Middle District of Florida
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Federal Grand Jury Returns Superseding Indictment Charging Lake County Man with Advertising, Transporting, and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced today that Aaron Michael Murray (21, Clermont) has been charged by a federal grand jury in a superseding indictment with five counts of advertising for child pornography over the Internet, four counts of transporting child pornography over the Internet, and two counts of possessing child pornography. On each of the advertising counts, Murray faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years in federal prison. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty 5 years, up to 20 years’ imprisonment on each transportation count, and up to 10 years in prison on each possession count. Each count in the superseding indictment also carries a potential life term of supervision.
Murray was arrested on June 28, 2013, in Lake County, pursuant to a criminal complaint. He was originally indicted in this case on July 25, 2013. His trial is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2014 before Chief United States District Judge Anne C. Conway, at the United States Courthouse in Orlando.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dallas (Texas) Police Department, and the Carrollton (Texas) Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another 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.
Tampa Couple Sentenced to Federal Prison for String of Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington sentenced Cara Lee Williams (29, Tampa) yesterday to 5 years in federal prison for conspiracy to obstruct, delay, or affect commerce by robbery. On May 14, 2014, U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich sentenced Immanuel Lee Williams (29, Tampa) to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison for the same charge. Both were ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $55,526.00 to the victim financial institutions and to forfeit $48,476.25 in proceeds obtained during the conspiracy. The Williamses pleaded guilty on January 21, 2014.
According to court documents, the Williamses conspired to rob federally insured financial institutions between December 2012 and November 2013. During that period, they carried out 15 bank robberies in the Middle District of Florida and in Alabama. As part of the scheme, Cara Lee Williams prepared demand notes and acted as the get-away driver for her husband, Immanuel Lee Williams, who would enter the bank and pass the note to the teller. The note typically indicated that the perpetrator possessed a gun. For one of the robberies, the roles were reversed and Cara Lee Williams entered the bank and passed the demand note to the teller, while her husband waited outside in the get-away vehicle. The Williamses used the proceeds from the robberies to pay bills and gamble at casinos. They were apprehended on November 7, 2013.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tampa Police Department, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Auburndale Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and Ocala Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph W. Swanson.
Nine Individuals Charged with Stealing Approximately $1.4 Million as A Result of Operation TombstoneRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Orlando, and Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of nine separate indictments charging individuals with stealing approximately $1.4 million in federal benefits to which they were not entitled. The penalty for stealing federal benefits is up to ten years in federal prison per count. These nine Middle District of Florida cases arose as the result of Operation Tombstone, an operation initiated and overseen by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General and the investigative work of Special Agents with multiple Offices of Inspectors General of various federal agencies and departments. Currently, 73 federal offices of inspectors general exist under the Inspector General Act of 1978. The offices employ special agents (criminal investigators) and auditors. Their activities include the detection and prevention of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement of the government programs and operations within their parent organizations.
Linda Sue Bellamy (60, Jacksonville) is charged with one count of stealing government property. According to the indictment returned in her case, between October 2005 and October 2013, Bellamy stole approximately $62,518 of government benefits from the Social Security Administration.
According to the indictment returned in her case, Sonia Destine Casbar (57, Ocala) is charged with one count of stealing government property. The indictment alleges that between May 2010 and July 2013, Casbar stole approximately $45,111 of government benefits from the Social Security Administration.
Angela Ann Driggers (53, Callahan) is charged with four counts of stealing government property. The indictment in her case alleges that between April 2005 and December 2013, Driggers stole approximately $131,078.32 of government benefits from the Social Security Administration and the Federal Medicaid Health Care Benefit Program.
According to the indictment returned in her case, Adriyanna Herdener (37, Melbourne) is charged with one count of stealing government property and one count of social security fraud. The indictment alleges that between April 2005 and December 2013, Herdener stole approximately $21,712 of government benefits from the Social Security Administration. Herdener faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for stealing government property, and up to 5 years in federal prison for the fraud charge.
According to the indictment returned in her case, Camilla Ann Winterling (57, Liberty Township, Ohio) is charged with four counts of stealing government property. The indictment alleges that between April 1993 and February 2014, Winterling stole a total of approximately $472,788.64 of government benefits from the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sandra McCray (57, Jacksonville) is charged with two counts of stealing government property. Between July 8, 1995 and February 2014, McCray allegedly stole approximately $142,724.00 of government benefits from the Social Security Administration.
According to the indictment returned in his case, Rickey Nelson (60, Jacksonville) is charged with two counts of stealing government property. The indictment alleges that between April 1999 and March 2014, Nelson stole approximately $205,530.00 of government benefits from the Social Security Administration.
Steven Hutka (67, Jacksonville) is charged with one count of stealing government property. The indictment alleges that between April 1999 and March 2014, Hutka stole approximately $69,351.00 of government benefits from the Social Security Administration.
According to the indictment returned in his case, Daniel Ovshak (64, St. Johns) is charged with two counts of stealing government property. The indictment alleges that between July and December 2013, Ovshak stole approximately $267,701.00 of government benefits from the Social Security Administration.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
Agencies conducting these investigations included the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, the Veterans Administration, Office of Inspector General, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the United States Secret Service. The cases will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys throughout the Middle District of Florida, including Robert Bodnar, Jackson Boggs, Mac Heavener, and Jay Taylor.
Lutz Woman Pleads Guilty to Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Patricia M. Syling (44, Lutz) yesterday pleaded guilty to wire fraud. She faces a maximum penalty of twenty years in federal prison. As part of her plea agreement, Syling also agreed to forfeit a residence in Lutz.
According to the plea agreement and other court documents, Syling gained employment in October 2007 with Citrus Health Care, Inc. (“CHC”), a health maintenance organization located in Tampa. Her title was Director of Compliance. To secure the position with CHC, Syling used a false name (Patricia Dunne) and other false personal information in her CHC employment application, including a false social security number, prior work history, and education history. Syling used the false information because at the time, she was under federal indictment in the District of Hawaii (Case No. 07-CR-406SOM), charged with eight counts of mail fraud.
Shortly after securing employment at CHC, Syling opened a bank account at Regions Bank in the name of Health Solutions Group, LLC (“HSG”), a company created and controlled by her. Thereafter, she created fraudulent documentation to support bogus invoices submitted by HSG, and other like sounding names, to CHC, which Syling then approved for payment. For example, in July 2007, using her position at CHC and still posing as Patricia Dunne, Syling provided fraudulent information to a member of the CHC Board of Directors in order to cause that person to initiate an interstate wire transfer of $395,000 from CHC’s SunTrust bank account to the HSG bank account controlled by the Syling at Regions Bank. Syling then used a portion of the proceeds from the wire transfer to purchase a home in Lutz, Florida.
In March 2009, Syling pleaded guilty to the eight mail fraud charges in the District of Hawaii. On June 3, 2009, she was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison. She was released in June 2013. A superseding indictment was returned in the Middle District of Florida case in July 2013.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay G. Trezevant.
DEA’s Highest Ranking Guatemalan Drug Trafficker Extradited to Face Federal Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Juan Alberto Ortiz-Lopez, a/k/a “Chamale,” a/k/a “Juanito,” (43, San Marcos, Guatemala) has been extradited to the Middle District of Florida to face federal drug trafficking charges. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Ortiz-Lopez that the United States intends to forfeit any and all properties, which are traceable to proceeds of the offenses. Ortiz-Lopez was indicted on February 1, 2011 and arrested on March 30, 2011 by Guatemalan authorities.
Count one of the indictment charges Ortiz-Lopez with conspiring with other persons, including persons who were on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and who were first brought into the United States, at a point in the Middle District of Florida, to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine. Count two charges Ortiz-Lopez with conspiring with other persons to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, knowing and intending that such substance would be unlawfully imported into the United States.
Ortiz-Lopez’s indictment was obtained following a long-term investigation by the Operation Panama Express Strike Force – a multi-agency task force targeting large-scale drug trafficking organizations involved in smuggling shipments of narcotics into the United States. Ortiz-Lopez was designated under the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program as a Consolidated Priority Organization Target (CPOT), and was considered by the DEA to be the highest ranking drug trafficker currently operating in Guatemala. For over a decade, Ortiz-Lopez’s drug organization received multi-ton cocaine shipments in Guatemala, which would then be transported through Mexico to the United States, where the cocaine would be further distributed.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), including DEA’s Guatemala City Country Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Services (USCGIS), the Joint Interagency Task Force – South (JIATF-S), and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Government of Guatemala and Guatemalan law enforcement agencies. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph K. Ruddy.
Colombian Man Charged with Importation of Heroin Through the Orlando International AirportRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, announces that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging William Paez Rubiano (40) with importing approximately 3.3 kilograms of heroin into the United States from Colombia. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
According to court records, on May 8, 2014, Paez arrived in Orlando from Bogota, Colombia, aboard JetBlue Airways Flight 1784. Paez was traveling with his wife and their seven-year-old daughter. Upon arrival at the Orlando International Airport, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) K-9 Officer conducted a canine sweep of Paez and his family, including their carry-on luggage. The canine positively alerted to the odor of narcotics emanating from the carry-on luggage. Paez’s carry-on luggage was examined and the officers discovered, concealed inside the linings of the luggage, a brown powder substance which yielded positive results to the presence of heroin. Paez accepted responsibility for the drugs and was placed under arrest. He is currently detained pending trial.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera Miranda.
Sarasota Man Indicted for Investment FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Gaeton Della Penna (61, Sarasota) with eight counts of wire fraud and ten counts of mail fraud in connection with an investment fraud scheme. If convicted, Penna faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count. The indictment also notifies Penna that the United States intends to seek a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of more than $3 million and intends to forfeit any assets that are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense, including funds in bank accounts in the name of Penna’s business entities and his Sarasota residence.
Penna self-surrendered to authorities today. His initial appearance is scheduled for 2 p.m. today before United States Magistrate Judge Thomas B. McCoun.
According to the indictment, Penna enticed investors to invest in Penna’s “investment funds” by guaranteeing them at least 5% yearly interest on their investment, with the principal to be returned at the end of an 18-month period, minus a nominal management/organizational fee paid to Penna, plus any trading profits. These representations were false. Instead of making profitable trades and protecting investors’ principal, Penna used less than half of the investors’ money for trading, lost money in his trades, and misappropriated the rest of the investors’ money by using it to repay other investors’ principal. He also used the monies for personal expenditures, including mortgage payments on his waterfront residence. Penna directed investors to write checks and wire their investment proceeds to him in the name of these funds and to Gaeton Capital Advisors. Penna also directed that false statements and “quarterly” interest checks be sent to the investors via the U.S. Mail to perpetuate the fraud.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley Howard-Allen.
Former Correctional Officer Sentenced to Two Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway today sentenced Michael J. Garland (42, Lecanto) to two years in federal prison for bribery of a public official. The court also ordered Garland to forfeit $4,200, which are traceable proceeds of the offense. Garland pleaded guilty to the offense on February 28, 2014.
According to court documents, Garland worked as a correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Institution Medium in Sumter County, Florida. On May 24, 2013, federal agents observed Garland on a video surveillance system as he met with an inmate at the federal prison. When agents subsequently searched the inmate, they discovered contraband in the inmate’s waistband in the form of a cellular phone with accessories, a prepaid phone card, ten packs of cigarettes and snuff tobacco. Agents immediately confronted Garland, who admitted that he had smuggled the items into the prison for the inmate. In return for smuggling the contraband into the prison, the inmate had made cash payments to Garland through a third party in the amount of $4,200.
This case was investigated by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Prisons Special Investigations Unit. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
Tampa Woman Indicted on 24 Counts of Tax FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Erica Lambert with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States Treasury and to commit wire fraud, 15 counts of wire fraud, and eight counts of aggravated identity theft, all in connection with filing fraudulent tax returns in other people’s names. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison on the conspiracy charge, ten years on each wire fraud charge, and 2 consecutive years’ imprisonment on the aggravated identity theft offenses. The indictment also notifies Lambert that the United States intends to forfeit any assets that are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense. Lambert was arrested and made her initial appearance on May 19, 2014.
According to the indictment, Lambert, and others, electronically filed false tax returns, each claiming fraudulent refunds, using stolen and fraudulently-obtained means of identification of others. Lambert and others kept track of the fraudulently-filed returns and refunds in detailed ledgers. The fraudulent tax refunds came in the form of U.S. Treasury checks and debit cards, which Lambert and others used to obtain cash and goods for their other personal use.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the Tampa Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley Howard-Allen.
This case was brought as part the Tampa Bay Identity Theft Alliance, an initiative dedicated to combating the scheme of using stolen identities to file fraudulent federal income tax refund claims. The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office are working together on this joint investigative and enforcement effort.
Orlando Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Credit Card FraudRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. yesterday sentenced Sirrico Lewis (42, Orlando) to 8 years in federal prison for access device fraud. Lewis was also ordered to pay $754,864.55 in restitution and to serve a 3-year term of supervision, following his release from prison. Lewis pleaded guilty to an Information in December 2013.
According to court documents, Lewis and others engaged in a scheme to defraud several Central Florida area Sam’s Clubs and Wal-Mart stores through the fraudulent acquisition of duplicate Sam’s Club credit cards, and the subsequent use of those credit cards. To facilitate the crimes, a conspirator would manufacture counterfeit identification documents of existing Sam’s Club customers. Lewis and others then obtained those counterfeit identification documents, took them to various Sam’s Clubs, and used them to obtain duplicate credit cards on existing accounts. The co-conspirators then used those credit cards to make fraudulent purchases at area Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart stores, or they turned the cards over to another conspirator who would either make fraudulent purchases or get another person to do so. The fraudulently-purchased items would be sold, with the proceeds from those sales being divided amongst the conspirators. The total amount of actual loss suffered by the victims of this scheme is over $2 million. Of that amount, Lewis was involved in over $750,000 in fraudulent transactions.
Lewis is the second individual to be sentenced in this case. On October 30, 2012, Reginald Holley pleaded guilty to access device fraud. Holley was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison on January 14, 2013.
These cases were investigated by the United States Secret Service. They were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.
Gentleman’s Club Owner Indicted on Tax Evasion ChargesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Fred Bedran (61, Jacksonville) with tax evasion. If convicted on all counts, Bedran faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison and a $100,000 fine.
According to the indictment, Fred Bedran is the owner and operator of J.R. Cocktails, Inc., a Gentleman’s club in Jacksonville, Florida. From 2007 through 2010, Bedran, underreported his personal income and the gross receipts/sales being generated from his business, to avoid paying the full amount of his personal and corporate income taxes.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Malisa Chokshi.
Former Bank Manager Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiring to Steal Government FundsRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John E. Steele yesterday sentenced Emmanuel Marty (32, Lehigh Acres) to two years in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to commit theft of government funds. The Court also ordered Marty to pay $1,460,063.16 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. The sentence also included a money judgment in that same amount, $1,460,063.16, representing the proceeds of the offense.
Marty pleaded guilty on January 7, 2014.
According to court documents, Marty was employed as a bank manager at a bank in Fort Myers. While employed at that bank, he used his position to override internal controls and cash approximately $1,460,063.16 worth of United States Treasury Checks that were generated as refund checks, as a result of fraudulent tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service. The tax returns were filed utilizing stolen personal identification information.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David G. Lazarus.
Commercial Armed Robbers Arrested in Multi-Agency InvestigationRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Shamorcus Brandan Nesbitt (27, Tampa) and England Alexander Wilson (32, Tampa) have been charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, interference with commerce by robbery, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to and in furtherance of a crime of violence. If convicted, each faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for each robbery, and mandatory minimum consecutive sentences of 7 years, up to life imprisonment for each related firearms offenses.
After being arrested on May 20, 2014, Nesbitt and Wilson made their initial appearances in federal court, before United States Magistrate Judge Thomas B. McCoun, III in Tampa. They were detained pending further proceedings.
According to the criminal complaint, multiple law enforcement agencies have been investigating a series of 19 commercial armed robberies that have occurred in the Tampa Bay area between December 2013 and May 20, 2014. The robberies were unique in that they occurred around closing time and that the robbers would smash the stores’ glass with a brick or rock to gain access to the store. Once inside the store, the robbers would hold the employees at gunpoint, while demanding money. Based on the patterns of the armed robberies, investigators identified Nesbitt and Wilson as the potential perpetrators and identified the vehicles that they were believed to be using to commit the robberies. At approximately 12:40 a.m. on May 20, 2014, Nesbitt and Wilson used one of those vehicles to commit an armed robbery of a pizza chain on West Waters Avenue in Tampa. Further investigation led law enforcement to Nesbitt’s residence, in Tampa, where both individuals were ultimately taken into custody.
A criminal complaint is merely an informal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case is a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms & Explosives, the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tampa Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josephine W. Thomas.
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Cape Canaveral Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Producing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. yesterday sentenced Travis Garrett Robinson (27, Cape Canaveral) to 25 years in prison for two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. As part of his sentence, Robinson was also ordered to serve a life-term of supervision and register as a sex offender, following his release from prison.
Robinson pleaded guilty on February 26, 2014.
According to court documents, this investigation began when an Internet website reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a specific Internet Protocol (IP) address was engaged in downloading child pornography. Law enforcement determined the location of the IP address and interviewed Robinson. Robinson not only admitted to downloading and possessing child pornography, but also admitted to producing child pornography. While Robinson was a guest in a friend’s home, he exploited young boys. Robinson waited until the boys were sleeping, and on different occasions, exposed them and took several pictures with his cell phone and camera.
Robinson’s computer, external hard drive and cameras were seized and searched pursuant to a search warrant. The investigation revealed that Robinson, using a peer-to-peer software program (“Shareaza”), had downloaded and viewed child pornography for approximately ten years. The forensic examination of his cell phones showed that Robinson produced more than ten images of child pornography of minor victims. The forensic examination further revealed that his computer, external hard drive, and cell phones contained a total of 992 image files and 261 movie files of child pornography. Included in these additional images were images involving bondage and/or penetration of children who were under 12 years old.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Orlando Regional Operations Center. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Myrna Amelia Mesa.
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.
Jasper Woman Pleads Guilty to Sending Hoax Anthrax LetterRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Kathryn Cohen Allen (47, Jasper) has pleaded guilty to sending letters to the offices of Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson in June of 2011, threatening their lives. Allen faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison and a fine of $500,000. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on June 27, 2011, Allen mailed threatening letters containing a white powdery substance to the offices of United States Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson. Both offices were evacuated as a result. Field and laboratory testing determined that the white powdery substance was not hazardous. Allen admitted that she sent the letters in an effort to frame her neighbor whom she believed was engaged in an interracial relationship. Allen was implicated in the scheme when her handwriting was identified in each of the letters.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Numerous local agencies also participated in the investigation, including the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue, and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay Taylor.
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Former WellCare Executives Sentenced for Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa – U.S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. today sentenced former WellCare Chief Executive Officer Todd S. Farha (45, Tampa) to 36 months in prison for defrauding the Florida Medicaid program. In addition, the Court also respectively sentenced Paul L. Behrens (52, Odessa) to 24 months’ imprisonment; William L. Kale (64, Oldsmar) to one year and a day in prison; and Peter E. Clay (57, Wellesley, Massachusetts) to five years’ probation.
All four were convicted by a federal jury on June 10, 2013. Specifically, Farha was convicted of two counts of health care fraud; former WellCare Chief Financial Officer Paul L. Behrens was convicted of two counts of making false statements relating to health care matters and two counts of health care fraud; William L. Kale, former Vice President of Harmony Behavioral Health, Inc. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of WellCare), was found guilty of two counts of health care fraud; and Peter E. Clay, former WellCare Vice President of Medical Economics, was found guilty of making false statements to a law enforcement officer.
“Today’s sentences are the culmination of a lengthy and comprehensive investigation and prosecution of egregious crimes of fraud and greed,” said U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida A. Lee Bentley III. “We hope that the sentences imposed will send a strong message that individuals engaging in health care fraud will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
“The former WellCare executives chose to engage in corrosive and illegal conduct. Unsatisfied with the wealth and power they already had, they chose to steal from the American public,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Omar Perez Aybar, HHS-OIG Miami Regional Office. “Today they are being held accountable for their actions. The sentences serve as a warning to other corporate executives who may contemplate such action and are a testament to Justice truly being blind to power, position, and status.”
According to court records and evidence at trial, Farha and others orchestrated a scheme to defraud the Florida Medicaid program from the summer of 2003 through the fall of 2007 by making fraudulent statements relating to expenditures for behavioral health care services.
WellCare operates health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in several states providing services through government-sponsored health care benefit programs like Medicaid. Two WellCare HMOs operating in Florida, StayWell and Healthease, contracted with the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), the Florida agency that administers the Medicaid program, to provide Florida Medicaid program recipients with an array of services, including behavioral health services.
In 2002, Florida enacted a statute that required Florida Medicaid HMOs to expend 80 percent of the Medicaid premium paid for certain behavioral health services upon the provision of those services. In the event that the HMO expended less than 80 percent of the premium, the difference was required to be returned to AHCA. As part of the scheme, Farha and others fraudulently submitted inflated expenditure information in the company’s annual reports to AHCA to reduce the WellCare HMOs’ contractual repayment obligations for behavioral health care services.
On May 5, 2009 the government filed related charges in an information and a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) against WellCare. Pursuant to that DPA, WellCare was required to pay $40 million in restitution, forfeit another $40 million to the United States and cooperate with the government’s criminal investigation. The company complied with all of the requirements of the DPA. As a result, the information was later dismissed by the court following a government motion. In a related civil qui tam case, Wellcare agreed to pay $137.5 million in civil fines and penalties.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FBI, and the Florida Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The case was prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney John Michelich of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Senior Litigation Counsel Assistant United States Attorney Jay Trezevant, Assistant United States Attorney Cherie Krigsman, and Special Assistant United States Attorney John Bowers of the Middle District of Florida.
Tampa Man Pleads Guilty to Violations of Federal Meat Inspection ActRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Jorge F. Ortega (27, Tampa) yesterday pleaded guilty to three violations of the Federal Meat Inspection Act. The violations include selling adulterated or misbranded meat, selling uninspected meat, and the improper slaughter of swine. Ortega faces a maximum penalty of 3 years in federal prison for each violation.
According to court documents, Ortega was the operator of Jorge’s Farm. He was responsible for the oversight of its activities, including the slaughtering, processing, handling, storing, and selling of swine in commerce, for human consumption. On October 27, 2011, Ortega slaughtered a swine in an inhumane manner. That swine was contaminated with insects and other filth. Ortega then sold the swine carcass to an undercover agent without labeling it properly and without the required federal meat inspection.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Investigative Service (FSIS) and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.
Tampa Felon Sentenced to More Than 15 Years for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington yesterday sentenced Antouin L. Barker (43) to 15 years and eight months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
A federal jury found Barker guilty on February 11, 2014.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on February 12, 2013, after sunset, Barker was riding his bicycle against traffic and without lighting equipment on 127th Avenue East, in Tampa. When stopped by deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for the traffic infractions, Barker repeatedly put his hands in his pockets, despite repeated warnings not to do so. Barker verbally consented to a search, but ultimately put his hands back in his pockets and turned away from the deputies. Fearing for their safety, deputies removed Barker’s hands from his pockets and patted him down. During the search, a small .22 caliber revolver was found in the right front pocket of Barker’s shorts. The gun was loaded with one live round, and four spent casings.
At the time of the incident, Barker was a previously convicted felon. His prior felonies include drug charges, aggravated battery, grand theft, and burglary. As a previously convicted felon, Barker is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. This case was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark E. Bini.
It is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Julie Leon, 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 and improve the quality of life in communities where law enforcement efforts are focused.
Multi-Convicted Felon Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara today sentenced Tory Lenard James (32, Sarasota) to ten years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. James was found guilty by a federal jury on February 25, 2014.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on July 25, 2013, members of the Sarasota Police Department executed a search warrant at James’s residence. Inside the home, law enforcement officers found a loaded .22 caliber pistol.
At the time of the incident, James was a convicted felon. His prior felonies include robbery and multiple drug convictions. As a convicted felon, James is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Sarasota Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carlton C. Gammons and Shauna S. Hale.
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 Julie Leon, 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 where law enforcement efforts are focused.
Brandon Man Sentenced to More Than 7 Years for Stolen Identity Refund FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington yesterday sentenced Anthony R. Reeves to seven years and three months in federal prison for multiple counts of wire fraud, theft of government property, and aggravated identity theft. As part of his sentence, the court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $69,585.59, a portion of the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.
Reeves was found guilty on February 3, 2014, following a bench trial.
According to court documents, on May 8, 2012, Reeves was stopped by a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Trooper for speeding and other traffic infractions. After a drug canine alerted on the vehicle, the car was searched. During the search, the trooper found a backpack that contained a laptop, a plastic bag containing 35 debit cards, multiple cell phones, a notebook, and 54 medical records from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) James A. Haley Hospital in Tampa. The notebook contained lists of names, social security numbers, email addresses, credit card numbers, and cell phone numbers. The VA medical records contained the names and SSNs of patients. In total, Reeves had the personal identifying information (PII) of 69 veterans and 52 others in his possession. Reeves admitted that he purchased VA medical records from someone whom he knew who worked at the VA, and used the information to file fraudulent tax returns.
Law enforcement conducted an analysis of the laptop, which revealed that it had been used to access numerous debit card accounts in the names of the victims. The IRS then conducted an analysis of the returns associated with Reeves, based on the files on the computer and the identifiers found in his possession. Specifically, Reeves filed at least 71 fraudulent tax returns from tax years 2010 and 2011.
Special Agent in Charge Monty Stokes, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said, “This case was the result of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies aggressively pursuing those who commit identity theft. Reeves is no stranger to the criminal justice system. This 7 year, 3 month sentence will hopefully be a deterrent for others, and give him some time to consider if it was really worth it.”
“Yesterday’s sentencing of Mr. Reeves is the final culmination of years of investigation, hard work and the combined efforts of the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the United States Attorney’s Office and the Florida Highway Patrol,” stated Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Steve Gaskins. “An alert Florida State Trooper conducting routine traffic enforcement, who looked beyond the traffic stop for criminal activity, has led to a highly successful conclusion whereby citizens and especially veterans benefit tremendously.”
This case was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney.
Security Guard Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Coercing and Enticing Minors into ProstitutionRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Naba Raheem Lewis (34, Tampa) was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for coercing and enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. Lewis pleaded guilty to this offense on January 24, 2014.
According to the plea agreement, on June 12, 2013, the Tampa Police Department received a 911 call in reference to a room at the Americas Best Value Inn & Suites. While conducting the investigation, officers made contact with two 16-year-old females and a baby. Further investigation determined that Lewis had met one of the minors on an Internet website, in June 2013. Lewis had browsed the site and found the minor’s Internet profile, then utilized the information to send her a private message. Lewis informed the minor that he was reviewing her photographs online and noticed that she had a child. He told her that he knew how she could make money to help care for her child.
Lewis subsequently obtained sexually explicit photos of the minor victim and her friend. Lewis then posted an Internet advertisement listing his telephone number so that he could schedule dates for the minor victims to meet men and have sex with them in exchange for money. To facilitate the crimes, Lewis rented two hotel rooms at the Americas Best Value Inn & Suites. One room was used for Lewis and the minors to sleep, while the other room was designated for prostitution. Lewis took all of the money that the minors earned from prostitution and stashed it in one of the hotel rooms.
During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Lewis attempted to recruit numerous females into prostitution using his social media accounts. At least one of the unidentified females was determined to be 15 years old.
This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacie B. Harris.
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.
Owner of Car Dealership Sentenced to More Than 17 Years for Laundering over $3 MillionRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington yesterday sentenced Samih Abdel Rahman (51, Tampa) to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to launder approximately $3,335,898 of proceeds from stolen identity refund fraud and drug trafficking.
Rahman pleaded guilty on January 24, 2014.
According to court documents and other evidence, Rahman was the owner and operator of Sam & Sons Auto Sales, Inc., a used car dealership located in Tampa. For a period of years, beginning no later than 2008, until March 2013, Rahman, who was assisted by others, sold vehicles to customers who paid with proceeds from stolen identity income-tax refund fraud and narcotics trafficking. Knowing that the payments were derived from ill-gotten gains, Rahman laundered the money in a manner that concealed its illicit sources. An estimate of the total amount of money laundered by Rahman is $3,335,898.
Among other ways, Rahman laundered these monies by putting the title of vehicles sold at Sam & Sons in the names of "straw purchasers" – that is, someone other than the actual buyer and intended user of that vehicle. Rahman also disguised the criminal identities of the true buyers of the cars by creating and processing false paperwork for the sales, including fake bills of sales and payment receipts. When receiving cash payments of more than $10,000 of illicit proceeds, Rahman would further launder the money by structuring cash deposits. He structured the deposits in a way that avoided triggering reporting requirements by the bank. He also failed to report those transactions appropriately, as was required under federal law for a car dealership receiving that amount of cash during the sale of a vehicle.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Jackson.
Tampa Woman Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison as Leader of Credit Card Fraud RingRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. today sentenced Viviana Reyes (40, Tampa) to 12 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit credit card fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, credit card fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and identity theft. The Court also ordered Reyes to pay $599,744.11 in restitution to the victims of her crimes and entered a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $725,267.44, which represents the proceeds of the crimes.
A federal jury found Reyes guilty of all counts on December 12, 2013, after a four-day trial. Four of her co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty. Three have been sentenced and one remains a fugitive.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Michel Lermos-Hernandez, Danay Crespo-Rodriguez, Norma Cabezas-Hernandez, and Viviana Reyes ran a credit card fraud ring. Lermos and Reyes were the leaders. Lermos, aided by others, obtained credit card numbers by placing key loggers on credit card terminals at the International Mall in Tampa, one in particular at the Haagen-Dazs ice cream store, that intercepted and stored swiped credit and debit card account information. Lermos and others then created counterfeit credit cards using the stolen credit and debit card account numbers. Lermos obtained blank credit card stock, embossing machines and magnetic stripe re-encoders from Reyes. He also sold stolen credit and debit card numbers taken from the key loggers to her.
After making the credit cards, Lermos provided the counterfeit credit cards to his co-conspirators, including his sister, Norma Cabezas-Hernandez, his girlfriend, Danay Crespo-Rodriguez, and at least two other separately-charged individuals (Lazaro Rodriguez and Abel Osorio-Cuok). Using the counterfeit cards, they bought electronics and gift cards at Tampa area retailers. The conspirators then took these items to Reyes= house, where she paid them in cash for the fraudulently obtained merchandise. Reyes directed the co-conspirators on what to buy – such as Target gift cards, Wal-Mart gift cards, and Apple electronics, based upon what she could most easily sell on the street. When Reyes purchased the items from her conspirators, she paid them approximately 50% of the retail value of the items before reselling them for approximately 60% of the retail value. Reyes advertised the items via text message and email.
A search of Reyes’ house in February 2013 revealed a credit card skimming device and two thumb drives filled with hundreds of stolen credit and debit card numbers, many of which were compromised at Haagen Dazs. Agents also recovered three counterfeit Florida drivers’ licenses indicative of those that Reyes sold to others in order to open lines of credit at area stores. A search of Reyes’ phone revealed pictures of merchandise such as Apple computers and tablets for sale, along with numerous text messages advertising electronics and gift cards for sale, at greatly reduced prices. Agents estimate that the loss, to date, to the affected financial institutions exceeds $700,000 and that the conspirators stole thousands of account numbers from affected credit and debit card account holders.
On March 13, 2014, Norma Cabezas-Hernandez was sentenced to five years in federal prison. Danay Crespo-Rodriguez’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 2014. Michel Lermos-Hernandez remains a fugitive. Lazaro Rodriguez was sentenced in January 2014 to three years and one month in federal prison. On February 21, 2014, Abel Osorio-Cuok was sentenced to five years’ probation for his role in this case.
This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the United States Secret Service, all of whom are members of the USSS’s credit card fraud and identity theft task force. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mandy Riedel and Suzanne Nebesky.
Four Men Charged with Synthetic Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III today announced the unsealing of a federal indictment charging four individuals with crimes relating to the distribution of synthetic cannabinoids. The indictment charges Ali El Khateeb (45, Tampa), Al Eddin Khaled (23, Wesley Chapel), and George Challita (56, New Orleans, LA) with conspiring to distribute and the distribution of AM-2201, a controlled substance analogue. El Khateeb, Khaled, and Anwar Gaber (31, Tampa) are also charged with conspiring to distribute and distribution of the controlled substance XLR-11. If convicted, each offense carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The indictment also seeks forfeitures, including a money judgment in the amount of approximately $5.9 million.
Corporate filings reveal that Khaled is associated with a business known as Wild Incense, located 4401 E. 10th Avenue in Tampa. This location was the focus of a search warrant that was executed on July 25, 2012, the date of nationwide enforcement actions relating to the distribution of smokable synthetic cannabinoids.
An analogue substance has a substantially similar chemical structure and effect as a controlled substance. The Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act of 1986 (CSAEA) allows many of these drugs to be treated as controlled substances if they are proven to be chemically and/or pharmacologically similar to a Schedule I or Schedule II controlled substance. When intended for human consumption, analogues are treated in the same fashion as the controlled substance and provide law enforcement with a means to keep pace with the rapidly changing environment surrounding the distribution of chemicals used to replace outlawed substances.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This indictment is the result of a long-term Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation involving the joint participation of numerous law enforcement agencies in the Tampa Bay area and nationwide. The agencies involved include the Drug Enforcement Administration in Tampa, Gainesville, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Milwaukee, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Tampa Police Department, Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Ocala Police Department, Gainesville Police Department, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, Levy County Sheriff’s Office, Union County Sheriff’s Office, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
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Winter Park Attorney Pleads Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Richard R. Baker (47, Winter Park) today pleaded guilty to tax evasion. Baker faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison, and a $250,000 fine. His sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
According to court documents, Baker has been licensed to practice law in Florida since 1993. In the late 1990s or early 2000s, Baker began to focus his practice on bankruptcy law and started managing and operating his own law office, which was known as the Law Offices of Richard R. Baker.
As a result of his position as an attorney, his training in the law, and his expertise in bankruptcy law, Baker knows that individuals are required to file personal federal tax returns. Despite that knowledge, he failed to timely file his personal federal tax returns from at least 1995 to 2008. From 2002 to 2008, Baker’s total adjusted gross income was approximately $991,008. Because of the amount of gross income that he earned in each of those years, Baker was required by law to file personal tax returns.
In an attempt to evade paying his income taxes, Baker submitted extensions to the Internal Revenue Service for his 2007 and 2008 tax returns. He falsely represented that he owed $0 in taxes. In addition, Baker claimed more allowances than he was allowed for his federal withholding, and he failed to mail to the IRS the W-2 forms that had been prepared for him and the other employees at his business.
On several occasions, Baker was advised that he needed to file his personal and corporate federal tax returns. In October 2009, Baker’s accountant prepared his personal returns for 2002 to 2008. Baker, however, did not file any of those returns at that point. Rather, he continued with his efforts to prevent the IRS from being able to investigate him, which included the submission of a false Collection Information Statement to the IRS, in November 2009, that misrepresented the number of exemptions that he had claimed on his withholding and that omitted two bank accounts controlled by him, containing thousands of dollars. The total amount of unreported income for Baker for 2002 to 2008 was approximately $991,008. The total tax loss for those years is approximately $160,348, which Baker has agreed to pay to the IRS as restitution.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service -- Criminal Investigation Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.
Top “Silk Road” Distributor of Drugs and Bitcoins Charged in TampaRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the filing of an information charging Angel William Quinones (34, Largo) with conspiracy to import MDMA, a/k/a Ecstasy or “Molly,” into the United States. A plea agreement was also filed in United States District Court in Tampa. Quinones faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
According to the plea agreement, from at least August 2012 through October 2013, Quinones used the underground website known as “Silk Road” as part of a conspiracy to import at least 9,193 grams of MDMA into the Middle District of Florida, for further distribution in the United States. From January 2011, until it was shut down by law enforcement in October 2013, Silk Road was dedicated to the sale of illegal drugs and other illicit, black market goods and services using the digital currency Bitcoin. The website was also designed to facilitate illegal commerce by ensuring anonymity among its users. Quinones was one of the largest wholesale re-distributors of illegal drugs from Silk Road in the United States.
Operating out of Largo, Florida, Quinones used the usernames “UnderGroundSyndicate” and “BTCmaster” to advertise, market, and sell illegal drugs on Silk Road. In operating the UnderGroundSyndicate and BTCmaster accounts, he obtained his MDMA principally from a Dutch supplier named Cornelis Jan Slomp (22). Slomp’s Silk Road username was “SuperTrips”. According to records obtained from the Silk Road servers, Slomp was the number one distributor of controlled substances, by sales, on the website. On April 24, 2014, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced that Slomp had been charged with conspiracy to distribute various controlled substances through Silk Road, including approximately 104 kilograms of MDMA, 566,000 ecstasy pills containing MDMA, four kilograms of cocaine, three kilograms of Benzodiazepine, and substantial quantities of amphetamine, LSD, and marijuana. Slomp pleaded guilty on May 8, 2014.
Quinones used the “UnderGroundSyndicate” and “BTCmaster” accounts to communicate with Slomp. In August 2012, Quinones entered into an arrangement with Slomp, whereby Slomp would provide him with wholesale quantities of MDMA on credit. Quinones, in turn, would sell the substances to his own customers via Silk Road and then split the proceeds with Slomp. Thereafter, Slomp shipped the MDMA into the Tampa area. After obtaining the MDMA, Quinones distributed the MDMA to customers throughout the United States. Quinones obtained several Post Office boxes in Pinellas County, which he used to ship and receive MDMA and proceeds. Slomp also provided Quinones with his unique logon information to the SuperTrips account and paid him to review and reply to messages sent to Slomp by customers on Silk Road.
Additionally, Slomp sent Quinones Bitcoins generated from Silk Road drug transactions to be converted into cash. Slomp also agreed that Quinones would hold on to a portion of the proceeds that Quinones had generated for Slomp, until Slomp was ready to retrieve them. In August 2013, Slomp was arrested after traveling from the Netherlands, to Miami, in order to meet with Quinones and transfer Slomp’s United States-based Silk Road operations, including his United States customers, to Quinones.
On October 2, 2013, with assistance from agencies in Chicago, federal agents executed a search warrant at Quinones’ home in Largo. During the search, agents found approximately $157,580 in cash, documents and keys associated with Post Office boxes used by the UnderGroundSyndicate and BTCmaster accounts, and various electronic media. Forensic analysis of that electronic media later uncovered spreadsheets and other documents authored by Quinones, which were associated with the UnderGroundSyndicate and BTCmaster accounts, including Silk Road customer orders and tracking information for parcels containing MDMA and drug proceeds.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Scruggs.
Tampa Man Pleads Guilty to Credit Card Fraud and Identity Theft ChargesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Noel Perez Partagas (21, Tampa) today pleaded guilty to two counts of access device (credit card) fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Partagas faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each of the credit card fraud offenses and 2 consecutive years’ imprisonment on the identity theft charge.
According to the plea agreement, Partagas obtained stolen credit and debit account numbers, which he used to create and/or purchase counterfeit or cloned credit cards. The true owners of the credit and debit accounts remained in possession of the cards and did not know to report them stolen. Partagas used the cards to purchase large quantities of fuel and tires, among other things, that could later be sold for cash.
Partagas had previously been arrested in July 2013, when he purchased approximately $100 worth of diesel fuel using a fraudulent credit card at a Murphy Gas location in Polk County. At the time, he was driving a pick-up truck with a large custom “bladder tank” in the truck’s bed that was used to hold large quantities of fuel. Partagas was also in possession of 69 credit cards and 20 gift cards, most which had been re-encoded. In early May 2013, Partagas also used fraudulent credit cards to purchase nearly $42,000 worth of tires from two tire retailers in the Lakeland area. The credit card companies suffered losses of over $65,000, with potential losses totaling nearly $350,000.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Tampa Police Department and Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley C. Howard-Allen.
Palm Bay Man Sentenced to over 8 Years for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. yesterday sentenced Keith William Davey, Jr. (28, Palm Bay) to 8 years and one month in federal prison for distributing child pornography. Davey is also required to register as a sex offender and to serve a 5-year term of supervision, following his release from prison. The court also ordered Davey to forfeit his computer equipment.
Davey pleaded guilty on February 11, 2014.
According to court documents, in November 2013, an undercover agent working in Portland, Maine initiated contact with Davey over the Internet. Davey believed that the agent was interested in child pornography and discussed trading images with the agent. On November 6, 2013, and again on November 8, 2013, Davey used the Yahoo Messenger photo sharing feature to send the agent images of child pornography, including images of prepubescent female children being sexually abused and exploited by adult males. Davey used his Yahoo Messenger screen name to transmit the images. Law enforcement agents executed a search at Davey’s Palm Bay residence, and during an interview, Davey admitted to sending the child pornography to the undercover agent and that he had obtained child pornography from the Internet. Agents also recovered Davey’s desktop computer and his SD card from his residence. These devices contained additional images of child pornography, including some of the images that Davey had distributed to the undercover agent.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Searle.
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.usdoj.gov/psc.
Leader of Real Estate Flipping Scheme IndictedRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Stephen Mayer (50, Miami Beach) with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution. If convicted, Mayer faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Mayer that the United States intends to forfeit any assets that are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.
On April 29, 2014, Mayer was arrested on a federal complaint and detained in Miami.
According to court documents, Mayer engineered a complex real estate flipping scheme involving different participants and shell companies under his control. From approximately September 18, 2003 and continuing through at least September 14, 2007, Mayer defrauded lenders by causing mortgages to be issued based on fraudulent information provided by several “straw buyers” whom he recruited. Mayer facilitated the scheme utilizing several Florida corporations, including InvestFund Corp USA, Inc., and Regal Windsor Homes, Inc.
Between September and March 2005, Mayer bought at least 24 properties in Hillsborough County for approximately $2,341,000. He resold these same properties, usually on the same day, to his “investors” for approximately $3,723,290. The transactions resulted in a net profit of approximately $1,528,790. The purchasers of these properties, known as “straw buyers,” were recruited by Mayer to utilize their good credit in order to obtain mortgage loans for purchases. The “straw buyers” subsequently transferred the titles back to Mayer, and/or one of Mayer’s companies, by quit claim deed. Mayer would facilitate the transfer of properties between his various investors, each time inflating the prices. When these properties were later resold at even greater prices, Mayer again profited from the sales. The total loss to the affected lenders exceeds $2.75 million.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelley Howard-Allen and Mandy Riedel.
Tampa Woman Pleads Guilty to Assault on DHS AgentRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Latrese Brantley (40, Tampa) pleaded guilty yesterday to assaulting a federal agent. Brantley faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
According to the plea agreement, on April 30, 2013, Brantley was returning to Tampa on a Jet Blue flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Jet Blue flight personnel reported that Brantley had been of concern during the flight, and asked for a representative to come to the gate to escort Brantley off the plane. As Brantley was being escorted from the flight by a Jet Blue employee, she punched that employee. A Department of Homeland Security agent, who was in the airport terminal at the time, heard the commotion and came over to assist. She identified herself as a federal agent. Brantley punched the agent in the face and the two struggled near the flight gate. As a result of the struggle, the agent suffered scratches and abrasions and sustained physical injury that required later medical attention.
This case was investigated by the Transportation Security Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.
Daytona Beach Tax Preparer Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell today sentenced Fane Dacosta (40, Daytona Beach) to 2 years and 4 months in federal prison for aiding in the preparation of false tax returns and failing to file his own tax returns. Dacosta was also ordered to serve one year of supervision, following his incarceration, and to pay $656,084 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. Dacosta was convicted by a federal jury on January 30, 2014.
According to evidence presented at trial, Dacosta was the owner of a tax return business (“More Than Enaf Refund & Affordable Tax Services”) in Holly Hill, Florida. For the tax years 2006 through 2009, Dacosta prepared returns for individuals in which he falsified the amounts of deductions and tax credits owed to taxpayers, resulting in those taxpayers receiving undeserved tax refunds. In particular, Dacosta fraudulently claimed education credits for clients who never attended college, and he inflated itemized deductions. In response to the false returns that Dacosta prepared, the Internal Revenue Service issued more than $500,000 in undeserved refunds. In addition, Dacosta failed to file his personal tax returns in 2007, 2008, and 2009, despite earning over $100,000, $200,000, and $300,000 in each of those years, respectively.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.
Florida Men Indicted for Synthetic Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Harmeet Singh (39, Windermere); Cean Al Najjar (33, Palm Harbor); and Michael Petrucci (49, Tampa) with conspiring to distribute, and distributing, controlled substance analogue AM2201. If convicted on all counts, each faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison.
The indictment also notifies the individuals that the United States intends to forfeit a money judgment of $13,145,032.65, representing the proceeds of the offenses, the contents of four bank accounts, which contain proceeds of, and helped to facilitate, the offenses, and two residences purchased with proceeds of the offenses.
According to the indictment, Singh, Al Najjar, and Petrucci allegedly conspired to distribute, and distributed a controlled substance analogue called AM2201 from at least March 1, 2011 until at least March 23, 2012, earning millions of dollars in the process.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Altamonte Springs Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys James A. Muench and Natalie Hirt Adams.
This case is a part of Project Synergy, an ongoing effort to target every level of the dangerous global synthetic designer drug market. While many of the designer drugs being marketed today that were seized as part of Project Synergy are not specifically prohibited in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act of 1986 (CSAEA) allows many of these drugs to be treated as controlled substances if they are proven to be chemically and/or pharmacologically similar to a Schedule I or Schedule II controlled substance.
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Advertising Company Executives Arrested for FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Gary Todd Smith (45), a/k/a Todd, and Gary Truman Smith (69), a/k/a Gary, both of Fayetteville, North Carolina, with wire fraud affecting a financial institution. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.
According to the complaint, Gary and Todd Smith ran Smith Advertising. The pair was allegedly involved in a fraud scheme that involved borrowing money (called bridge loans) for Smith Advertising to purportedly pre-purchase advertising space. They also borrowed money on outstanding invoices (called factoring) for Smith Advertising. Each loan, to the extent that it was repaid, was repaid by new loans. The underlying collateral for the loans was, where produced, fake invoices. Smith Advertising maintained a real and a false set of record books. On the date the company ceased operations, the total assets for the corporation were, according to their real books, valued at -$63,723,391.55, and the total equity was -$103,140,084.68.
A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas N. Palermo.
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Seventh Person Pleads Guilty in Marijuana Smuggling ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Amber Dorius (31, St. George, Utah) today pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to distribute marijuana. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
According to court documents, from 2011 to January 2013, Chad Sunyich arranged for quantities of marijuana to be driven and flown to the Middle District of Florida, from California and Utah, for further distribution. In 2011, Dorius worked as a courier in Sunyich’s organization. She worked with others to transport marijuana from California to Hillsborough County, Florida, by car, generally every forty-five to sixty days. On many of these trips, Dorius’ associate would drive a car carrying the marijuana. Dorius would drive ahead in a separate car, acting as a lookout. Once the marijuana arrived in Hillsborough County, it was distributed.
Dorius is the seventh individual in this investigation to plead guilty. Others pleaded guilty to a marijuana distribution conspiracy charge as follows:
- Chad Sunyich pleaded guilty on June 4, 2013. He was sentenced on August 22, 2013, to five years in federal prison.
- Timothy O’Neal Long pleaded guilty on June 26, 2013. He was sentenced on September 13, 2013, to three years and one month in federal prison.
- Jason Vowell pleaded guilty on June 3, 2013. He was sentenced on August 19, 2013, to twelve months in federal prison and ordered to forfeit a Piper Aerostar fixed wing aircraft which had been used to smuggle marijuana from St. George, Utah to Tampa, and $166,228 in drug proceeds.
- Jeff Laflamboy pleaded guilty on January 7, 2014. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 23, 2014.
- Miryana Calderon Long pleaded guilty on December 3, 2013. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 10, 2014.
- Lucas Dahlberg pleaded guilty on April 17, 2014. His sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration as part of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (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 is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray.
Lake City Man Arrested and Charged in Federal Court with Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced today that Robert Lamar Starling (29, Lake City) has been charged by a federal criminal complaint with producing child pornography. If convicted, Starling faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervision. Starling was arrested on May 1, 2014. He was ordered detained pending a hearing on May 8, 2014 at 2:30 p.m., before United States Magistrate Judge James R. Klindt.
According to the criminal complaint, beginning in September 2013, FBI agents executed a series of search warrants on several email accounts around the country and determined, among other things, that a particular user in Lake City, Florida had uploaded images of child pornography to the Internet, using an account on a photo sharing site. Further investigation traced the account back to a residence in Lake City, where Starling resided.
On May 1, 2014, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at the residence. Starling was not at the residence, but was located later that morning driving his golf cart at the Suwannee Music Park & Campground in Live Oak, Florida. During an interview at his campsite, Starling stated that he had produced pornographic images of several prepubescent children and that he searches for and downloads child pornography via the Internet. He provided the identities of five prepubescent children with whom he produced child pornography. Starling estimated that he may have around 7,000 videos and 5,000 still images of child pornography. A preview of Starling’s laptop computer revealed that it contained more than 600 videos depicting child pornography.
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, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another 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.
Colombian Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Importation Conspiracy ChargeRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Vinston Boxton-Moises (48, San Andres Island, Colombia, South America) today pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, knowing that the cocaine would be unlawfully imported into the United States. Boxton faces a mandatory minimum penalty of ten years in federal prison, up to a maximum term of life imprisonment.
According to the plea agreement, between 2010 and 2013, Boxton was a knowing and willing participant in an ongoing plan to smuggle cocaine by sea. The cocaine was ultimately destined for unlawful importation into the United States. Boxton’s roles in the conspiracy included recruiting and paying mariners and mechanics, contracting for the use of smuggling and lookout/logistics vessels, and dispatching cocaine-laden go-fast vessels (GFVs).
Boxton is accountable for the GFV TAUPLY that was interdicted by the United States in the Caribbean Sea on May 31, 2012, approximately eighty-five nautical miles southeast of Nicaragua. The TAUPLY interdiction resulted in the seizure of approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine. Boxton arranged for the recruitment and payment of the mariners who ultimately operated TAUPLY and attempted to smuggle the cocaine. The government of Colombia consented to the enforcement of United States law over the TAUPLY, its illicit cargo (cocaine), and crew. The five mariners embarked in TAUPLY were successfully prosecuted in the United States for violations of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, first arriving at a place in the Middle District of Florida.
Boxton was arrested on San Andres Island, Colombia in August 2013, and subsequently extradited to the United States for prosecution. As a direct result of his participation in the conspiracy, Boxton obtained at least $1 million in proceeds.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray.
It was investigated by the Panama Express North Strike Force, a standing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, comprised of agents and analysts from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance with the extradition. 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.
Fort Myers Couple Sentenced Today for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John E. Steele today sentenced Alan Robert Johnson (35) to 50 years in federal prison and Jennifer A. Sparks (39) to 30 years in federal prison for production of child pornography. They were both ordered to serve a lifetime of supervision, after their release from prison. The court ordered the couple to forfeit numerous cellular phones, several thumb drives, a Micro SD card, a laptop computer, and a Fuji FinePix camera, which were found to contain child pornography.
Sparks pleaded guilty on January 27, 2014, and Johnson pleaded guilty on January 28, 2014.
According to court documents, on or about May 12, 2012, in Lee County, Florida, Johnson and his girlfriend Sparks knowingly used a 4-year-old girl to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. On June 4, 2012, a private citizen turned the cellular telephone that Johnson and Sparks had used to produce the child pornography over to law enforcement. The cellular telephone had been found in a shopping cart at a Walmart in Lee County. Further investigation revealed that Johnson was a registered sex offender. A subsequent search warrant was obtained for his residence, and another cellular phone was located in the couple’s bedroom, containing sexually explicit images of the minor.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes the Cape Coral Police Department, and with assistance from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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.
Federal Jury Finds Pharmacy Owner and Manager Guilty of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury yesterday found Jeffrey R. Green (50, Cape Coral), the owner of Gulf Coast Medical Pharmacy, and Karen S. Hebble (44, Cape Coral), the manager of this pharmacy, guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of Oxycodone and Alprazolam, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. In addition, Green was convicted of six counts of money laundering. The jury found Hebble guilty of two counts of money laundering. Each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of the controlled substances. Both face a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit money laundering and each count of money laundering. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 28, 2014.
A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment against Green and Hebble on July 24, 2013.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, from 2009 through October 6, 2011, Green and Hebble conspired with each other, and with others, to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute Oxycodone and Alprazolam. Green and Hebble filled prescriptions that were not issued for legitimate medical purposes and distributed controlled substances without the supervision and control of a licensed pharmacist at Gulf Coast Medical Pharmacy, which Green owned.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, which includes the Naples Police Department, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, and other local law enforcement agencies. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Yolande G. Viacava and Robert P. Barclift.
Facebook Predator Faces Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Melvin Barber Bridgers, III (34, Tarpon Springs) has been charged in a criminal complaint with production, receipt, distribution, and possession of child pornography. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, up to 30 years’ imprisonment on the production charge and a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years, up to 20 years in prison on each of the receipt and distribution charges. For the possession of child pornography charge, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
Bridgers was arrested on May 1, 2014, and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Jenkins, in Tampa. He was detained pending further proceedings.
According to the criminal complaint, between about November 30, 2013, and May 1, 2014, Bridgers used multiple Facebook accounts to pose as a teenage female and befriend other minor females between the ages of 11 and 16. After befriending the minor females, Bridgers would coerce them into sending sexually graphic photographs to him on Facebook. Bridgers would then threaten the minor females with exposing the sexually graphic photos to their parents or to other Internet users, to extort the minor females into sending him additional sexually graphic photographs and videos. He would also instruct the minor females on how to pose sexually in the photographs. Bridgers, who moved to Tarpon Springs from North Carolina in the fall of 2013, came to the attention of law enforcement when a 12-year-old victim in the Houston, Texas area reported the Facebook activity to her mother, who then contacted the authorities.
A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
According to investigators, a "disturbing trend" is emerging in which child predators are increasingly using the Internet and social media sites such as Facebook to entice children to produce and share sexually explicit material online. During recent operations, HSI and ICAC investigators encountered various child predators chatting online with minors about sexual topics, sending them obscene images, encouraging them to produce nude or sexual photos and videos, and attempting to meet them in person to engage in sexual activity. In some cases, child predators are also sexually extorting, or "sextorting," the minors into producing additional and increasingly graphic images and videos. HSI is asking that anyone with additional information about potential victims this case come forward by contacting ICE-HSI tip line at 1-866-347-2423.
This case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josephine W. Thomas.
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.
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Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 24 Years for Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud or CoercionRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis yesterday sentenced Narada Randolph (32) to 24 years in federal prison for sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. Randolph was indicted on June 27, 2012. He pleaded guilty in November 2013.
According to court documents, from late 2007 through the middle of 2011, Randolph forced, by means of physical violence, four women to engage in the commercial sex trafficking industry. In addition, from July 2008 through March 2010, Randolph transported two of these women from Florida to Washington, D.C., Indiana and Georgia, with the intent of forcing them to engage in commercial sex acts.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Malisa Chokshi.
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Washington Man Sentenced in Conspiracy to Export Sophisticated Computer Equipment to IranRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew today sentenced John Alexander Talley (42, Seattle, Washington) to 30 months in federal prison for conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iranian Transaction Regulations. The court also sentenced Talley’s company, Tallyho Peripherals, Inc. d/b/a Enterprise Solutions Systems, to one year of probation.
Talley and Tallyho pleaded guilty on September 18, 2013.
According to court documents, from about 2009 to about September 2012, Talley and his company conspired with others, including Mohammed Reza “Ray” Hajian, to unlawfully export sophisticated enterprise level computer equipment from the United States to Iran, and to provide computer information technology (IT) support services for the equipment, all in violation of the United States embargo. Talley’s role was to provide training and computer IT support to ensure that the computer equipment operated in Iran. In an effort to conceal their activities, the conspirators in the United States caused shipments of the computers and related equipment, as well as the payments for same, to travel to and from the United States and Iran through the United Arab Emirates. Similarly, payments for Talley’s support services were wired through the UAE.
On July 11, 2012, Hajian and three of his companies, RH International LLC, Nexiant LLC, and P & P Computers LLC, pleaded guilty to charges involving the same conspiracy to violate the Iranian Embargo. Hajian and his companies also pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iranian Transaction Regulations. On October 18, 2012, Hajian was sentenced to four years in federal prison.
On September 12, 2013, two Iranian nationals, Mahmood Akbari, a/k/a John Wasserman and Reza Hajigholamali, and three UAE front companies, Patco Group Ltd., Managed Systems and Services (FZC), and TGO General Trading LLC, were indicted in connection with the same conspiracy. Charges against those parties included a conspiracy to violate the International Economic Powers Act, and a conspiracy to commit international money laundering. According to the superseding indictment in that case, Hajian was selling the sophisticated computer equipment and services at issue to Akbari.
If convicted, Akbari and Hajigholamali face a maximum penalty of up to 40 years in federal prison.
On April 24, 2014, Michael J. Dragoni (48, Riverview, FL), and two companies controlled by him, Fortis Data Systems, LLC (“FDS”) and Greencloud LLC, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Dragoni faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison.
According to plea agreements filed in the case, from about August 2009 through at least August 2011, Dragoni, along with Randy Dale Barber, using Dragoni’s companies FDS and Greencloud, conspired to defraud Hitachi Data Systems (“HDS”) by making materially false statements to HDS in order to purchase computer equipment for resale to Hajian, who in turn resold the equipment to his client, Akbari, and UAE company Patco. By late 2009, Dragoni, Barber and Hajian knew that HDS refused to sell computer equipment to Hajian, and his customers Akbari and Patco, because HDS believed that the equipment was being diverted to unauthorized end users. In order to deceive HDS and purchase the computer equipment, Dragoni and Barber made false statements regarding the purchaser, end user, and location of installation of the equipment that they were purchasing, including by using front companies to make equipment purchases on their behalf. Dragoni and the conspirators then caused the equipment to be shipped to Dubai.
On February 28, 2014, Barber also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with making false statements to HDS. Barber is scheduled to be sentenced on May 28, 2014, and faces a maximum penalty of up to five years in federal prison.
“Engaging in a conspiracy to export sensitive United States technologies to prohibited countries like Iran is a serious crime that threatens our national security,” said Shane Folden, acting special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “HSI is committed to investigating those who seek to steal our country’s critical technology and to working with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle these illicit procurement networks.”
"Protecting our national security is a top priority of the Office of Export Enforcement," said Robert Luzzi, Special Agent In-Charge of the of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Export Enforcement Miami Field Office. "Today's sentencing proves that those who conspire to violate U.S. export controls by illegally diverting sensitive technology anywhere in the world will be pursued and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark E. Bini and Trial Attorney Mariclaire Rourke of the Counterespionage Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, National Security Division.
Tampa Man Sentenced to Prison for Stolen Identity Refund FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. today sentenced Robert L. Wimbush to 3 years and 9 months in federal prison for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered Wimbush to forfeit $9,530 which is traceable to proceeds of the offense. Wimbush pleaded guilty on January 21, 2014.
According to court documents and evidence introduced at sentencing, Wimbush used prepaid debit cards issued in the names of other individuals to make cash withdrawals from ATMs in the Tampa area. The withdrawn funds were largely the result of refunds from fraudulently-filed federal income tax returns that had been deposited onto the cards. For example, on October 31, 2012, Wimbush drove to an ATM at a credit union in Tampa, used a prepaid debit card issued in the name of another individual (“W.G.”), and withdrew $490 from the ATM. W.G. was a victim of identity theft and was not aware that a debit card had been obtained in her name. She had not authorized Wimbush or anyone else to obtain a debit card in her name. Between June 30, 2012 and December 10, 2012, more than $6,300 was withdrawn from the account associated with that card.
Wimbush received the fraudulent debit cards from Brian E. Simmons and Wimbush’s aunt, Tressa V. Guy. Simmons and Guy were charged in a related case. On February 27, 2014, U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington sentenced the pair for their involvement in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme. Simmons was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison. Guy was sentenced to 10 years and one month in federal prison. Wimbush’s sister, Ashley Guy, previously pleaded guilty in a separate stolen identity refund fraud case. She was sentenced last week to 7 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. Mueller and Trial Attorney Jason H. Poole of the Department of Justice, Tax Division.
Sinaloa Cartel Supervisor Operating in Central Florida Sentenced to More Than 19 Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. yesterday sentenced Demis Ulises Mokay-Fong (31, Orlando) to 19 and one-half years in federal prison for drug trafficking charges and illegally re-entering the United States after deportation. Mokay-Fong pleaded guilty to the offenses on November 21, 2013.
On December 18, 2013, Carlos Armando Castro-Medina (40, Orlando) was sentenced to 13 years in prison for his role in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Another co-conspirator, Irvin Gutierrez (26, Orlando), was sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment on February 25, 2014. Jesus Emmanuel Corrales (34, Las Vegas, Nevada), was also sentenced to 3 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
According to court documents, Mokay-Fong and his co-conspirators distributed twelve pounds of methamphetamine (“Ice”), over 11,000 pounds of marijuana using tractor trailers, and kilograms of cocaine. The drugs were obtained through Mokay-Fong, who acted as the Sinaloa Cartel’s contact for the supply of the narcotics that were transported from Mexico, through the Southwestern United States, into Central Florida. The investigation revealed conversations between the conspirators discussing the cartel’s use of hit men and kidnappings of family members to help collect drug debts incurred by others during the course of the conspiracy, as well as the cartel’s attempts to lure debtors to Mexico to face the cartel. In addition to their activity in Central Florida, Mokay-Fong and Gutierrez traveled to Philadelphia for the cartel, and stole a tractor trailer containing 8,000 pounds of marijuana that had been inadvertently delivered to the wrong truck depot.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Upper Allen Township (Pennsylvania) Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Irick.
Mortgage Fraud Ringleader and Title Agent Convicted in Multi-Million Dollar Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that yesterday a federal jury found James Fidel Sotolongo (48, Port Orange) guilty of one count of conspiracy and eleven counts of bank fraud. The jury found Stephanie Musselwhite (52, Daytona), a title agent in Orlando, guilty of one count of conspiracy, nine counts of bank fraud, and one count of making false statements to a federally insured financial institution. Realtor Ramara Garrett (35, Port Orange) was acquitted of conspiracy and making false statements to a federally insured financial institution. Sotolongo and Musselwhite each face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison on the conspiracy count, and a maximum of 30 years’ imprisonment on each of the remaining counts. In addition, both face fines of $250,000 and a five-year term of supervision. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 28, 2014.
Sotolongo and Musselwhite were indicted on April 24, 2013.
According to testimony and exhibits presented at trial, Sotolongo and Musselwhite were part of a scheme that recruited straw buyers with high credit scores to apply for and obtain 11 mortgages (first and second mortgages were obtained) totaling approximately $10 million. The purpose of the scheme was to obtain the properties with no money down and no money at closings, rent the properties, and then sell the properties for a profit. To carry out the plan, Sotolongo enlisted the straw buyers and told them that they did not need to bring a deposit or cash to the closing, and that they only needed to be involved in the loan application process. The straw buyers testified that the loan applications submitted in their names contained false information, including the use of the property as a primary residence, their income, their assets, and their liabilities. For example, the monthly income was stated as being $35,000 to $48,000, when the straw buyers’ monthly income ranged from $3,000 to $10,000. Other false information included grossly inflated checking and savings account balances.
Mortgage broker Christopher Mencis (53, North Carolina) previously pleaded guilty for his involvement in this case. According to his plea agreement, he prepared the loan applications and submitted them through his brokerage company, Real Estate Mortgage Professionals (REMP). REMP has since gone out of business. Mencis also used a former bank branch manager at SunTrust bank, at the direction of Sotolongo, to falsely verify the incomes and assets for the straw buyers. The loan applications were sent off to several lenders, all of whom testified that they would not have funded the loans had they known that the information contained in the loan applications was false and grossly inflated.
After the loans were approved, the title agent prepared settlement statements listing closing costs and payments to a company called American Signature Homes, which was partly owned by Sotolongo. Musselwhite, who owned Orlando Title and Abstract of Florida, Inc., would wire lender money to American Signature Homes, and Sotolongo would use a portion of the lender money to finance the deposit and closing costs that Musselwhite would collect after the closings. The banks did not know that they were actually funding 100% of the loans on the multi-million dollar homes.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, Florida Department of Financial Services, and the City of Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tanya Davis Wilson and Shawn P. Napier.
Eight More Individuals Sentenced in Operation SoonerRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway yesterday sentenced eight individuals in a cocaine trafficking investigation, dubbed Operation Sooner or Later, which has spanned more than three years. In the latest round of prosecutions, Chief Judge Conway sentenced Rodrigo Cantu Morales, Carlos Uriostegui-Nunez, Mario Ginorio, and Willie Brooks, IV to 10 years’ imprisonment; Monte Washington to 12 years and 11 months in federal prison; Isaias Ochoa to 7 years and 3 months in federal prison; Deonte Dallas to 5 years’ imprisonment, and David Ruvio, III to 3 years in federal prison. These individuals were sentenced for their respective roles in an international cocaine conspiracy that spanned from Mexico, McAllen and Mission, Texas, and into Ocala and Jacksonville, Florida.
According to court records and trial testimony, these drug trafficking groups were based in Guerrero and Tamaulipas, Mexico. From early 2007 until late 2011, they were responsible for importing several hundred kilograms of cocaine into the Ocala area. During the investigation, Jesus Lozano Alvarez and Rodrigo Cantu Morales were identified as working with a Mexican cocaine source of supply known as “El Nino” in Tamaulipas, Mexico. They shipped loads of cocaine via transport vehicles and couriers from south Texas to the Ocala area. When the loads of cocaine reached Ocala, Carlos Uriostegui-Nunez, Jesus Lozano Alvarez, Mario Ginorio, and Tavaries Norris worked together to redistribute the cocaine to other large scale dealers in the Middle District of Florida and South Carolina. The cocaine was re-sold to other kilogram level dealers, a portion of which was converted into crack cocaine and sold on the streets of Marion County.
As a result of this multi-year investigation, 55 individuals were indicted in the Ocala and Jacksonville Divisions of the Middle District of Florida. Forty-nine of the individuals were arrested and have pleaded guilty, or were convicted at trial. One individual is deceased, and five remain at-large. During this investigation, the United States seized $1.1 million in United States currency, more than $900,000 worth of real property, vehicles valued at more than $220,000, and 50 firearms.
These cases were investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Gainesville Resident Office and Jacksonville District Office. They are the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney A. Tysen Duva.
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Apopka Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Armed Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – Senior United States District Judge Gregory A. Presnell yesterday sentenced Dale Matthews Clar (47, Apopka) to 30 years and one month in federal prison for two counts of bank robbery with assault, and two counts of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The court also ordered Clar to serve a two-year term of supervision, following his prison sentence, and to forfeit a 9mm Glock pistol and 17 rounds of ammunition, which were used in the commission of the crimes.
A federal jury found Clar guilty on February 6, 2014.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on January 4, 2013, April 3, 2013, and September 6, 2013, Clar robbed the Chase Bank in Apopka, at gunpoint. He stole a total of approximately $18,000 in the three robberies. During each robbery, Clar rushed into the bank wearing a full ski mask. He pointed his gun at bank employees and customers, demanding cash from the tellers. When Clar fled the bank, he covered his license plate to avoid being caught.
On September 6, 2013, Clar covered his license plate with a temporary registration tag associated with his car. He also attempted to further avoid suspicion by placing a Domino’s Pizza delivery sign on the top of his car. Police located Clar and arrested him near his home. A subsequent search of Clar’s car revealed Clar’s disguise, a Glock 9mm handgun, and thousands of dollars in cash that he had just stolen from the bank.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Apopka Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph M. Schuster.
Orlando Felon Sentenced for Possession of Firearm and Impersonating A DEA AgentRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida –Senior U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell today sentenced Benjamin William Mejias (43, Orlando) to 18 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and for impersonating a DEA agent. The court also ordered Mejias to forfeit a Glock .40 caliber pistol and ammunition that he possessed. Mejias pleaded guilty on February 12, 2014.
According to court documents, Mejias appeared at nightclubs in Orlando dressed in clothes that identified him as an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Mejias wore authentic-looking DEA badges, carried a firearm and reportedly told several people that he was a DEA agent. He also posted photos of himself on social media websites wearing DEA paraphernalia, and a firearm. In September 2013, local police officers conducted a traffic stop on Mejias and he displayed a fake DEA badge and credentials to get out of the ticket. During a later search of Mejias’s residence, agents found a loaded semi-automatic firearm.
Mejias was convicted of three separate felony burglaries in 1994, 1995, and 1996, and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bruce S. Ambrose.
Middleburg Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan sentenced Daniel Richard Bakaley (23, Middleburg) to 33 months in federal prison for possessing images and videos of child pornography. Bakaley was also sentenced to a 10-year term of supervision and to register as a sex offender, following his incarceration. In addition, he was ordered to forfeit certain computer equipment traceable to the offense.
Bakaley pleaded guilty on October 17, 2013.
According to court documents, an undercover agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) determined that a particular computer was hosting images of child pornography using an Internet file sharing service. Further investigation traced the Internet Protocol (IP) address used by that computer back to Bakaley’s residence in Middleburg. A subsequent federal search warrant was executed at this residence. During an interview, Bakaley told agents about printed hard copy photos of child pornography hidden in a video game box in his bedroom that he had previously “found” in the printer connected to his desktop computer. The agents seized five computers and 22 printed images of child pornography from Bakaley’s residence. Subsequent forensic analysis revealed that three of the computers contained a total of 312 videos and 93 images depicting minor children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
This case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another 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.
Two Heroin Smugglers Sentenced in OrlandoRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon, II today sentenced Jorge Luis Alomar-Baello (43, Orlando) to 15 years in federal prison for conspiracy to import heroin. Judge Antoon previously sentenced Alomar’s co-defendant, Carla Michelle Alvarado (34, Kissimmee), to serve 2 years in prison. As part of their sentences, the court also entered a money judgment against each, in the amount of $10,000, the proceeds of the heroin that they smuggled into the country. Alomar pleaded guilty on December 19, 2013 and Alvarado pleaded guilty on January 3, 2014.
According to court documents, Alomar paid Alvarado, a Jet Blue flight attendant, $10,000 to smuggle heroin, on Jet Blue flights, from Cali, Colombia. In September 2013, Alvarado was given a body suit containing one kilogram of heroin. She wore the suit under her uniform on a flight from Cali to Orlando. When Alvarado arrived in Orlando, she delivered the heroin to Alomar. Alomar then sold it to his customers on the streets.
Two weeks later, on September 27, 2013, after landing on a flight from Bogota, Alvarado was selected for inspection by officers with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. The officers discovered the heroin hidden inside the body suit that Alvarado was wearing underneath her uniform. Agents identified Alomar as the intended recipient of the heroin. The next day, agents arranged a meeting with Alomar, who was arrested after taking possession of a bag he believed to contain the heroin.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bruce S Ambrose.
Orlando Rapper “Fella” Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Armed Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon, II today sentenced Dewarren Antoine Lewis, a/k/a “Fella,” (28, Orlando) to 35 years in federal prison for two counts of bank robbery with assault, and two counts of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The court also ordered Lewis to serve a 3-year term of supervision, following his prison sentence, and to forfeit a Jimenez Arms .380 pistol and six rounds of ammunition, which were used in the commission of the crimes. A federal jury found Lewis guilty on January 14, 2014.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on January 9, 2013, Lewis robbed the Wells Fargo Bank in Orlando, at gunpoint, before fleeing with over $9,000. On March 20, 2013, Lewis robbed the Regions Bank in Orlando. As he did in the Wells Fargo robbery, Lewis rushed into the bank, covered from head to toe, wearing a stocking over his face. He then pointed his gun at bank employees, forced his way behind the teller line, and filled his bag with the bank’s money. After fleeing the bank, a witness saw Lewis take off his disguise and drive away from the scene. Lewis then led police on a high speed chase through the streets of Orlando, before bailing out of his car and running away on foot. When Orange County Deputy Sheriffs finally apprehended him, Lewis was carrying a bag filled with over $23,000 that he’d just stolen from the Regions Bank.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Orange County Sherriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph M. Schuster.