Middle District of Florida

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that a federal jury has found Marquis Lamar McCullough (39, Tampa) guilty of two counts of distribution of fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. For both counts of distribution of fentanyl, the jury also found that the death of a person resulted from the use of the fentanyl that McCullough had distributed. McCullough, who was previously convicted of trafficking in cocaine, faces mandatory sentences of life imprisonment. 

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on April 22, 2021, deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) responded to the residence of K.K. to conduct a wellness check. They found K.K. dead when they entered his apartment, standing with his feet on the floor and his head and torso on top of the bathroom counter. Deputies found two baggies with small quantities of a substance, suspected to be heroin or fentanyl, in K.K.’s residence. Detectives reviewed K.K.’s cellphone and found communications with a woman who appeared to help K.K. purchase fentanyl the previous evening. The woman—who was a heroin user and not a dealer—was arrested on an unrelated charge and interviewed by detectives. She told them that K.K. could not get heroin from his usual source, so he asked her to buy heroin for him from her source, and she agreed to do it if she got to keep a bag for herself. The woman arranged a meeting with her supplier, “Slim,” and K.K. took her to meet Slim. With money provided by K.K., the woman bought several bags from Slim, provided most of them to K.K., and kept a couple of bags for herself.

On April 28, 2021, HCSO detectives conducted a controlled purchase during which detectives observed “Slim” deliver fentanyl and identified him as Marquis Lamar McCullough.

On May 6, 2021, the son of N.M. found his father dead, lying in his bed, and called 911 to report the death. HCSO deputies and detectives responded to the residence, and inside N.M.’s wallet they found a baggie with a small amount of a substance suspected to be heroin or fentanyl. While reviewing calls and texts on N.M.’s phone, a detective who had participated in the surveillance operation eight days earlier recognized that the last three calls placed by N.M. were to McCullough’s phone number, and the call and text history indicated that McCullough was N.M.’s supplier. Later that day, HCSO detectives planned for another purchase of heroin or fentanyl from McCullough, using N.M.’s cellphone to set up the meeting. When McCullough arrived at the meeting location, he tried to call N.M., but when his calls went unanswered, McCullough fled the area. An arrest team pursued his vehicle and took McCullough into custody.

The Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory determined that the substances found at the residences of K.K. and N.M., and the substances purchased from McCullough on April 28, 2021, all contained fentanyl. The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office investigated both deaths and determined that the use of fentanyl caused the deaths of K.K. and N.M. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Sinacore and Ross Roberts.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Terry Lavon McDonald, Jr. (32, Bradenton) to seven years and six months in federal prison for possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The court also ordered McDonald to forfeit a Smith & Wesson firearm and ammunition, which were used in the commission of the offense. McDonald pleaded guilty on November 22, 2024.

According to court documents, on October 5, 2023, deputies from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office executed a residential search warrant in Bradenton based on a series of controlled fentanyl purchases from another individual at the residence. At the time of the execution, McDonald was the sole occupant of a vehicle backed into the driveway. The vehicle was searched, and McDonald was found in possession of a loaded Smith & Wesson handgun, a digital scale, fentanyl, and cocaine. Prior to the offense, McDonald had been convicted of multiple felonies, including possession of cocaine with intent to sell or deliver, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, and carrying a concealed firearm. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.          McDonald’s cellphone was recovered during his arrest and a search warrant was obtained for its contents. Multiple photographs were found in the cellphone depicting McDonald in possession of suspected firearms and narcotics, as depicted below.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.

This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence for occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Alvis Alexander Briceno-Yajures (24, Venezuela) with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by an illegal alien. If convicted, Briceno-Yajures faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. 

According to the indictment, on July 30, 2024, Briceno-Yajures illegally possessed a firearm and ammunition while knowing that he was illegally or unlawfully in the United States.

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

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the Daytona Beach Police Department, and the Holly Hill Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. Del Mastro.

Orlando, Florida – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announces the departure of Roger B. Handberg as U.S. Attorney.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara C. Sweeney will serve as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Handberg was a career federal prosecutor. He joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2002, and he served in various senior positions within the office, including as Criminal Chief (North), Chief of the Orlando Division, and Senior Litigation Counsel. During his career with the office, U.S. Attorney Handberg specialized in the investigation and prosecution of public corruption and white-collar crime cases. As part of his practice, he successfully prosecuted more than $500 million in fraud cases. 

In December 2021, U.S. Attorney Handberg was appointed as United States Attorney by order of the Attorney General, and he was reappointed by the Chief Judge of the United States District Court in April 2022. President Joseph R. Biden nominated U.S. Attorney Handberg for the position in September 2022, and he was confirmed by the United States Senate in December 2022.

Under his leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office increased its number of criminal cases by more than 60% over the past three fiscal years. That includes increases in each of the five offices:

• Ocala                          124% increase
• Orlando                        90% increase
• Jacksonville                  87% increase
• Fort Myers                   51% increase
• Tampa                          35% increase

These increases have been in every type of prosecution:

• Violent crime               77% increase
• Child exploitation       70% increase
• Immigration                69% increase
• White collar                53% increase
• Drug trafficking       33% increase

U.S. Attorney Handberg prioritized each of these categories of prosecutions.  “During my more than three years as Untied States Attorney, I made it a priority to engage with the community, to hear directly from the people that my office served to learn about their priorities and what is important to them, and to let them know about the great work that is being done by law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Handberg. “As part of those efforts, I made more than 100 speeches and presentations to local organizations, bar associations, and chambers of commerce, and at other gatherings and press conferences. From my many conversations with members of the community and law enforcement leaders, I tried to focus the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office on the matters of most pressing concern.”

With respect to violent crime, one of U.S. Attorney Handberg’s first actions was increasing the number of prosecutors in the office focused on violent crime and firearms cases. Over the past three fiscal years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has federally charged more than 750 defendants with firearms violations, with more than 300 of those defendants being charged in the 2024 fiscal year. That is the largest number of firearms violations ever charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a single year. The following are some of the significant violent crime and firearms cases that were prosecuted during U.S. Attorney Handberg’s tenure:

• Seven defendants charged with offenses stemming from 4 years of dealing in drugs and an armed robbery spree that culminated in a double homicide

• More than 50 defendants prosecuted as part of the Polk County Violent Crime Task Force established by Sheriff Grady Judd after a shooting in Lakeland 

• Three defendants indicted for the contract killing of a 17-year-old Hernando County high school student to prevent her testimony in court

• Two defendants charged with committing a drive-by shooting on I-95, brought in connection with a largescale drug trafficking and firearms trafficking investigation

• Firearms trafficker sentenced to more than 13 years in federal prison for trying to send firearms to Mexican drug cartel members

• Defendant sentenced to consecutive life sentences for double homicide and armed robbery of a Florida couple

• 160 firearms and violent crime cases prosecuted with the Tampa Police Department and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in 2022

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has continued to be a leader in the prosecution of child exploitation and sex trafficking offenses. Over the past three fiscal years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged more than 340 child exploitation and sex trafficking cases, including more than 130 cases in fiscal year 2024. That is the highest number of child exploitation prosecutions charged in a single year in the office’s history. Significant cases include:

• The first three “AI” cases brought in the District’s history involving defendants who produced and distributed AI-generated child sexual abuse material, who used a cellphone application to create and possess synthetic or “AI” images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and who possessed AI generated images that appeared to depict minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct

• Sanford foster parent sentenced to 170 years in federal prison for exploiting least 18 children under his care and for using them to produce depictions of child sexual abuse

• Bradenton defendant sentenced to life in federal prison for sexually abusing two minor victims for six years

During that same timeframe, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has prosecuted more than 600 immigration cases. Significant prosecutions include:

• Two defendants plead guilty for attempting to smuggle 25 migrants to Brevard County from the Bahamas as part of a conspiracy responsible for the smuggling of more than 90 migrants, some of whom were employed by one of the defendants to do construction work

• Five defendants indicted for operating shell companies to “rent” workers’ compensation to work crews that unlawfully employed illegal aliens and for cashing approximately $292 million in payroll checks and failing to pay more than $52 million in payroll taxes

• Concrete company owner pleads guilty to harboring more than 50 illegal aliens who worked at his company

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged more than 500 white collar cases over the past three fiscal years, with more than $1 billion in restitution being ordered to be paid to victims during that time period. Those cases include:

• Administrator of webhosting domain indicted for engaging in a ransomware scheme that resulted in the payment of more than $100 million in ransoms

• Defendant indicted for a $70 million Medicare fraud scheme involving the payment of kickbacks and bribes to obtain doctors’ orders for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment

• Two defendant plead guilty to more than $14 million in COVID test kit fraud and to more than $5 million in COVID testing fraud

• Former Jacksonville Electric Authority CEO sentenced to four years in federal prison for conspiracy to steal and embezzle approximately $40 million

• Over 100 defendants federally charged with COVID fraud

• Defendant sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for $57 million investment fraud

• Four defendants charged with engaging in bank fraud and money laundering conspiracies involving more than $128 million in criminal proceeds

• Prosecution of more than 60 cases against public officials, government employees, and others who breached the trust that was placed in them or who conspired with them, including former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg and six others convicted of bribery, honest services fraud, or fraud offenses as part of the Greenberg investigation

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged more than 1,100 defendants with drug trafficking offenses and seized more than $3 billion in narcotics. Fentanyl trafficking in particular has been a top priority. The number of defendants being federally prosecuted in those cases has more than doubled, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners have seized more than 80 million fatal dosage units of fentanyl. Significant cases include:

• 16 Chinese nationals and 13 Chinese companies indicted in 2023 and 2024 for their role in trafficking in the precursor chemicals that cartels use to manufacture fentanyl

• Former Deputy Sheriff and DEA Task Force Officer plead guilty to conspiring to distribute narcotics, defrauding the United States, and tax evasion

• Colombian National Police Officer indicted for role in cocaine trafficking conspiracy

• Fentanyl trafficker sentenced to life in federal prison for causing fatal overdose

• Four charged in fentanyl overdose death of a University of South Florida student

• Defendant responsible for the largest methamphetamine seizure in the history of DEA in Orlando sentenced to 19 years in federal prison

• Port Richey brothers plead guilty to trafficking 100 kilograms of fentanyl

U.S. Attorney Handberg increased the size of the office’s National Security Section and added dedicated national security prosecutors to three offices. He also created a Civil Rights Unit in the Civil Division. These efforts resulted in the doubling of the number of national security prosecutions over the past three fiscal years and an increased focus on civil rights enforcement. Significant matters include:

• More than 25 defendants charged for making true threats or committing hate crimes

• Defendant sentenced to four years in federal prison for conspiring to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China in the United States

• Two Florida steel traders sentenced to 72 months and 21 months in federal prison for money laundering and Russia-Ukraine Sanctions violations

• Jordan national pleads guilty to threatening to use explosives and destroying an energy facility

• Defendant sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for unlawfully exporting technical data of critical U.S. military technology

• Two Florida men sentenced to 60 months and 36 months in federal prison for a racially-motivated hate crime for violent assault of a Black man

• Establishment of a 20-member Servicemembers and Veterans Working Group to safeguard the rights of servicemembers and veterans from discrimination and unfair treatment and the publication of a Manual to collect valuable legal information and resources in a centralized location

• The first redlining settlement in the history of Florida

During his tenure, U.S. Attorney Handberg increased the number of attorneys in the Civil Division to be able to handle one of the largest defensive caseloads in the country and to prioritize affirmative civil enforcement cases. In addition to ensuring excellent representation of the United States in defending civil cases, these efforts resulted in the filing of a nationwide lawsuit alleging that Walgreens knowingly filed millions of prescriptions that lacked a legitimate medical purpose and the settlement or entry of judgments of more than $500 million in claims involving government funds that had been lost due to fraud or other misconduct. Significant affirmative civil enforcement cases include:

• A Kentucky businessman and his companies have judgments of more than $370 million entered against them for a laboratory testing scheme that targeted the Medicare program

• Walgreens agrees to pay $106.8 million to resolve allegations it billed the Government for prescriptions never dispensed

• A businessman agrees to pay over $27 million for Medicare fraud in connection with cancer genomic tests

• A healthcare organization agrees to pay $24.5 million to settle allegations of unnecessary testing, improper remuneration to physicians and a false statement in connection with COVID-19 relief funds

• A hospital operator agrees to pay $20 million to settlement allegations relating to impermissible Medicaid donations

• A healthcare company to pay $19.85 million to settle allegations relating to medically unnecessary inpatient behavioral health services

• Florida research hospital agrees to pay more than $19.5 million to resolve liability relating to self-disclosure of improper billing

• Chronic disease management provider to pay $14.9 million for allegations related to the submission of false claims to Medicare

• An automotive group agrees to pay $9 million to settlement allegations relating to Paycheck Protection Program Loan

• Florida companies ordered to pay $7.6 million in redress and penalties in connection with the marketing of smoking cessation products

• Federal court issues temporary restraining order prohibiting Tampa-area clinic from distributing opioids and other prescription drugs

Recovering funds to return to crime victims has been a top priority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Asset Recovery Section completed the forfeiture of more than $65 million in 2022 and more than $19 million in 2023, most of which will be returned to crime victims. In 2022 and 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office returned to crime victims more than $68 million that had been forfeited in those and prior years.

Under U.S. Attorney Handberg’s leadership, the Middle District of Florida has become the top District in the country among non-border districts in charging defendants in federal court according to statistics compiled by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts for fiscal year 2024.

“As someone who was born and raised in this District, I can think of no higher honor than getting the chance, first, to serve as a federal prosecutor in this office and, then, as the United States Attorney,” said U.S. Attorney Handberg.  “During my more than two decades with the office, I have worked with incredible public servants at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Through our work with the excellent local, state, and federal law enforcement partners who serve this District and our country, we have prosecuted and litigated cases that have served to protect the public, to reduce crime, to do justice for victims and the community, and to hold accountable those who have violated the law. I am grateful for my colleagues at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and for our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment and for everything that they do, day in and day out, to keep everyone in the Middle District of Florida and the United States safe. It has been a privilege to have served as a federal prosecutor in my hometown and to have worked side-by-side with my law enforcement partners for the past 22 years.”

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the  unsealing of a criminal complaint charging Pablo Zuniga Cartes (24, Chile), Ignacio Zuniga Cartes (20, Chile), Bastian Jimenez Freraut (27, Chile), Jordan Quiroga Sanchez (22, Chile), Bastian Orellano Morales (23, Chile), Alexander Huiaguil Chavez (24, Chile), and Sergio Ortega Cabello (38, Chile) with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. 

According to the complaint, the individuals were members of a South American Theft Group that burglarized the homes of professional athletes around the country. These individuals targeted high-profile athletes in the National Football League (“NFL”) and National Basketball Association (“NBA”), all of whom were away or playing in professional games at the times of the burglaries. These individuals stole valuables worth over $2 million.    

On October 5 and 7, 2024, in the Kansas City area, the homes of two Kansas City Chiefs football players were burglarized and jewelry, watches, cash, and other luxury merchandise was taken. The October 7 burglary occurred while the team played in Kansas City, Missouri.

As detailed in the complaint, in Tampa on October 21, 2024, the home of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player was burglarized while the team played in Tampa. Jewelry, designer watches, a luxury suitcase, and a firearm were stolen.

On November 2, 2024, the Wisconsin home of a Milwaukee Bucks player was burglarized during a game in Milwaukee. A safe containing several watches, chains, personal items, jewelry, and cash was stolen, along with a designer suitcase and designer bags. The total value of property stolen was approximately $1.484 million.       

The below photograph depicts Pablo Zuniga Cartes, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, Bastian Jimenez Freraut, and a fourth individual posing with the stolen safe and jewelry taken shortly after the theft:

On December 9, 2024, the Cincinnati home of a Cincinnati Bengals player was burglarized while the team played Arlington, Texas. Designer luggage, glasses, watches, and jewelry valued at about $300,000 was stolen. Sergio Ortega Cabello rented a vehicle used in the burglary. 

Between the late afternoon on December 19, 2024, and the early morning of December 20, 2024, the Tennessee home of a Memphis Grizzlies player was burglarized while the team played in Memphis, Tennessee. Jewelry, watches, and luxury bags valued at about $1 million were stolen. 

A 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 unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, United States Customs and Border Patrol, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Hamilton County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office, the Shelby County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office, the Dallas (Texas) Police Department, the Indian Hill (Ohio) Police Department, the Leawood (Kansas) Police Department, the River Hills (Wisconsin) Police Department.

This case is part 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 transnational criminal organizations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Baeza and Special Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Haynes.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Demario Desmond Fenton (21, Port Charlotte) to 15 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for production of videos depicting the sexual abuse of a child. This sentence will run consecutive to any state sentence imposed. Fenton must also register as a sex offender. He entered a guilty plea on April 24, 2024. 

According to court documents, between July and August 2023, Fenton used or persuaded a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Fenton also produced videos of the minor being sexually abused. 

On November 15, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Fenton’s home and his laptop and electronic storage devices were seized. Fenton agreed to speak with law enforcement and admitted to sexually abusing the minor and recording that abuse. The subsequent forensic examination of Fenton’s electronic devices revealed videos of the minor’s sexual abuse.  

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.

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

Orlando, FL – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Michael Adrian Nieto (31, St. Cloud) has pleaded guilty to dealing in firearms without a license. Nieto faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Nieto, a sworn law enforcement officer, repeatedly purchased and resold firearms to individuals. Among others, Nieto supplied firearms to Ernesto Vazquez, a key member of a criminal conspiracy that smuggled hundreds of firearms to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Haiti. In addition, to benefit the conspiracy, Nieto corruptly used police databases to provide sensitive and confidential information to Vazquez.

Between June 6, 2022, and September 4, 2024, Nieto purchased at least 58 firearms. Many of the firearms were identical and were purchased together or close in time to one another. On October 17, 2024, FBI and ATF agents executed a federal search warrant at Nieto’s residence. At the time of the search warrant, 12 firearms were still in his possession.

On October 17, 2024, Nieto was interviewed by FBI and ATF agents. He admitted to repeatedly buying and reselling guns to individuals, including Vazquez, despite knowing that Vazquez was transferring these guns to third parties, in violation of federal law. Nieto also admitted that Vazquez had provided him with illegal items, including a machinegun conversion device.

Vazquez previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 25, 2025.

“The St. Cloud Police Department has worked closely with the Department of Justice to assist them in their investigation regarding former officer Michael Nieto. In the wake of the recent DOJ findings, we are conducting our own in-depth investigation into the matter.” said St. Cloud Police Chief Douglas Goerke. “SCPD pledges to take immediate action should an officer act in a manner that could break a community’s trust, no matter their rank or tenure with the department.”         

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Noah P. Dorman.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara has sentenced Elias Garcia-Cervantes (37, Mexico) to 24 months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States after deportation. Garcia-Cervantes entered a guilty plea on November 22, 2024.

According to court documents, Garcia-Cervantes was convicted of carrying a concealed firearm on July 28, 2015, and illegal reentry into the United States after deportation on February 21, 2017. Following those convictions, Garcia-Cervantes was deported from the United States to Mexico. After his deportation, Garcia-Cervantes illegally reentered the United States. 

This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ross Roberts.

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Jose Luis Carrasco-Aldape (37, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Carrasco-Aldape faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison.

According to court documents, Carrasco-Aldape is a citizen and national of Mexico. He was previously removed from the United States on March 22, 2004, and October 12, 2017. On February 13, 2025, Carrasco-Aldape was found voluntarily back in the United States when he was encountered by law enforcement in Clay County. Carrasco-Aldape has not received the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to apply for readmission to the United States.

A 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 unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein. 

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Fredi Herrera-Sontay (42, Guatemala) has pleaded guilty to being paid to transport an undocumented alien to further his illegal presence in the United States. Herrera faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, the U.S. Border Patrol received information that a grey truck with a Georgia license plate traveling southbound on I-75 was transporting undocumented aliens between Atlanta, Georgia, and South Florida. Border Patrol agents patrolling I-75 observed the truck and determined that Herrera was the registered owner and was illegally present in the United States. Agents stopped the vehicle in the early morning hours of January 29, 2025.

Upon questioning, Herrera and a passenger in the truck stated that they were citizens of Guatemala. Neither of them had any documents establishing that they were legally authorized to be in the United States.

Database checks for the vehicle reflected that it was purchased by Herrera on February 4, 2022, and that the mileage at the time of the purchase was 88,054. The vehicle’s odometer showed that the mileage at the time of the stop was 435,814, meaning that the vehicle had been driven 347,760 miles—or, on average, about 9,660 miles per month—since Herrera had purchased it.

Both Herrera and the passenger were administratively arrested and transported to the Jacksonville Border Patrol Station for immigration processing. During processing, agents learned that Herrera had multiple previous immigration encounters and had been removed from the United States on July 11, 2018. No results returned for the passenger, indicating no prior encounters.

During an interview, Herrera stated that that he was taking the passenger to Miami, for which he was paid $250, and that he was generally paid $250 for each person he transported. When he was asked how many times he had transported aliens, he replied that he did not know, that he did not have a clue how many times.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Richard Eugene Findley (63, Daytona Beach) to 3 years and 9 months in federal prison for theft of government money and aggravated identity theft. As part of his sentence, Findley must also pay restitution to the Social Security Administration, the Department of Agriculture, and the victim of the identity theft. Findley entered a guilty plea on April 30, 2024.

According to court documents, Findley obtained E.G.’s identification card, Social Security card, and birth certificate sometime in the 1990s. He then used E.G.’s identity without E.G.’s permission to fraudulently obtain various government benefits, including a Florida driver license, Social Security benefits, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber has sentenced Aaron Thomas Fister (30, Bonita Springs) to two years and six months in federal prison for interstate transmission of threats and stalking. Fister entered a guilty plea on November 7, 2024.

According to court documents, Fister engaged in a years-long campaign of threats and harassment against a former intimate partner and her sister. Fister’s conduct included making hundreds of harassing phone calls, including dozens in a single day and many during the early-morning hours. Fister also created a series of graphically threatening voicemails, including numerous threats to kill both victims and their family members, as well as a threat to kill and decapitate one victim’s infant daughter. Fister engaged in physically threatening and harassing conduct as well, including slashing car tires, smashing headlights, hitting a family residence with paintballs, using a GPS tracking device to track one victim, and nearly striking one victim with his car while she was pregnant. One victim fled the state of Florida, traveling hundreds of miles away and leaving behind family members and possessions to get away from Fister.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Winter.

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Jermirria Jackson (48, Atlanta, GA) with aggravated identity theft and making a false statement on a passport application. If convicted, Jackson faces a minimum sentence of 2 years, up to12 years, in federal prison.

According to court records, on January 19, 2022, Jackson applied for a passport in a name that was not her own. Prior to applying for the passport, Jackson had obtained means of identification in the victim’s name. When Jackson applied for the passport, Jackson pretended to be the victim and submitted the fraudulent identification as her own.

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

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brenna Falzetta.

Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Jeremiah Cundiff (19, Orlando) to one year and six months in federal prison for possessing a machinegun. Cundiff pleaded guilty on October 31, 2024.

According to court documents, on October 23, 2023, law enforcement apprehended Cundiff, who had an active warrant for his arrest. During the apprehension, Cundiff fled and made a stealthy movement. At the area of Cundiff’s movement, a loaded firearm with a machinegun conversion device installed (pictured below) was recovered. Cundiff’s DNA was found on the firearm.

The type of machinegun conversion device in this case is commonly referred to as a “switch,” and is designed and intended, solely and exclusively, to convert a semiautomatic pistol into a machinegun, causing the pistol to fire more than one shot with the single pull of the trigger.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with valuable assistance from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Noah P. Dorman.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Maico Miguel Perez (27, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Miguel Perez faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison. 

According to court documents, Miguel Perez is a citizen and national of Mexico. He was previously removed from the United States on November 23, 2022. Miguel Perez was found voluntarily back in the United States on September 2, 2024, when he was arrested in Duval County on a local warrant. Miguel Perez has not received the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security for the United States to apply for readmission to the United States.

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

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelli Swaney.

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle today sentenced Nicolas Garcia Hernandez (27, Shelbyville, TN) to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Garcia Hernandez pleaded guilty on November 13, 2024.

According to court documents, Garcia Hernandez, who had illegally entered the United States from Mexico around 2020, made two trips from Tennessee to the Middle District of Florida to deliver methamphetamine. In December 2023, Garcia Hernandez delivered nearly three kilograms to an informant. In May 2024, he was on his was to make a delivery to the same informant when a trooper from the Florida Highway Patrol stopped his car on I-75 in Hillsborough County. After a police canine alerted to the vehicle, Garcia Hernandez fled on foot across I-75, requiring troopers to chase him into the median through oncoming traffic. 

After safely apprehending Garcia Hernandez, troopers located 5.9 kilograms of methamphetamine in the vehicle and additional methamphetamine in Garcia Hernandez’s wallet. The court held Garcia Hernandez responsible for approximately 8.8 kilograms of methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bradenton Police Department, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha E. Beckman.

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging James Hjelmeland (30, Canada) with one count of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, two counts of distributing, one count of transporting, and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). If convicted, Hjelmeland faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison for the attempted offense, a minimum of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison for each distribution and transportation offense, and up to 20 years in federal prison for the possession offense. 

According to court documents, on December 29, 2024, an undercover detective with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office posed as the guardian of a 12-year-old “child.” Hjelmeland messaged the undercover detective and inquired about the age of the “child.” Hjelmeland then engaged in sexually explicit conversation with the undercover detective and made plans to travel from Canada to Orlando to have sex with the “child.” During the conversation, Hjelmeland distributed CSAM to the undercover detective. When Hjelmeland was arrested in Orlando, he had CSAM material on his cellphone that he had transported to the United States involving children under the age of 12. 

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

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, United States Customs and Border Patrol, and the Southern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Team. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson.

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

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the filing of a criminal information charging Xiao Guang Pan (71, Canada) with three counts of using an unmanned aircraft to photograph vital defense installations and equipment without authorization. If convicted, Pan faces a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison on each count. 

According to the criminal information, Pan used an unmanned aircraft to photograph vital defense installations and equipment at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base. On three separate days in January 2025, Pan took aerial photographs of Space Launch complexes, a payload processing facility, a submarine wharf, and munitions bunkers. Taking unauthorized photographs of vital defense installations or equipment is prohibited under federal law. 

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

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Air Marshals Service, the NASA Office of Inspector General, and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan.

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Austin Charles Wesley (25, Lehigh Acres) today pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Wesley faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set.

According to court documents, on October 24, 2024, Wesley was pulled over for speeding by the Florida Highway Patrol on SR-82 in Lee County. During the traffic stop, law enforcement located a loaded Walther .22 caliber handgun concealed underneath Wesley’s clothing. As a multi-time convicted felon, who previously served sentences in Florida state prison for various crimes, Wesley is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.     

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Fort Myers Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced today the filing of a criminal complaint charging Taqiy Lewis (27, Lakeland) with possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. If convicted, Lewis faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. 

According to the criminal complaint, on December 24, 2020, M.C., a 70-year-old woman, was outside her Lakeland home with her family, including young children. At approximately 5:30 p.m., Lewis and others engaged in a shootout just outside M.C.’s residence. M.C. was struck twice and killed. A.L., a thirteen-year-old child, was also shot and wounded.  

More than two years later, on February 9, 2023, during an unrelated investigation, ATF special agents and officers from the Lakeland Police Department recovered a Kahr CM9 9mm pistol while executing a search warrant. Forensic testing using the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) confirmed that this firearm was the one used to kill M.C. and injure A.L. Further investigation revealed that six casings collected from the crime scene, two spent projectiles recovered from a home, and a bullet recovered from M.C.’s body were all fired by Lewis and the Kahr CM9 pistol he possessed. At the time of the shooting, Lewis was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. 

A 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 unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lakeland Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Shadarien Lamarr Ward (22, Fort Myers) today pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Ward faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set.

According to court documents, on the evening of September 1, 2024, Ward robbed a pizza shop near downtown Fort Myers at gunpoint, pistol-whipping an employee in the process. After grabbing the cash register drawer and approximately $700 in cash, Ward fled the area on foot. Though he was hooded and masked during the robbery, Ward was later identified by law enforcement after an extensive review of surveillance cameras in the area that tracked him to a nearby motel.

Ward, a registered sex offender, was wearing a GPS monitor at the time of the robbery as part of his state sex offender probation, which helped law enforcement retrace his steps leading up to and immediately following the robbery. Although he cut off his GPS monitor and absconded from supervision following the robbery, Ward was located and arrested at a North Fort Myers motel soon thereafter.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Fort Myers Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the  return of an indictment charging Michel Serrano (34, Lehigh Acres) with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicles and the sale and possession of stolen motor vehicles, as well as two counts of interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicles. If convicted on all counts, Serrano faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Julio Sanchez (35, Redwood City, California) and Angel Mares (56, San Jose, California) were also charged with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicles and the sale and possession of stolen motor vehicles. If convicted on this count, Sanchez and Mares each face a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Serrano, Sanchez, and Mares that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture for any property, real or personal, which is traceable to the proceeds of the crimes, and an order of forfeiture in the amount of the proceeds of the crimes.

According to the indictment, beginning at least as early as June 2020 and continuing through May 2021, Serrano, Sanchez, Mares, and their co-conspirators stole high-end vehicles from throughout the state of Florida. Vehicles were stolen from car dealerships, residences and residential parking garages, and other businesses. The conspirators altered the Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) on the stolen motor vehicles, then transported the stolen vehicles on semi-trucks across state lines with the intent to sell them. The conspirators then sold the stolen motor vehicles to purchasers. For an additional fee, the conspirators would provide the purchaser a full vehicle registration and title within the state of California. The conspirators were paid by the purchasers through cash and checks for the stolen vehicles. 

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Highway Patrol, with assistance from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Tampa Police Department, Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, Pasco Sheriff’s Office, Dade City Police Department, Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, Bradenton Police Department, Cape Coral Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany E. Fields.

Alan W. Filion, 18, of Lancaster, California, was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for making interstate threats to injure the person of another.

According to the plea agreement, from approximately August 2022 to January 2024, Filion made over 375 swatting and threat calls, including calls in which he claimed to have planted bombs in the targeted locations or threatened to detonate bombs and/or conduct mass shootings at those locations. Filion targeted religious institutions, high schools, colleges and universities, government officials, and numerous individuals across the United States.

Filion intended his calls to cause large-scale deployment of police and emergency services units to the targeted locations. During these calls, he provided information to law enforcement and emergency services agencies that he knew to be false, such as false names, false claims that he and others had placed explosives in particular locations, false claims that he and others possessed dangerous weapons, including firearms and explosives, and false claims that he and other individuals had committed, or intended to imminently commit, violent crimes.

In some instances, armed law enforcement officers approached and entered a targeted residence with their weapons drawn and detained individuals that occupied the residence. Indeed, Filion claimed in a post on Jan. 20, 2023, that when he swats someone, he “usually get[s] the cops to drag the victim and their families out of the house cuff them and search the house for dead bodies.” Additionally, Filion’s calls caused law enforcement officers and dispatchers to respond, and to be unavailable in response to other emergencies.

Filion became a serial swatter for both profit and recreation. He claimed in a Jan. 19, 2023, online post that his “first” swatting was like “2 to 3 years ago” and that “6-9 months ago [he] decided to turn it into a business. . .” On several occasions, Filion placed posts on social media channels advertising his services and swatting-for-a-fee structure.

On Jan.18, 2024, Filion was arrested in California on Florida state charges arising from a May 2023 threat he made to a religious institution in Sanford, Florida. In that threat, he claimed to have an illegally modified AR-15, a Glock 17 pistol, pipe bombs, and Molotov cocktails. He said that he was going to imminently “commit a mass shooting” and “kill everyone” he saw. He pleaded guilty in federal court to making that threat.

Filion also pleaded guilty to making three other threatening calls: an October 2022 call to a public high school in the Western District of Washington, in which he threatened to commit a mass shooting and claimed to have planted bombs throughout the school; a May 2023 call to a Historically Black College or University in the Northern District of Florida, in which he claimed to have placed bombs in the walls and ceilings of campus housing that would detonate in about an hour; and a July 2023 call to a local police department dispatch number in the Western District of Texas, in which he falsely identified himself as a senior federal law enforcement officer, provided the federal law-enforcement officer’s residential address to the dispatcher, claimed to have killed the federal officer’s mother, and threatened to kill any responding police officers.

The FBI and U.S. Secret Service investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the Seminole County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office; the Anacortes (Washington) Police Department; the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; the California Department of Justice; the Los Angeles County (California) Sheriff’s Office; and the Volusia County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kara Wick for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case, with valuable assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section; the State Attorney’s Office for Seminole County, Florida, 18th Judicial Circuit; and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Western District of Washington, Northern District of Florida, Western District of Texas, and District of Columbia. 

Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Alan W. Filion (18, Lancaster, CA) to four years in federal prison for making interstate threats to injure the person of another.

According to the plea agreement, from approximately August 2022 to January 2024, Filion made over 375 swatting and threat calls, including calls in which he claimed to have planted bombs in the targeted locations or threatened to detonate bombs and/or conduct mass shootings at those locations. Filion targeted religious institutions, high schools, colleges and universities, government officials, and numerous individuals across the United States.

Filion intended his calls to cause large-scale deployment of police and emergency services units to the targeted locations. During these calls, he provided information to law enforcement and emergency services agencies that he knew to be false, such as false names, false claims that he and others had placed explosives in particular locations, false claims that he and others possessed dangerous weapons, including firearms and explosives, and false claims that he and/or other individuals had committed, or intended to imminently commit, violent crimes. 

In some instances, armed law enforcement officers approached and entered a targeted residence with their weapons drawn and detained individuals that occupied the residence. Filion claimed in a post on January 20, 2023, that when he swats someone he “usually get[s] the cops to drag the victim and their families out of the house cuff them and search the house for dead bodies.” Additionally, Filion’s calls caused law enforcement officers and dispatchers to respond, and to be unavailable in response to other emergencies.

Filion became a serial swatter for both profit and recreation. He claimed in a January 19, 2023, online post that his “first” swatting was like “2 to 3 years ago” and that “6-9 months ago [he] decided to turn it into a business. . . .” On several occasions, Filion placed posts on social-media channels advertising his services and swatting-for-a-fee structure.

On January 18, 2024, Filion was arrested in California on Florida state charges arising from a May 2023 threat he made to a religious institution in Sanford, Florida. In that threat, he claimed to have an illegally modified AR-15, a Glock 17 pistol, pipe bombs, and Molotov cocktails. He said that he was going to imminently “commit a mass shooting” and “kill everyone” he saw. He pleaded guilty in federal court to making that threat.

Filion also pleaded guilty to making three other threatening calls: an October 2022 call to a public high school in the Western District of Washington, in which he threatened to commit a mass shooting and claimed to have planted bombs throughout the school; a May 2023 call to a Historically Black College & University in the Northern District of Florida, in which he claimed to have placed bombs in the walls and ceilings of campus housing that would detonate in about an hour; and a July 2023 call to a local police department dispatch number in the Western District of Texas, in which he falsely identified himself as a senior federal law enforcement officer, provided the federal law-enforcement officer’s residential address to the dispatcher, claimed to have killed his (the federal officer’s) mother, and threatened to kill any responding police officers.  

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service. Valuable assistance was provided by the Seminole County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office; the Anacortes (Washington) Police Department; the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; the California Department of Justice; the Los Angeles County (California) Sheriff’s Office; and the Volusia County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kara Wick, with valuable assistance from the State Attorney’s Office for Seminole County, Florida, 18th Judicial Circuit; the Counterterrorism Section of the United States Department of Justice; and the United States Attorneys’ Offices for the Western District of Washington, the Northern District of Florida, the Western District of Texas, and the District of Columbia. 

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Jonathan Daniels (46, St. Petersburg) to 14 years and 7 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Daniels was found guilty at trial on February 10, 2023.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Daniels and his co-conspirators were involved in a fraud scheme to strip bank liens from more than 100 vehicles and obtain clear titles to the vehicles, thus depriving the financial institutions and the owners from their rights to the vehicles. The conspirators submitted fraudulent and counterfeit documents and fake certified mail receipts to Florida tax collector offices to make it look like the vehicles had towing and storage liens, which enabled the conspirators to obtain clear titles to the vehicles and sell the vehicles to unsuspecting buyers for profit.

“The Secret Service is proud to partner with the U.S Postal Inspection Service and the Florida Highway Patrol,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Engel of the United States Secret Service – Tampa Field Office. “The results of this investigation are a testament to strong partnerships across the law enforcement community. The Secret Service remains committed to investigating those who engage in crimes that exploit our financial system.”   

Steven Hodges, Acting Postal Inspector in Charge of the Miami Division stated, “The U. S. Postal Inspection Service will aggressively investigate individuals who engage in fraudulent schemes at the expense of the American public and our financial institutions. We are committed to working with our partner law enforcement agencies to bring justice to those looking to uses fraudulent means for personal gain. Criminals must understand there are consequences for their actions.”

This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.

Ocala, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Severin Bombu (35, Romania) to 18 months in federal prison for illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. Bombu pleaded guilty on November 18, 2024.

According to court documents, Bombu is a citizen and national of Romania. He was previously removed from the United States on three prior occasions: November 16, 2018, December 20, 2023, and March 2, 2024. Bombu was found voluntarily back in the United States on November 1, 2024, when he was arrested in Marion County on an outstanding grand theft warrant. Bombu has never applied for or received permission from the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reenter the United States.

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara has sentenced Moises Moreno-Godinez (35, Mexico) to 21 months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States after deportation. Moreno-Godinez entered a guilty plea on October 31, 2024.

According to court documents, Moreno-Godinez was convicted of aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on August 15, 2013, and deported from the United States to Mexico. Following his deportation, Moreno-Godinez illegally reentered the United States. 

This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ross Roberts.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara has sentenced Miguel Gomez-Rosales (40, Mexico) to 18 months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States after deportation. Gomez-Rosales entered a guilty plea on November 13, 2024.

According to court documents, Gomez-Rosales was convicted of lewd or lascivious battery on July 16, 2012, and deported from the United States to Mexico. Following his deportation, Gomez-Rosales illegally reentered the United States. 

This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ross Roberts.

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Raul Rodriguez-Jimenez (37, Kissimmee) has pleaded guilty to possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. Rodriguez-Jimenez faces a minimum sentence of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

According to court documents, between December 13, 2023, and August 29, 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration used an undercover agent to conduct five controlled purchases of fentanyl and cocaine from Rodriguez-Jimenez. On February 9, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Rodriguez-Jimenez’s residence and located more than 1,700 grams of cocaine and over 230 grams of fentanyl.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diane Hu.

Ocala, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Mainor Danilo Alcerro (39, Honduras) to 12 months in federal prison for illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. Alcerro pled guilty on November 21, 2024.

According to court documents, Alcerro is a citizen and national of Honduras. He was previously removed from the United States on three prior occasions: June 22, 2010, February 12, 2018, June 1, 2018. Afterward, he was found voluntarily back in the United States on September 22, 2024, when he was arrested by local law enforcement in Lake County, Florida. Alcerro has never applied for or received permission from the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reenter the United States.

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Tyler Williams (30), a former deputy with the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, guilty of violating an individual’s civil rights and obstructing justice. Williams faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for his use of unreasonable force. The obstruction charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. His sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. 

 According to evidence presented at trial, on July 4, 2023, Williams, while acting under color of law as a deputy with the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, willfully deprived the civil rights of an individual by throwing him to the ground and injuring him. Williams then wrote a false justification for the use of force in an incident report, obstructing justice.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Tampa Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick L. Darcey and Jesus M. Casas.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Christopher Switlyk (46, Orlando) guilty of two counts of removal of property to prevent seizure. Switlyk faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison for each count. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 6, 2025. 

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $10,700,592 was entered against Switlyk in 2013. The judgment arose from a prior criminal case in which he was convicted of several felony offenses. At that time, the government seized over $6 million and Switlyk owed more than $4 million. Years later, in 2022, the U.S. Marshals Service learned that Switlyk had acquired several bank and financial accounts, two vehicles, and three real properties in Daytona Beach and Tampa, for which he was the titled owner.

On November 13, 2022, the United States obtained from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, a Preliminary Order of Forfeiture for Substitute Assets, which allowed the government to seize Switlyk’s assets to partially satisfy the money judgment. The next day, the U.S. Marshals served the Order on Switlyk’s financial institutions, which froze his accounts. When Switlyk learned that some of his accounts had been frozen, he immediately transferred assets to his father on November 16 and 17, 2022. Among the assets he transferred were a Tesla vehicle and a real property in Tampa. Trial evidence showed that when Switlyk transferred those two properties to his father, he did so with the purpose of preventing or impairing the government’s lawful authority to take the properties into its custody or control.

This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ross Roberts.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Terence Taylor has pleaded guilty to obstructing and impeding the administration of the internal revenue laws for actions seeking to defeat the collection of back taxes he owed to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Taylor faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison.

According to the plea agreement, Taylor was sentenced in 2012 for failing to file his income taxes for several years while he lived in the Northern District of New York. He owed more than $810,000 in taxes and was required to pay the tax debt during the term of his sentence.

For more than seven years, continuing after he moved to the Middle District of Florida, Taylor engaged in a series of obstructive acts to defeat the efforts by the IRS to collect those taxes. During those years, Taylor hid assets from the IRS, placed other asserts and income in the names of alter egos or nominees such as his wife, and used money that he could have used to pay off his back taxes to make purchases of assets including boats, jewelry, and a home in Palm Harbor. Taylor continued to earn income from his work as a financial consultant during those years after 2012. He used that income for numerous personal purposes and expenses and only minimally paid his tax debt to the IRS during that time.

The IRS made extensive efforts to collect on Taylor’s tax debt between 2004 and 2008. Aside from contacting Taylor on numerous occasions, IRS Revenue Officers also sent him numerous forms for detailing his financial situation. Taylor submitted false or incomplete information on those forms, omitting to record assets he owned such as boats and providing false information about his business and its accounts and dates of operation. Instead of using it to repay his tax debt, Taylor used his business income and bank accounts after 2012 to pay for a large number of personal expenses, including marina and yacht club expenses, boat expenses, and jewelry purchases, while knowing of his tax debt to the IRS. In February 2017, Taylor used income that he had earned from his business to buy a $73,000 boat, which he then titled in his wife’s name in an effort to shield that asset from the IRS collection effort.

Taylor also failed to file personal income tax returns for several years after his New York sentence had ended. He did so, even though he was earning sufficient income requiring him to file tax returns.

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

Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the  return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Denzel Ingram (27, Tampa) with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted, Ingram faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Ingram that the United States intends to forfeit a Shadow Systems firearm and a Smith & Wesson firearm, which were used in the commission of the offense.

According to the indictment, on or about June 23, 2024, Ingram knowingly possessed a Shadow Systems firearm and a Smith & Wesson firearm. Prior to his possession, Ingram knew that he had been convicted of multiple felony offenses, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, throwing a deadly missile, and fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. 

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Tampa Police Department.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.

This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence for occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the  return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Jason Peterson (29, Parrish) with two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted, Peterson faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison on each count. The indictment also notifies Peterson that the United States intends to forfeit a Smith & Wesson firearm, a Bauer firearm, and a Rossi firearm, used in the commission of the offense.

According to the indictment, between on or about July 1, 2024, and on or about November 16, 2024, Peterson knowingly possessed a Smith & Wesson firearm and a Bauer firearm. Additionally, on or about October 24, 2024, Peterson knowingly possessed a Rossi firearm. Prior to his possession of each firearm, Peterson knew he had been convicted of multiple felony offenses, including resisting an officer with violence, delivery of a controlled substance, felony littering, and two separate convictions of battery on a law enforcement officer. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.

This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence for occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Ocala, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Elijah Noah Petit-Frere (24, Orlando) to 46 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Petit-Frere pled guilty on November 12, 2024.

According to court documents, an officer with the Ocala Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Petit-Frere. When Petit-Frere was placed under arrest for a driving offense, officers discovered Petit-Frere had a loaded firearm holstered on his waistband. Petit-Frere had previously been convicted of state felony offenses, including carrying a concealed firearm, fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer, and possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. 

This case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence for occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Ocala, Florida– United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Scott Alan Colson (60, Ocala) has entered a guilty plea to the offense of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Colson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A federal grand jury indicted Colson on August 6, 2024. 

According to court records, on July 24, 2024, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office undercover detective posed as a 15-year-old girl on an online messaging application. Colson contacted the undercover detective’s account and inquired as to whether the “girl” ever had ever been with older men and asked to meet her. Colson added, “You keep secrets if we meet up.” Colson then engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with the undercover detective, telling the detective to “make it easy to get down ur pantys.” Colson eventually agreed to meet the girl at a predetermined location in Marion County, where he was arrested by law enforcement.

When interviewed by law enforcement, Colson admitted to engaging in the sexually explicit conversation and then traveling to meet the fictional minor to engage in sexual activity. An examination of Colson’s cellular telephone revealed other child sexual exploitation materials.

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by AUSA Hannah Nowalk Watson.

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

Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Ignacio Juan-Velazquez (34, Mexico) to one year in federal prison for illegal re-entry into the United States. Juan-Velazquez previously pled guilty on November 13, 2024.

According to court documents, Juan-Velazquez is a citizen of Mexico. He previously has been deported from the United States on four occasions between 2012-2017 and never has obtained permission from the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to apply for readmission to the United States. On September 24, 2024, U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered Juan-Velazquez at a rest area on Interstate 75 in Sumter County, Florida. Juan Velasquez presented the agents with his Mexican voter card as identification. He then admitted that he was illegally in the country.

This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.

Jacksonville, FL – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger today sentenced Maria Del Carmen Sobarso-Gonzalez (61) to 14 months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States. Sobarso-Gonzalez pled guilty on November 1, 2024.

According to court documents, earlier in 2024, law enforcement received a tip reporting that Sobarso-Gonzalez resided in Jacksonville, Florida, after having been removed from the United States three times. Sobarso-Gonzalez also was previously convicted of a felony illegal reentry into the United States by a deported alien in the Middle District of Florida. Law enforcement then surveilled several known locations where Sobarso-Gonzalez visited and resided, which resulted in her arrest.

This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Milliron.

Jacksonville, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Maria Lopez-Vega (51, Mexico) with being paid to transport undocumented aliens to further their illegal presence in the United States. If convicted, Lopez-Vega faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.

According to the complaint, on February 3, 2025, a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper stopped an SUV on Interstate-75 for a traffic violation. Lopez-Vega was driving the SUV, which contained five passengers. Lopez-Vega provided the Trooper with a photograph of her Mexican passport. Because the Trooper suspected that Lopez-Vega was unlawfully present in the United States and was transporting aliens who were unlawfully present in the United States, he contacted U.S. Border Patrol agents for assistance. At the scene, the agents questioned Lopez-Vega and at least one of the passengers about their citizenship and immigration status. Lopez-Vega stated that she was a citizen of Mexico and did not have legal authorization to be in the United States. It was also determined that the five passengers were illegally present in the United States and were citizens of Mexico, Honduras, and/or Guatemala. During later questioning, Lopez-Vega told agents that she received payment to transport the aliens from Texas to Florida. Two of the passengers stated they entered the United States illegally and had paid for assistance in crossing the Mexican border and being transported to Florida.

A 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 unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.

Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the  return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Luis Marcos Hernandez-Granillo (42, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Hernandez-Granillo faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison. 

According to court documents, Hernandez-Granillo is a citizen and national of Mexico. He was previously removed from the United States on July 26, 2018, and August 28, 2024. Afterward, Hernandez-Granillo was found voluntarily back in the United States on January 29, 2025, when he was arrested in Marion County on a local warrant. Hernandez-Granillo has not received the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to apply for readmission to the United States.  

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

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

Fort Myers, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Carlos Alberto Calderon Johnson (64, Lehigh Acres) in connection with an indictment charging him with making a false statement in connection with a passport application. If convicted, Calderon Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. 

According to the indictment, in October 2019, Calderon Johnson submitted an application for a U.S. passport which, among other things, falsely identified himself as “Francisco Javier Maldonado.”       

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

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Frank Anthony Acanda (27, Jacksonville) to one year and one day in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Acanda was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims he and his co-defendant, Jonathan Benavide Hidalgo, (27, Jacksonville) defrauded. 

According to court documents, for several months, Acanda, Hidalgo, and others drove around Fleming Island, Jacksonville, and St. Augustine and stole large volumes of mail from residential and business mailboxes. After opening the mail and stealing checks and money orders, Acanda, Hidalgo, and others acting on their behalf, deposited the items into bank accounts controlled by them and then used ATMs to immediately withdraw cash. In some instances, the co-defendants altered the stolen checks by increasing the amount of the checks to maximize the amount of money they could withdraw from ATMs.

Hidalgo pled guilty on September 5, 2024. He is set for sentencing on February 28, 2025.  

This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the United States Postal Inspection Service - Jacksonville Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein. 

Jacksonville, FL – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger sentenced Dedric Dwayne Rivers (52, Moscow, Idaho) to 18 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition after having been convicted of a felony. Rivers pled guilty on October 22, 2024.

According to court documents, on April 27, 2024, Rivers arrived at Jacksonville International Airport to board a flight traveling to Idaho. During a routine screening process of checked luggage Transportation Security Administration officers identified an undeclared firearm and ammunition located in a checked suitcase bearing Rivers’ name. Law enforcement cut the cables to the gun case inside the suitcase and found an undeclared FN509 9mm semi-automatic pistol with a magazine containing 10 rounds of live ammunition inserted into the magazine well.  The gun case also contained three extended magazines loaded with 70 rounds of live ammunition distributed among the three magazines.  In a voluntary interview, Rivers said he thought the gun case only contained ammunition.

However, in a telephone conversation the next day, Rivers admitted to his mother that he had previously travelled with a firearm to Jacksonville, Florida.  Prior to possessing the firearm, Rivers had had been convicted of multiple felonies, including kidnapping, armed robbery, and aggravated assault.  Therefore, he is prohibited by law from possessing firearms and ammunition.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Transportation Security Administration, the Jacksonville Airport Authority, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Milliron.

This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence for occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Walner Josue Alvarado-Sabonje (27, Honduras) today pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Alvarado faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court records, Alvarado illegally entered the United States near Hidalgo, Texas in April 2019, and is subject to a final order of removal. On June 16, 2024, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to multiple callers who reported hearing gunshots from the back of Alvarado’s home. The deputies received permission to search the backyard and found nine 9mm shell casings in the backyard.

In the afternoon of September 22, 2024, sheriff’s deputies responded to a call from Alvarado’s wife, who told the dispatcher that Alvarado was intoxicated on the front porch of their home and acting recklessly with a gun. Deputies arrived approximately five minutes later, but Alvarado had left the home. A red Chevrolet Suburban sport utility vehicle registered to Alvarado was no longer parked at the house, so deputies determined that he had driven it elsewhere.

Minutes later, a deputy located Alvarado alone in the driver’s seat of his SUV parked at a 7-Eleven approximately one mile away from Alvarado’s home.  Alvarado had two open beer cans in the center console and smelled like alcohol.  After arresting Alvarado for driving under the influence of alcohol, the deputies found a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol in the center console. The pistol and ammunition are traceable to the offense and subject to forfeiture. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Jacksonville, FL – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger has sentenced Kyle Garrett Prevatt (24, Orange Park) to four years in federal prison for two counts of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Prevatt pled guilty on November 5, 2024.

According to court documents, over a period of five months, Prevatt sold multiple firearms to a confidential informant. The offense involved nine firearms in total. After the final transaction concluded, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office attempted to perform a traffic stop on Prevatt’s truck and Prevatt fled in his truck until he crashed it into a ditch. He then attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended. A search following Prevatt’s arrest revealed additional firearms, along with other ammunition, in the truck. 

Prior to the firearms sales, Prevatt had been convicted of two felonies, including armed burglary of a dwelling structure or conveyance, and unarmed burglary of an unoccupied structure in 2020. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly S. Milliron and Kevin C. Frein.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Hua Yao Ke (38), of Jacksonville has pleaded guilty to establishing a commercial enterprise for the purpose of evading a provision of the immigration laws. Ke faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.

According to the plea agreement, Ke owned and operated the Kamiya 86 Sushi and Thai restaurant located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. At the restaurant, he employed workers who were unlawfully present in the United States. Contrary to federal law, Ke did not require the workers to provide documents to establish that they could legally work in the United States.

Ke also owned a residence at which he provided free housing to the undocumented workers, and he provided the workers with free transportation between the house and the restaurant. He also paid the workers in cash and did not withhold taxes and other payments from the workers’ wages.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Border Patrol, with assistance from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that a federal grand jury in Jacksonville has returned a superseding indictment charging Joshua Andrew Finley (46, St. Petersburg) with attempting to entice a minor child to engage in sexual activity and with distributing child sexual abuse videos over the internet. If convicted, Finley faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, up to life, plus 80 years’ imprisonment, and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Finley is detained pending his trial scheduled for May 5, 2025. 

Finley is a convicted child sex offender, having been convicted in 2009 in federal court (Wisconsin) of interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, and convicted in Florida state court (2023) of possessing child sexual abuse materials.

A superseding indictment is only an allegation, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the St. Petersburg Police Department, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lee

County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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 child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Carlos Solorio (25, Dade City) to nine years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. Solorio pled guilty on November 7, 2024.

According to court documents, on May 31, 2023, Solorio sold 3 kilograms of methamphetamine to another person at a grocery store parking lot in Dade City, Florida. This narcotics transaction was arranged by brokers in Mexico and Atlanta, Georgia.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Pardo.

This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and charging by criminal complaint of Italo Rafael Brett Bonini (25, Orlando) for coercion or enticement of a minor using a facility of interstate commerce. If convicted, Brett Bonini faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. 

According to the criminal complaint, on January 12, 2025, Brett Bonini had a video chat with two prepubescent child victims in Maryland through Discord, an online communication platform. During that video chat, both child victims were enticed into pulling down their pants, and one of the child victims complied with Brett Bonini’s request to display their genitals on screen. Law enforcement also reviewed messages from Brett Bonini to the victims in which Brett Bonini offered currency in an online video game in exchange for the victims to show their genitalia on screen. 

The FBI obtained a search warrant for Brett Bonini’s residence and electronic devices. During the execution of that warrant, Brett Bonini admitted that he utilized his desktop computer to communicate with children, stating that children were easier to talk to.  He further admitted to communicating with one of the victims on the date in question.

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 unless, and until, proven guilty.           

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Maryland State Police, and the Harford County Child Advocacy Center. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brandon Cruz.

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