII of 163 individuals.
In December 2011, Joyner had opened an account at Regions Bank with a $100 deposit. Five U.S. Treasury tax refund checks, totaling $41,184.31, were deposited into the account later that month. Joyner also had an account at Wells Fargo bank. Between October and November 2011, he deposited 17 tax refund checks, totaling $128,272.59, into that account.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Fort Myers Police Department and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
Middle District of Florida Joins Nationwide Efforts to Reduce Recidivism During National Reentry WeekRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – As part of the Department of Justice’s commitment to strengthening the criminal justice system, the week of April 24-30, 2016, has been designated as National Reentry Week. Today, U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces his office’s participation in several initiatives that strive to help those who have paid their debt to society prepare for substantive opportunities beyond the prison gates, promote family unity, contribute to the health of our economy, advance public safety, and sustain the strength of our communities. For information on specific events taking place in the District throughout the week, visit the MDFL Reentry webpage.
“I am proud of the reentry work that we are doing with our partners throughout the District,” stated U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III. “Our collective efforts have resulted in positive transformations in the lives of many returning from prison, benefitting not only the ex-offenders, but also their families and our communities. Our approach has proven to be a worthwhile investment, reducing crime and recidivism in the Middle District of Florida. We remain committed to working with our partners in this endeavor of reformation, restoration, and hope.”
Each year, more than 600,000 citizens return to our neighborhoods after serving time in federal and state prisons. Another 11.4 million individuals cycle through local jails. And nearly one in three Americans of working age have had some sort of encounter with the criminal justice system — mostly for relatively minor, non-violent offenses, and sometimes from decades in the past. The long-term impact of a criminal record prevents many people from obtaining employment, housing, higher education, and credit — and these barriers affect returning individuals even if they have turned their lives around and are unlikely to reoffend.
Earlier today, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch released the “Roadmap to Reentry: The Justice Department’s Vision to Reduce Recidivism through Federal Reentry Reform. The principles outlined in the document are aligned with the work of the Federal Interagency Reentry Council, which has been working since its creation five years ago to reduce recidivism and improve employment, education, housing, health, and child welfare outcomes.
National Reentry Week events are being planned in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. U.S. Attorney’s Offices alone are hosting over 200 events and BOP facilities are holding over 370 events.
Cape Coral Man Pleads Guilty to Credit Card Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Henry Alberto Fernandez Gomez (30, Cape Coral) today pleaded guilty to access device (credit card) fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for the access device fraud offense and a mandatory minimum term of 2 years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft offense, to be served consecutive to the fraud sentence. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, between December 2014 and April 2015, Fernandez Gomez used stolen and unauthorized credit card information to make 27 purchases at retail establishments throughout Florida. On one occasion, he used the stolen credit card information to buy furniture for approximately $3,500. Fernandez Gomez also used another person’s means of identification to make a purchase at a liquor store.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office’s Economic Crimes Unit, and the Cape Coral Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David G. Lazarus.
Tampa Man Convicted of Multiple Identity Theft and Credit Card Fraud ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury has found Yannier Arias guilty of 17 counts of conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, and access device fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison on the conspiracy charges and 10 years’ imprisonment on the access device fraud, followed by 2 years on the aggravated identity theft charges. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 9, 2016. Arias was indicted on August 27, 2015.
According to evidence presented at trial, Arias first conspired with another Tampa man, Dariel Sardinas Lopez, to “skim” credit card numbers from identity theft victims at various gas stations in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties; produce counterfeit credit cards encoded with that stolen account information; and then use those counterfeit cards to make thousands of dollars of fraudulent purchases in Florida and Michigan. After Lopez was arrested, Arias entered a second conspiracy with Jose Ojeda Vera, another Tampa man. It again involved the use of counterfeit cards encoded with the account information of identity theft victims to make similar purchases, including at luxury retailers such as Versace, Armani, and Louis Vuitton. All of the victims still had their cards in their possession when they learned that their accounts had been unlawfully used.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service Financial Investigative Strike Team (FIST) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was tried by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelley Howard-Allen and Eric K. Gerard.
Child Molester Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Online Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Wm. Terrell Hodges yesterday sentenced Robert Toole (51, Ocala) to 20 years in federal prison for the online receipt of child pornography. Toole pleaded guilty on November 6, 2015.
According to court documents, in 2014, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office investigation into online child pornography resulted in the execution of a search warrant at Toole’s house in Ocala. There, deputies discovered computer equipment that contained more than 10,000 images of child pornography, many involving prepubescent children under the age of 12. In addition, Toole had many images of child pornography that he had taken of himself violating his daughter when she was a child. In powerful testimony during the sentencing hearing, Toole’s daughter described how her father’s conduct had begun when she was as young as three years old, and continued through her teenage years.
“This prosecution lent a voice to one of the many victims of child pornography, and gave closure to a young woman who has carried these wounds for many years,” said U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III.
“This criminal has committed one of the most heinous crimes imaginable,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “Because of the hard work of our HSI special agents, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, this predator will spend the next 20 years in federal prison contemplating his crimes.”
This case was investigated by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Irick.
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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Sumter County Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Prison on Federal Drug and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge Wm. Terrell Hodges today sentenced Thomas Franklin Dinkins, Jr. (27, Lake Panasoffkee) to six years and nine months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was also ordered to forfeit a handgun and 31 rounds of ammunition as a part of his sentence. Dinkins pleaded guilty to the charges on February 2, 2016.
According to the plea agreement, deputies from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office stopped Dinkins for an expired tag on December 16, 2014. When a narcotics canine subsequently alerted on Dinkins’s car, deputies searched it and found a locked, portable safe in the trunk. The key to the safe was in Dinkins’s jacket. Inside the safe, deputies found methamphetamine, two digital scales, numerous plastic baggies, and a loaded .22 caliber handgun with an obliterated serial number. A nearby backpack held additional plastic bags and ammunition. A criminal history check showed Dinkins to be a multi-convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law. Dinkins ultimately admitted that the firearm was “probably stolen” and that he had it to protect himself while distributing drugs.
On March 21, 2015, a discarded cellular telephone was discovered by a citizen and turned over to authorities. Deputies examined the phone and determined that it belonged to Dinkins. An examination of the phone revealed multiple pictures and text messages linking Dinkins to the recovered handgun, another shotgun, and numerous drug sales.
This case was investigated by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
Orlando Woman Charged with Multiple Crimes, Including Acting as an Illegal Agent of A Foreign Government and ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an 18-count superseding indictment charging Amin Yu (53, Orlando) with acting in the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the Attorney General, conspiring to defraud the United States and to commit offenses against the United States, committing unlawful export information activities, smuggling goods from the United States, conspiring to and committing international money laundering, and making false statements to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each of the money laundering counts, 10 years’ imprisonment for acting as an illegal agent and the smuggling offenses, and 5 years in prison for the remaining charges. The indictment also notifies Yu that the United States intends to forfeit approximately $2,668,648.92, the alleged traceable proceeds of the offenses.
According to the superseding indictment, from at least 2002 until approximately February 2014, at the direction of co-conspirators working for Harbin Engineering University (HEU, a PRC-controlled entity) in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Yu obtained systems and components for marine submersible vehicles from companies in the United States. She then illegally exported those items to the PRC for use by her co-conspirators in the development of marine submersible vehicles – unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for HEU and other state-controlled entities. It is alleged that Yu illegally exported items by failing to file Electronic Export Information as required by U.S. law and by also filing false Electronic Export Information. In particular, Yu completed and caused the completion of export-related documents in which she significantly undervalued the items that she had exported and also provided false end-user information for those items.
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, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Irick, and Trial Attorneys David C. Recker and Thea D. R. Kendler of the Department of Justice, National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Former Immigration Officer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Concealing His Relationship with A Foreign National During A National Security Clearance InvestigationRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, FL - United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced former immigration officer Paul Reynolds Friel, Jr. (48, Orange Park) to six months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for concealing a material fact during an interview with a government agent. In December 2011, during an interview, Friel failed to disclose the fact that he was living with Marisol Rodriguez Chavarria, a foreign national, and that he had contact with her during the preceding seven years. The interview was required as part of a background investigation for an expected job promotion within the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, where Friel was employed as an immigration officer.
According to court documents, Rodriguez entered the United States from Nicaragua on December 10, 2010, on an immigrant visa issued by the U.S. State Department. She was a citizen of Nicaragua and entered the United States as the spouse of Luis Aguilar. In or around March 2011, Rodriguez moved into an apartment with Friel and divorced Aguilar. Thereafter, Friel and Rodriguez lived together in a romantic relationship, were married in March 2012, and later had a child together.
According to court records, Friel had known Rodriguez from previous trips to Nicaragua and paid for her airfare to fly to the United States from Nicaragua. Rodriguez previously pleaded guilty to possession of an immigrant visa issued by means of a false statement. Aguilar previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, and the Jacksonville office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dale R. Campion.
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 4 Years in $2.1 Million Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Andrew A. Rooks (59, Jacksonville) to 48 months in federal prison for his role in two separate conspiracies to commit mail and wire fraud. The Court also entered a forfeiture judgment in the amount of $ 2,187,049. A separate restitution hearing is scheduled for July 5, 2016.
According to court documents, from 2001 until July 2011, Rooks worked for Sea Star Line, LLC, in its Jacksonville office. Sea Star, now called Tote Maritime Puerto Rico, transports goods by vessel in interstate and foreign commerce and has operations at the Port of Jacksonville. Rooks last served as the assistant vice president of operations. Beginning no later than November 2005, Rooks authorized the payment of phony invoices submitted on behalf of co-conspirator Keith Beavers. The invoices were for container and equipment decals that were never provided by Sea Star. The total payments Sea Star made to Beavers exceeded $1 million. During the same time period, Rooks also carried on a second conspiracy. He authorized the payment of phony invoices to two companies controlled by co-conspirator Russell Cody. The invoices, totaling more than $1 million, were for inspection and transportation services of Sea Star’s containers and equipment. They were false because those services were never provided by Tiburon Transportation Services and Lancer Logistics, which were front companies that Cody controlled. Instead, Beavers and Cody made kickback payments to Rooks, and to a company Rooks controlled.
After Rooks was terminated by Sea Star, he got a job with another Jacksonville company, TrailerBridge, Inc., and continued the fraud scheme. TrailerBridge paid approximately $107,000 as a result of phony invoices.
Beavers and Cody previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracies.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dale Campion.
Fort Myers Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Tavares E. Felton (41, Fort Myers) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for the illegal possession a firearm by a convicted felon. Felton, a three-time convicted felon, was subject to enhanced penalties under the Armed Career Criminal statute. The Court also ordered him to forfeit two firearms, high-capacity magazines, and ammunition associated with the offense, namely a Sig Sauer 5.56mm semi-automatic rifle and a Saiga AK-47 style 7.62mm semi-automatic rifle.
According to court documents, a member of the Fort Myers Police Department was investigating a domestic incident at a residence where Felton resided. Officers obtained a search warrant in connection with the domestic incident, and later procured a second warrant. During the execution of the second warrant, police found large quantities of heroin, sealed for distribution, Alprazolam pills, a bag containing $18,000 in bundled cash, and two assault rifles in Felton’s bedroom.
At the time of the incident, Felton had already been convicted of selling controlled substances, including heroin, on three prior occasions. Therefore, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Fort Myers Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles D. Schmitz.
Port Charlotte Man Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute MarijuanaRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces today that a federal jury has found Nicholas Jakimer (55, Port Charlotte) guilty of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. He faces a mandatory minimum term of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 27, 2016.
Jakimer was indicted on April 15, 2015.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Jakimer conspired with others to bring marijuana from Arizona to Southwest Florida for distribution. Jakimer funded the operation and recruited customers, who bought the marijuana on a wholesale basis.
This case was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert P. Barclift.
California Resident Pleads Guilty to Mortgage Fraud Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida - United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Gary Hughes (36, San Diego, CA) today pleaded guilty to one count of mortgage fraud conspiracy involving bank fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment.
According to the plea agreement and court proceedings, in 2005, entities controlled by co-conspirators entered into a contract to purchase The Arbors, an apartment complex in Hillsborough County, Florida. The new owners of The Arbors then engaged in a plan to convert the complex from rental to condominium units.
Hughes and his co-conspirator, Brendan Bolger, aided the developers in the sale of numerous condominium units at The Arbors through his company, Capital Management Guarantee, LLC. In order to induce buyers to purchase units, Bolger created an addendum to the purchase contract that offered buyers various incentives, such as rental supplements, money to defray maintenance costs, and a design credit to upgrade the unit’s amenities. When the buyers cancelled the design credit within 10 days of signing the addendum, Bolger paid a kickback for the amount of the design credit to the buyer from Capital Management’s bank account. In this manner, Bolger and other co-conspirators failed to disclose to buyers’ mortgage lenders material facts about the financing of the sale of The Arbors condominiums. Bolger and others referred prospective buyers to Hughes in order to obtain financing for their unit purchases.
Specifically, Hughes’s role in the conspiracy as a mortgage broker consisted of originating mortgages for units through Envision Lending and Set 2 Go Loans. The loan applications Hughes submitted contained material misrepresentations, including false occupancy and inflated borrower income and asset information. These loan applications were submitted to FDIC insured institutions and other mortgage lenders. Additionally, through his company, HUMAR Investments, Hughes and a co-conspirator provided the borrowers cash to close loans without disclosing the payments to the lenders.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor and Assistant United States Attorney Jay Hoffer.
Fort Myers Man Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Illegal Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Basilio Amaury Bron, Jr. (35, Fort Myers) to seven years and three months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The Court also ordered him to forfeit the handgun and ammunition that had been used in the offense.
Bron was found guilty on November 12, 2015, following a bench trial before Judge Chappell.
According to court documents, an officer from with the Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD) Violent Crimes Task Force observed Bron discard litter from the passenger window of a vehicle. FMPD officers stopped the vehicle and learned that Bron had an active warrant for unpaid child support. During the course of the traffic stop, officers also discovered that Bron was carrying a .25 caliber handgun, loaded with three rounds, in his front waistband.
At the time of the incident, Bron had four previous felony convictions and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes members of the FMPD Violent Crimes Task Force, with additional assistance provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney 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 Regina Lombardo, 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.
Winter Haven Man Charged with Assaulting Federal OfficersRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Altius Willix (47, Winter Haven) has been charged in a criminal complaint with assaulting, resisting, and impeding federal law enforcement officers while using deadly and dangerous weapons. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Willix was arrested on April 12, 2016. The following day, he made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas G. Wilson and was detained.
According to the complaint, on April 12, 2016, three federal agents approached Willix during the course of a narcotics investigation. Willix fled and ultimately collided with one of the agents. As the agents attempted to detain him, Willix tried to remove holstered firearms from two of those federal agents. When told to let go, Willix responded, “You’re gonna have to kill me.” Willix was ultimately handcuffed and taken into custody.
A criminal complaint is merely an informal charge that a defendant has committed a violation 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, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.
State Representative Indicted for Embezzlement from Campaign Fund and Failure to File Federal Income Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Reginald Fullwood (41, Jacksonville) with 10 counts of wire fraud and 4 counts of failure to file federal income tax returns. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud offense, and a year of imprisonment for each failure to file charge. The indictment also notifies Fullwood that the United States is seeking a money judgment in the amount of $65,445, the proceeds of the criminal conduct charged in counts one through ten.
According to the indictment, while Fullwood was seeking election to the Florida House of Representatives, as well as during re-election campaigns, he caused numerous electronic funds transfers from the “Reggie Fullwood Campaign” bank account to a bank account of an entity owned by Fullwood, Rhino Harbor, LLC. Fullwood then used those funds, approximately $65,000 in financial contributions, for personal expenditures including restaurants, grocery stores, retail stores, jewelry stores, florists, gas stations and liquor stores. The indictment also alleges that in order to conceal his fraudulent embezzlement of campaign funds, Fullwood submitted or caused to be submitted false and fraudulent campaign expenditure reports to the State of Florida, which included inflated and/or non-existent campaign expenses.
As set forth in the indictment, in the State of Florida, a candidate or the spouse of a candidate may not 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.
Fullwood is also charged with four counts of willful failure to file personal federal income tax returns for calendar years 2010 through 2013.
“Public officials, whether elected or appointed, hold positions of trust in the eyes of the public. That trust is broken when these officials commit crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Kim Lappin, IRS-Tampa Field Office. “No public official gets a free pass to ignore the tax laws, and IRS-CI works to ensure that everyone pays their fair share.”
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 Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark B. Devereaux.
St. Petersburg Real Estate Agent Sentenced for His Role in Mortgage Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge James S. Moody has sentenced Gary Blankenship (45, St. Petersburg) to eight months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. He pleaded guilty on February 4, 2016.
According to his plea agreement, in 2005, entities controlled by co-conspirators entered into a contract to purchase The Arbors, an apartment complex in Hillsborough County. The new owners then engaged in a plan to convert the complex from rental apartments to condominium units.
Blankenship’s co-conspirator, Brendan Bolger, aided the developers in the sale of numerous condominium units through his company, Capital Management Guarantee, LLC. In order to induce buyers to purchase units, Bolger created an addendum to the purchase contract offering buyers various incentives, such as rental supplements, money to defray maintenance costs, and a design credit to upgrade the units’ amenities. When the buyers cancelled the design credit within 10 days of signing the addendum, Bolger paid them a kickback from his company’s bank account for the amount of the design credit. Blankenship’s role in the conspiracy as a realtor consisted of marketing The Arbors units by promising buyers undisclosed incentives. In this manner, Bolger, Blankenship and other co-conspirators failed to disclose material facts to buyers’ mortgage lenders about the financing of the condominium sales.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor and Assistant United States Attorney Jay Hoffer.
Lakeland Drug Dealer Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Donavan Antwan Daniels (36, Lakeland) has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, during June and July 2015, Daniels sold crack cocaine to a law enforcement confidential source on four separate occasions. These transactions took place in Lakeland.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Lakeland Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Chapa-Lopez and Taylor G. Stout.
Jacksonville Man Accused of Burying His Dead Mother in Her Yard and Then Stealing Her Social Security and Pension BenefitsRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment charging Brian Lee Adams (56, Jacksonville) with one count of bank fraud, one count of theft of government property, and four counts of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in federal prison for the bank fraud count, up to 10 years for the theft of government property count, to be followed by two years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft counts. The indictment also notifies Adams that the United States is seeking a money judgment in the amount of $35,345.36, the proceeds from the alleged activity.
According to the indictment, Adams’s mother, whose initials are J.Y.A., died in an unknown manner at some time prior to July 4, 2014. Adams buried her in the yard of her Green Cove Springs residence to conceal the event, cause, and circumstances of her death. Adams then stole his deceased mother’s pension funds and Social Security benefits until June 2015, when authorities discovered what he had done with her body.
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 Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General; the United States Secret Service; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mac D. Heavener, III.
Gainesville Pharmacy Technician Arrested and Charged with Attempted Online Enticement of A Child to Engage in Illegal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced today that Matthew Bryan Caniff (32, Gainesville) has been arrested and charged by a federal criminal complaint with using the Internet to attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His detention hearing is scheduled for today at 3:00 p.m. before United States Magistrate James R. Klindt.
According to the complaint, between March 31 and April 1, 2016, Caniff engaged in a series of online text conversations with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old child. This "child" was actually an undercover FBI agent. During the course of these conversations, Caniff discussed in graphic detail his desire to meet and have sex with the “child” at “her” home. He also sent several explicit photos of himself to the “child,” and told “her” that he would bring prescription drugs with him to share with “her.” Caniff confirmed that the “child” was alone at the residence and that “her” parent was going to be out of town for several days. During the early morning hours on April 1, 2016, Caniff drove from Gainesville to a home in St. Johns to meet the “child” for sex. He was arrested by deputies from the St. Johns County Sheriff's, and a knife and several pills were found in his possession.
This case was investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
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 the 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.
Eleventh Circuit Affirms Convictions of Pharmacy Owner and Manager for Conspiracy to Distribute Drugs UnlawfullyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the convictions of Jeffrey R. Green (51, formerly of Englewood), owner of Gulf Coast Medical Pharmacy in Ft. Myers, and Karen S. Hebble (46, formerly of Englewood), the pharmacy’s office manager, for conspiracy to unlawfully possess with intent to distribute and distribute oxycodone and alprazolam, and for money laundering. Following a January 2015 jury trial, at which the both defendants were found guilty, United States District Judge John Steele sentenced Green and Hebble to seven and five years’ imprisonment, respectively. He also ordered them to forfeit $4,918,603.36.
Green and Hebble appealed to the Eleventh Circuit. That Court has now rejected, in a published opinion, their arguments that the evidence was insufficient for the jury to find them guilty, that Hebble was too minimally involved with their business to be held accountable, and that the district court should have ordered Hebble tried first so that Green (who is now married to Hebble) could testify on her behalf.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, from 2009 through October 6, 2011, Green and Hebble, neither of whom were a licensed pharmacist, conspired with each other, and others, to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute oxycodone and alprazolam at their pharmacy. The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the jury’s decision that they had agreed both to distribute controlled substances and to fill prescriptions for controlled substances that had not been issued for legitimate medical purposes.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, which includes the Naples Police Department, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, and other local law enforcement agencies. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Yolande G. Viacava and Robert P. Barclift. The appeal was handled by Senior Litigation Counsel Karin B. Hoppmann and Assistant United States Attorney Cherie Krigsman.
Bradenton Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Selling Counterfeit, Unapproved, and Misbranded DrugsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Robert Lohr (72, Bradenton) to 21 months in federal prison for conspiracy to smuggle misbranded and counterfeit drugs into the United States. The Court also entered an order forfeiting Lohr’s interest in approximately $926,466, the proceeds of the conspiracy.
According to court documents, from July 2009 through September 25, 2015, Lohr operated a business in Bradenton known as “Canadian American Drug Club” or “American Drug Club of Bradenton.” The business sold and distributed illegally smuggled prescription drugs, including Viagra, Cialis, Achiphex, and Lipitor, as well as other drug products that were falsely represented as “herbal,” but that contained active prescription ingredients. Lohr generated more than $1 million in sales of these misbranded and counterfeit drugs. At no time was Lohr ever licensed as a pharmacist, a drug importer, or a drug wholesaler. Neither was American Drug Club a licensed pharmacy, drug importer, or wholesaler.
Between March 21, 2014, and September 15, 2015, several undercover purchases of misbranded, unapproved, and counterfeit prescription drugs were made from Lohr’s business. Prescriptions for Viagra and Cialis were filled and mailed from the business, along with counterfeit drugs made in China. Other prescription drugs, such as Achiphex and Lipitor, were filled by foreign pharmacies with foreign drugs, which had been approved for the U.S. market. Lohr also sold several herbal Viagra products, without prescriptions, that had been illegally smuggled from China. These products, with names such as “Maxmen,” “Superhard,” or “Vigour,” contained sildenafil citrate, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Viagra. Several of the packages addressed to Lohr’s business, containing the counterfeit drugs, were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“Counterfeit pharmaceuticals can and have led to serious injuries and death,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “HSI takes cases like this very seriously and work tirelessly with our partners, like the FDA, to investigate these crimes and bring to justice those who commit them.”
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Food and Drug Administration, which is responsible for protecting the health and safety of the American public, and ensuring that drugs intended for human use bear true and accurate information and are safe and effective for their intended uses. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelley Howard-Allen and Holly Gershow.
Tampa Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Raheem Lavontae Bryant (23, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to five counts of distributing crack cocaine and powder cocaine. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, between December 2015 and January 2016, Bryant sold crack and powder cocaine, on five separate occasions, to undercover detectives from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The transactions took place in the parking lots of various businesses in Tampa and Thonotosassa.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Taylor G. Stout.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative (CAGI). The program’s objective is to reduce criminal gangs, violent crime, illegal drugs, and guns through combined enforcement, prosecution, prevention, and re-entry efforts.