Middle District of Florida

Tampa, Florida – Yelson Zachary Matamoros Quinonez (32, Honduras) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara to two years in federal prison for illegal reentry by a deported alien. Matamoros Quinonez pleaded guilty on May 11, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, in 2019, Matamoros Quinonez, a citizen of Honduras, was arrested and later convicted of aggravated battery. After serving his sentence, he was deported from the United States to Honduras in 2021. In 2026, he was found voluntarily back in the United States. Matamoros Quinonez had not received the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Wheeler, III and Assistant United States Attorney Abigail King.

Ocala, Florida – Benjamin Omar Pearson, IV (31, Wildwood) and Cordell Brown (39, Belleview) have been charged by federal indictment with distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Pearson is charged with five counts, and Brown is charged with seven counts. Each faces an enhanced minimum penalty of 25 years, up to life, in federal prison on each of the counts due to each having two or more qualifying prior convictions for serious drug felony offenses. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment and court records, over the course of five meetings between December 2025 and June 2026, Brown and Pearson, aiding and abetting each other, distributed approximately 9 pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover source working with law enforcement. Additionally, Brown is charged with distribution of methamphetamine in two other transactions from September 16, 2025, and January 7, 2026.

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 Drug Enforcement Administration and the Marion County Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg. 

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Ocala, Florida – Michelle Forsythe (62, Ocala) has pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of wire fraud. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud offense and a minimum sentence of two years for the aggravated identity theft offense. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Forsythe is a licensed mental health counselor. Between January 2016 and December 2022, Forsythe used the names and insurance policy information of 22 individuals without their knowledge or consent to overbill two health insurance companies. Forsythe falsely claimed that she had provided counseling services to these individuals when she had not. As a result of the false billing, the health insurance companies electronically transferred payments to Forsythe for her services.  

In one instance, Forsythe used the name and health insurance information for an individual whom she had never seen as a patient to fraudulently bill for her counseling services. Forsythe has agreed to make full restitution of $483,321.44 to the victims of the offense.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys William S. Hamilton and Hannah Nowalk Watson. Assistant United States Attorney Julie A. Simonsen is handling the forfeiture. 

Fort Myers, Florida – Frederick Kutchinsky (54, North Fort Myers) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kyle C. Dudek to five years and three months in federal prison possessing firearms as a convicted felon. Kutchinsky pleaded guilty on February 25, 2026. The court also ordered Kutchinsky to forfeit the firearms and ammunition possessed during the offense. U.S Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.       

According to court documents, deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to Kutchinsky’s home in North Fort Myers because he had an active felony arrest warrant. After serving the arrest warrant and obtaining a search warrant for Kutchinsky’s residence, deputies located more than 50 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. They also located a work bench with firearm parts and tools for modifying firearms. Kutchinsky is a convicted felon, and therefore, prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition. 

This case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Morgan and Patrick Darcey.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

Ocala, Florida – Pattreon Stokes (35, Summerfield) has been charged by indictment with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted, Stokes faces an enhanced minimum penalty of 25 years, up to life, in federal prison due to having two or more qualifying prior convictions for serious drug felony offenses. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, on July 14, 2026, Stokes possessed with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The offense occurred while Stokes was on federal supervised release from a prior 2018 possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine conviction. 

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 Drug Enforcement Administration and the Marion County Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg. 

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Ocala, Florida – Corbit Sterling Earvin (47, Ocala) has been charged by indictment with six counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted, Earvin faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison on each count. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment and court records, between April and May 2026, Earvin sold methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement officer on six occasions. In total, Earvin distributed approximately 1,290 grams (or 2.8 pounds) of methamphetamine. 

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 Drug Enforcement Administration and the Marion County Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Jacksonville, Florida – Candia V. Williams, a/k/a “Wisdom Shield El,” has been charged by indictment with one count of conspiring to submit false claims and three counts of submitting false claims to the United States government. If convicted on all counts, Williams faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, Williams caused at least four fraudulent tax returns to be submitted to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) seeking, in total, over $130 million in tax refunds. To substantiate the false claims for refunds, various false documents were submitted, including fictious IRS Form 1099-As and W-4s. In one instance, a refund check was issued but the IRS levied bank accounts to recover the proceeds of the fraud. 

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 Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

Tampa, Florida – Lonnie Washington (25, Gainesville) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Washington pleaded guilty on April 28, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, in May 2022, Washington was a fugitive for a felony he had committed in Gainesville one month earlier when he used his vehicle to strike a police car occupied by an officer and then fled on foot. Investigators learned that Washington, who was a known member of the Fruit Town Brims gang, was hiding at the home of gang leader Micheal Hankerson in Poinciana. The FBI learned that Washington, while on the run from law enforcement, had posted a statement on social media, “I’m finna go on a killing run,” which demonstrated that he knew he was wanted and that he should be considered armed and dangerous. 

On May 10, 2022, a United States Marshals Service (USMS) Fugitive Task Force team, working in collaboration with the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), went to Hankerson’s residence to apprehend Washington. After Washington refused calls to come out of the home and voluntarily surrender, the USMS team entered the home. While performing a protective sweep of the residence, officers observed a semi-automatic firearm in Hankerson’s bedroom. They found Washington in an adjacent bedroom and arrested him.

FDLE investigators searched the house and recovered a CZ Scorpion Evo 3 semi-automatic firearm with a loaded 50-round drum magazine in Hankerson’s bedroom found. The search team found additional firearms in the home and an additional magazine, loaded with 19 rounds of ammunition, in Hankerson’s bedroom. 

The FBI obtained a search warrant for a cellphone Washington possessed at the time of his arrest. While reviewing the contents of the cellphone, the FBI found a video, recorded one week before his arrest, showing Washington inside Hankerson’s residence holding the CZ Scorpion Evo 3 firearm with the magazine that was later found in Hankerson’s bedroom.

Washington, who had previously been convicted of felony offenses including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

Hankerson, also a previously convicted felon, was federally charged and found guilty of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon in 2022. He was sentenced to six years in federal prison and ordered him to forfeit the firearms and ammunition found in his home.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Sinacore.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

A Cuban national pleaded guilty today to alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering.

According to court documents, Yuniel Lima-Santos, 31, of Tampa, Florida, conspired with others to operate an alien smuggling organization (ASO) which encouraged or induced thousands of Cuban aliens to enter the United States through the southern border and used fraudulent Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and visa waivers. The defendants advertised their smuggling services and bogus visa services across multiple social media platforms to solicit Cuban nationals and other aliens to attempt to illegally enter the United States and fraudulently obtain lawful status in the United States. 

The ASO advertised services included assisting Cubans with false claims of European citizenship to enter the United States on a European tourist visa waiver or ESTA, and it filed hundreds of fraudulent ESTA applications with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) using fake addresses and fabricated documents. Cuban nationals are not eligible for the ESTA program, and the defendants falsely represented that the applicants had not been in Cuba since 2011. The defendants knew that Cubans are not eligible for the ESTA program, and that the applicants were actually in Cuba at the time the ESTA applications were submitted. 

Lima-Santos furthered the conspiracy by helping move aliens from their country of origin, including Cuba, into the United States, including by purchasing international and domestic flights to transport aliens into and throughout the United States. Lima-Santos, along with co-defendant Frandy Aragon Diaz, smuggled five aliens into the United States and admitted to aiding Aragon Diaz with bringing Cuban women illegally into the United States, where they worked in strip clubs to pay off their smuggling debt. In furtherance of the conspiracy’s money laundering crimes, Lima-Santos filed articles of incorporation in Florida for a shell company that had no employees, payroll, or reported income, but were used to move money obtained from alien smuggling and conceal the true source and nature of the ill-gotten funds. 

Aliens were charged between $1,500 and $40,000 for their smuggling services, and co-conspirators sometimes even chartered private planes to move groups of aliens. Lima-Santos and co-defendants conspired to regularly move funds to companies and other places outside of the United States, such as by purchasing international flights for aliens to travel into the United States. Between 2021 and 2024, Lima-Santos transmitted internationally over $600,000 from the United States to purchase flights for aliens to unlawfully enter the United States. 

Yuniel Lima-Santos pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain, five counts of alien smuggling for financial gain, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and one count of conspiracy to conceal money laundering instruments.

Lima-Santos faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

As part of the conspiracy, 12 individuals were charged in a superseding indictment for their roles. Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, 31; Miguel Alejandro Martinez Vasconcelos, 31; Layra Libertad Treto Santos, 30; Emanuel Martinez Gonzalez, 29; Walbis Pozo-Dutel, 31; and Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero, 32, have all pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Erik Ventura-Castro, 24, pleaded guilty on May 7 and was sentenced in July to 30 months in prison. Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, 28, and Gisleivy Peralta Consuegra, 41, are awaiting trial scheduled to begin on Sept. 21. 

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Director Joseph Edlow of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made the announcement.

The investigation and superseding indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI and CBP U.S. Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 477 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 431 U.S. convictions; and more than 370 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets. 

HSI Tampa, U.S. Border Patrol Miami Sector, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)’s Fraud Detection and National Security led U.S. investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. Authorities in the Cayman Islands provided valuable assistance.

Trial Attorney Amanda Brown of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Derry for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

Tampa, FL — A Cuban national pleaded guilty today to alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering.

According to court documents, Yuniel Lima-Santos, 31, of Tampa, Florida, conspired with others to operate an alien smuggling organization (ASO) which encouraged or induced thousands of Cuban aliens to enter the United States through the southern border and used fraudulent Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and visa waivers. The defendants advertised their smuggling services and bogus visa services across multiple social media platforms to solicit Cuban nationals and other aliens to attempt to illegally enter the United States and fraudulently obtain lawful status in the United States. The ASO advertised services included assisting Cubans with false claims of European citizenship to enter the United States on a European tourist visa waiver or ESTA and filed hundreds of fraudulent ESTA applications with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) using fake addresses and fabricated documents. Cuban nationals are not eligible for the ESTA program, and to obtain ESTAs the defendants made false representations that the applicants had not been in Cuba since 2011. The defendants knew that Cubans are not eligible for the ESTA program, and that the applicants were actually in Cuba at the time the ESTA applications were submitted. 

The defendant, Yuniel Lima-Santos, furthered the conspiracy by assisting in the logistics of moving aliens from their country of origin, including Cuba, into the United States, such as purchasing international and domestic flights for aliens to transport them towards, into, and throughout the United States. Lima-Santos, along with co-defendant Frandy Aragon Diaz, smuggled five aliens into the United States and admitted to aiding Aragon Diaz with bringing Cuban women illegally into the United States, whereupon they would work in strip clubs to pay off their smuggling debt. In furtherance of the conspiracy’s money laundering crimes, Lima-Santos filed articles of incorporation in Florida for a shell company that had no employees, payroll, or reported income, but were used to move money obtained from alien smuggling and conceal the true source and nature of the ill-gotten funds. 

As part of the conspiracy, aliens were charged between $1,500 and $40,000 for their smuggling services, and co-conspirators sometimes even chartered private planes to move groups of aliens. Lima-Santos and co-defendants conspired with each other to regularly move funds to companies operating outside of the United States and to other places outside the United States, such as by purchasing international flights for aliens to travel into the United States. Between 2021 and 2024, Lima-Santos transmitted internationally over $600,000 from the United States to purchase flights for aliens to unlawfully enter the United States. 

Yuniel Lima-Santos pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain, five counts of alien smuggling for financial gain, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and one count of conspiracy to conceal money laundering instruments.

Lima-Santos faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Twelve individuals were charged in a superseding indictment for their roles in the conspiracy. Defendants Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, 31; Miguel Alejandro Martinez Vasconcelos, 31; Layra Libertad Treto Santos, 30; Emanuel Martinez Gonzalez, 29; Walbis Pozo-Dutel, 31; and Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero, 32, have all pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Defendant Erik Ventura-Castro, 24, pleaded guilty on May 7 and was sentenced on July 29 to 30 months in prison. Defendants Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, 28, and Gisleivy Peralta Consuegra, 41, are awaiting trial scheduled to begin on September 21. 

U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Director Joseph Edlow of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made the announcement.

The investigation and superseding indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI and CBP U.S. Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 477 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 431 U.S. convictions; and more than 370 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets. 

HSI Tampa, U.S. Border Patrol Miami Sector, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)’s Fraud Detection and National Security led U.S. investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. Authorities in the Cayman Islands provided valuable assistance.

 Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Derry for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Amanda Brown of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case.

Tampa, FL – Michael Paul Linnan (76, Ruskin) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven to seven years and three months in federal prison for transportation, distribution, receipt, and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The court also ordered Linnan to forfeit a cellphone, which was used in the commission of the offenses. Linnan pleaded guilty on April 21, 2026.U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Linnan used an encrypted messaging platform to distribute more than 100 images and videos of CSAM, including images and videos of young children. Linnan received images and videos of CSAM using the same platform. He also stored hundreds of videos on his phone and transported the images into his online photo storage account.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was  prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Muriel Moore.

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, Florida – Maxwell David Horvath (37, Orlando) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell to six years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Horvath to forfeit 38 firearms, including silencers, short-barreled rifles, machineguns, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Horvath pleaded guilty on March 4, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, following a federal conviction for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances in January 2019, Horvath opened a business in Palm Bay selling a controlled substance and possessed firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition. In June 2025, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into Horvath. The investigation revealed that Horvath’s business, Overseas Organix, Inc., was marketing and selling products containing 7-OH, which is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in Florida. Horvath was involved in two undercover law enforcement purchases occurring at Overseas Organix, Inc. 

During a search of Overseas Organix, Inc. on December 3, 2025, law enforcement located 38 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition which included handguns, rifles, shotguns, silencers, machine guns, automatic firearms, and short-barreled rifles. As a previously convicted felon Horvath is prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law. Officers also seized more than 91,000 pounds of kratom (a precursor to 7-OH), kilogram quantities of 7-OH powder, and thousands of pressed 7- OH pills ready for sale. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie A. McNeff.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

Fort Myers, Florida – James Gregory Ford (34, Port Charlotte) was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to 15 years in federal prison for enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. Ford was also sentenced to a 30-year term of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty on May 6, 2026.U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, in October 2025, law enforcement began investigating Ford after a minor’s parent had reported observing conversations with Ford and seeing nude photographs and videos that had been sent on a social media platform on the minor’s cellphone. 

On October 28, 2025, law enforcement interviewed Ford concerning his sexual communications with the minor using a social media application. Ford admitted to engaging in conversations and exchanging inappropriate messages and images with the minor, that he had initiated communications with the minor, and acknowledged receiving and sending explicit photographs. Ford also admitted to requesting inappropriate images from the minor, including images of the minor’s intimate body parts and suggestions of sexual acts. 

A forensic examination of Ford’s cellphone revealed that the social media account belonging to Ford had been used to communicate with the minor, and images and videos of the minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct were located.   

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, and with assistance from law enforcement in Texas. 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.

Tampa, Florida – Curtis Charles Tinsley (47, Lakeland) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday to 25 years in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy that distributed fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and MDMA in and around Lakeland. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, from an unknown date and continuing through June 2025, Tinsley was part of a conspiracy and drug trafficking organization (DTO) in Polk County. Between April and June 2025, members of the conspiracy distributed approximately 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, two kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of fentanyl, and one kilogram of MDMA on a monthly basis. Tinsley typically sold or purchased methamphetamine by the ounce or pound – sometimes multiple pounds per transaction. He also regularly purchased and sold large quantities of fentanyl.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lakeland Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Erik W. Daab and David J. Pardo.

Jacksonville, Florida – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Jon Christopher Williams with four counts of attempting to evade and defeat individual income taxes, eleven counts of failing to withhold and pay employment taxes, and one count of endeavoring to obstruct and impede the administration of the internal revenue laws. Each tax evasion and employment tax offense carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison. The obstruction offense carries a maximum penalty of 3 years in prison. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, Williams is a dentist with a practice in Jacksonville Beach. He filed a personal income tax return and paid the associated taxes to the IRS every year from 2002 through 2012. He submitted requests to the IRS for extensions of time to file his tax returns for 2013 and 2014, but never filed any returns for those years or for any year thereafter.

The indictment alleges that from 2020 through 2023, Williams failed to report gross income from his business totaling approximately $3,371,657 and that he failed to pay approximately $1,079,136 in taxes due on that income. It is further alleged that Williams filed employment tax returns and paid the associated taxes to the IRS for the years 2008 through 2013, but that he has not filed such a return or paid any employment taxes since 2013. For the period encompassing the second quarter of 2020 through the fourth quarter of 2022, Williams failed to report and pay over to the IRS employment taxes totaling approximately $133,360.

The obstruction charge alleges that Williams became aware that he was being criminally investigated by the IRS when he was served with a summons on October 21, 2021. Wiliams subsequently, over the period of November 2021 through May 2024, sent multiple emails and letters to the investigating agent and others—including the agent’s supervisor, a Florida Member of Congress, Florida’s two U.S. Senators, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, the Commissioner of the IRS, and an IRS District Director—in an attempt to stop the investigation. Among these communications were statements that the agent’s actions were causing him “harm, injury and loss,” demands that the agent “cease and desist” all activities against him, and statements that the agent could be held personally liable for her actions. Williams sent invoices demanding payment of $525,000 by the agent, the IRS, the Department of the Treasury, and the Attorney General but said that they could “avoid paying the invoices by the immediate termination of [the agent] from her current position of employment, along with her prevention from working at any other agency of the US government.” He also stated that, to settle the matter, “A simple note from you, or your superiors, stating that I, and anyone associated with me, are no longer under investigation and that no further action will be taken against me, my coworkers, or my loved ones, as there is no evidence of any criminal intent to commit a crime, will suffice.”

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

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the  unsealing of an indictment charging: 

Name

Offenses

Maximum Penalties

Edgar Alejandro Lopez Velasco 

(44, Mexico)

Conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism

Conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism

Drug importation conspiracy

Firearms trafficking conspiracies

Noe Diaz Jimenez 

(33, Mexico)

Conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism

Conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism

Drug importation conspiracy

Firearms trafficking conspiracies

Drug importation conspiracy

Firearms trafficking conspiracies

Jose Miguel Alvarado Morales 

(23, Mexico)

Conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism

Conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism

Drug importation conspiracy

Firearms trafficking conspiracies

According to the indictment, Edgar Alejandro Lopez Velasco, Noe Diaz Jimenez, Leobardo Gaxiola Lopez, and Jose Miguel Alvarado Morales are all affiliated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a foreign terrorist organization and one of the most powerful and violent drug cartels in Mexico. Lopez Velasco was a representative of a high-level CJNG member; Diaz Jimenez was a fentanyl trafficker with a fentanyl lab in Mexico; Gaxiola Lopez was a broker of narcotics and weapons deals; and Alvarado Morales was a representative of another high-level CJNG member. In February 2026, Lopez Velasco and Diaz Jimenez negotiated the sale of machineguns and destructive devices from the Czech Republic to Mexico to commit acts of violence against rival cartels, civilians, police forces, and military personnel in Mexico. These weapons included different kinds of European machineguns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, mortar launchers, and accompanying ammunition and ordnance. In exchange for the weapons, the defendants paid in the form of fentanyl and methamphetamine imported into the United States for distribution. All four were arrested in the Czech Republic in June 2026. On June 12, 2026, Mexican authorities dismantled Diaz Jimenez’s synthetic opioid lab in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.

The indictment notifies the defendants that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture for the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct. 

Lopez Velasco and Alvarado Morales were extradited to the Middle District of Florida, had their initial appearances yesterday, and were detained.

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 Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Czech authorities, Mexico’s Secretaria de Seguridad y Proteccion Ciudadana, and Mexico’s Secretaria de Marina. INTERPOL and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance in securing the apprehension and Friday’s extradition of Lopez Velasco and Alvarado Morales. The case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region 20 (Tampa) comprises agents and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

Tampa, FL – Jose Ramiro Cardenas-Iguaran, a/k/a “Titi,” “Senor,” “Jefe” (47, Colombia) has been sentenced by U.S. Senior District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell to 25 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. He pleaded guilty on November 25, 2025. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to court documents, Cardenas-Iguaran began his career about 15 to 20 years before his 2021 arrest by robbing drug traffickers. Over time, he began to assist other traffickers with maritime smuggling logistics before becoming the boss of his own organization. In August 2017, the United States Coast Guard interdicted the Togolese-flagged M/V FAT CROW in international waters with nine people and 1,500 kilograms of cocaine onboard. Cardenas-Iguaran admitted to his involvement in the planning and logistics of the smuggling operation aboard the M/V FAT CROW. Cardenas-Iguaran also admitted to smuggling cocaine for other traffickers as well placing up to 650 kilograms of his own cocaine on drug shipments. He further claimed responsibility for a seizure of cocaine in the Dominican Republic as well as a separate load of cocaine intended for Puerto Rico.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Colombian National Police’s Anti-Narcotics Directorate (DIRAN). The Department of Justice’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá and Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance in securing Cardenas-Iguaran’s extradition. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region 20 (Tampa) comprises agents and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the  unsealing of an indictment charging 13 individuals—all alleged members and associates of the Slime gang—with crimes including racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking conspiracy, murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and retaliating against a witness. Slime was primarily active in the Northside and Oceanway neighborhoods of the greater Jacksonville area.

If convicted, the penalties range from 20 years up to life in federal prison. Some of the defendants face the death penalty for murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire, and/or use of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime resulting in death. 

The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit certain assets, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense. 

According to the indictment, the Slime organization has existed under various names, including Pearl World, BB4L (Block Burners for Life), K4T (Killers for Telly), and finally, Slime World. At all times relevant to the indictment, Slime was led by Brian Gregory Brightman and generated income through drug trafficking. Slime used violence and intimidation to establish the group’s dominance in the greater Jacksonville area, to protect its territory, to encroach on rivals’ territory and trap houses, and to maintain its drug trafficking operation. The violence and intimidation included assaults, shootings, attempted murders, and murder.

The indictment alleges that, from approximately 2019 and continuing until August 5, 2026, the defendants conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances including marijuana, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine, and maintained multiple trap houses to distribute the same, often arming themselves with firearms to protect their controlled substances and territory.

Additionally, the indictment alleges that in August 2021, Brightman, Raymond Cash, and Devin McFadden solicited the murder of a rival gang member. On October 13, 2022, Brightman solicited a Slime member and a Slime associate to murder a different rival gang member. Between November 30, 2022, and continuing through December 1, 2022, Brightman transported approximately 70 pounds of marijuana from California to Florida. On December 19, 2022, Brightman directed an individual to go to one of the trap houses under the ruse that he would be facilitating a drug deal. When the individual arrived at the home with others, Cash and Gary Harris robbed them of marijuana at gunpoint. 

On January 29, 2024, it is alleged that Brightman and another Slime member assaulted a lower-level drug dealer and user to enforce a debt owed to Slime. On a different occasion, Blake Baker entered the home of a drug dealer and Slime associate, threatened her with a firearm, and assaulted her domestic partner to enforce a drug debt owed to Slime. On December 11, 2024, Devonne Rivers and Terrance Williams shot and attempted to kill another individual, in part, to intimidate any rival groups and gangs on behalf of Slime. Further, Andre Drinks solicited a physical attack on an individual that Drinks perceived to be proving evidence against Slime, causing injury to that individual.

Members of Slime are also charged in several substantive counts with committing violence to intimidate rivals and get revenge against opposing groups. It is alleged that beginning on an unknown date no later than on November 27, 2023, and continuing through December 2023, Brightman and Jacob Goodman conspired to commit, and did commit, the murder-for-hire of D.S.S. on November 29, 2023. It is further alleged that Brightman, Rivers, and Tarvares Watson Jr. conspired to commit and did commit the murder of A.B. and T.W. on or about April 7, 2024.

In addition to the individuals named above, Roderick Leon, Rashawn Rankin, and Da’Veon Smith have also been charged in the indictment.

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.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office, the Nassau County Sherriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the North Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area are investigating the case with valuable assistance from the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Florida National Guard Counter Drug Program, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Neptune Beach Police Department, the Jacksonville Beach Police Department, and the Green Cove Springs Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Lasry and Kelli A. Swaney for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. 

Tampa, FL ―The Bureau of Justice Assistance, a component under the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, awarded almost $290 million to support state, local, and tribal governments in criminal justice activities to keep American communities safe. More than $3.5 million of this amount has been awarded to law enforcement agencies throughout the Middle District of Florida.

The awards, provided through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, represent the nation’s leading source of federal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories. For more than 20 years, the JAG program has provided critical funding to support law enforcement’s ability to protect the communities they serve, supporting critical needs such as personnel, equipment and supplies, technology, training, information systems for criminal justice or civil proceedings, and other operational priorities. JAG funding also supports a wide range of programs that strengthen crime prevention efforts and enhance the effectiveness of prosecutors, courts, corrections agencies, and services for crime victims and witnesses.

“Our local, state, and tribal law enforcement partners stand on the front lines every day to combat crime and keep our citizens safe,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “These awards will assist them as they carry out their mission to improve public safety throughout our district.”

In addition to foundational uses of JAG funds, specific areas of emphasis were included to the JAG funding opportunities highlighting and encouraging state and local jurisdictions to join federal law enforcement in addressing the most pressing public safety challenges. For Fiscal Year 2025, these areas of emphasis included combatting violent crime, immigration enforcement, safe communities, and safe houses of worship. 

BJA awarded more than $199 million in state JAG funding across 56 awards and more than $90 million in local JAG funding across 895 awards. 

Examples of initiatives supported by these grants include:

• Providing specialized training to strengthen the prevention, detection, and response to human trafficking and to enhance proactive crime‑reduction efforts through improved officer readiness and increased patrol capacity.
• Enhancing local crime‑fighting efforts by integrating innovative technology, training, and equipment, and using comprehensive crime‑data analysis to guide decision‑making, measure performance, and strengthen strategies addressing violent crime and other public safety issues. 
• Strengthening enforcement efforts by supporting investigations related to gang activity and narcotics through targeted operations carried out by specialized units. 
• Improving officer safety and readiness by replacing outdated ballistic helmets with modern protective equipment used during high‑risk incidents, tactical operations, active threat responses, warrant service, civil disturbances, and other dangerous calls for service.

All recipients for both state and local JAG awards can be found here.

About the Office of Justice Programs

The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation's capacity to prevent and reduce crime; promote fair and impartial administration of justice; assist victims; and uphold the rule of law. More information about OJP and its program offices – the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking or SMART Office – can be found at ojp.gov.

Fort Myers, Florida – Michael Lawrence Milewski (32, Fort Myers) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kyle C. Dudek to 30 years in federal prison for enticing minors to engage in sexual activity, receiving and possessing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, and transferring obscene matter to a minor. Milewski was also sentenced to a term of life of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

Milewski had entered a plea of guilty on April 30, 2026.

According to court documents, from December 2024, through February 2025, Milewski used a social media application to persuade, induce, and entice minors to engage in sexual activity for which Milewski could have been charged with a criminal offense of sexual performance by a child or production of child pornography. 

In June 2025, law enforcement launched an investigation into Milewski, after a minor disclosed that she had been communicating with an adult online who had requested images and videos of her engaging in sexually explicit conduct. 

Milewski’s social media account records revealed messages that were sexual in nature and that Milewski had engaged in with several minors, and images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct that Milewski requested and received from the minors.   

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and with assistance from the Cape Coral Police Department.  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.

Fort Myers, Florida – Joseph Rocco Giancola (73, Cape Coral) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kyle Dudek to six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for making interstate communications of threats to injure. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

Giancola pleaded guilty on March 26, 2026.

According to court records, on August 6, 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) identified true threats to injure ICE agents posted on the social media platform BlueSky by user @caindelonbsky.social. Additional investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents identified the user as Joseph Rocco Giancola who posted numerous threats between May and July 2025, including “Just shoot ice to kill”, “Get your guns and kill the ice nazis”, “They come near me and I shoot to kill”, “Band together in neighborhoods, arm the band, and kill these gestapo fucks. A few massacres and they will stop coming”; “Shoot the ICE Nazis down like the rabid dogs they are”; “Let there be blood – MAGA blood and lots of it… We should be shooting down ICE Proud Boys like the rabid dogs they are”; and “I’ll shoot to kill”, among others. 

HSI subsequently executed a federal court authorized search warrant on Giancola at his Cape Coral residence on October 30, 2025, where they encountered him in his bedroom with an unlocked computer displaying the @caindelonbsky.social BlueSky account on the screen. 

At the sentencing hearing, the Court held Giancola accountable for making more than two true threats against official victims on account of the victim’s employment status. 

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Cape Coral Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Redavid.

Orlando, Florida – Richard Kowalczyk (46, Windermere) and Eric Patrick (31, Windermere) have been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Kowalczyk was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison and Patrick was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. Patrick pleaded guilty in February 2026 and Kowalczyk pleaded guilty in April 2026. Both are also required to register as sex offenders. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to court documents, Kowalczyk and Patrick, who are married, engaged in a sexually graphic conversation online that discussed their interests in minors. In July 2020, Kowalczyk and Patrick attempted to coerce and entice a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct and share sexually explicit images with them. Kowalczyk also possessed child sexual abuse images and videos, including minors under the age of 12, on his cellphone. 

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.

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

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the  unsealing of an indictment charging five individuals with federal drug offenses including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl. 

Name

Age, Residence

Charges

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Distribution of fentanyl (4 counts)

Distribution of cocaine and fentanyl

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Distribution of fentanyl

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Distribution of fentanyl

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Distribution of cocaine and fentanyl

If convicted, McKinney faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Harrison and Harrison II each face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Gentles and Taylor face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. 

According to the indictment and other court records, McKinney sold fentanyl and other controlled substances in Dade City. The others assisted McKinney with his drug trafficking business. Through this drug trafficking organization, McKinney trafficked more than 400 grams of fentanyl, along with cocaine. 

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, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, and the Zephyrhills Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Buchanan.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region 20 (Tampa) comprises agents and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

Jacksonville, Florida – A federal jury has found Bryan Steven Etheridge (40, Columbia County) guilty of providing a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer. Etheridge faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 16, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to evidence presented at trial, on May 10, 2025, Etheridge attempted to purchase a .40 caliber pistol from a firearms dealer in Columbia County. When completing a Firearms Transaction Record (ATF Form 4473), Etheridge knowingly provided a false statement by denying that he was subject to a court order restraining him from stalking, harassing, or threatening an intimate partner or child of an intimate partner. In fact, in 2024, Etheridge’s wife and mother of their six children sought a domestic violence injunction against him and the court imposed an injunction through early 2026. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rick Lasseter and David Mesrobian.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

Ocala, Florida – Yoandris Jose Ruiz Bello (32, Venezuela) has pleaded guilty to attempted production of child sexual abuse material and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. Ruiz Bello faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison for the attempted production offense; and a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment for the attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor offense. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.    

According to the plea agreement, on August 21, 2024, Ruiz Bello engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with someone whom he believed was a 13-year-old girl. During the conversation, Ruiz Bello asked the minor to create a sexually explicit video of herself and send it to him. Ruiz Bello also sent an explicit photograph of male genitalia to the minor. In actuality, Ruiz Bello was communicating with an undercover Homeland Security Investigations special agent.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

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

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the arrest of Yongbo Li, 36, Huashan Lu, 62, and Yuxiang Zhao, 60, pursuant to a criminal complaint for conspiracy to commit mail fraud. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.

According to the criminal complaint, Li, Lu, Zhao, and others engaged in an organized fraud scheme that targeted victims through telephone calls, emails, and Internet pop-up messages, falsely claiming the victims’ personal information and financial accounts were compromised and that immediate action was needed to resolve the fabricated issue. The immediate action was almost always the mailing of cashier’s checks, money orders, or cash to P.O. boxes in and around the Orlando area. According to the criminal complaint, twenty-eight victims, most of them elderly, have been identified.

A criminal complaint is merely a formal document supporting an arrest warrant 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 United States Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Orlando Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Flanigan.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

Ocala, Florida – Corey Wilkerson (30, Lake Panasoffkee) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber to three years in federal prison for possession of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the court records, between October 20, 2023, and July 10, 2024, Wilkerson possessed thousands of obscene animated images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The images also depicted the sexual abuse of prepubescent and infant females.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson and Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

This 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.justice.gov/psc.

Ocala, Florida – Bradly Dwayne Wimberly (32, Bradley) has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber for attempted production of child sexual abuse material. Wimberly entered a guilty plea on May 4, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, between February 15, 2024, and July 10, 2025, Wimberly communicated online with someone whom he believed was a 13-to-14-year-old girl. He repeatedly asked the minor to produce sexually explicit images and videos of herself and send them to him. In actuality, Wimberly was communicating with an undercover Homeland Security Investigations special agent.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

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.justice.gov/psc.

Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Billy Boortz (43, Duval Couty, Texas) to five years in federal prison for possession of five grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to the court records, on July 18, 2025, Boortz was a federal inmate in the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Coleman) in Sumter County, Florida. On that date, Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) corrections officers ordered Boortz to submit to a search. Instead of complying, Boortz attempted to assault the officers by throwing punches towards their heads and upper bodies. Eventually, the officers were able to gain control over Boortz, and discovered over nine grams of methamphetamine hidden in Boortz’s sock. Boortz told law enforcement that he would have made approximately $20,000 if he had been able to sell the methamphetamine inside FCC Coleman. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Prisons. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson and Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Ocala, Florida – Jiaan Cao (33, China) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Cao entered a guilty plea on January 27, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to court documents, beginning in at least October 2024 and continuing through December 12, 2024, Cao conspired with others to commit wire fraud by gaining access to a victim’s computer, fraudulently posing as a representative of a victim’s financial institution, and informing the victim their account had been subjected to fraudulent criminal activity. A member of the conspiracy then directed the victim to withdraw money from their account and purchase gold. Afterward, the victim was instructed to provide this gold to a “federal agent” for safekeeping. In actuality, the “federal agent” was another member of the conspiracy. Conspiracy members often exchanged electronic communications with each other, including the location details of the victims, for this purpose. On December 12, 2024, Cao was arrested at a victim’s residence in Marion County when he arrived to pick up gold that had been purchased in this manner.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

Jacksonville, FL - Complete Health Partners Holdings, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, has agreed to pay $14,100,000, to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by causing the submission of false diagnosis codes in order to increase payments that they received from the Medicare Advantage program.

“Health care fraud enforcement has long been a cornerstone of the mission of this office,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “This settlement sends a strong message to our district, its residents, and medical providers doing business here, that our focus on this vital practice area has not wavered.”

“As the Medicare Advantage program continues to grow, providers who participate in the program must be held to account when they attempt to improperly profit at the taxpayer’s expense,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This settlement reflects the Department’s commitment to protecting taxpayer money and ensuring that Medicare payments are based on information that is true and accurate.”

“Companies that attempt to improperly boost their own profits by reporting bogus medical conditions of Medicare Advantage enrollees — as alleged in this case — will be held responsible for their actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Isaac M. Bledsoe of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Today’s settlement demonstrates our office’s commitment to safeguarding the integrity of federal health care programs, including Medicare Advantage, which exist to provide necessary care to enrollees, not as a vehicle for improper financial gain.”

Under the Medicare Advantage (MA) Program, also known as Medicare Part C, Medicare beneficiaries may opt out of traditional Medicare and enroll in private health plans offered by insurance companies known as Medicare Advantage Organizations, or MAOs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) pays the MAOs a fixed monthly amount for each Medicare beneficiary enrolled in their plans. CMS adjusts these monthly payments to account for various “risk” factors that affect expected health expenditures for the beneficiary. In general, CMS pays MAOs more for sicker beneficiaries expected to incur higher healthcare costs and less for healthier beneficiaries expected to incur lower costs. To calculate the payment amounts, CMS uses a health-based risk adjustment model — the Hierarchical Conditions Category (HCC) model — that takes into account diagnoses reported by healthcare providers. In general, the more severe the diagnosis or costly the associated treatment, the higher the risk score and the higher the corresponding payments to the MAO. 

Complete Health Partners Holdings (Complete Health) is a management services organization that manages, owns or otherwise operates affiliated provider groups operating out of Florida, Alabama and Colorado. Under the contracts, the MAOs agreed to pay Complete Health a percentage of the payments they received from CMS. This “risk sharing” compensation arrangement gave Complete Health a financial incentive to submit additional diagnosis codes to increase its patients’ risk scores and the corresponding payments made by CMS.

The settlement resolves allegations, from 2020 to 2023, Complete Health submitted diagnosis codes within Hierarchical Condition Code (HCC) 55 (Drug and Alcohol Dependence) and HCC 59 (Major Depressive, Bipolar, and Paranoid Disorders) that were not clinically valid, not properly supported by the beneficiary’s medical records, and/or not considered in the care, management, or treatment of the beneficiary.

The United States contends that Complete Health disseminated incorrect coding guidance to its coders and physicians regarding diagnosis codes within HCC 55 and HCC 59. The United States further contends that Complete Health coders reviewed its beneficiaries’ medical records and identified additional diagnosis codes for chronic conditions, including diagnoses within HCC 55 and HCC 59. Complete Health then prompted doctors to add those diagnosis codes, even when the diagnosis codes were unsubstantiated or not clinically justified. As a result, the doctors added those diagnosis codes, which were not accurate. These diagnoses resulted in an increase in payment from CMS to the MA Plans in which the beneficiaries were enrolled, and the MA Plan then passed along a portion of the increased payment to Complete Health.

The civil settlement resolves claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Karen Bowers, former Associate Director of Risk Adjustment at VIVA Health. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Karen Bowers vs. Complete Health Partners, Inc., Pharos Capital Group, LLC, Viva Health Inc., and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, Civil Action No. 3:22-cv-463 (M.D. Fla.). Karen Bowers will receive approximately $2,467,500 as her share of the federal recovery.

This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, with assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrate the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud.  One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Keefe and Collette Cunningham for the Middle District of Florida and Fraud Section Attorneys Olga Yevtukhova and J. Jennifer Koh .

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

Complete Health Partners Holdings, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, has agreed to pay $14,100,000, to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by causing the submission of false diagnosis codes in order to increase payments that they received from the Medicare Advantage program.

“As the Medicare Advantage program continues to grow, providers who participate in the program must be held to account when they attempt to improperly profit at the taxpayer’s expense,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This settlement reflects the Department’s commitment to protecting taxpayer money and ensuring that Medicare payments are based on information that is true and accurate.”

“Health care fraud enforcement has long been a cornerstone of the mission of this office,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “This settlement sends a strong message to our district, its residents, and medical providers doing business here, that our focus on this vital practice area has not wavered.”

“Companies that attempt to improperly boost their own profits by reporting bogus medical conditions of Medicare Advantage enrollees — as alleged in this case — will be held responsible for their actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Isaac M. Bledsoe of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Today’s settlement demonstrates our office’s commitment to safeguarding the integrity of federal health care programs, including Medicare Advantage, which exist to provide necessary care to enrollees, not as a vehicle for improper financial gain.”

Under the Medicare Advantage (MA) Program, also known as Medicare Part C, Medicare beneficiaries may opt out of traditional Medicare and enroll in private health plans offered by insurance companies known as Medicare Advantage Organizations, or MAOs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) pays the MAOs a fixed monthly amount for each Medicare beneficiary enrolled in their plans. CMS adjusts these monthly payments to account for various “risk” factors that affect expected health expenditures for the beneficiary. In general, CMS pays MAOs more for sicker beneficiaries expected to incur higher healthcare costs and less for healthier beneficiaries expected to incur lower costs. To calculate the payment amounts, CMS uses a health-based risk adjustment model — the Hierarchical Conditions Category (HCC) model — that takes into account diagnoses reported by healthcare providers. In general, the more severe the diagnosis or costly the associated treatment, the higher the risk score and the higher the corresponding payments to the MAO. 

Complete Health Partners Holdings (Complete Health) is a management services organization that manages, owns or otherwise operates affiliated provider groups operating out of Florida, Alabama and Colorado. Under the contracts, the MAOs agreed to pay Complete Health a percentage of the payments they received from CMS. This “risk sharing” compensation arrangement gave Complete Health a financial incentive to submit additional diagnosis codes to increase its patients’ risk scores and the corresponding payments made by CMS.

The settlement resolves allegations, from 2020 to 2023, Complete Health submitted diagnosis codes within Hierarchical Condition Code (HCC) 55 (Drug and Alcohol Dependence) and HCC 59 (Major Depressive, Bipolar, and Paranoid Disorders) that were not clinically valid, not properly supported by the beneficiary’s medical records, and/or not considered in the care, management, or treatment of the beneficiary.

The United States contends that Complete Health disseminated incorrect coding guidance to its coders and physicians regarding diagnosis codes within HCC 55 and HCC 59. The United States further contends that Complete Health coders reviewed its beneficiaries’ medical records and identified additional diagnosis codes for chronic conditions, including diagnoses within HCC 55 and HCC 59. Complete Health then prompted doctors to add those diagnosis codes, even when the diagnosis codes were unsubstantiated or not clinically justified. As a result, the doctors added those diagnosis codes, which were not accurate. These diagnoses resulted in an increase in payment from CMS to the MA Plans in which the beneficiaries were enrolled, and the MA Plan then passed along a portion of the increased payment to Complete Health.

The civil settlement resolves claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Karen Bowers, former Associate Director of Risk Adjustment at VIVA Health. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Karen Bowers vs. Complete Health Partners, Inc., Pharos Capital Group, LLC, Viva Health Inc., and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, Civil Action No. 3:22-cv-463 (M.D. Fla.). Karen Bowers will receive approximately $2,467,500 as her share of the federal recovery.

This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, with assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrate the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud.  One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

The matter was investigated by Fraud Section Attorneys Olga Yevtukhova and J. Jennifer Koh and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Keefe and Collette Cunningham for the Middle District of Florida.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

Ocala, Florida – Phillip Washington, III a/k/a “Lil’ Phil” (33, Marion County) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber to 20 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Washington was found guilty on April 2, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, on May 13, 2024, the Marion County Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team (UDEST) executed a search warrant on Washington’s residence. A search revealed that Washington possessed with intent to distribute 3,034 grams of actual methamphetamine, 885 grams of fentanyl, and 302 grams of cocaine. A large portion of the controlled substances were found in a duffle bag on the dining table. Washington was also in possession of multiple scales and other items consistent with the packaging and distribution of controlled substances. His residence was equipped with a video-recorded security system. Footage from the system showed Washington bringing the duffle bag containing the controlled substances into his residence. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Marion County Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg. 

Tampa, FL - New York ophthalmology practices Mark D. Fromer, P.C. doing business as Fromer Eye Centers and Floral Park Ophthalmology P.C. have agreed to pay a total of $2.3 million to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act arising from their billing for trans-cranial doppler ultrasounds (TCDs) through a kickback arrangement with a third-party testing company. The Estate of Mark Fromer, the former owner of Fromer Eye Centers, also joined in the settlement with the practice. Both practices have agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department’s ongoing investigations of other participants in the alleged scheme.

“Medical service providers who place profit above patients not only compromise the integrity of our health care system, but patients’ care,” stated U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “Our office will continue working with our partners to combat fraud against our federal health care programs.”

“The integrity of healthcare decision-making depends on sound medical advice that is free from undue influence of illegal kickbacks and other improper arrangements,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department will continue to hold accountable healthcare providers who engage in such schemes.”

“Kickback arrangements work to corrupt impartial medical decision-making and drive up health care costs for everyone,” said Special Agent in Charge Isaac M. Bledsoe of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate and hold accountable those who attempt to defraud federal health care programs.”

The settlements announced today resolve allegations that the settling practices knowingly submitted, and caused the submission of, false claims to Medicare (and, with respect to Fromer Eye, Medicaid) for medically unnecessary TCDs. The United States alleges that the settling practices performed TCDs on thousands of patients and billed Medicare and Medicaid hundreds of dollars per test. Before the patients received the results of the test, the practices and the third-party testing company allegedly identified the patients as having received a serious diagnosis that could qualify the patient for reimbursement of a TCD. However, the United States alleged that nearly all patients who received TCDs never had that diagnosis, and it was not reflected in the patient’s medical history or in the TCD results. In addition, Floral Park Ophthalmology allegedly received remuneration paid by the third-party testing company to induce the practice to refer its Medicare and Medicaid patients to the testing provider for TCDs.

The United States alleged that as a result of this scheme, the settling practices submitted, or caused the submission of, false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for TCDs that were medically unnecessary, that were premised on false diagnoses, and that resulted from violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law.

As a result of the settlements, Fromer Eye Centers and the Estate of Mark Fromer will pay $1,800,000 and Floral Park Ophthalmology will pay $500,000. Of the total settlement amounts, $384,000 will be paid to the State of New York for its share of Medicaid, which is a jointly funded federal and state program.

The civil settlements resolved claims in a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the Government’s recovery. The qui tam was filed by a whistleblower who will receive approximately $132,000 in connection with the settlement with Fromer Eye Centers. 

The settlements were the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, with assistance from HHS-OIG and the FBI. The United States previously resolved similar allegations against Brandon Eye Associates P.A., Pinellas Eye Care, P.A. (doing business as Gulfcoast Eye Care), Clay Eye Holdings LLC, Retina Macula Specialist of Miami LLC, Florida Eye Institute P.A., Miami Eye LLC, and Kendall Eye Institute Inc.

The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mamie Wise for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Nelson Wagner in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and handled the matter.

The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

New York ophthalmology practices Mark D. Fromer, P.C. doing business as Fromer Eye Centers and Floral Park Ophthalmology P.C. have agreed to pay a total of $2.3 million to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act arising from their billing for trans-cranial doppler ultrasounds (TCDs) through a kickback arrangement with a third-party testing company. The Estate of Mark Fromer, the former owner of Fromer Eye Centers, also joined in the settlement with the practice. Both practices have agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department’s ongoing investigations of other participants in the alleged scheme.

“The integrity of healthcare decision-making depends on sound medical advice that is free from undue influence of illegal kickbacks and other improper arrangements,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department will continue to hold accountable healthcare providers who engage in such schemes.”

“Medical service providers who place profit above patients not only compromise the integrity of our health care system, but patients’ care,” stated U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “Our office will continue working with our partners to combat fraud against our federal health care programs.”

“Kickback arrangements work to corrupt impartial medical decision-making and drive up health care costs for everyone,” said Special Agent in Charge Isaac M. Bledsoe of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate and hold accountable those who attempt to defraud federal health care programs.”

The settlements announced today resolve allegations that the settling practices knowingly submitted, and caused the submission of, false claims to Medicare (and, with respect to Fromer Eye, Medicaid) for medically unnecessary TCDs. The United States alleges that the settling practices performed TCDs on thousands of patients and billed Medicare and Medicaid hundreds of dollars per test. Before the patients received the results of the test, the practices and the third-party testing company allegedly identified the patients as having received a serious diagnosis that could qualify the patient for reimbursement of a TCD. However, the United States alleged that nearly all patients who received TCDs never had that diagnosis, and it was not reflected in the patient’s medical history or in the TCD results. In addition, Floral Park Ophthalmology allegedly received remuneration paid by the third-party testing company to induce the practice to refer its Medicare and Medicaid patients to the testing provider for TCDs.

The United States alleged that as a result of this scheme, the settling practices submitted, or caused the submission of, false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for TCDs that were medically unnecessary, that were premised on false diagnoses, and that resulted from violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law.

As a result of the settlements, Fromer Eye Centers and the Estate of Mark Fromer will pay $1,800,000 and Floral Park Ophthalmology will pay $500,000. Of the total settlement amounts, $384,000 will be paid to the State of New York for its share of Medicaid, which is a jointly funded federal and state program.

The civil settlements resolved claims in a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the Government’s recovery. The qui tam was filed by a whistleblower who will receive approximately $132,000 in connection with the settlement with Fromer Eye Centers. 

The settlements were the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, with assistance from HHS-OIG and the FBI. The United States previously resolved similar allegations against Brandon Eye Associates P.A., Pinellas Eye Care, P.A. (doing business as Gulfcoast Eye Care), Clay Eye Holdings LLC, Retina Macula Specialist of Miami LLC, Florida Eye Institute P.A., Miami Eye LLC, and Kendall Eye Institute Inc.

The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division. Trial Attorney Nelson Wagner in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mamie Wise for the Middle District of Florida handled the matter.

The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

Jacksonville, Florida – Michael Deon Woulard (50, Gainesville) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard to 14 years and 10 months in federal prison for robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. Woulard pleaded guilty on March 16, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to court documents and proceedings, on October 10, 2023, Woulard robbed a Value Pawn shop in Jacksonville, stealing goods valued at approximately $45,945. On November 25, 2023, Woulard robbed a Kay Jewelers store in Jacksonville, during which he brandished a semi-automatic pistol at employees and stole jewelry valued at approximately $352,623.66. On February 20, 2024, Woulard robbed another Kay Jewelers store in Ocala, during which he again brandished a semi-automatic pistol at employees and stole jewelry valued at approximately $364,752.56. Woulard was arrested on February 21, 2024, while in possession of numerous stolen items from the third robbery. During a voluntary interview with investigators from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Ocala Police Department, he admitted to committing the jewelry store robberies. 

Woulard was ordered to pay $442,582.59 in restitution to the victims.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David B. Mesrobian.

Tampa, Florida – A federal jury has Devon Floyd (34) guilty of four counts of Hobbs Act robbery, four counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery. Floyd faces up to 20 years in prison for each robbery offense and a minimum sentence of 28 years, up to life, for the firearms offenses. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, in July 2023, Floyd robbed four separate convenience stores throughout the Middle District of Florida. He used a firearm during each robbery. The first break in the case occurred when the Tampa Police Department identified a print belonging to Floyd on a box of pens Floyd had touched during one of the robberies. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives collected physical and video evidence from the crime scenes. Using video footage, fingerprints, and DNA evidence, agents were to place Floyd at the scenes of other robberies.

The investigation also led to the arrest and conviction of Leanna Bryant (age 29) and Kavar Young (age 34). Bryant pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and two counts of brandishing a firearm. She is currently awaiting sentencing. Young pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, Hobbs Act robbery, and brandishing a firearm. He was sentenced to three years and ten months in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Tampa Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Temple Terrace Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the North Port Police Department. The Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted with cellphone location analysis. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

Tampa, Florida – Ludwin Borgen (49, Apollo Beach) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber to 27 years in federal prison for distribution of fentanyl, the use of which resulted in the death of a person. A jury found Borgen guilty on April 1, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to evidence presented at trial, Borgen was a drug dealer in the Tampa Bay area who had supplied the victim with fentanyl on multiple instances in the past. In the late evening of March 28, 2022, the victim began reaching out to Borgen to arrange a purchase the next day. On March 29, 2022, the victim met Borgen at a pharmacy, where she purchased fentanyl from him. The victim returned to a residence where she had been staying with a friend. That evening, the victim injected herself with the fentanyl while soaking in the bathtub. Intoxicated by the fentanyl, she slid under the water and drowned. After noticing that the victim had been in the bathroom for an extended period of time, her friend checked on her and found her body in the bathtub with her head submerged under the water and a syringe floating next to her. 

Toxicology revealed that the victim had approximately ten times the therapeutic concentration of fentanyl in her system—a concentration consistent with overdose deaths. Detectives from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office who specialize in overdose deaths investigated and identified Borgen as the person who had sold the fentanyl to the victim. A detective used her phone to arrange another meeting with Borgen, who arrived intending to sell more fentanyl to the victim. After the investigation team arrested Borgen, they searched his vehicle and found fentanyl, baggies, syringes, and a scale. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Muriel Moore and Michael Sinacore.

Tampa, FL – Daniel Liburdi (37, Miami) has pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return. Liburdi faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison and has agreed to pay $34,846,381 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. Liburdi has also agreed to the civil forfeiture of three real properties in Miami Beach and the U.S. Virgin Islands, valued, collectively, at approximately $37,500,000; two Ferraris and one Land Rover Range Rover, valued, collectively, at approximately $1,127,000; and the contents of several financial accounts that total $414,508.49. A sentencing date is set for August 18, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. The action is part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

According to court documents, Liburdi misreported his income on his 2021, 2022, and 2023 tax returns. For example, on his 2023 tax return, Liburdi falsely stated that business income was sourced by a U.S. Virgin Islands-based entity, rather than U.S.-based entities that had actually sourced the income. The false statement facilitated Liburdi’s claim of EDC Beneficiary exclusions of income not otherwise eligible for this exclusion. As a result, Liburdi misreported the amount of tax due to the IRS in the amount of nearly $10 million on his 2023 tax return. Liburdi also misreported income on his 2021 and 2022 tax returns, resulting in an additional tax loss to the government of over $24 million.

“Liburdi’s actions represent a flagrant disregard for our nation’s tax laws as he engaged in a deliberate scheme to evade taxes, defraud the U.S. Treasury, and exploit public coffers for his personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “Our office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to combat fraud and ensure that those who violate federal laws are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“This defendant earned tens of millions of dollars in income and then devised an elaborate scheme to not pay taxes,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. “This case demonstrates that high net-worth individuals, like all Americans, are held accountable for filing false documents with the IRS, and IRS Special Agents will join forces with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who choose similar paths.”

“Fraud of this magnitude is not a victimless crime—it undermines public trust, harms honest taxpayers, and threatens the integrity of our financial systems,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael S. Calvo. “Combating fraud and tax evasion requires unwavering commitment and collaboration across agencies, and no single organization can tackle these complex crimes alone. By forging strong partnerships, we ensure thorough investigations and hold offenders accountable, protecting the integrity of our financial systems and the public trust.”

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. Additional assistance was provided by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ross Roberts and Whitney Mackay. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.

Tampa, FL — A Cuban National was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for his role in an international alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering conspiracy.

“Enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is essential to maintaining safe and secure borders,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “The conspirators in this case used sophisticated methods to violate those laws and engaged in an elaborate human smuggling scheme, for profit. The diligence demonstrated by our law enforcement partners in this case ensured that this defendant was brought to justice.” 

“Ventura-Castro was part of a complex conspiracy responsible for smuggling aliens into the United States on a massive scale,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendant and others recruited aliens using social media, charged thousands of dollars to bring them into the country illegally, and helped them get immigration benefits to which they were not entitled.” 

“The exploitation of vulnerable people through these types of intricate schemes are egregious crimes that threaten our national security and exploit the integrity of our immigration system,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa. “They knowingly orchestrated a sophisticated scheme to recruit and smuggle thousands of Cuban nationals into the United States, and unlawfully obtained immigration benefits through fraudulent applications, deliberate misrepresentations, and illicit financial transactions. Such calculated criminal conduct undermines the integrity of our immigration system and will be met with the full force of the law.”

“Today’s sentencing is evidence of our all-out war on immigration fraud,” said Director Joseph Edlow of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is proud to have worked with our law enforcement partners to dismantle this criminal enterprise, which churned out thousands of fake asylum claims and flooded the country with illegal aliens. As Ventura-Castro and his criminal associates are being brought to justice, we will continue our mission protecting Americans from those who seek to exploit our laws and endanger our communities.”

According to court documents, Erik Ventura-Castro, 24, of Hialeah, Florida, between January of 2021 and June of 2025, conspired with others to operate an alien smuggling organization (ASO) which encouraged or induced thousands of Cuban aliens to enter the United States through the southern border and used fraudulent Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and visa waivers. The defendants advertised their smuggling services and bogus visa services across multiple social media platforms to solicit Cuban nationals and other aliens to attempt to illegally enter the United States and fraudulently obtain lawful status in the United States. The alien smuggling organization (ASO) advertised services included assisting Cubans with making false claims of European citizenship to enter the United States on a European tourist visa waiver or ESTA and filing hundreds of fraudulent ESTA applications with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), using fake addresses and fabricated documents. To obtain admission under the ESTAs, the defendants made false representations that the applicants had not been in Cuba since 2011. The defendants knew that Cubans are not eligible for the ESTA program, and that the applicants were actually in Cuba at the time the ESTA applications were submitted. 

Passports and Boarding Passes obtained as part of the scheme

Social media account advertising ASO services

Social media account using photo from human smuggling event to advertise ASO services

Ventura-Castro furthered the conspiracy by advertising trips for aliens to travel from Cuba to the United States through third-party countries and assisting the aliens in obtaining fraudulent ESTAs. The defendant submitted over 40 electronic payments to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for fraudulent ESTA applications. As part of the conspiracy, aliens were charged between $1,500 and $40,000 for smuggling services. Co-conspirators sometimes even chartered private planes to move groups of aliens. Ventura-Castro and co-defendants conspired with each other to regularly move funds to companies operating outside of the United States and to other places outside the United States, such as by purchasing international flights for aliens to travel into the United States. Ventura-Castro transmitted over $97,000 from the United States to the Cayman Islands, Colombia and Mexico to purchase flights for aliens to unlawfully enter the United States.

Ventura-Castro pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments on May 7.

Twelve individuals were charged in a superseding indictment for their roles in the conspiracy. Defendants Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, 31, Miguel Alejandro Martinez Vasconcelos, 31, Layra Libertad Treto Santos, 30, Emanuel Martinez Gonzalez, 29, and Walbis Pozo-Dutel, 31, have all pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Defendants Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero, and Gisleivy Peralta Consuegra are awaiting trial scheduled to begin on Sept. 21. 

The investigation and superseding indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI and CBP U.S. Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 465 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 424 U.S. convictions; and more than 368 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets. 

HSI Tampa, U.S. Border Patrol Miami Sector, and USCIS’s’ Fraud Detection and National Security led U.S. investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. Authorities in the Cayman Islands provided valuable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Derry for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Amanda Brown of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case.

Tampa, Florida – Andrew Nikhil Aiyar (28, Temple Terrace) has pleaded guilty to interstate threats to kill. He faces a maximum of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, between September and November 2025, Aiyar became frustrated with an American media company and began sending harassing and threatening messages to individuals associated with the company. One of these individuals was the wife of a prominent political media personality. Aiyar posted public social media threats to kill her and members of her family including, “I will tear your family to pieces before I shut up. Next time I’m in [CITY NAME] I’m finding you,” “I will beat your kids to death in front of you and your husband will do nothing about it,” and “When I get done hacking you to death with a meat cleaver I will turn myself in as a hero.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Temple Terrace Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Wheeler, III.

A Cuban National was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for his role in an international alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering conspiracy.

“Ventura-Castro was part of a complex conspiracy responsible for smuggling aliens into the United States on a massive scale,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendant and others recruited aliens using social media, charged thousands of dollars to bring them into the country illegally, and helped them get immigration benefits to which they were not entitled.” 

“Enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is essential to maintaining safe and secure borders,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “The conspirators in this case used sophisticated methods to violate those laws and engaged in an elaborate human smuggling scheme, for profit. The diligence demonstrated by our law enforcement partners in this case ensured that this defendant was brought to justice.” 

“The exploitation of vulnerable people through these types of intricate schemes are egregious crimes that threaten our national security and exploit the integrity of our immigration system,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa. “They knowingly orchestrated a sophisticated scheme to recruit and smuggle thousands of Cuban nationals into the United States, and unlawfully obtained immigration benefits through fraudulent applications, deliberate misrepresentations, and illicit financial transactions. Such calculated criminal conduct undermines the integrity of our immigration system and will be met with the full force of the law.”

“Today’s sentencing is evidence of our all-out war on immigration fraud,” said Director Joseph Edlow of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is proud to have worked with our law enforcement partners to dismantle this criminal enterprise, which churned out thousands of fake asylum claims and flooded the country with illegal aliens. As Ventura-Castro and his criminal associates are being brought to justice, we will continue our mission protecting Americans from those who seek to exploit our laws and endanger our communities.”

According to court documents, Erik Ventura-Castro, 24, of Hialeah, Florida, between January of 2021 and June of 2025, conspired with others to operate an alien smuggling organization (ASO) which encouraged or induced thousands of Cuban aliens to enter the United States through the southern border and used fraudulent Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and visa waivers. The defendants advertised their smuggling services and bogus visa services across multiple social media platforms to solicit Cuban nationals and other aliens to attempt to illegally enter the United States and fraudulently obtain lawful status in the United States. The alien smuggling organization (ASO) advertised services included assisting Cubans with making false claims of European citizenship to enter the United States on a European tourist visa waiver or ESTA and filing hundreds of fraudulent ESTA applications with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), using fake addresses and fabricated documents. To obtain admission under the ESTAs, the defendants made false representations that the applicants had not been in Cuba since 2011. The defendants knew that Cubans are not eligible for the ESTA program, and that the applicants were actually in Cuba at the time the ESTA applications were submitted.

Ventura-Castro furthered the conspiracy by advertising trips for aliens to travel from Cuba to the United States through third-party countries and assisting the aliens in obtaining fraudulent ESTAs. The defendant submitted over 40 electronic payments to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for fraudulent ESTA applications. As part of the conspiracy, aliens were charged between $1,500 and $40,000 for smuggling services. Co-conspirators sometimes even chartered private planes to move groups of aliens. Ventura-Castro and co-defendants conspired with each other to regularly move funds to companies operating outside of the United States and to other places outside the United States, such as by purchasing international flights for aliens to travel into the United States. Ventura-Castro transmitted over $97,000 from the United States to the Cayman Islands, Colombia and Mexico to purchase flights for aliens to unlawfully enter the United States.

Ventura-Castro pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments on May 7.

Twelve individuals were charged in a superseding indictment for their roles in the conspiracy. Defendants Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, 31, Miguel Alejandro Martinez Vasconcelos, 31, Layra Libertad Treto Santos, 30, Emanuel Martinez Gonzalez, 29, and Walbis Pozo-Dutel, 31, have all pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Defendants Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero, and Gisleivy Peralta Consuegra are awaiting trial scheduled to begin on Sept. 21. 

The investigation and superseding indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI and CBP U.S. Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 465 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 424 U.S. convictions; and more than 368 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets. 

HSI Tampa, U.S. Border Patrol Miami Sector, and USCIS’s’ Fraud Detection and National Security led U.S. investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. Authorities in the Cayman Islands provided valuable assistance.

Trial Attorney Amanda Brown of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Derry for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

Ocala, Florida – Jose Valles Villamizar (29, Tavares) has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment for the theft of government funds offense and a mandatory consecutive sentence of 2 years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft offense. As part of his plea, Villamizar has also agreed to forfeit $73,655.27, which are traceable as the proceeds of his criminal conduct. A sentencing date has not yet been set. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Villamizar fraudulently used $73,655.27 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits. He personally used the benefits and aided and abetted others to fraudulently use the benefits. SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) program established by the United States government to help low-income individuals and families by providing monthly benefits to purchase food items. SNAP benefits are issued to recipients through Electronic Benefit Transfer (“EBT”) cards.

Between September 2023 and February 2025, 650 SNAP applications were submitted in the names of various individuals. All the applications listed residential and mailing addresses that were associated with Villamizar. Once the applications were approved, SNAP benefits were issued under the names of the applicants. The USDA subsequently obtained surveillance footage of Villamizar using the SNAP benefit EBT cards issued in the other names. 

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and the Florida Division of Public Assistance Fraud. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson. 

Jacksonville, Florida – McKenzie Phillip Storm Scott (30, Jacksonville) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger to three years and six months in federal prison for bank fraud conspiracy and one year and six months for failure to appear, to be served consecutively, for a total of 5 years’ imprisonment. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $21,097.49, the proceeds of the bank fraud conspiracy. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Scott and others conspired to defraud financial institutions by stealing checks from the United States mail, altering the payees and payment amounts for the purposes of manufacturing counterfeit checks, depositing them into bank accounts belonging to accomplices, then withdrawing as much of the fraudulent checks as possible in cash. The intended loss attributable to Scott’s conduct was approximately $526,000. He obtained $21,097.49 in cash. 

Scott was due to be sentenced for the bank fraud case on February 7, 2025, but failed to appear for the hearing. He was subsequently indicted for his failure to appear. Law enforcement ultimately located Scott traveling in Las Vegas, Nevada, and arrested him on December 2, 2025.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Secret Service and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David B. Mesrobian.

Ocala, Florida – Cornelius Alexander Thompson (38, Ocala) has pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse of a ward in federal custody and one count of receipt of a bribe by a public official. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set. The indictment also notifies Thompson that the United States will seek an order of forfeiture of $24,550, which represents the proceeds of the bribery offense. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court records, Thompson was a public official employed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a correctional officer at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Coleman) in Sumter County. Between January 2020 and August 9, 2023, Thompson engaged in a sexual act at the prison with a federal inmate under his custodial, supervisory, and disciplinary authority. Furthermore, between January 2020 and April 29, 2024, Thompson received money to unlawfully smuggle contraband into FCC Coleman for federal inmates. The prohibited items Thompson smuggled into the prison included K2 (a synthetic marijuana), fentanyl, PCP, methamphetamine, ketamine, suboxone, marijuana, cigarettes, and cellphones.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice – Office of the Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

Tampa, FL – Kenneth Blair (54, Clermont) has pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Blair entered his guilty plea while on pretrial release and awaiting sentencing for a similar mortgage fraud scheme. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.  

According to court documents, from as early as May 2024, and continuing through July 2025, in the Middle District of Florida and elsewhere, Blair and others devised a scheme to defraud financial institutions by making materially false and fraudulent representations. Blair’s role in the bank fraud scheme included preparing and submitting fictitious and fraudulent paystubs and employment promotion letters for his clients in the names of companies to show fabricated income from employers. This caused the mortgage lenders to approve and fund mortgage loans for otherwise unqualified borrowers in exchange for undisclosed payments to Blair from his clients. The fraudulent mortgage loans were subsequently purchased and guaranteed by government-sponsored entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as the Federal Housing Administration.

This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

Jacksonville, Florida – Braden Huston Hobbs (28, Ponte Vedra) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger to nine years in federal prison for conspiracy to traffic firearms, making a materially false statement to a licensed firearms dealer, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including 500 grams or more of cocaine. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents and proceedings, agents began investigating Hobbs after learning that several firearms Hobbs had purchased were recovered during separate law enforcement investigations. These firearms were recovered from the homes of drug dealers and a convicted felon. Additionally, undercover agents purchased 11 firearms from two co-conspirators, Alton Wayne Cope III and Jayden Lance Cope, who were also prosecuted. Hobbs was the original purchaser of multiple firearms purchased from the Copes. Cellphone records also confirmed that Jayden Cope regularly purchased firearms from Hobbs.

Through further investigation, agents found that between March 2022 and June 2024, Hobbs had purchased at least 121 firearms from three different federally licensed firearms dealers in Jacksonville, with 67 of those firearms being purchased between January and June 2024. Hobbs then sold those firearms to others. On multiple occasions, Hobbs advertised firearms for sale to potential customers before acquiring the firearms from the federally licensed firearms dealer. 

Customers typically paid Hobbs in cash for the firearms. Hobbs also traded drugs for the firearms. Hobbs was aware that some of his customers intended to resell the firearms, were drug users, or were drug distributors. Hobbs also asked his co-conspirators to assist him in finding buyers for the firearms and the co-conspirators advertised Hobbs’s firearms for sale. Hobbs told others that he “deal[s]” in firearms, bragging he was “Mr. Cocaine addict firearms trafficker.” Records indicated that Hobbs had made more than $200,000 in illegal proceeds in less than 36 months. Although he engaged in the business of dealing firearms, Hobbs is not a federally licensed firearms dealer, as required by federal law. When Hobbs purchased the firearms from licensed firearms dealers, he indicated on the required ATF Form 4473 that he was the actual buyer or transferee of the firearms. In addition, Hobbs indicated that he was not a user of or addicted to controlled substances. Both statements were false. Hobbs intended to sell the firearms and therefore was not the actual buyer or transferee of them. Hobbs was also a habitual user of controlled substances and was distributing controlled substances, including over 500 grams of cocaine and Adderall. Hobbs routinely advertised controlled substances for sale and coordinated narcotics transactions and often sold the controlled substances to the same individuals to whom he was selling firearms. On June 26, 2024, Hobbs was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for driving under the influence and trafficking in cocaine. During a search of Hobbs’s car, officers recovered more than 200 grams of cocaine and 17 grams of Adderall, as well as various items used to package and distribute controlled substances.

In related court proceedings, co-conspirator Alton Wayne Cope III was sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and conspiring to deal in firearms without a license. Jayden Lance Cope was sentenced to six years for conspiring to deal in firearms without a license and unlawful receipt of a firearm after being indicted.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, the North Florida HIDTA Tri-County Narcotics Task Force with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

Ocala, Florida – Today, Alexander Nolasco-Hernandez (41, Honduras), Ruben Marcos-Santiago (30, Mexico), and Celedonio Plancarte-Perez (38, Mexico) pleaded guilty to illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. Each faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison. Sentencing dates have not yet been set. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Nolasco-Hernandez was previously removed from the United States to Honduras two times. Marcos-Santigo was previously removed from the United States to Mexico three times. Plancarte-Perez was previously removed from the United States to Mexico two times. All three were encountered voluntarily present in the Middle District of Florida in June 2026. 

These cases were investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). They are being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jerry M. Harre.

These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. 

Tampa, Florida – Johan Smith Pavon Mejia (43, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. He faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. Mejia’s sentencing hearing is set for October 15, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the plea agreement, in April 2025, Mejia communicated online with an undercover detective from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and arranged to meet a fictitious minor to engage in sexual activity. Mejia traveled to an agreed upon location to meet the “minor” and arrived with items requested by the undercover detective, including candy, iced tea, and money to pay for the arranged sexual acts.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.

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

Tampa, FL – Kimberly Williams (44, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. She faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to court documents, Williams, co-conspirator Kenneth Blair, and others conspired to create and execute a mortgage fraud scheme directed at financial institutions. To ensure that otherwise unqualified borrowers obtained mortgage loans from financial institutions, Williams created fictitious and fraudulent paystubs that falsely indicated that the borrowers worked at particular companies for certain periods of time and earned income that they did not in exchange for payments from Blair. The fraudulent mortgage loans were subsequently purchased and guaranteed by government-sponsored entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as the Federal Housing Administration.

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.