Middle District of Florida
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
U.S. Attorney Presents Equitable Sharing Funds to Law Enforcement PartnersRead the Press Release
United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Michelle S. Klimt, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Marshal William Berger, today announce the distribution of more than $400,000 of criminally forfeited funds to seven law enforcement agencies for their participation in the successful federal prosecution of Dennis Devlin. Pursuant to the Department of Justice Equitable Sharing Program, the funds were distributed to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the Daytona Beach Police Department, the South Daytona Beach Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Department of Financial Services, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety Department. The presentation of funds took place today at the Volusia County Emergency Operations Center in Daytona Beach.
In July 2011, Dennis Brian Devlin, of Daytona Beach, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a minor. According to court documents, on more than one occasion in January 2011, Devlin persuaded a 13-year-old child to engage in sexually explicit conduct at the Desert Inn in Daytona Beach. He then used an iPhone and video camera, to take sexually explicit pictures and video of the child. On February 2, 2011, agents executed a federal search warrant at the Desert Inn where Devlin lived and found several iPhones and numerous CDs and DVDs concealed in the ceiling of Devlin's bathroom that contained sexually explicit images of the child and other images depicting child pornography.
As part of Devlin's sentence, the court ordered Devlin to forfeit his interest in the Desert Inn, because he had used the hotel to facilitate the crimes for which he was convicted. The forfeited funds were obtained from the sale of the Desert Inn.
The titled owner of the Desert Inn, Deslin Hotels, Inc., filed a claim to contest the forfeiture of the hotel because it alleged that Devlin did not have an interest in the hotel. After several months of litigation, a settlement was reached wherein Deslin Hotels, Inc. conceded to the forfeiture of $1,552,588.62, which represents Devlin's interest in the proceeds obtained from the recent sale of the Desert Inn.
Under federal forfeiture laws, criminals can be stripped of assets that were used illegally or purchased with proceeds of illegal activity. The Asset Forfeiture Program takes the profit out of crime and the Equitable Sharing Program provides crime fighting resources to state and local law enforcement. Asset forfeiture and equitable sharing are valuable law enforcement tools that send a clear message that crime does not pay.This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karen Gable. The forfeitures were handled by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole M. Andrejko. The U.S. Marshals Service was responsible for depositing and distributing the forfeited funds.
The various law enforcement agencies involved provided critical assistance during the investigation, including identifying, locating, and interviewing victims, executing federal search warrants, and processing the evidence in the case.The 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 exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Orlando Man Convicted of Shining Laser at Orange County Sheriff’s Office HelicopterRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury has found Joseph Parrott (31, Orlando) guilty of aiming the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. Parrott faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 2, 2015. Parrott was indicted on September 3, 2014.
According to testimony presented at trial, at approximately 3:00 a.m. on July 2, 2014, an Orange County Sheriff’s Office helicopter was responding to an attempted burglary in Orlando near East Colonial Drive. While flying to the scene, a bright green light, later determined to be a laser beam, repeatedly illuminated the helicopter’s cockpit. Deputies in the helicopter traced the source of the laser beam to a car on East Colonial Drive. Deputies on the ground pulled the car over. Evidence at trial proved that Parrott, a passenger in the car, knowingly aimed the laser beam at the helicopter at least four times.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher LaForgia and Embry J. Kidd.
Previously Convicted Middleburg Sexual Predator Sentenced for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard today sentenced Orlando Justino Gomez (55, Middleburg) to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison for possessing child pornography. The court also ordered him to serve a seven-year term of supervision upon completion of his prison sentence. Gomez, who is already a registered sexual predator as the result of a prior state conviction for attempted capital sexual battery, was also ordered to register as a sexual offender pursuant to federal law. He pleaded guilty on July 18, 2014.
According to court documents and evidence presented at the sentencing hearing, on June 10, 2014, Gomez was found to be in possession of multiple images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diidri Robinson.
It was another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Green Cove Springs Convenience Store Owners Sentenced for Income Tax Refund FraudRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia M. Howard today sentenced Abass Issa to 38 months in federal prison and Antoun Arbaji to 24 months in federal prison for theft of government property. The court also ordered each to serve a three-year term of supervision following their incarceration, and to repay the United States a total of $1,566,819.45 in restitution. Arbaji and Issa pleaded guilty on May 27, 2014, and June 26, 2014, respectively.
According to court documents, Arbaji owned and operated a Fina Express convenience store in Green Cove Springs. Issa owned and operated V&J Stores, Inc., another convenience store in Green Cove Springs. Beginning in 2011, Issa began obtaining known fraudulent IRS refund checks from a source in Tampa. The checks were either in the form of United States Treasury checks or tax refund anticipation loans. Many of the refund checks were issued in the names of deceased individuals, though some were issued in the names of living taxpayers. Over 200 stolen identities were involved in the scheme.
After Issa obtained the checks in bulk from his source in Tampa, he then located individuals, like Arbaji, to cash the checks in exchange for a fee. All proceeds were given to Issa, who kept a portion, and then returned the remainder to his Tampa source. During 2011, Issa and Arbaji used Arbaji’s bank account to cash $1,512,607 in fraudulent United States Treasury checks and $406,795 in fraudulent refund anticipation loans. Prior to indictment, the United States seized $352,584 from Arbaji’s bank account.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mac D. Heavener, III.
Mexican Citizen Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Transport A Child for Illegal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced today that Javier Guerrero Molina (age 34, Mexico) has pleaded guilty to attempting to transport a minor child from Las Vegas to Jacksonville with the intent that the child engage in sexual activity with him. Molina is a citizen of Mexico, and an immigration detainer has been placed on him. He faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, up to a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Molina was arrested on May 30, 2014, at the Jacksonville International Airport, and he has been in custody since that time.
According to court documents, on May 29, 2014, officers with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority Police Department (JAAPD) received a telephone call from an individual who advised that a female child had disappeared from her home in Las Vegas and was believed to be traveling by air to Jacksonville. JAAPD officers learned that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) had made a “missing persons” entry regarding a 14-year old girl with the same name. A check of airline manifests confirmed that this child was listed as a passenger on board a flight from Las Vegas to Jacksonville, with a connection in Charlotte, North Carolina. JAAPD coordinated with officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department (CMPD), who intercepted the child at the Charlotte International Airport and took her into protective custody. The child had been scheduled to board a flight from Charlotte to Jacksonville that was due to arrive shortly after midnight on May 30, 2014.
As the expected arrival time for the Jacksonville flight approached, a JAAPD officer observed Javier Guerrero Molina in a waiting area in the Jacksonville International Airport lobby. When asked by the officer, Molina advised that he was there to meet a passenger. Molina was subsequently detained.
During an interview, Molina admitted that he had entered the United States in 1999 or 2000 by paying a smuggler $700 to help him cross the border on foot near Laredo, Texas. Molina stated that he had previously engaged in sexual activity with the child in Jacksonville, before she and her family moved to Las Vegas. He also stated that he had sent the child money to pay for a one-way airline ticket from Las Vegas to Jacksonville, and that he expected their sexual relationship to continue when the child returned to Jacksonville.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority Police Department, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Jacksonville and Charlotte, North Carolina), the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and the Jacksonville State Attorney’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge of Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Arnold Bernard Conrad, Jr. (51, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and life term of supervised release. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, a detective from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office began an undercover operation to identify persons using a particular Internet file sharing program to obtain and share child pornography. During the investigation, the detective determined that Conrad was offering images of child pornography for distribution.
On December 15, 2011, a search warrant was executed at Conrad’s residence and two laptops and three external hard drives were seized. During an interview, Conrad stated, among other things, that the age of the youngest child in any of the downloaded child pornography was “maybe six.” Subsequent forensic analyses revealed that the computer media contained 504 images and 145 videos depicting child pornography.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff=s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Hardee County Man Sentenced to More Than 8 Years for Trafficking in MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has sentenced Jefferson Lee Kirkland (68, Zolfo Springs) to eight years and one month in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine. He pleaded guilty on August 12, 2014.
According to court documents, on March 27, 2014, Kirkland sold a pound of methamphetamine to a confidential source working for DEA. He was arrested later that day. During a search of Kirkland’s residence agents found an additional 5.5 ounces of methamphetamine, a .22 caliber handgun, and a shotgun. Kirkland identified his source of supply as his co-defendant, Jerry Mendez. Agents then arrested Mendez and executed a search warrant at his residence. Inside, they found one pound of pure methamphetamine in a kitchen freezer and a smaller amount of methamphetamine in a bedroom. They also found approximately 100 grams of cocaine powder, $12,400 in currency, and 3 handguns with ammunition inside the home. Mendez later admitted to having another 3 pounds of methamphetamine in the attic of his residence, which the agents found and seized. On September 23, 2014, Mendez pleaded guilty to the same charge as Kirkland. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, 2014. The firearms and cash seized during the course of the investigation have been administratively forfeited.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kathy J.M. Peluso.
Army Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Theft of Military EquipmentRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, announces that Luis Rafael Infantes (21, Elizabethtown, KY) has pleaded guilty to theft of government property. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Infantes’s father, Pedro Luis Infantes, previously entered a guilty plea to the same charge on October 21, 2014. His sentencing date has been scheduled for January 22, 2015.
According to the plea agreement, on July 11, 2014, Infantes and his father unwittingly met with a confidential source who was working in cooperation with law enforcement. Infantes and his father believed that the source had connections to potential buyers affiliated with Mexican drug trafficking organizations. Ultimately, Infantes and his father negotiated a sale price of $153,500 for 17 military-grade, thermal- imaging monoculars, rifle cleaning kits, and other assorted military equipment that had been stolen from the government.
When the father later attempted to complete the transaction, he was arrested and interviewed by the FBI. The father provided false statements to agents about how he had acquired the military items and how the serial numbers on the items had been removed. Pedro Luis Infantes stated that he had purchased the equipment in that condition at assorted gun shows. In reality, Luis Rafael Infantes, an active-duty supply sergeant for the United States Army, had stolen the items from the Fort Knox military installation.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
Seffner Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years for Unlawfully Possessing A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Shon Erik Scott (29, Seffner) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Scott pleaded guilty on June 10, 2014.
According to court documents, on October 12, 2013, officers from the Tampa Police Department arrested Scott at an apartment complex in Tampa. During their encounter, Scott resisted arrest and threw a loaded firearm that had been concealed in his waistband. Incident to his arrest, a distribution amount of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethcathinone, a controlled substance, was found in his possession. At the time, Scott was a previously convicted felon, and was therefore 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 Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph W. Swanson.
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 ATF Special Agent in Charge Regina Lombardo, 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 prevent violent crime in communities.
Ocala Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Terry Scott Hilliard II (29, Ocala) has pleaded guilty to receipt and distribution of child pornography. He faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years, up to a maximum sentence of 20 years, in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Hilliard was arrested by federal agents on July 8, 2014, during the execution of a search warrant at his Ocala residence. The search warrant was executed in connection with an online investigation into persons receiving and distributing images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Hilliard admitted to the agents that he had been receiving and distributing these types of images for at least a year. A review of his email account revealed numerous videos and photographs of children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
The 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 exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Idaho Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron today sentenced Charles Keith Rolfe (60, Heyburn, Idaho) to 20 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography. The Court also ordered Rolfe to serve a lifetime term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence. A restitution hearing for his victims is scheduled for January 13, 2015. Rolfe pleaded guilty on June 27, 2014.
According to court documents, in the summer of 2013, Rolfe met an Orlando man, William Edward Osman, on an online social networking site. The two men soon began trading images of child pornography via a Mobile Messaging Application (“MMA”). Osman also told Rolfe that he had molested his one-year-old daughter.
On October 15, 2013, special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested Osman on charges related to the sexual exploitation of children. Agents seized his cell phone and identified Rolfe as one of the men with whom Osman had been electronically trading child pornography. After assuming Osman’s online identity, agents communicated with Rolfe in an undercover capacity. On February 28, 2014, Rolfe sent the undercover agents at least three videos containing images of child pornography via the MMA on his cell phone. He also told the agents that he had attempted to molest his own five-year-old daughter when his wife was away, and that he was grooming his daughter for potential future sexual abuse.
Rolfe was arrested on April 3, 2014. A subsequent search of his home and cell phones revealed that Rolfe possessed almost 900 images of child pornography, many of which depicted children under the age of 12.
On September 3, 2014, Osman was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for the production, distribution, and possession of child pornography."Crimes against our children will not be tolerated," said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. "As a result of our collaboration with HSI Boise, and the investigative work of our agents here at home, this child predator can no longer victimize innocent children.”
This case was investigated by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph M. Schuster.
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.
Former Banker Sentenced to More Than Seven Years for Laundering Proceeds of Stolen Identity Refund FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. has sentenced Howayda Hamdan to seven years and six months in federal prison for engaging in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. As part of her sentence, the court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $1,168,858.11, the proceeds of the conspiracy. Hamdan pleaded guilty on August 21, 2014.
According to court documents, from January 2011 to April 20, 2011, while working as a personal banker for Regions Bank, Hamdan opened 292 bank accounts using 146 stolen identities. These accounts were opened for the sole purpose of laundering fraudulently obtained federal income tax refund checks that were acquired using the stolen identities of another 219 unknowing victims.
Hamdan’s co-conspirators, Riad Sulaiman, Nedal Ahmad, and Khaldoun Khalil Khawaja, owned and operated businesses where they knowingly negotiated fraudulently obtained tax refund checks. The co-conspirators brought the fraudulently obtained Treasury checks to Hamdan so they could be deposited and the proceeds withdrawn. Many of these checks were issued in the names of deceased individuals.
Hamdan needed means of identification, including names and Social Security numbers, to open the accounts at Regions Bank. Co-conspirator Dana Brown, a police officer, provided printouts from DAVID, Florida’s driver’s license database. The printouts contained the personally identifiable information (PII) required to open the bogus bank accounts. Since the victims of the tax filing scheme were often deceased, lived outside Florida, and/or were unknown to Hamdan and her co-conspirators, the stolen identities used to open the bank accounts were different, although similar in name, than the stolen identities used by the tax filers to obtain the tax refunds.
Once Hamdan deposited the fraudulently obtained Treasury checks, she facilitated the distribution of the proceeds to her co-conspirators, including her husband, Hicham El Faoutih. In May 2011, agents searched Hamdan’s residence. Among other things, they recovered $81,460.00 in cash (still inside a Regions Bank bag and wrapped with bank wrappers); three fraudulently obtained Treasury checks; a ledger containing hundreds of names and Social Security numbers; and stolen identities that had been provided by Brown.
In total, Hamdan facilitated the deposit or receipt of $1,168,858.11 in fraudulently obtained tax refunds. The government has also identified more than 400 victims whose identities were stolen during the course of Hamdan’s activities.
The co-conspirators in this case were previously prosecuted and sentenced. In July 2014, Hicham El Faoutih was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison. Nedal Ahmad was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison in June 2013. In June 2012, Ocala Police officer Dana Brown was sentenced to six years and five months in federal prison. In December 2011, Riad Sulaiman was sentenced in the Southern District of Florida to 41 months in federal prison. In August 2013, Khaldoun Khalil Khawaja was sentenced in the Western District of Virginia to 70 months in federal prison; this sentence is being served concurrent to a 37-month sentence imposed in April 2012 in the Middle District of Florida case.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mandy Riedel.
Two Brevard County Residents Plead Guilty to $18 Million Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Donald Ray Babb (58, Merritt Island) and Ralph Victor Ruth (61, Melbourne) have pleaded guilty to an Information charging them with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. The Information also notifies Babb and Ruth that the United States is seeking a money judgment in the amount of $18,731,125.58 and the forfeiture of their interest in the following properties: 422 Waterside Drive, Merritt Island, FL; 3502 Tipperary Drive, Merritt Island, FL; 3661 Turtle Mound Road, Melbourne, FL; 312 Sycamore Circle, Warne, NC; and 3498 NC Highway 60, Murphy, NC.
According to court documents, between June 2006 and December 2013, Babb and Ruth orchestrated a scheme in Brevard County that defrauded approximately 181 investors out of $18 million. Doing business as Southeast Mutual Insurance and Investment, LLC, Capstar Industries, LLC, and First Merchant Capital, LLC, Babb and Ruth falsely represented their businesses as licensed financial institutions whose deposits were insured by the FDIC. Using these entities, they advertised risk-free Certificates of Deposit (CD) investment opportunities that yielded high rates of return. However, neither Babb nor Ruth ever purchased a CD for an investor. Instead, they used the money to make payments to earlier investors in the scheme, and to purchase real estate and other luxury items for themselves.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haas.
St. Johns County Man Sentenced to 105 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Lucas Michael Chansler (31, St. Johns) to 105 years in federal prison for engaging in an extortion scheme to produce child pornography. On August 13, 2014, Chansler pleaded guilty to nine counts of producing child pornography.
According to court documents, from 2007 and continuing until January 2010, Chansler transmitted threatening communications to hundreds of girls over the Internet. He transmitted these threats with the intent to extort photographs and webcam videos showing the victims exposing themselves and engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Chansler pretended to be a friend, acquaintance, or admirer of the victims on various social networking websites.
After gaining some measure of trust from a particular child, Chansler would invite her to engage in a live video chat and later would ask her to expose herself. Unbeknownst to the child, he was recording the video session. Chansler often enticed his victims to expose themselves by showing a streaming video of a minor male exposing himself or engaging in masturbation. If a victim did expose herself, he recorded it and then later sent it to her over the Internet. Chansler would then demand additional and more graphic images or webcam videos. He would inform the child that if she did not comply, he would post the images and videos online, or send them to her family and friends.
Using information received from the parents of one victim and working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), agents were able to identify Chansler and locate his residence. A federal search warrant was executed at the residence on January 8, 2010.
During an interview, Chansler stated that that he used social networking sites to meet girls who ranged in age from 13 to 18. He stated that he targeted underage girls because adult women were “too smart” to fall for his scheme.
Forensic analyses of Chansler's computer media revealed hundreds of folders labeled with the name of each child victim. These folders contained personal information specific to the victims, as well as related chat logs and videos or digital photos. Many of the chat logs contained the threats Chansler had made to the children. In several of the videos, the victims are seen crying and pleading with Chansler. In total, he had approximately 80,000 images and videos in his possession.
According to court testimony, Chansler targeted 350 child victims in 26 different states throughout the U.S., three Canadian provinces, and the United Kingdom, 106 of which have been positively identified. According to NCMEC, in terms of number of victims, this case is the largest “sextortion” case prosecuted to date in the United States.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Florida Attorney General's Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, and numerous other agencies working in Internet Crimes Against Children (“ICAC”) task forces across the United States and Canada. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
“Child predators, such as Chansler, are using increasingly devious techniques to lure and exploit innocent children,” said U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III. “Our Office will continue to work with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute these cases. Protecting vulnerable victims, such as children, is a top priority of our Office. For years, we have been at the forefront in the country in prosecuting federal crimes against children.”
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Department of Defense Contractor Sentenced to Thirty Years for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida– U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Michael C. Vella (36, Riverview) to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. He pleaded guilty on June 20, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, a 16-year-old female reported to law enforcement that Vella had been forcing her to have sex with him since the middle of 2012. She also disclosed that Vella had, on at least one occasion, used his laptop computer to record their encounter. The video was recorded in a hotel room when he transported the victim to the Orlando area. At the time the arrest warrant was issued, Vella was deployed to Afghanistan as a Department of Defense contractor.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. 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 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Tampa Man Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Federal Prison for Credit Card FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. today sentenced Ricardo Martinez (34, Tampa) to five years and ten months in federal prison for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the companies defrauded by his scheme. Martinez pleaded guilty on July 29, 2014.
According to court documents, Martinez, along with others, obtained stolen credit card numbers that were then used to create counterfeit or cloned credit cards. The true owners of the credit card accounts remained in possession of the real credit cards, so they were not known to be stolen or reported as stolen.
Martinez and others made numerous purchases, including gift cards, at area Wal-Mart locations. He also used the cloned credit cards to obtain cash advances from the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa.This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Clearwater Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, and the Seminole Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley Howard-Allen.
Pinellas Man Sentenced to Forty Years’ Imprisonment for Attempted Use of Weapon of Mass DestructionRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven today sentenced Sami Osmakac (27, Pinellas Park) to 40 years in federal prison for the attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, and possession of a fully automatic firearm. The court also ordered Osmakac to forfeit property that he used to facilitate the offense, including the vehicle used on the night of his arrest.
Osmakac was indicted on February 2, 2012. A federal jury found him guilty on June 10, 2014.
“This case represents another victory in our fight against terrorism,” said U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III. “Our success here is due, in part, to assistance from the Muslim community, which brought this defendant’s violent intentions to the attention of law enforcement.”
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on January 7, 2012, Osmakac attempted to use weapons of mass destruction, including a car bomb, grenades, and a suicide explosive, at two locations in the Tampa Bay area. Specifically, his intended targets were MacDinton’s Irish Pub and the Seminole Hard Rock Casino. Additionally, on January 7, 2012, Osmakac possessed a machinegun without the firearm being registered to him in the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney and Trial Attorney Clement McGovern from the National Security Division at the Department of Justice.
Tampa Woman Sentenced to More Than Four Years for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven today sentenced Erica Lambert (31, Tampa) to four years and two months in federal prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States Treasury, and to commit wire fraud in connection with filing fraudulent tax returns. She was also ordered to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $499,923. Lambert pleaded guilty on July 25, 2014.
According to court documents, Lambert, along with others, electronically filed tax returns using stolen and fraudulently obtained means of identification. Lambert and her co-conspirators kept track of the fraudulent returns and refunds in detailed ledgers that were found at Lambert’s residence. The fraudulent tax refunds were issued in the form of U.S. Treasury checks and debit cards in other individuals’ names. Lambert and her co-conspirators used the refunds to obtain cash and goods for their personal use.
On January 21, 2014, co-conspirator Earl Rojelio Blanchett was sentenced to 10 years and four months in federal prison for his role in this tax fraud scheme. According to court documents, Blanchett sold seven Treasury checks, with a face value of more than $77,000, to undercover law enforcement agents.
This case was investigated by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigation, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley Howard-Allen.
Orlando Man Convicted on Multiple Fraud and Theft ChargesRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces today that a federal jury found Joseph Witchard (55, Orlando) guilty of nine counts of mail fraud, six counts of filing false claims against the United States, six counts of theft of government property, and nine counts of aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each mail fraud count, 5 years’ imprisonment on each false claims count, 10 years in prison on each of the theft of government property counts, and an additional 2 years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft charges. A sentencing hearing is set for January 26, 2015.
According to evidence presented at trial, Witchard orchestrated two mail fraud schemes, one to steal retirement funds and life insurance proceeds, and another to file fraudulent tax returns. During both schemes, he used identities that had been stolen from a variety of sources. The personal identifying information of more than 60 victims was found during a search of Witchard’s residence in February 2010. Witchard, and others, negotiated the retirement, life insurance, and tax refund checks at local businesses, including car dealerships.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, IRS - Criminal Investigation, and the United States Secret Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs, Jr.
Michigan Man Sentenced for Embezzling More Than $2.3 Million from Vineyards Development Corp. in NaplesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell yesterday sentenced Alfred W. Lenz (68, Montague, Michigan) to four years and nine months in federal prison for wire fraud. He also was ordered to forfeit his interest in a house located in Montague, and the contents of a retirement account that were traceable to proceeds of the offense. In addition, the Court ordered Lenz to pay $2,380,465.11 in restitution to the victim and imposed a forfeiture money judgment in that amount. The government intends to seek permission to turn over any recovered funds to the Clerk of the Court for distribution to the victim. Lenz pleaded guilty on June 11, 2014.
According to court documents, Lenz was the Controller for the Vineyards Development Corporation (VDC) in Naples, Florida from March 31, 2005, until April 27, 2012. Between January 11, 2007, and December 9, 2010, he embezzled a total of $2,380,465.11 from the VDC. He then used the money to buy real estate and for other personal expenses.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office’s Economic Crimes Unit, with assistance from the Office of the State Attorney for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David G. Lazarus.
Lake City Photographer Sentenced to Three Years for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Ronald Charles Waters (66, Lake City) to three years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. The court also ordered him to serve a seven-year term of supervision and to register as a sex offender following his release. Waters was arrested on November 20, 2013, in Lake City, and has been in custody since that time.
According to court documents, agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) determined that several individuals, including the user of a particular e-mail address, had received an e-mail containing images of child pornography. Further investigation revealed that the e-mail account belonged to Waters. On November 20, 2013, HSI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at his residence, where they seized an external media storage device that contained at least two videos and at least 16 images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Waters admitted that he knowingly possessed these videos and images.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Jacksonville Sheriff=s Office, and the Lake City 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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Worship Minister Charged with Receipt and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment charging Mark Daniel DeHaven (33, Winter Garden) with two counts of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. If convicted, he faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years, up to 20 years in federal prison for each count of receiving child pornography, and up to 20 years in prison for the possession count. DeHaven was arrested and made his initial appearance in federal court on October 30, 2014. He is being detained pending trial.
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 and the Winter Garden Police Department. 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Sanford Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years for Aiding and Abetting Commercial RobberyRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon, II today sentenced Jacques Maddox (23, Sanford) to six years and six months in federal prison for aiding and abetting the attempted robbery of a Walgreens store in Orlando. A federal jury found Maddox guilty on July 9, 2014.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on the night of September 2, 2013, Maddox and his friend, Joe E. Clinton, went to the Walgreens store on South Kirkman Road. After surveilling the store for hours, Maddox and Clinton entered the store for the final time around 11:00 p.m. Maddox acted as a lookout near the center of the store, while Clinton forced the store manager inside the office at gunpoint. Clinton demanded that the manager open the store’s safe, threatening to shoot him if he failed to do so. When the manager refused to comply with Clinton’s demands, Clinton pistol whipped him, striking him several times in the head and shoulders. Clinton then ran out of the office, met up with Maddox in the middle of the store, and pulled his gun on other employees and store customers as he and Maddox fled the scene.
On March 24, 2014, Clinton pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the attempted robbery of the Walgreens on September 2, 2013, one count of robbery of a CVS store located at 1201 East Colonial Drive in Orlando on September 10, 2013, and two counts of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to those violent crimes. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each of the attempted robbery and robbery counts. For the firearms convictions, Clinton faces a combined mandatory minimum sentence of 32 years’ imprisonment, to run consecutively to any other prison term imposed. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 14, 2014.
This case was investigated by FBI, ATF, and the Orlando Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph M. Schuster.
Ocoee Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Shawn Williams (42, Ocoee) pleaded guilty today to distribution of child pornography. He faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to a maximum of 20 years, in federal prison. Williams will also be required to serve a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to a life term, of supervision, and to register as a sex offender. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, Williams responded to a sexually explicit Craigslist ad and began conversing online with an Orlando man, William Edward Osman. The two men discussed their mutual interest in child pornography and attempted to make arrangements to meet in person for a sexual rendezvous. On May 9, 2013, Williams used his cell phone to send Osman images of child pornography and they again discussed meeting to share their collections of child pornography. During their conversations, Osman told Williams that he had a one-year-old child. Williams then asked the man to send him “baby pics” and “adult with baby pics.”
On October 15, 2013, special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested Osman on charges related to the sexual exploitation of children. Agents seized his phone and identified Williams as one of the individuals with whom he had been electronically trading child pornography. Agents arrested Williams at his home on March 13, 2014, at which time he admitted to trading child pornography with Osman.
On September 3, 2014, Osman was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for the production, distribution, and possession of child pornography.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph M. Schuster.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Four Connected to “River Otter Preppers” SentencedRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara today sentenced four individuals with connections to the “River Otter Preppers” organization. They each pleaded guilty on August 14, 2014.
James Bruce Beebe (57, Valrico) was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The court also ordered Beebe to forfeit the firearm involved in the offense. Desiree Nikkole Beebe (23, Lithia) was sentenced to three years’ probation for making a false written statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer during the purchase of a firearm - the same .22 caliber rifle that James Beebe later possessed.
Jason Michael Swain (33, Wauchula) was sentenced to three years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm (Bushmaster .223 caliber AR-15 type semi-automatic rifle). The court also ordered Swain to forfeit the firearm involved in the offense.
Nicholas Ryan Hall (23, Valrico) was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for making a false written statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer during his purchase of a firearm (M+M 7.62x39 mm AK-47 semi-automatic rifle), which he was buying on behalf of an individual he believed to be a convicted felon.
According to testimony and court documents, the four individuals were arrested on June 16, 2014, as the result of an investigation involving Martin Winters and his “River Otter Preppers” organization. The investigation related to the manufacturing and possession of destructive devices. Winters pleaded guilty on August 28, 2014, to making destructive devices and possessing unregistered destructive devices. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 4, 2014.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Donald L. Hansen.
Former Teacher Pleads Guilty to Producing and Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Matthew C. Graziotti (43, Edgewater) today pleaded guilty to seven counts of production of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography involving children under the age of 12. Graziotti faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison for each count of producing child pornography. For the distribution count, he faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to 20 years in federal prison, and the maximum penalty for the possession count is 20 years’ imprisonment. A sentencing hearing has been set for January 26, 2015.
According to court documents, Graziotti distributed 141 images and 6 videos depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of children to an undercover FBI agent. During the execution of a search warrant, agents located thousands of child pornography images on Graziotti’s computer involving children under the age of 12. One computer file folder, named “personally known,” contained sexually explicit photographs and videos of 29 children that Graziotti had sexually abused when they were under the age of 12. Graziotti stored the sexually explicit images that he produced in subfolders bearing each child’s name. He produced these images from 2010 through 2014. During this period, Graziotti taught elementary school in South Daytona and was the director of the school’s summer day camp program. He also coached youth sports.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karen L. Gable.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Duval County Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Raymond Jones, Jr. (60, Jacksonville) to 16 months in federal prison for preparing and filing false tax returns. The Court also ordered him to pay $400,524 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. He pleaded guilty on July 8, 2014.
According to court documents, Jones worked as a tax return preparer for Express Tax Returns (ETR) from 2008 to 2011. Using taxpayer information provided to ETR, Jones would file tax returns with the IRS. When preparing a Form 1040, he intentionally overstated or falsely claimed, among other items, self-employed retirement plan contribution deductions, education credits, and expenses. He did so, knowing that it would increase tax refunds to his clients. Jones prepared 73 and filed fraudulent tax returns at ETR between 2010 and 2011. The tax loss attributed to his fraudulent actions was $400,524.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
Clearwater Man Sentenced to Ninety Years for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew today sentenced Steven Edward Speer (28, Clearwater) to 90 years in federal prison for five counts of producing child pornography. The court also ordered him to forfeit a computer and cell phone that he had used to the commit the offenses. Speer pleaded guilty on June 24, 2014.
According to court documents, in November 2013, the FBI and other local law enforcement agencies executed a federal search warrant at Speer’s residence based on information that he was trading child pornography. During the search, agents located and seized Speer’s computer and cell phone. Six videos and more than 1,900 images of child pornography were found on the phone. Many of the images and videos depicted a three year-old autistic child. Speer confessed to engaging in sex acts with this child, and producing the images and videos of the abuse. He further admitted that he had distributed the child pornography he produced over the Internet in order to gain access to additional child pornography from others.
“The message should be crystal clear. One of our highest priorities is to protect our children. Possessing, viewing, and especially producing child pornography are evil acts that infect our society. Today’s sentence demonstrates such acts will not be tolerated. No child should ever be abused,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Wysopal.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Clearwater Police Department, and members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, including the St. Petersburg Police Department and the Largo Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.
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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Apopka Man Pleads Guilty to Investment FraudRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that John C. Boschert (43, Apopka) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Boschert is facing up to 20 years in federal prison and has also agreed to pay $11.6 million in restitution to his victims.
According to court documents, Boschert and his two conspirators, Jenifer E. Hoffman (38, Clermont) and Bryan T. Zuzga (37, Coldwater, Michigan), defrauded over 100 victims out of more than $11 million 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. They 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 United States obtained more than $850,000 from the sale of the properties. The proceeds from those sales were distributed to the victims of the scheme.
Hoffman and Zuzga have each been charged with one count of conspiracy and eleven counts of wire fraud. Hoffman has also been charged with one count of making a false tax return. Both are scheduled for trial in December 2014. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count of conspiracy and wire fraud, and Hoffman faces a maximum penalty of 3 years in federal prison for the false tax return.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more of federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
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.
St. Petersburg Man Sentenced to over 15 Years in Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. today sentenced Cordey Jermel Adams (34, St. Petersburg) to 15 years and eight months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Adams pleaded guilty on November 25, 2013.
According to court documents, on December 12, 2012, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Adams’s residence in St. Petersburg. During the search, they found approximately five to six pounds of marijuana, digital scales, a video surveillance system, and a total of $3,709.00 in cash. Also inside the residence, officers discovered three loaded firearms. At the time of the incident, Adams was a previously convicted felon, including multiple drug distribution offenses, and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph W. Swanson.
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 Trevor Velinor, Acting 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 prevent violent crime in communities.
November 2014 ElectionsRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL - United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Robert Mosakowski will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 4, 2014 general elections. AUSA Mosakowski has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Middle District of Florida. In that capacity, he is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Bentley said, “Every citizen should be free to vote without interference and to have his or her vote count, without the fear that it will be stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the electoral process.”
The Department of Justice plays an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact for the public to report possible violations on Election Day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. Such acts may include questioning, challenging, photographing, or videotaping voters at polling places, under the pretext of uncovering violations of federal voting rights laws. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice.
In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 4, 2014, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Bentley stated that AUSA/DEO Bob Mosakowski will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. Public complaints may be reported to him at (813) 274-6129.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. Local FBI field offices can be reached by the public at either 1-866-838-1153 (Tampa Division) or (904) 248-7000 (Jacksonville Division). Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, in Washington, by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by email to [email protected] or by complaint form.
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends, in large part, on the cooperation of the American public,” said U.S. Attorney Bentley. “It is imperative that anyone with specific information about discrimination or election fraud immediately contact my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child Pornography over the InternetRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced that Shaun Andrew Copenhaver (29, Jacksonville) yesterday 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, and a potential life term of supervision. Copenhaver has been in custody since his arrest on February 6, 2014. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set.
According to court documents, an agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in Jacksonville began an undercover investigation to identify individuals in the area that had access to and/or were trading images and videos of child pornography over the Internet. The agent determined that a local computer was hosting images of child pornography using a peer-to-peer file sharing program, and was able to download several pornographic videos from this computer. Further investigation traced the Internet subscriber information to Copenhaver’s Jacksonville residence.
On February 6, 2014, law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Copenhaver=s residence and seized a computer and an external hard disk drive. Copenhaver was at the residence. During an interview with agents, he admitted that he had been involved in downloading child pornography from the Internet for about five years. Subsequent analysis of Copenhaver’s external hard drive revealed that it contained videos depicting the sexual abuse of minor children.
This case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Former Naples CFO Sentenced to Five Years for Mail Fraud and Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John E. Steele yesterday sentenced Shawn Fuentes to five years in federal prison for mail fraud and tax evasion. The Court also ordered Fuentes to pay restitution to Naples Concrete and Masonry in the amount of $1,951,459, and to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $624,728. As part of her sentence, the court entered a money judgment in the amount of $106,979.14, the proceeds of the mail fraud. Fuentes pleaded guilty on July 17, 2014.
According to court documents, Fuentes was the Chief Financial Officer of N.C.M. of Collier County, Inc., DBA Naples Concrete and Masonry, which was headquartered in Naples, Florida. On numerous occasions between October 2008 and February 2010, Fuentes fraudulently wrote checks payable to American Express and to Bank of America drawn on the bank accounts of N.C.M. of Collier County, Inc., and then sent them by U.S. mail or Federal Express to satisfy her own credit card debt. As part of the scheme, the fraudulent checks appeared to be written for legitimate business expenses in the accounting system utilized by the company, when in truth Fuentes was paying personal expenses. As a result of the scheme, she obtained in excess of $500,000.
In addition, Fuentes filed a 2009 tax return reporting a taxable income of approximately $35,148. She omitted the amount of money defrauded, misappropriated, or stolen from Naples Concrete and Masonry. The actual taxable income that she had received was $822,060; therefore, she failed to report taxable income in the amount of approximately $786,912. For the calendar year 2009, Fuentes paid $2,671 in taxes rather than $262,081.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
Final Individual in Jacksonville Cocaine Conspiracy and Money Laundering Case Sentenced to More Than 14 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Larry Andrews (41, Jacksonville) to 14 years and 7 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The court also entered a money judgment against Andrews for $98,000, which represents drug proceeds that he laundered through a Jacksonville nightclub. He pleaded guilty on January 22, 2013.
According to court documents, Andrews, Isaiah Bynes, Deangelo Butler, and others participated in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy during which Bynes obtained between 3 and 15 kilograms of cocaine from sources in south Florida and transported the drugs to Andrews and Butler in Jacksonville. Andrews and Butler received the multi-kilograms of cocaine at various places, including on the east side of Jacksonville, and at a dormitory style building that Bynes owned. Andrews and Butler maintained a room at that building to keep cocaine paraphernalia, which was used process the kilograms of cocaine. Andrews sold the cocaine to kilogram level dealers in Jacksonville, primarily those living on the east side. Court documents reveal that Andrews was a long time cocaine dealer on the east side, was involved in drug-related conflicts with other groups in the area, and has been shot on four separate occasions.
Andrews stopped selling cocaine in mid-2010 due to a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigation. He invested $98,000 of drug money into a Gentlemen’s Club that he financed, known as the Vivid Vixen’s Nightclub. At the end of each night, half of the cash generated at the club was delivered to Andrews. The club opened in late 2011 and has since closed.
Andrews was the final individual sentenced in a series of cases related to this conspiracy. Previously, Bynes was sentenced to 14 years and 7 months in federal prison, and Butler was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney A. Tysen Duva.
Federal Jury Finds Immokalee Man Guilty of Theft of Government Money and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury has found Ernest Freeman, Jr. guilty of 11 counts of theft of government money and 11 counts of aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each count of theft of government money, and a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison for each aggravated identity theft count. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 26, 2015. Freeman was indicted on June 12, 2013.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, between September 2011 and March 2012, Freeman deposited 11 federal income tax refund checks, issued in the names of other individuals, into his business account. In doing so, he used the means of identification of other individuals to steal more than $100,000 in government money.
This case was investigated by United States Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
Tampa Man Sentenced to More Than Ten Years for Tax Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich has sentenced Edwaldo Louis Oliveiri to 10 years and 11 months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. As part of his sentence, the Court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $307,721, the proceeds obtained from the scheme. Oliveiri pleaded guilty on June 24, 2014.
According to court documents, between September 4, 2012, and September 11, 2013, Oliveiri sold marijuana and guns to an undercover officer on multiple occasions. He believed that the undercover officer worked for the Veterans Affairs hospital and solicited the officer for personal identifying information from the hospital to use as part of a tax fraud scheme. Between January 23, 2013, and September 9, 2013, Oliveiri participated in a tax fraud scheme that submitted 437 false and fraudulent tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service seeking a total of $3,511,702, and resulting in the IRS paying out $307,721.
“Today’s sentencing is the result of a successful joint law enforcement investigation to hold accountable those who use stolen veterans’ personally identifiable information to engage in identity theft,” said Special Agent in Charge Monty Stokes of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General - Southeast Field Office.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service; the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Bini and Sara Sweeney.
North Carolina Man Convicted in Fraud Scheme Involving International Precious Metals InvestmentsRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury has found Rondell Scott Hedrick (48, Lexington, N.C.) guilty of wire fraud. Hedrick faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. He was indicted on December 18, 2013.
According to the testimony and evidence presented at trial, Hedrick used a website to advertise his expertise in several high yield international investment programs, including international gold transactions. He provided detailed information about the worldwide precious metals markets; mining operations in Mali, North Africa, and Accra, Ghana; and refinery operations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Hedrick made representations to investors and provided documents purportedly showing that he had legitimate relationships with international banks and businesses involved in mining and refinery operations. He also represented that, because of his stature in the precious metals markets, he was able to procure large returns on investments. Hedrick took money from investors and converted it to his own use. He also met with an FBI informant in March 2013 and made representations about his significant experience in traveling internationally to close lucrative gold trading deals. Hedrick stated that he was able to obtain gold at below market prices because he was willing to travel to dangerous locations in Africa to obtain the gold and then transport it to refineries in Dubai.
After Hedrick made these representations to the informant, he solicited a $500,000 investment. When FBI agents approached Hedrick after the meeting, Hedrick maintained his ability to close such large gold transactions in Dubai, and he continued to solicit investor funds. He also contacted legitimate refineries in Dubai, claiming to have gold from Mali and Ghana that he was capable of transporting if appropriate contracts could be consummated.
This case was investigated by the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney A. Tysen Duva.
Lecanto Ophthalmologist Pleads Guilty to Visa FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Ashish Sanon (51, Lecanto) pleaded guilty today to visa fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Sanon has also agreed to forfeit assets, which specifically includes, but is not limited to, a money judgment in the amount of $250,000, representing the proceeds he obtained as a result of his offense.
According to the plea agreement, Sanon is a naturalized citizen of Canada who was born in Chandigarh, India. In 1987, Sanon obtained his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. From 1998 until 2012, he was repeatedly granted temporary status in the United States, pursuant to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Admitted applicants, such as Sanon, receive what is known as Treaty NAFTA (TN) nonimmigrant status. All TN status professionals are prohibited from establishing a business or practice in the United States in which they are self-employed. Specifically, physicians who are granted TN status may only teach or conduct research while in the United States.
In early 2012, investigators received information that Sanon had been engaging in full medical practice for more than 10 years, in violation of the rules and regulations of his TN visa. Interviews with former employees of Sanon corroborated this information. Investigators ultimately discovered that Sanon had several provider numbers assigned to him for medical practice, which indicated that he was billing for services and practicing medicine.
"Visa fraud takes jobs away from U.S. citizens and others who are legally allowed to work in this country. Through cases like this one, HSI is helping to protect our economy and preserve job opportunities from being lost due to fraud," said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa.
“This case underscores the importance of applying Medicare’s rules and regulations to ensure that only qualified physicians are permitted to provide services,” stated Acting Special Agent in Charge Derrick Jackson of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s Miami Regional Office.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General; and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.
Former American Airlines Pilot Sentenced to 21 Years for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Donald Edwin Gallagher, Jr. (52, St. Petersburg) to 21 years in federal prison for production, distribution, and possession of child pornography. The court also ordered Gallagher to forfeit computers and electronic media that he had used to commit the offenses, and to pay restitution to the victims of his offenses. He was found guilty by a federal jury on March 13, 2014.
According to court documents, in January 2013, an undercover detective with the St. Petersburg Police Department downloaded approximately 15 files depicting child pornography from an Internet protocol address that traced back to Gallagher’s residence. Based upon an investigation into the origin of these images, the FBI and other local law enforcement agencies executed a federal search warrant at the residence. During the search, agents located and seized a laptop computer belonging to Gallagher, as well as hard drives and other digital media on which agents located thousands of images and hundreds of videos depicting child pornography. Upon further investigation and review of Gallagher’s digital media, law enforcement officials determined that Gallagher had used two minor victims to produce images and videos of them engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
This case was investigated by the FBI and members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, including the Largo Police Department and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Josephine W. Thomas and 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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Three Arrested in California as Part of Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering InvestigationRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Hugo Adalberto Adrian Ramirez (42, Ontario, California), Edgar Hurtado-Ramirez (45, Ontario, California), and Luis Fernando Mancillas Medina (49, Los Angeles, California) with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment, up to life, on the drug charge and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison on the money laundering charge. A related indictment charging Maria Leticia-Hernandez (23, Ontario, California) with conspiracy to commit money laundering was also unsealed today, and she faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
Ramirez, Medina, and Leticia-Hernandez were arrested earlier today, in the Los Angeles area, in conjunction with the arrests of 11 other co-conspirators throughout California in a related case. Hurtado-Ramirez is a fugitive. The San Diego-based Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation was led by the Bureau of Land Management and is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
Today’s arrests are the latest in an investigation that has to date netted 23 convictions in the Middle District of Florida (MDFL) for drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearm offenses. According to court documents, the investigation targeted a nationwide drug trafficking and money laundering organization based in California. The organization shipped cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana from California to locations throughout the United States, including the MDFL. The drugs were shipped via Federal Express, United Parcel Service, and the United States Postal Service. They were also transported in automobiles that had been loaded on car haulers.
Co-conspirators retrieved packages of cocaine at various times in the MDFL, distributed the narcotics to lower level drug distributors in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and elsewhere, and then arranged for drug proceeds to be returned to California via money couriers, wire transfers, and bank deposits. Co-conspirators used drug proceeds that had been deposited into various bank accounts to purchase items such as airline tickets, rental cars, and hotel rooms for organization members.
“This case is the result of years of investigative work, spanning state and international borders,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “Dismantling a drug trafficking organization of this size and reach is significant to the safety and security of our nation.”
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 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from other federal, state, and local agencies as part of an OCDETF investigation. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray.
Indiana Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for $3.5 Million FraudRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway today sentenced Linda Deavers (61, Indiana) to six years and six months in federal prison for wire fraud and money laundering. The Court also ordered Deavers to serve a three-year term of supervised release, and to pay more than $3.5 million in restitution. A federal jury found her guilty on July 11, 2014.
According to evidence presented at trial, Deavers devised an investment fraud scheme that used an entity by the name of Angel Annie Humanitarian Trust, LLC. As part of her pitch to investors, Deavers represented that the Trust was a Section 501(c)(3) charitable organization and that she had connections to trading programs in Europe. She said that the investments would generate large rates of return, that she had been successful in investing in such trading programs previously, and that any money invested with her and the Trust would be invested in such trading programs overseas. None of those representations were true. Deavers collected more than $5.2 million from Florida investors. After returning approximately $1.8 million to investors, she used most of the remaining $3.4 million to fund her lavish lifestyle in Indiana and Europe, and to pay various expenses for herself and her family, including a $1 million deposit on a mansion. To lull her investors into a false sense of security, Deavers used e-mail and Skype to provide her investors with a series of false excuses as to why she had not been able to successfully invest their money. Even after spending the last of the funds from her victims, Deavers continued to falsely claim, for several years, that she was working on investments for them.
This type of scheme is sometimes referred to as a prime bank investment fraud scheme. For more information on this type of scheme, please visit the website for the United States Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.
Mastermind of International Diamond Center Robbery SentencedRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell yesterday sentenced Bryan Bobby Beaudoin (25, Orlando) to 11 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiring to commit robbery and using a firearm in furtherance of the armed robbery. The Court also ordered Beaudoin to forfeit $6,277, which represents the proceeds from the sale of stolen jewelry and the firearm used in the robbery. He pleaded guilty on July 31, 2014.
According to court documents, on November 22, 2013, Clyde Bernard Johnson and Anthony Mina Wahba entered the International Diamond Center in Tampa, concealing their identities with sunglasses and hats. Johnson brandished a black 9mm pistol and took control of the store, while Wahba took a hammer and went directly to the glass display cases containing expensive watches, loose diamonds, and diamond rings. Wahba shattered the glass cases with the hammer and retrieved numerous items of jewelry, with an approximate retail value of $2.1 million. They also stole some of the victim-employees’ wallets. Before the pair fled the store, Johnson fired a shot into the floor near the counter.
Beaudoin, who had conducted surveillance on the store earlier that day, planned the robbery and gave instructions to Johnson and Wahba. He also provided Johnson with the firearm used in the robbery. Beaudoin waited at a nearby location during the robbery, and then later met with Johnson and Wahba to split the proceeds. As the three were traveling back to the Orlando area, they stopped at a gas station and used one of the victim-employee’s stolen credit cards to purchase fuel. All three men were captured on the gas station’s surveillance videotape. When law enforcement officers attempted to arrest Beaudoin, he fled, but he was ultimately apprehended after a car chase through the Orlando area.
Johnson and Wahba previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the armed robbery and are scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josephine W. Thomas.
This case is a part of ATF’s Frontline Strategy to combat violent crime in communities.
Convicted Tampa Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Second Federal Charge of Failure to Register as A Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced today that Kevin Robert Leblanc (52, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to failing to register as sex offender after traveling from Florida to the State of Arizona. He faces up to ten years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Leblanc has been in custody for violating the conditions of his federal supervised release since his arrest on August 15, 2014.
According to court documents, on July 29, 1999, Leblanc was convicted of committing two child sex offenses in Massachusetts. Subsequently, he traveled to Florida, failed to register as a sex offender, and was prosecuted for failure to register. Leblanc pleaded guilty to this charge and, on August 25, 2011, was sentenced to three years in federal prison, and a 15-year term of supervision.
On April 4, 2014, Leblanc was released from federal prison, established a residence in Tampa, Florida, and commenced his term of supervised release. On July 25, 2014, he absconded from federal supervision. In doing so, he failed to update his sex offender registration status with Florida authorities, as required by law. Leblanc was arrested near Flagstaff, Arizona, on August 15, 2014, by the U.S. Marshals Service. When interviewed, he acknowledged knowing that he was required to register as a sex offender, that he did not notify Florida authorities that he was leaving the state, and that he failed to notify authorities because he “got fed up” with being supervised.
The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The Adam Walsh Act also provides for the use of federal law enforcement resources, including the United States Marshals Service, to assist state and local authorities in locating and apprehending non-compliant sex offenders. This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Clermont Woman Sentenced for Tax Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Tanya Fox to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to defraud the federal government, wire fraud, theft of government property, and aggravated identity theft. Fox was immediately taken into custody. The Court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $4,055,735, which relates to the amount of fraudulent tax refunds that Fox and her co-conspirators had received.
On July 24, 2014, following a four-day trial, a federal jury found her guilty of one count of conspiracy, five counts of wire fraud, ten counts of theft of government property, and ten counts of aggravated identity theft.
During the trial, evidence was introduced to show that Fox had orchestrated a scheme to file fraudulent tax returns using identities that had been stolen from a variety of sources. Fox directed other individuals to open business bank accounts in the name of a fraudulent tax preparation business and to have the tax refunds deposited into those accounts. She then worked with those individuals to withdraw the funds and spend the money. Fox attempted to receive approximately $5.8 million in fraudulent tax returns and was successful in receiving more than $4 million during the course of the scheme.
According to the testimony at trial, Fox spent the money received from the fraudulent tax returns to purchase several luxury and other vehicles. The United States has seized each of these vehicles. She also used proceeds from these offenses to have cosmetic surgery on two occasions and to open a restaurant in the Orlando area.
Previously, Shanterica Smith, Gerald Williams, and Delray Duncan pleaded guilty and were sentenced for providing approximately 2,400 names from the Orange County Health Department to Fox so that she and her co-conspirators could file the fraudulent tax returns. Smith was sentenced to five years in prison, Williams was sentenced to four years and six months in prison, and Duncan was sentenced to three years and six in prison. A fifth co-defendant, April Cuyler, also pleaded guilty for her role in this scheme; she was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn P. Napier.
Citrus County Man Arrested on Federal Firearms, Ammunition, and Explosives ChargesRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the arrest yesterday of Michael Paul Watkins (41, Citrus Springs) on a criminal complaint alleging the possession of firearms and ammunition by a previously convicted felon, and the possession and manufacturing of unregistered destructive devices. Each offense carries a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison.
According to court documents, Watkins was previously convicted, in state court, of felony offenses involving the handling and fondling of a child under the age of 16, and two escapes from custody. As a convicted, felon he is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law. In early October 2014, law enforcement officers received information that Watkins was using a third party to illegally acquire firearms and ammunition. Federal agents subsequently obtained search warrants for Watkins’s home, business, and a nearby property.
Yesterday, law enforcement agents executed the search warrants and recovered approximately 134 firearms (including AK-47 rifles) from Watkins’s home, along with numerous rounds of ammunition. They also discovered several fully assembled pipe bombs and the components to manufacture more.
A criminal complaint is an allegation by the United States that a defendant has violated one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Tampa Police Department Bomb Squad. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
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 Trevor Velinor, Acting 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 violent crime in communities.
Air Force Staff Sergeant Sentenced to 11 Years for Child EnticementRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew yesterday sentenced Steven Richard Romel (32, Kissimmee) to 11 years in federal prison for enticement of a child for sex. The Court also ordered Romel to forfeit a phone and an iPad, that he had used to commit the offense. Romel pleaded guilty on July 8, 2014.
According to court documents, between November 21, 2013, and January 18, 2014, a special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations in Tampa conducted an online investigation into adults using computers to communicate with, and arrange for sex with, minors. Specifically, the agent posed as the 15-year-old daughter of a deployed military soldier. On November 21, 2013, the “child” posted an online personal advertisement to which Romel responded. During subsequent conversations, Romel discussed meeting the “child” and inquired when she could sneak away to meet with him. The “child” repeatedly mentioned that she was 15 years old.
Romel, who was stationed at Barksdale Air Force base in Shreveport, Louisiana at the time, offered to buy the “child” a roundtrip ticket from Tampa so that she could meet with him. On several occasions, he also requested that photos be sent to him online. When the “child” mentioned that she would be off from school on January 20, 2014, Romel purchased a plane ticket for the “child” to visit him in Shreveport.
On January 18, 2014, the agent flew from Tampa to Shreveport, on the same flight as the supposed “child.” Romel was at the airport waiting and was arrested. A search of Romel’s residence later showed that he had purchased numerous items discussed with the “child” during their chats, including the “Plan B” pill.
This case was investigated by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. It was 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Ocala Man Pleads Guilty to Theft of Military EquipmentRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Pedro Luis Infantes (47, Ocala) today pleaded guilty to theft of government property. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, on July 11, 2014, Infantes and his son unwittingly met with a confidential source, who was working in cooperation with law enforcement. Infantes believed that the source had connections to potential buyers who were affiliated with Mexican drug trafficking organizations. Ultimately, he negotiated a sale price of $153,500 for 17 military-grade thermal-imaging monoculars, rifle cleaning kits, and other assorted military equipment that had been stolen from the government.
When arrested and interviewed by the FBI, Infantes provided false statements to agents about how he had acquired the military items and how the serial numbers on the items had been removed. He stated that he had purchased the equipment in that condition at assorted gun shows. In fact, his son, Luis Rafael Infantes (21, Ocala), an active-duty supply sergeant in Fort Knox, Kentucky, had stolen the items from the United States Army. Luis Rafael Infantes was also charged for his role in this case, and is scheduled for trial next month.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
Former Pasco Teacher Pleads Guilty to Online Enticement of A MinorRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that David Wendel Thompson (49, Seffner) pleaded guilty yesterday to online enticement of a minor. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervision. His sentencing hearing is set for January 20, 2015. According to the plea agreement, between December 14, 2013, and March 14, 2014, Thompson used Facebook to attempt to persuade two minor females in Belize, ages 13 and 15, to engage in sexual intercourse with him. He did so using his own Facebook account and a fake Facebook account that he had set up to appear as though it belonged to a female teenager in Belize.
On March 14, 2014, Thompson flew from Tampa to Belize, with a layover in Miami, to meet the minors with the intent of engaging in sexual activity. He was arrested in Miami and has remained in federal custody since that time. Thompson admitted to communicating with the females on Facebook and to knowing that they were underage. Prior to his arrest, Thompson was a social studies teacher at Centennial Middle School in Dade City.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.
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 (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Two Florida Men Indicted in Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida - United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Guillermo Rincon (36, Miami) and Enrique Hernandez (34, Tampa) with one count of mortgage fraud conspiracy involving mail and bank fraud, and other related substantive charges. Each faces a maximum penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment for each count. The indictment also notifies the individuals that the United States is seeking a money judgment for the proceeds of the charged mortgage fraud conspiracy.
According to the indictment and court proceedings, Rincon and Hernandez participated in a mortgage fraud conspiracy in which some conspirators entered into agreements to purchase properties for amounts in excess of the original asking price. The conspirators then inserted false and fraudulent information about the various conspirator-purchasers on mortgage loan applications, or Fannie Mae Form 1003s, which were submitted in support of the loan requests. Upon the closing of each sale transaction, the conspirators used a portion of the inflated loan proceeds to pay the original asking price to the seller. The remaining excess funds—the gap amount between the original asking price and the inflated mortgage loan amount—were then shared amongst the conspirators, who allowed the purchased properties to fall into foreclosure.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of 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 Assistant United States Attorney Jay G. Trezevant and Special Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Poor.
Jacksonville Man Arrested and Charged with Advertising for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced today that James Patrick Foreman (44, Jacksonville) has been charged by a federal criminal complaint with advertising for child pornography. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervision. Foreman was arrested on October 17, 2014, at his residence in Jacksonville. During his initial court appearance, he was ordered detained pending a detention hearing on October 23, 2014.
According to the criminal complaint, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation began an undercover investigation to identify individuals in the Jacksonville area that had access to and/or were trading images and videos depicting child pornography over the Internet. The agent determined that a computer in the area was hosting images of child pornography using a peer-to-peer file sharing program. The agent was able to download several files depicting child pornography from this computer. Further investigation traced the computer to Foreman’s residence.
On October 1, 2014, law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Foreman=s residence. During an interview, he admitted to downloading all ages of child pornography.
A search and subsequent analysis of Foreman’s computer revealed that it contained a video showing a toddler being sexually assaulted. Also discovered were logs of online conversations between Foreman and at least one other individual, during which Foreman offered to exchange and distribute the video depicting the toddler’s abuse.
A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.