Middle District of Florida

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Frank Gonzalez-Santiago (52, Polk County) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal government funds. He faces up to five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, in 2005, the Department of Defense contracted with a private company to operate the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (“G-RAP”) to help in the recruitment and enlistment of members of the armed services. Under this program, G-RAP Recruitment Assistants (“RAs”) were paid to identify and solicit individuals to join the armed services, and were paid only after one of their recruits joined the armed services. Program rules prohibited professional military recruiters from being paid for any part of a recruitment that a G-RAP RA had initiated. During the course of the conspiracy, Gonzalez-Santiago was a professional Army National Guard recruiter. He conspired with G-RAP RAs who falsely claimed to have recruited enlistees when, in reality, Gonzalez-Santiago had recruited them into the military. The conspirators did so in order to share their G-RAP payments with recruiters such as Gonzalez-Santiago.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Army-Criminal Investigation Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found James Dale Little (43, Jacksonville) guilty of transporting and possessing child pornography. Little faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 26, 2016. He was indicted on March 26, 2015.

According to evidence presented at trial, from December 21, 2012, through January 26, 2013, Little obtained images depicting child pornography using an email account.  He also sent an image of child pornography by email on January 26, 2013. 

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly S. Karase and Gregory T. Nolan.

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 the 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.

Jacksonville, Florida – Senior United States District Judge Henry Lee Adams has sentenced Timothy Deante Burroughs (32, Jacksonville) to 21 months in federal prison for passing counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes. As part of the sentence, the Court also ordered Burroughs to pay restitution to the various businesses that he had defrauded.

According to court documents, in November and December 2014, Burroughs entered various businesses in Jacksonville and passed counterfeit $100 Federal Reserve Notes (FRN). On December 1, 2014, he entered a Publix and passed counterfeit FRN. Upon being confronted by Publix employees, Burroughs fled the store on foot. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) soon located Burroughs at a nearby Motel 6 hotel room and detained him. A search of the room resulted in the recovery of additional counterfeit $100 FRN.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service, Jacksonville Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of a third superseding indictment charging Samuel Lee Lynch (29, Tampa), Christopher Marquis Fruster (20, Tampa), Reo Thomas Nance (31, Lakeland), and Brittany Jenae Hall (26, Tampa) with conspiracy, armed robbery, and firearms offenses in connection with five Tampa Bay area armed robberies occurring between March 15, 2015, and April 24, 2015. In addition, Hall has been charged with obstruction of justice for providing false testimony before a federal grand jury.   

Lynch faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted on any one of the six charges related to the robberies. If convicted on all counts, Fruster, Nance, and Hall each face a mandatory minimum penalty of 35, 32, and 10 years’ imprisonment, respectively. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit two firearms and $93,519, which is alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses.

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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Temple Terrace Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.

Tampa, Florida– United States District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. has sentenced Kavin Carter (40, Lake City) to 16 years’ imprisonment for sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud, or coercion. He was also ordered him to pay a $10,000 fine. Carter pleaded guilty on November 24, 2014.

According to the plea agreement, in October 2012, law enforcement officers received information related to human trafficking activities in Lakeland and Lake City. They identified Michael Gallon as a “pimp” who was operating in Florida and the southeastern United States. Gallon recruited adult and minor females to join his “dance team.” He then transported the girls to bachelor parties and house parties that he had arranged. The females danced and performed acts of prostitution at these parties.

Gallon partnered with Carter, who co-hosted parties at his home. Gallon transported the girls, almost every weekend, to Carter’s residence in Lake City. Carter and Gallon set up “VIP” rooms at the parties, and they encouraged the females to engage in commercial sex acts. They charged the women to use these “VIP” rooms and kept most of the money the women had earned. Law enforcement has identified at least 12 minor-aged victims of Gallon’s offenses, and most of these girls engaged in commercial sex acts at Carter’s home.

Michael Gallon (50, Lakeland) previously pleaded guilty for his role in this case. On May 29, 2014, he was sentenced to 33 years and 9 months’ imprisonment for sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud, or coercion and a concurrent term of 20 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography.

“We cannot undo the horrific crimes against the young victims, but this sentence will ensure this criminal cannot cause additional harm,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “The hard work of HSI special agents and the Lakeland Police Department have brought this predator to justice and made our local communities a safer place.”

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Lakeland Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacie B. Harris.

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.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment charging Susan R. Thompson (58, Jacksonville) with two counts of making false statements to a federal officer. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison on each count.

According to the indictment, while working for the Army Corps of Engineers, Thompson placed a printed image of the Confederate battle flag on the desk of an African-American coworker. Thompson then lied on two occasions to an inspector from the Federal Protective Service by stating that she had not placed the image on her coworker’s desk.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless,  and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.

Tampa, Florida - United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Gary Hughes (35, San Diego, CA) and Jason Martin (36, Orange County, CA) with one count of mortgage fraud conspiracy involving bank fraud, and other related substantive charges. Hughes and Martin each face a maximum penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment for each count. The indictment also notifies the individuals that the United States is seeking a forfeiture money judgment for the proceeds of the charged mortgage fraud conspiracy.

According to the indictment 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 apartments to condominium units.

Hughes and Martin’s 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 at The Arbors, 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 condominium units. Bolger and others referred prospective buyers to Hughes and Martin to obtain financing for their unit purchases.

Hughes’s and Martin’s roles in the conspiracy as mortgage brokers consisted of originating mortgages for The Arbors units through Envision Lending and Set 2 Go Loans. The loan applications Martin and 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 their company, HUMAR Investments, Hughes and Martin provided the borrowers cash to close without disclosing the payments to the lenders.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the 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.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Charles Eugene Mears (56, Orange Park) to seven years and six months in federal prison for receiving child pornography over the Internet. He was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and pay $3,000 in restitution to one of the victims.

According to court documents, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent in Jacksonville began an undercover investigation to identify individuals in northeast Florida that were trading images and videos of child pornography over the Internet. The agent identified a computer that was hosting images of child pornography using a file sharing program, and was able to download several of the files. Further investigation traced the host computer to Mears’s residence.

Agents subsequently executed a federal search warrant at Mears’s residence and seized several computers and other electronic media. Forensic analyses of Mears’s laptop revealed that it contained at least 211 videos depicting child pornography, including at least one video depicting the sexual abuse of a toddler.      

This case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. 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 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.

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of a 31-count indictment charging Tampa residents Yannier Arias (29) and Jose Ojeda Vera (25) with conspiracy to commit credit card fraud and identity theft. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison for each conspiracy charge and up to 10 years’ imprisonment for each credit card fraud charge, to be followed by two years in federal prison for the identity theft charges. They were indicted on August 27, 2015.

According to the indictment, Arias and Vera obtained and used counterfeit and unauthorized credit cards that had been encoded with stolen credit card account information. In many cases, the stolen information had been obtained by “skimming” victims’ credit cards at local gas stations. The fraudulent credit cards were embossed and encoded with names and account numbers belonging to individuals who were often unaware that they had been victimized. Many learned that their information had been stolen when they were notified by law enforcement. Arias and Vera allegedly used these stolen identities and credit cards to purchase merchandise from local stores.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.    

This case was investigated by the Financial Crimes Task Force, which includes the United States Secret Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley C. Howard-Allen.

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich has sentenced Jeremy Wayne Sumpter (31, Garland, TX) to 12 months and one day in federal prison for knowingly aiming a laser at an aircraft. He pleaded guilty on March 24, 2015.

According to court documents, on February 14, 2014, aviation officers with the Tampa Police Department (TPD) were flying in a Bell 407 helicopter during aerial patrol when they observed a green light illuminate the cockpit. The officers observed the laser hit the helicopter four times.  They were soon able to locate the suspect who had been standing in the middle of the roadway. As the officers turned the aircraft toward the suspect, he began to run into his residence.

TPD officers made contact with Sumpter at his front door, and observed a broken laser pointer on his coffee table. Sumpter admitted that he had been outside with a laser pointer and that there had been a helicopter in the area where he had been pointing the laser. He also stated that he had destroyed that laser because he thought he was in trouble. Several other lasers were discovered in the residence.

On Feb. 14, 2012, President Barack Obama signed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act, which modernizes the nation's aviation system. This Act establishes a new criminal offense for aiming the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, or at the flight path of such an aircraft. The statute was enacted in response to a growing number of incidents of pilots being distracted or even temporarily blinded by laser beams.

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shauna S. Hale.

Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich has sentenced Alexis Rodriguez (38, Kissimmee) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for distributing more than 100 grams of heroin. He pleaded guilty on June 29, 2015.

According to court documents, in March 2013, DEA agents began investigating Rodriguez as a supply source for cocaine and heroin. On April 4, 2013, a confidential source (CS) traveled to Tampa to meet with Rodriguez. During the meeting, Rodriguez gave the CS approximately 10 grams of a brown powder substance on consignment and requested payment at a later date. The substance tested positive for the presence of heroin.

The CS called Rodriguez three days later and informed him that he had the money for the heroin, and then made arraignments to deliver the money that morning. During that meeting, the CS provided Rodriguez with $950 for the heroin he had previously supplied. The CS informed Rodriguez that his associates were interested in purchasing additional quantities of heroin from Rodriguez, and arrangements were made for another meeting later that day. During that meeting, Rodriguez provided the CS with a plastic bag containing approximately 113 grams of a brown powder substance that also tested positive for heroin.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shauna S. Hale.

Tampa, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara today sentenced Cory Quintana, aka Corey Quintana, (24, Lakeland) to three years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The Court also ordered him to forfeit a Taurus .38-caliber revolver and 18 rounds of ammunition. He pleaded guilty on July 24, 2015.

According to court documents, approximately three months after his release from state prison with felony convictions for aggravated battery and aggravated assault, Quintana’s probation officer found him in possession of a firearm in violation of his probation order.  Because of his prior felony convictions, Quintana also was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office joint Task Force, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Jones.

A Cuban national who had been wanted since 2013 on charges relating to a multi-million dollar health care fraud scheme was arrested on Friday, Oct. 9, 2015, when he arrived in Miami on a flight from Cuba.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III of the Middle District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Paul Wysopal of the FBI’s Tampa Division and Special Agent in Charge Shimon Richmond of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office made the announcement.

Ubert Guillermo Rodriguez, aka Ubert Guillermo Rodriguez Sigler, 47, of Cuba, was charged by indictment, returned on July 31, 2013, with 14 counts of health care fraud.  The indictment was unsealed today following his initial appearance in the Southern District of Florida.

According to the indictment, Rodriguez was the president and owner of G.R. Services Equipment & Supplies Inc. (G.R. Services), a Largo, Florida, company that purported to provide durable medical equipment to Medicare beneficiaries.  The indictment alleges that, between May and July 2013, Rodriguez caused G.R. Services to submit to Medicare approximately $2,579,695 in false and fraudulent claims seeking reimbursement for durable medical equipment that was not prescribed by doctors and not provided to beneficiaries.  For example, according to the indictment, G.R. Services sought thousands of dollars in reimbursement for wound therapy electrical pumps and sterile collagen dressings purportedly provided in 2013 to Medicare beneficiaries who had died in 2010.

Federal law enforcement agents previously seized from the bank account for G.R. Services approximately $243,339 in proceeds from the health care fraud scheme.

The charges and allegations contained in an indictment are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by HHS-OIG and the FBI and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Florida.  This case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Christopher J. Hunter of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged over 2,300 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for over $7 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Team, go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

Guillermo Rodriguez Indictment

Tampa, FL - United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit today affirmed the conviction of Courtnee Brantley of Tampa for misprision of a felony, a crime she committed in the immediate aftermath of her boyfriend Dontae Morris’s murder of Tampa police officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab.

In January 2013, a federal jury in Tampa found Brantley guilty of misprision of a federal felony: Morris’s possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. (A person commits misprision when she knows that someone committed a felony, she fails to notify the authorities about it, and she takes affirmative steps to conceal the felony.) The jury found that Brantley had known that Morris was a convicted felon and that he had possessed the gun that night, that she had not reported the crime to authorities, and that she had taken affirmative steps to conceal Morris’s possession of the firearm from authorities. The evidence at trial showed that Brantley had left the scene immediately after the shootings, had almost immediately begun texting with Morris and pledging her loyalty to him, and had parked her car—backed up against some bushes to conceal the car’s missing license plate—several hundred feet from where she was staying. The district court sentenced her to a year and a day of imprisonment, but allowed her to remain free on bond until the appeal was decided.

On appeal, Brantley argued that she was the victim of selective prosecution, that her prosecution violated her Fifth Amendment rights, and that the evidence was insufficient to support the jury’s guilty verdict. The Court of Appeals rejected all of those arguments. The Court ruled that Brantley had not shown that the decision to prosecute her was based on race or any other arbitrary reason, and the Court further recognized that her prosecution legitimately “publicized the fact that those who conceal evidence about the capital murder of a police officer will be prosecuted and that fact, without question, could have a deterrent effect on others.” The Court also rejected her Fifth Amendment challenge, explaining that “she was not prosecuted for her silence. Rather, she was prosecuted because she knowingly participated in affirmative acts of concealment of Morris’s crime—i.e., (1) hiding herself and the car and (2) calling and texting Morris in an effort to conceal his crime.” Finally, the Court held that the evidence—including Brantley’s text messages and cellphone calls with Morris immediately following the shootings and her decision to conceal the car and herself— provided “sufficient evidence of [her] affirmative acts of concealment to support the jury’s guilty verdict.”

This case was prosecuted in the district court by Assistant United States Attorney Jim Preston. The appeal was handled by Assistant United States Attorney David Rhodes, Chief of the Appellate Division, and Assistant United States Attorney Yvette Rhodes.    

Link to 11th Circuit Opinion

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found Spring Hill residents Glenn and Kathryn Jasen guilty of wire fraud. They each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The sentencing hearings are scheduled for January 11, 2016. They were indicted on July 15, 2015.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, in 2009, the Jasens discovered a sinkhole beneath their home in Hernando County and made a claim to Citizens Property Insurance. Citizens offered the Jasens either a check to compensate for their losses or mitigation of the sinkhole.  Rather than having Citizens repair the developing sinkhole, the Jasens instead chose to receive a check for $153,745.37. But they kept the money and did not repair the sinkhole. The Jasens then made cosmetic repairs to the house and listed it for sale in 2013, but kept the sinkhole a secret from prospective buyers. In fact, on a required Florida real estate disclosure form, the Jasens denied any knowledge of a prior sinkhole or sinkhole claim. The home was ultimately sold to a family with five children. In March 2015, the family heard what sounded like a car crash in the earth beneath their house. They soon discovered a crack running across the floor of the house, and immediately had to evacuate.

This case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Tampa Bay Regional Operations Center. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas N. Palermo.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Charles Cornelius Smith (35, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to failing to appear in federal court for his sentencing hearing. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison that must run consecutively to the sentence that will be imposed in a second federal case involving the passing of counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. No sentencing date has been set for either case.

According to court documents, in December 2014, Smith was indicted on three counts of uttering counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. He was arrested on January 20, 2015, and was released on bail. Smith pleaded guilty on February 6, 2015, and a sentencing hearing was set for May 27, 2015. On the day of sentencing, however, Smith failed to appear. Approximately four months later, Smith was arrested by deputies from the U.S. Marshals Service in Jacksonville.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, Jacksonville Field Office and the U.S. Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Jorge Otano (54, Cape Coral) to 12 years in federal prison and imposed a fine of $15,000.  The Court also entered a money judgment of $1,307,000 against Otano and his wife, Martha Otano, representing the amount of funds involved in a conspiracy to evade transaction reporting requirements.  As partial satisfaction of the money judgment, Otano was ordered to forfeit $870,376.79 that had been seized by law enforcement during the investigation.  He was also ordered to forfeit two vehicles that were involved in the money laundering conspiracy.  Jorge Otano pleaded guilty on February 11, 2015.          

According to court documents, from August 2009, to November 15, 2012, Otano and his wife owned and operated St. Jude’s Pharmacy in Cape Coral. During that period, the pharmacy made a significant profit by filling fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone and charging $4.00 to $12.00 per pill.

From April 2011 to November 15, 2012, the Otanos made structured cash deposits of the proceeds of the illegal narcotics sales into multiple bank accounts. They knew that the money obtained from the sale of oxycodone through the pharmacy was the proceeds of unlawful narcotics distribution. They then used drug proceeds to purchase two residences in Cape Coral, a truck, and a luxury car.

Martha Otano pleaded guilty to conspiracy to evade reporting requirements and substantive acts of evading reporting requirements.  On July 21, 2014, she was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison.   

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Cape Coral Police Department and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David G. Lazarus and Yolande G. Viacava.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Jean Phineas Losier (41, Wellington) to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to deal in counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. A federal jury in Jacksonville convicted him in June 2015. Losier also faces counterfeit manufacturing charges in the Southern District of Florida.

According to trial testimony and court documents, Losier began manufacturing a specific United States counterfeit note (designated by the United States Secret Service as D23548 and D23548A) in 2008. Over the ensuing years, he engaged in a business relationship with co-defendant Mercury Thompson, and others, to sell and pass the counterfeit $100 and $50 notes.

On January 14, 2014, Secret Service agents executed search warrants at a Wellington apartment where Losier had manufactured the notes. The agents seized manufacturing devices and also located bleached genuine $1 Federal Reserve notes, chemicals and chemical residue, as well as other indicators of high volume bleaching. Detailed molds and templates, reflecting the image of genuine United States security watermarks, were located inside the residence. Losier, an artist, had etched the watermark molds.

Forensic analyses of the seized electronic media and counterfeit notes revealed Losier’s detailed manufacturing process, including images of the notes at virtually every stage of the manufacturing process. Investigators were able to forensically match the electronic devices to counterfeit $100 bills seized at various stores in the Jacksonville area during April and May 2010. The forensic comparison of the images also matched $4,200 of counterfeit $100 notes seized from a rental vehicle in which Thompson had been present on July 12, 2012, and $10,000 in $100 counterfeit notes that another individual had purchased from Losier on January 10, 2014.

According to Secret Service forensic examiners, the value of the known counterfeit notes (D23548 and D23548A) passed in the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida since late 2008 is more than $3.5 million. The known amount passed worldwide exceeds $4.3 million. After Losier’s arrest on January 14, 2014, the passing of these designated counterfeit notes ceased almost entirely.

Mercury Thompson (39, Delray Beach) pleaded guilty on May 8, 2015, and was later sentenced to three years in federal prison for his role in the conspiracy.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Delray Beach Police Department, the Boynton Beach Police Department, and the Boca Raton Police Department. The United States Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida participated in this investigation and prosecution.  Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Coolican and A. Tysen Duva prosecuted the Middle District of Florida case.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Jacksonville residents Hezekiah Williams (59) and David Lee Mitchell (53) have pleaded guilty to attempted bank fraud, possession of counterfeit business checks, and aggravated identity theft. Each faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison for the attempted bank fraud charge and up to 10 years in prison for the possession of counterfeit securities charge, to be followed by a consecutive mandatory minimum of 2 years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft offense.

According to the plea agreement, on November 23, 2014, troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol pulled over a vehicle occupied by Williams, Mitchell, and Travis Ware. During the traffic stop, the troopers observed marijuana inside the SUV. 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 ids to cash the checks.

Travis Ware is set to begin trial on November 2, 2015.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol and the United States Secret Service, Jacksonville Field Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment charging Rashan L. Gibson (28, Clermont) with making a false statement to federal investigators. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. 

According to court documents, in January 2015, federal investigators were contacted by an inmate at the Coleman Federal Correctional Institution in Sumter County who claimed that Gibson, a federal corrections officer, had smuggled cigarettes into the facility in exchange for a $500 bribe. In May 2015, investigators monitored an audio and video-recorded meeting between Gibson and the inmate. During that meeting, Gibson and the inmate discussed the previous transaction, as well as a future $5,000 payment for other contraband that Gibson would smuggle into the prison. The inmate also provided Gibson with the name of a contact who could deliver the payment to him.

On August 6, 2015, investigators confronted Gibson about the smuggling operation. During the meeting, Gibson denied smuggling contraband into the prison.  He also claimed that he had not met with the inmate, had not discussed a bribery payment, and had never received the name of a person who would pay him money on the inmate’s behalf.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Alphonso Parker (36, Jacksonville) to 10 years in federal prison for being a convicted felon in possession of multiple firearms. He pleaded guilty on May 28, 2015.

According to court documents, between June and July 2014, Parker sold nine firearms to a confidential informant. At the time, Parker had prior felony convictions for battery, burglary, and aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, and therefore was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 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.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Nicholas Mitko Clark (22, Yulee) to 13 years and 4 months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for transporting child pornography. The Court also ordered him to forfeit the laptop computer and cellphone that he had used to commit the offense. Clark pleaded guilty on January 13, 2015.

According to court documents, in April 2013, Clark used an instant messaging service to chat with an individual in Canada, with whom he exchanged child pornography. During the chat, Clark requested that the individual send him child pornography and advised that he likes children between the ages of and 8 and 13. After receiving an image depicting a young child, Clark responded that he already had that file and requested another one. Clark and the individual proceeded to exchange additional files of child pornography. Through their investigation, law enforcement agents obtained Clark’s cellphone and recovered several additional images of child pornography.

At the time of his arrest, Clark was employed as an afterschool counselor by a youth development organization in Northeast Florida, and worked with children through various churches. He also advertised his babysitting and child transportation services on the Internet.

“This case is especially egregious, as this pedophile actively sought to work with children, in places they should feel safe and secure,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “HSI special agents, and our law enforcement partners like the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, will continue to work diligently to protect our children from predators.”     

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Randy Platfoot (54, Clearwater) today pleaded guilty to making false statements in mortgage loan applications. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. His sentencing is scheduled for December 18, 2015.

According to court documents, between September 2005 and April 2007, Platfoot applied for two separate mortgage loans from Washington Mutual Bank, in connection with the purchase of properties in Myakka City and Sarasota. In the loan documents that Platfoot signed and submitted to the bank, he made false statements about his income and about the lack of subordinate financing in connection with one of the properties. Washington Mutual Bank suffered financial losses after Platfoot defaulted on both loans.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Radbourne Mark Anthony Saleem (40, Palm Coast) to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison for possessing a machinegun and silencer and assaulting a federal officer. He pleaded guilty on November 5, 2014.

According to court documents, on November 1, 2013, Saleem, a previously convicted felon, met with a confidential informant (CI) to discuss purchasing a machinegun, a silencer, and a pistol. During the meeting, Saleem talked with the CI about the advantages of using a silencer to commit home invasion robberies. He also mentioned that he was looking for something to catch the shells. Saleem told the CI that he would sell his “soul to the devil” to get the weapons.

On November 15, 2013, Saleem met with the CI again and bought a .45 caliber pistol with a silencer and a machinegun for $1,000. As agents attempted to arrest him, Saleem began driving toward the agents at a high rate of speed. Saleem was shot several times as he fled the scene. He later hit a vehicle in Flagler County, was ejected from his vehicle, and was subsequently arrested.

“Mr. Saleem is a multi-convicted felon who will be off of our streets and unable to victimize anyone for a long time,” said Special Agent in Charge Regina Lombardo, ATF. “He will no longer be in a position to possess or use firearms. The sentence imposed by the court guarantees that our community will be safe from Mr. Saleem.”

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James D. Mandolfo.

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. It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline strategy to reduce violence in our communities.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Timothy Edward McDermott (61, Palm Coast) to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison for receiving child pornography over the Internet. He pleaded guilty on May 14, 2015.

According to court documents, an FBI agent began an undercover investigation to identify individuals that were trading child pornography over the Internet. The agent determined that McDermott was hosting and trading images of child pornography using a peer-to-peer file sharing program. A search warrant was then executed at McDermott’s residence and his computer was seized. During an interview, McDermott admitted that he had downloaded child pornography from a file sharing website. Forensic analyses of McDermott’s computer revealed that it contained 310 images and 68 videos depicting child pornography, including babies being sexually exploited by adults.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Dallas, Daytona Beach, and Jacksonville; the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office; and the Wheaton (Illinois) Police Department. 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 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.

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment charging Orlando residents Dante Askins (18) and Gregory McDonald (18) with carjacking and using a firearm while committing that offense. Each faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison for the carjacking conviction and a mandatory 7-year consecutive term of imprisonment for the firearm conviction.

According to court documents, on August 12, 2015, Askins and McDonald committed an armed carjacking of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at a hotel in Orlando. The victim, who was on vacation with his family, had gone down to his vehicle in the hotel parking lot to preload his GPS for a trip to Destin the next morning. Askins, McDonald, and two minors approached the victim with a firearm, pistol whipped him, and forced him into the back of his vehicle. The carjackers held the victim for approximately two hours. When OnStar location services contacted the vehicle, the carjackers fled and the victim escaped.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany L. Cummins.

Update: Arraignment has been set for Tuesday, October 6, 2015, at 10:00 AM in Orlando Courtroom 4 C before Magistrate Judge Thomas B. Smith.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Harley Robert Katzaman (29, Palm Bay) to eight years and six months in federal prison for receipt and possession of child pornography.  The Court also ordered him to forfeit a laptop computer that had been used to commit the offenses.  Katzaman pleaded guilty on April 29, 2015.

According to court documents, in November 2014, an FBI Task Force agent in Brevard County began an undercover operation to identify persons using peer-to-peer file sharing software to distribute images of child pornography on the Internet. The agent identified a residence in Palm Bay where a computer was downloading child pornography. During the execution of a search warrant at that residence, one of the occupants told agents that he had given his Wi-Fi password to his neighbor, later identified as Katzaman. Agents confronted Katzaman, who confessed that he had recently been accessing his neighbor’s Wi-Fi and for several years had been using a file-sharing program to search for and download child pornography. A forensic examination of his laptop revealed 22 movie files containing child pornography that had been downloaded over a two-year period.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Task Force in Brevard County. It was being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bruce S. Ambrose.

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.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Marcos Rogelio Blake (24, New York) has pleaded guilty to manufacturing and passing counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes (FRN), and possessing counterfeit business checks. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for the manufacturing and possession charge and for the possession charge, and up to 10 years in federal prison for the counterfeit check charge. Blake has also agreed to forfeit the monetary proceeds he obtained by passing of the counterfeit notes, as well as the computer media he used to manufacture them. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, in January 2015, Blake and his co-defendants, Ralph Darel Lipsey and Leon White, passed or attempted to pass counterfeit FRNs at multiple businesses in Nassau County. Law enforcement officers subsequently issued an alert for the three individuals’ vehicle. On January 17, 2015, a deputy from the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office stopped the vehicle with the three men inside. Blake, who was driving the vehicle, was detained due to a suspended license. During a search, the deputy found genuine and counterfeit FRNs on Blake. An inventory search of the vehicle yielded additional counterfeit notes, two bags, and a lock box. A search of one bag belonging to Blake revealed counterfeit business checks, including two that were made out to him. The lock box contained a multi-function printer and supplies used to manufacture counterfeit FRNs.

Co-defendants Lipsey and White are scheduled for trial on November 2, 2015.

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 Nassau County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service, Jacksonville Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found Jeffrey F. Bohn (55, Riverview) guilty of two counts of making false statements to government investigators. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set.

Bohn was indicted on June 3, 2015.

According to evidence presented at trial, beginning in or around September 2006, and continuing through at least February 2007, Bohn engaged in a personal and sexual relationship with “Individual A.” At the time of this relationship, Bohn was employed as an Immigration Services Officer with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in Tampa.

Bohn met “Individual A,” a foreign national, on September 11, 2006, when she attended an interview at USCIS regarding an application to adjust her children’s residency status. During the interview, Bohn and “Individual A” exchanged phone numbers. He further suggested to “Individual A” that she attempt to adjust her citizenship status as well.  Thereafter, Bohn and “Individual A” engaged in a personal and sexual relationship that lasted until at least February 2007.  “Individual A” remains a foreign national, and is not a citizen or national of the United States.

When agents from the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General (DHS OIG) became aware of the allegations, they interviewed Bohn twice.  Both times he denied knowing or having sex with “Individual A.”

“The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General applauds the outstanding efforts of the prosecution team during this investigation and the subsequent trial,” said Jay H. Donly, Special Agent in Charge, Miami Field Office, DHS OIG.    “These types of criminal cases will be not be tolerated and the offenders will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law. The DHS OIG would like to thank the U.S. Attorney's Office for their prosecutorial efforts and the vital cooperation and guidance they provided during the investigation and subsequent trial.”

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney.

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Tiffani Pye Williams to ten years and three months in federal prison for theft of government property and aggravated identity theft stemming from her participation in a tax fraud scheme.  She was also ordered to pay $1,533,283 in restitution to the United States Treasury.  Williams pleaded guilty on April 23, 2015.

According to court documents, from 2010 to 2014, Williams, using various aliases, participated in a scheme to defraud the IRS.  As part of the scheme, she and others possessed, transferred, and used the means of identification of others, without their knowledge, to file fraudulent federal income tax returns.  The fraudulently obtained tax refunds were wired from the IRS to reloadable debit cards. Williams and others then used these debit cards at various ATMs and retail stores.

Investigators determined that Williams, together with others, filed more than 1,000 fraudulent tax returns using the stolen identities of approximately 991 individuals, many of whom were deceased at the time of filing.  In filing these false returns, she and others claimed more than $5.3 million in refunds, and received approximately $1.5 million.

Williams’ alleged co-conspirator, Bobby Muhammad, was charged separately with conspiracy, theft of government property, and identity theft. His trial is scheduled in November 2015.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mandy Riedel.

The owner of an Orlando health care clinic was sentenced today to five years in prison for engaging in a $2.4 million health care fraud scheme.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III of the Middle District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Shimon R. Richmond of the U.S. Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Florida region made the announcement.

Juan Carlos Delgado, 58, and Nereyda Infante, 48, both of Orlando, pleaded guilty on June 24, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron of the Middle District of Florida to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.  Infante, Delgado’s wife, who was also an owner of the health care clinic, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison.  In addition to imposing the prison terms, the court ordered the defendants to pay $1,520,850 in restitution and to forfeit $1,520,850.

Delgado and Infante owned and operated several health care clinics in Orlando, Florida, under variations of the name Prestige Medical.  According to admissions made in connection with their guilty pleas, between February 2012 and September 2014, the defendants fraudulently billed Medicare on behalf of the Prestige clinics for services that were never provided and for medications that were not prescribed or administered.  In particular, Delgado and Infante admitted to billing Medicare for pentostatin, an expensive anticancer chemotherapeutic medication used to treat Leukemia, despite never administering the drug.  Delgado and Infante admitted also that, to further the scheme, they submitted false documents to Medicare regarding the ownership and operation of the Prestige Clinics.

In connection with the scheme, the defendants billed Medicare approximately $2.4 million, over $1.2 million of which was for pentostatin.  Medicare paid approximately $1.5 million on the fraudulent claims.

The case is being investigated by the HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Florida.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Andrew H. Warren of the Fraud Section.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged over 2,300 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for over $7 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found Dr. David M. Pon (57, Windermere) guilty of 20 counts of health care fraud connected to his scheme to defraud the Medicare program.  He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each count.  Following the jury’s verdict, the Court remanded Pon to the custody of the United States Marshals Service.  His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 14, 2016.

Pon was indicted on April 24, 2014.

According to testimony and evidence presented during the past four weeks, Pon intentionally and fraudulently misdiagnosed more than 500 Medicare beneficiaries as suffering from wet macular degeneration, a degenerative and incurable disease. Pon then used his false diagnoses to bill the Medicare program for unnecessary diagnostic testing and unwarranted laser treatments.  In connection with the unnecessary testing, Pon injected his victims with various dyes that posed potential serious health risks, including cardiac arrest.  Several of the misdiagnosed patients testified and explained the significant emotional impact the false diagnosis had on their lives, including the fear of going blind as a result of the disease.  During the scheme to defraud Medicare, Pon operated two medical offices, one in Leesburg and another in Orlando.

“Misdiagnosing patients to provide invasive, potentially harmful services just to falsely bill Medicare is unconscionable” said Special Agent in Charge Shimon Richmond.  “HHS-OIG will vehemently investigate those who would harm our seniors and steal from the Medicare program.”

“Protecting seniors from fraud is a top priority of our Office,” said United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III.  “The fraud committed by Dr. Pon, a well-trained ophthalmologist, was particularly egregious.  He abused his position of trust and falsely diagnosed hundreds of Medicare patients with wet macular degeneration, a progressive eye disease that can lead to blindness.  He instilled fear in his victims, performed unnecessary and sometimes dangerous medical procedures on their eyes, and asked the taxpayers of this country to pick up the tab.”

This case was investigated by United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark B. Devereaux and Mac D. Heavener.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan today sentenced Jacksonville residents Victor Antinio Burks (28) and Yamil Sanchez (33) for stealing mail from a U.S. Postal Service contract facility.  Burks was sentenced to 79 days’ imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release and 100 hours of community service.  Sanchez was sentenced to two years’ probation, a $500 fine, and 100 hours of community service.  Both individuals pleaded guilty in June 2015.

According to court documents, Burks and Sanchez worked at a Jacksonville mail distribution facility operated by a contractor for the U.S. Postal Service.  Between March and November 2014, Burks stole numerous items from the mail including 7 televisions, a tablet computer, 15-20 cellphones, 20-25 purses, and a videogame console.  He admitted to agents that he had pawned the televisions and the tablet, and sold the rest of the items, estimating that he had made about $2,500 to $3,000.

Sanchez stole items from the mail for about two years, ending in the summer of 2014.  He admitted that he had stolen a laptop computer, a compound bow, and a set of golf clubs, all of which he pawned. Sanchez also admitted to stealing a television that he later sold at a flea market.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.

Ocala, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Wm. Terrell Hodges has sentenced Bryan T. Zuzga (39, Coldwater, Michigan) to 6 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  He was also ordered to pay more than $10.7 million in restitution. Zuzga pleaded guilty on June 17, 2015.

According to court documents, Zuzga and his two conspirators, Jenifer E. Hoffman (38, Clermont) and John C. Boschert (43, Apopka), defrauded over $11 million from more than 100 victims through investments offered in connection with a company called Assured Capital Consultants. As part of their solicitations, the conspirators represented to investors that money would be placed in a Performing Private Placement Investment, and that Boschert had connections to the trading program being used. Investors were told that their investments would be safe and that none of their money would leave the attorney escrow account that belonged to Zuzga, who was represented as being an attorney licensed in Florida. Investors were further advised that their funds would be used as collateral for a line of credit, which would then be used in trading.

None of those representations were true. Zuzga was not an attorney licensed in Florida or any other state, and the funds were not deposited into any escrow account controlled by him. Instead, the three operated a scheme in which money from later investors was paid to earlier investors. The three also used some of the money from the scheme for themselves, including purchasing residences for Hoffman and Zuzga.

In a prior civil proceeding, the United States forfeited two residences belonging to Hoffman and Zuzga, which had been purchased with proceeds from the scheme. The government obtained more than $850,000 from the sale of the properties. The proceeds from those sales were distributed to the victims of the scheme.       

Boschert previously pleaded guilty for his role in this case, and was sentenced to nine years in federal prison on June 23, 2015. Hoffman has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of making a false tax return. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 22, 2015.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Roger B. Handberg, James Mandolfo, and Nicole M. Andrejko.

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury has found Jose Benitez, Jr. (46, Cape Coral) guilty of bank robbery with a dangerous weapon.  He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.  His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 4, 2016. Benitez was indicted on October 29, 2014.

According to evidence presented at trial, on October 8, 2014, Benitez robbed the Iberia Bank located at 812 Del Prado Boulevard South in Cape Coral.  During the commission of the robbery, he walked into the bank dressed all in black with his face covered.  He pointed a weapon at various bank employees, putting them in fear of their lives.  He also threatened the employees, and forced them to get on the ground. Benitez fled the bank after the robbery, but left his glasses behind. A fingerprint recovered from the glasses was traced to Benitez.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cape Coral Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael C. Baggé-Hernández.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich today sentenced Sylvester Banks (56, Clearwater) to two years and three months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to commit stolen identity refund fraud. He was ordered to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $755,900.00.  The Court also entered a money judgment in the same amount.

Banks pleaded guilty on June 18, 2015.

According to court documents, between April 2011 and March 2013, Banks received and deposited into his bank account approximately $755,900 in U.S. Treasury and other checks, which were all made payable to persons other than himself. Those checks were income tax refund checks that were the result of numerous false and fraudulently filed income tax returns. During an interview with federal agents in February 2015, Banks acknowledged that he had realized that the checks were fraudulent income tax refund proceeds, and that it was unlawful for him to have received and deposited them into his own account.      

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces today that Ronald Eugene Mabrey, Jr. (34, Callahan) has pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography over the Internet.  He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison.  A sentencing hearing has not yet been set. Mabrey has been in custody since his arrest.

According to court documents, on July 28, 2015, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Mabrey’s residence.  During an interview, Mabrey admitted that he had searched for, downloaded, and viewed “all types” of child pornography, and he stated that his addiction to child pornography had started about four years ago.  A subsequent forensic examination of Mabrey’s laptop and a thumb drive revealed more than 190 videos and at least 4,000 images depicting child pornography.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Gregory A. Vaughn (58, Seminole County) has pleaded guilty to enticement of a minor, and production and receipt of child pornography.  He faces 10 years, up to life, in prison, for the enticement charge; a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, for the production charge; and 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison for the receipt charge. His sentencing hearing has been set for December 11, 2015.

According to court documents, during a span of two years, Vaughn groomed and persuaded a minor to produce and send him images depicting child pornography. He informed the girl that he wanted to pay for the pictures, and he structured a pay chart for the types of photographs she should take and send to him.  Vaughn mailed the girl money, books, candy, clothes, underwear, and makeup in exchange for the pictures she had sent him.

Vaughn’s cellphone and computer were searched pursuant to a state search warrant and agents were able to recover images of the victim and other children from his computer.  Agents also interviewed another victim, who also had been groomed and enticed into producing child pornography by Vaughn.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera Miranda.

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 the 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.

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury has found Andrew Pieters (30, Orlando) guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and attempting to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each charge.  His sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 10, 2015.

According to evidence presented at trial, in 2013, Pieters was a top-level distributor of methylone in central Florida.  Methylone is a schedule I controlled substance similar to Ecstasy and can cause overheating, dehydration, and death. The methylone Pieters distributed had been imported from China and purchased through the Silk Road, an online marketplace that was used to facilitate the purchase and sale of illegal drugs and other contraband.

Between January and August 2013, Pieters distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars of methylone.  Federal agents arrested him on January 9, 2015, as he was attempting to take possession of a kilogram of suspected methylone.  Prior to his arrest, Pieters had planned to distribute at least a kilogram per week of methylone in central Florida.

Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey T. Walsh stated, “DEA will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office in order to identify and bring to justice any persons importing and distributing illegal narcotics in the Central Florida region.  We will continue to dedicate any resources necessary to identify emerging trends and methods that are utilized by these drug trafficking organizations.” 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the West Orange Narcotics Task Force, which is directed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and comprised of multiple local agencies.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Bishop Ravenel.

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the filing of an information and plea agreement charging Sandra K. Shepherd (53, Tampa) with making a false statement to the Social Security Administration. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. In her plea agreement, Shepherd has also agreed to make full restitution to the Social Security Administration program (SSA), or its designee.

According to court documents, the Hillsborough Achievement and Resource Centers (HARC), formerly the Hillsborough Association for Retarded Citizens, was established in 1953 to positively impact the future for all people living with developmental disabilities, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome. HARC opened and operated group homes that served its target client population. HARC also spearheaded various community programs for its clients focused on inclusion activities for youths, adults, and seniors with disabilities.

Many of the HARC clients received SSA benefits due to various developmental disabilities. For certain HARC clients who lacked the capacity to manage their own SSA benefits, SSA approved one or more HARC officials to act as a “Representative Payee” to receive a particular client’s benefits and to use them exclusively for that client’s benefit. As a Representative Payee, the HARC official was required to complete and submit to the SSA a “Representative Payee Report” that included certain information about each HARC client’s living situation and the financial benefits received and expended on behalf of that client.   

Shepherd began volunteering at HARC in 2010, and she was later hired to work as a HARC client finance manager. As a client finance manager, one of Shepherd’s duties was to annually assist the HARC CFO in completing and submitting to the SSA a Representative Payee Report for each developmentally disabled HARC client for whom HARC had acted as a Representative Payee.

In March 2011, Shepherd learned that certain HARC clients’ SSA funds—purportedly allocated solely for the HARC clients’ personal needs and use—had been wrongfully diverted by HARC executives from the clients for other purposes. Shepherd raised the wrongful diversion of the clients’ funds with the CFO, who acknowledged the conduct and quipped that the HARC CEO was “going to look good in orange.” Shepherd also discussed the diversion of the funds with the prior HARC CFO, who likewise acknowledged the wrongfulness of the diversion.

Notwithstanding her knowledge of the wrongful diversion of HARC client funds, Shepherd continued to complete false and fraudulent Representative Payee Reports relating to developmentally disabled HARC clients that stated, in pertinent part, that SSA benefits had been spent solely for particular HARC clients (for such items and services as clothing, education, medical and dental expenses, recreation, or other personal items), when that was not the case. Shepherd then provided the fraudulent payee reports to the HARC CFO for signature and mailed the reports to the SSA.

In June 2013, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a Verified Complaint for Forfeiture In Rem in a related case (Case No. 8:13-Cv-1601-T-17TBM), seeking the forfeiture of $87,000 held in a Synovus Bank account. That complaint raised like allegations—that HARC clients’ SSA benefits had been wrongfully diverted from the clients and used by HARC for other purposes—and was supported by facts contained in the sworn affidavit of a special agent with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General. On September 30, 2013, the district court entered a Default Judgment of Forfeiture in which the court ordered the forfeiture of the $87,000 to the United States.      

"I want to thank United States Attorney Lee Bentley and all the government agencies involved in investigating this important case,” said Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. “After multiple discussions between our offices, we determined the U.S. Attorney’s Office was best situated to handle this case and we are pleased with today’s announcement."

“Social Security payments are a lifeline for many Americans.  The Office of the Inspector General has no higher priority than the investigation and prosecution of those who violate the public trust of vulnerable beneficiaries,” stated Special Agent-in-Charge Margaret Moore-Jackson, SSA-Office of the Inspector General. “I’m grateful that the U.S. Attorney’s Office shares our determination to ensure the integrity of SSA’s programs.”

"Stealing government checks meant to cover the personal expenses of developmentally delayed clients in your care just to enrich yourself is a serious betrayal of trust," said Special Agent in charge Shimon R. Richmond. "Our agency is dedicated to ensuring the integrity of taxpayer-funded programs and the well-being of the often vulnerable beneficiaries of those programs."

An information 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 is being investigated by the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of the Inspector General, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, along with the State of Florida’s Department of Financial Services - Office of Fiscal Integrity. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay G. Trezevant.

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Raymond Rodriguez (52, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Rodriguez and his wife owned and operated Rodriguez Auto Wholesale in Tampa. Between 2009 and the end of 2012, Raymond Rodriguez, acting alone and with others, knowingly sold vehicles to individuals who had paid with proceeds from illegal narcotics sales and/or stolen identity refund fraud. Rodriguez, who knew that the funds had been obtained illegally, agreed to disguise the large cash transactions from the government in a number of ways. First, he agreed to accept large cash payments for vehicles without filing Form 8300 with the Internal Revenue Service, as required by law. He also agreed to place vehicles in the names of straw buyers. By doing this, law enforcement and other government agencies would not be aware of the true owners of the cars or the illegal proceeds used to purchase them. Rodriguez also promised purchasers that he would keep a lien on certain vehicles, despite receiving payment in full, so that if those vehicles were seized by law enforcement authorities, he could reclaim the vehicles and return them to the purchaser and/or their family members.

In total, between 2009 and 2013, Rodriguez and his co-conspirators laundered at least $1,751,648 in illegal drug and SIRF proceeds through Rodriguez Auto Wholesale, via the sale of approximately 87 vehicles.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mandy Riedel.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John E. Steele today sentenced George Borroto (23, Lehigh Acres) to four years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. He pleaded guilty on February 25, 2015.

According to court documents, from at least July 8, 2014, through August 25, 2014, Borroto knowingly possessed child pornography. During the execution of a search warrant at his home on August 25, 2014, agents located and seized Borroto’s cellphone. A forensic examination of the phone subsequently revealed 88 images depicting child pornography, along with a messaging app that Borroto’s had downloaded and used for chatting with others and for receiving child pornography.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. 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.

TAMPA, FL - The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), today announced funding awards to five cities and counties in the Middle District of Florida. These grants, totaling $2,096,297, are intended to create, and in some cases protect, 17 law enforcement positions. Over $107 million will be awarded nationally, through the COPS Hiring Program (CHP).

The list of this year’s grantees includes the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office; the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office; the Orange County Sheriff’s Office; the Rockledge Police Department; and the South Daytona Police Department.

“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country in addressing their most critical public safety issues,” said Ronald L. Davis, Director of the COPS Office. “These grants are not simply about putting more officers on the street, they are about expanding the capacity of law enforcement agencies to engage in community policing.”

CHP provides grants to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides salaries and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.

“Community policing is critical in fostering and sustaining strong relationships between local law enforcement and the communities they serve,” said U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III. “The partnerships developed through these efforts create the dialogue necessary to build trust at all levels. Our Office is excited that five of our local law enforcement partners will have additional funding to enhance community policing within their jurisdictions.”

Priority consideration was given this year to agencies that selected any of the Building Trust focus areas or School Based Policing through School Resource Officers.  All applicants were encouraged to refer to the report of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing for suggested actions to incorporate into their proposed community policing strategy.

The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has invested over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 127,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.

For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2015 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

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Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich today sentenced Charvester Anthony to four years and three months in federal prison for receiving stolen government property.  As part of his sentence, the Court entered a money judgment in the amount of $31,000, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct. A federal jury found him guilty on June 18, 2015.

According to court documents, Anthony, who owned and operated several restaurants in Tampa, received and cashed more than 30 federal income tax return checks, knowing that they had been obtained by fraud.  The checks totaled more than $250,000.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bob Mosakowski.

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell today sentenced Sandi S. McGann (30, St. Petersburg) to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to entice and coerce minors to engage in illegal sexual activity, and for transferring obscene matter to individuals that he believed were under the age of 16.

According to court documents, between December 10, 2014, and February 12, 2015, McGann communicated online and attempted to persuade a 14-year-old “child” to engage in illegal sexual activity with him.  The “child” actually was an undercover agent from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations posing as a ninth grade girl living in Clearwater.  Further investigation revealed that McGann had also engaged in sexually explicit online chats with another Homeland Security agent posing as a child online.  He also communicated online with a 14-year “child” living in California named “Amanda.” “Amanda” was actually the founder of the “Demand Project,” a nonprofit organization in Oklahoma designed to help law enforcement identify individuals who pose a risk to children.  During the various online chat sessions with individuals McGann believed were under the age of 16, McGann repeatedly masturbated while on his webcam.

“Predators who target innocent children for their own criminal gratification are warned that law enforcement will not rest until they are brought to justice,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “HSI, along with our federal, state, and local partners, will continue identifying and arresting those who would even attempt to victimize the young and defenseless in such a deplorable way.”

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda C. Kaiser.

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 the 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.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced today that Gioacchino Campo (57, Palm Coast) has pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography over the Internet.  He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, an FBI agent in Jacksonville began an undercover investigation to identify individuals that were accessing or trading images or videos depicting child pornography over the Internet. The agent identified a computer that was hosting images using a file sharing program, and the agent was able to download several files depicting child pornography from that computer. The computer was traced to Campo’s residence.

On March 11, 2014, agents and officers executed a federal search warrant at Campo’s residence and seized computers and other electronic media. During an interview, Campo stated that he had been downloading child pornography, and first became involved with it about five years ago. Forensic analyses of Campo’s computer revealed that it contained at least 50 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and Daytona Beach. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that David Brooks (44, Ohio) has pleaded guilty to mail fraud.  He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

According to the plea agreement, in October 2011, Brooks was hired as the Financial Accounting Manager at Coastal Orthopedics and Sports Medicine of Southwest Florida (Coastal), located in Bradenton. While working for Coastal, Brooks was convicted of theft, money laundering, and other fraud-related offenses in Ohio.  In June 2013, after discovering this information, Coastal fired Brooks and commenced a review of its books and records.

Between January 2012 and June 19, 2013, Coastal found that Brooks had used company accounts to purchase more than $700,000 in American Express gift cards that he then used for personal expenses, including legal fees associated with his Ohio criminal case.  He also had diverted payroll funds to himself above his normal salary.  Brooks had altered the company’s books and records to cover up his actions.

In one instance, Brooks used ten different gift cards, paid for with Coastal’s funds, to purchase a 2012 Jeep Liberty.  The gift cards were shipped to Brooks at Coastal on March 15, 2012, and four days later he used them to purchase the vehicle.

In total, Brooks used $702,091.60 of Coastal’s funds to purchase the gift cards for his own use.  Together with the funds he diverted to pay himself over and above his salary, he defrauded the company out of approximately $858,883.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Bradenton Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mandy Riedel.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Brendan Bolger (41, Chicago, IL) to two years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank, wire, and mail fraud. The Court also entered a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $13,641,197.90, which represents the fraud perpetrated on the mortgage lenders. Bolger pleaded guilty on August 20, 2014.

According to court documents, in 2005, entities controlled by co-conspirators entered into a contract to purchase The Arbors, an apartment complex in Hillsborough County. The new owners of The Arbors then engaged in a plan to convert the complex from rental apartments to condominiums. The developers financed their purchase of The Arbors with a loan from Corus Bank, a financial institution whose deposits were insured by the FDIC. The Corus loan agreement set forth substantial financial penalties for the developers if they failed to satisfy the loan requirements.

Bolger aided the developers in the sale of numerous condominiums at The Arbors through his company, Capital Management Guarantee, LLC. In order to induce buyers to purchase condominiums at The Arbors, 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 condominium’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 both Corus Bank and to the purchasers’ mortgage lenders material facts about the financing of the sale of the condominiums.

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.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced Kevin Eugene McKnight (31, Sarasota) to six years and five months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He pleaded guilty on July 8, 2015.

According to court documents, in October 2014, McKnight sold a handgun and oxycodone pills to an undercover detective from the Sarasota Police Department. Prior to this incident, McKnight had multiple prior felony convictions. As a result, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Sarasota Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael V. Leeman.

It 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 Bentley, along with Regina Lombardo, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida. It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline strategy to reduce violence in our communities.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington today sentenced Steven Staltare to three years and one month in federal prison for tax evasion. The Court also ordered restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $1,689,248. Staltare pleaded guilty on December 16, 2014.

According to court documents, Staltare was a securities broker and evaded paying taxes on income that he had earned during tax years 1999 through 2009. During the same time period that he failed to report and pay taxes on his income, he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle and diverted money from his business for gambling and personal expenses.   

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. It was being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.