Middle District of Florida

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Shaborn Washington (29, Palmetto) to eight years and four months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. The court also ordered Washington to forfeit the firearm and ammunition possessed during the offense. Washington had been found guilty following a bench trial on February 23, 2023.

According to court records, shortly after 2:00 A.M. on January 16, 2021, a deputy from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a car near the Miromar Outlets in Estero. When the car stopped, the deputy approached and observed Washington, who was the backseat passenger, trying to shove something underneath his seat. During a later search of the vehicle, deputies found a black bag underneath the backseat concealing a loaded handgun. Subsequent DNA analysis revealed that Washington’s DNA profile matched DNA extracted from the firearm. As a convicted felon who had only recently been released from prison for selling cocaine, Washington is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.   

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.   

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

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Gregory Austin Eward (25, Live Oak) to two years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess and transfer unregistered firearm silencers. Eward had pleaded guilty on February 27, 2023.

According to the plea agreement, Eward and his father and co-defendant, Dustin Eward, operated Eward Research Inc., a company that marketed and sold firearm silencers (also known as suppressors) over the internet. In lightly coded language, their website, ewardresearch.com, advertised the sale of combinations of parts designed and intended for use in assembling firearm silencers – never using the term “silencer,” but referring to individual components as “toobz,” threaded “end caps,” “spacers,” and “spools.” Sales could be completed with either cash or cryptocurrency. The website included photographs of the items for sale, which were identifiable as components of firearms silencers.

In January and again in February 2022, an undercover ATF Special Agent ordered three silencers from the Ewards, paying for them with cryptocurrency.  Surveillance video from a post office showed Gregory Eward mailing one of the parcels containing silencers that the agent eventually received.

The devices were examined by an ATF Firearms Enforcement Officer and firearms expert who concluded that the devices were consistent in design and construction with firearms silencers and he recognized the devices to be firearms silencers. These silencers were not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by federal law.

At the time of his arrest, on May 9, 2022, Gregory Eward had a Glock-type handgun on the back seat of the car. The pistol had no serial number and was loaded. Agents also located three rifle bump-stocks in the car’s open trunk. These devices also had no serial numbers.

On May 10, 2022, FBI and ATF Special Agents executed a search warrant at the Ewards’s home. They located approximately 105 firearms, over 12,000 rounds of ammunition, and 35 assembled firearms silencers. There was also a sufficient quantity of parts (including metallic tubes, baffles, and threaded endcaps), which were designed or redesigned, and intended for use in assembling or fabricating more than 300 additional firearm silencers.

Gregory Eward’s co-defendant, Dustin Eward, is scheduled for trial in October 2023. He has been charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute unregistered silencers, possession of unregistered silencers, transfer of unregistered silencers, and threatening to assault and murder a federal law enforcement officer. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office, the Live Oak Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lake City Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kirwinn Mike, Michael J. Coolican, and Cherie Krigsman.

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

A federal court today ordered the distributor of “Smoke Away” products to pay $7,146,046 in consumer redress and a $500,000 civil penalty to resolve alleged violations of the Opioid Addiction Recovery Fraud Prevention Act of 2018 and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act in connection with the marketing and sale of Smoke Away products as a quick, effective, and easy way to quit smoking.

According to the complaint, Michael J. Connors and several of his companies, ProTouch Marketing LLC, doing business as Smart Day Supplements, Woodford Hills LLC, Oakhill Research LLC, Evergreen Marketing LLC, Sterling Health LLC, and Clara Vista Media LLC made misleading and unsubstantiated advertising claims on websites and social media platforms about the effectiveness of Smoke Away tablets, pellets, and homeopathic sprays. According to the complaint, the defendants claimed that Smoke Away products eliminate nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms and enable consumers to quit smoking quickly, easily, and permanently. The complaint alleged these advertising claims were misleading and unlawful because they were not supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence.

The complaint also alleged that this was not the first time the Federal Trade Commission challenged defendant Connors’ advertising of Smoke Away products. In 2005, the Commission entered into a settlement agreement with Connors and one of his then-existing companies to settle allegations concerning the advertising of Smoke Away products. The complaint alleged that Connors nevertheless continued to violate the FTC Act with unsubstantiated health claims about Smoke Away products.

“The Justice Department will vigorously enforce laws intended to stop deceptive advertisers — and, in particular, recidivists — from preying on consumers battling addiction,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division. “The department is committed to taking action to ensure consumers have the information they need to make decisions about their health and wellness.”

“Congress gave us strong tools to fight fraud targeting people suffering from addiction, and that is exactly what we are doing with this record-setting monetary judgment and industry ban,” said Director Samuel Levine of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Those struggling with alcohol, tobacco, or drugs deserve help and support, not phony promises, and we will continue to hold accountable those who prey on addiction sufferers.” 

In addition to the monetary judgment and civil penalty, the stipulated order entered by the court today prohibits defendants from engaging in the advertising, marketing, promoting, offering for sale, selling, or distribution of any substance use disorder treatment product or service, including any smoking cessation product or service. The order also prohibits defendants from making unsubstantiated claims in the future and clarifies the amount of substantiation needed for future health claims. Lastly, the order imposes two decades of recordkeeping and reporting obligations to ensure defendants’ future compliance with the FTC Act and the Opioid Addiction Recovery Fraud Prevention Act.

This matter is being handled by Trial Attorney Mary M. Englehart of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lacy R. Harwell for the Middle District of Florida. Rafael Reyneri and Shira Modell represent the FTC.

For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the FTC, visit its website at www.FTC.gov.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg  announces that Brian Roy Lozito (53, Orange Park) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Lozito faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and payment of restitution to the victims he defrauded. Lozito was arraigned on the indictment on January 11, 2021, and initially released on bond. The court revoked his bond on November 18, 2022, and subsequently ordered him detained. A sentencing date has not yet been set.    

According to court documents, Lozito owned and managed American Investigative Services (AIS). AIS purported to offer consumers mortgage auditing services in exchange for a fee. Lozito and his conspirators solicited customers nationwide through mailings and telephone calls. In these solicitations, Lozito and AIS employees, under the direction of Lozito, made false and fraudulent representations to consumers, including that AIS would perform “forensic audits” of mortgage documents to uncover evidence of deficiencies in the mortgage documents. Lozito claimed AIS would obtain quitclaim deeds and other remedies, so the mortgage holders would be relieved of their mortgage debt and own their properties free and clear. If AIS could not help the consumer, Lozito promised to refund their money. In reality, AIS did not perform the services paid for by consumers and did not refund money to consumers. Funds collected from consumers went to bank accounts controlled by Lozito. Lozito used the funds to keep AIS operating and for personal expenses. 

This case was investigated by United States Secret Service - Jacksonville Field Office and the State of Florida Office of Attorney General – Consumer Protection Division, with valuable assistance from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It is being  prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney the Kevin C. Frein. The asset forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.

Fort Myers, Florida - United States Attorney Roger Handberg announces today that the Christian & Missionary Alliance Foundation, Inc. has agreed to pay the United States $250,000 to resolve allegations that the Christian & Missionary Alliance Foundation, Inc. violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) by failing to maintain records required by the CSA.

The United States alleges that on July 14, 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) initiated an inspection of the Christian & Missionary Alliance Foundation, Inc.’s facility, located at 15051 Shell Point Boulevard, and determined that Christian & Missionary Alliance Foundation, Inc. committed 176 violations of the CSA, including failing to take a new inventory of all controlled substances on hand at least once every two years, failing to maintain records of the number of units acquired from other persons, and failing to notify the DEA of a theft or loss within one business day of the discovery.

Missionary Alliance Foundation, Inc. relinquished its DEA registration on February 4, 2022.

“Scrupulous recordkeeping is essential to maintaining the CSA’s closed system of distribution and preventing dangerous drugs from falling into the wrong hands,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg. “We expect all DEA registrants, no matter their size, to be especially meticulous in their recordkeeping because the CSA and the welfare of the public demand it.”

“DEA Registrants are obligated to comply with the regulations set forth in the Controlled Substances Act, ensuring accurate inventorying, tracking and recordkeeping, as the failure to do so can lead to the diversion of controlled substances, which jeopardizes the safety and health of our communities,” said DEA Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter. “DEA remains committed to working with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to hold registrants accountable and ensure these regulations are followed.”

This settlement results from a coordinated effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Miami Field Division. Assistant United States Attorney Chad Spraker pursued this civil settlement on behalf of the United States.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Tevin OBrian Oliver (30, Homestead) and Jameal Kaia Phillip (31, Trinidad and Tobago) each to four years and nine months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to smuggle goods from the United States. The defendants also agreed to forfeit various firearms, ammunition, and related items, which facilitated the offenses. Oliver and Phillip pleaded guilty on April 11, 2023.

According to their plea agreements and factual bases, Oliver and Phillip were part of a ring that unlawfully exported firearms, firearms components (including upper/lower receivers and gun parts kits), and related items from Florida to Trinidad and Tobago between 2019 and 2022. Oliver and Phillip are both nationals of Trinidad. The firearms, which included pistols and long rifles and related equipment, were concealed within boxing/fight equipment, speakers, and other household items to avoid detection by law enforcement and customs authorities. Conspirators also acquired firearms from different sellers through straw purchases, falsely representing the identities of the actual purchasers and recipients of the firearms, as well as their ultimate destination.

On or about April 7, 2021, Oliver shipped a package concealing and containing various firearms and related equipment, including a Taurus G2C 9mm pistol, a SAR Arms SAR-9 9mm pistol, a Taurus G3 9mm pistol, and a Ruger Security-9 9mm pistol, from Miami, Florida to Trinidad and Tobago. Authorities in Trinidad seized those firearms and other related items that had been concealed in the shipment at Piarco International Airport on or about April 22, 2021.

“Dismantling this illicit weapons trafficking network makes a significant impact toward lowering crime and gun violence in Trinidad and Tobago, and the Caribbean,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristopher Pagitt. “These sentences demonstrate the commitment of HSI, alongside our federal and Caribbean nation partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, to be steadfast in investigating and shutting down illegal firearms smuggling from the U.S.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), including HSI’s Attaché (Caribbean), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of National Security (Transnational Organized Crime Unit) and Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (Special Investigations Unit), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Risha Asokan and Cherie Krigsman.

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

Orlando, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Michael C. Shirley (40, Austin, Texas) guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and four counts of honest services fraud. Shirley faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 31, 2023. Shirley was indicted on August 10, 2022.

According to the evidence presented at trial, in 2016 Shirley served as the campaign manager for former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg. In 2017, on his first day in public office, Greenberg caused the tax collector’s office to enter into a lucrative consulting contract with Shirley’s newly formed company, Praetorian Integrated Services LLC, which provided Shirley with $12,500 each month for the performance of “consulting services.” In fact, Shirley did little to no work for the tax collector’s office under the contract each month. Additionally, Shirley began submitting grossly inflated invoices to the tax collector’s office for printing services.

Trial evidence further demonstrated that on September 25, 2017, Shirley, through middleman Joseph Ellicott, gave Greenberg a $6,000 cash kickback and bribe. He paid this kickback and bribe in exchange for Greenberg’s award of the contract and so that Shirley could continue receiving monthly payments for his “consulting.” As a result of the kickback and bribe, Shirley was allowed to continue billing his monthly fee to the Seminole County Tax Collector’s office until September 2019. In total, Shirley defrauded Seminole County taxpayers out of more than $634,000.  

In 2022, Ellicott was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment for his role in the bribery and kickback payment.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda S. Daniels and Chauncey A. Bratt.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Austin Harper (26, Lake City) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Harper faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, on September 15, 2021, an undercover detective and confidential informant (CI) met with a drug dealer in Lake City, Florida to purchase crystal methamphetamine. That dealer, a defendant in a related case, traveled with the pair to meet with Harper, who supplied them with more than 85 grams of methamphetamine. Two weeks later, on September 29, the detective and CI again traveled with the dealer to meet with Harper. This time, Harper supplied them with more than 165 grams of methamphetamine. Laboratory testing would later show that the drugs that Harper had supplied was pure methamphetamine.  Further investigation established that Harper was a regular supplier of methamphetamine in the Lake City region. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbia County Drug Task Force, the North Star Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force, the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican. 

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Charlene Honeywell has sentenced Mateus Fernandes Evangelista Da Silva (23, Tampa) to 15 years in federal prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for attempting to patronize or solicit a minor for the purpose of engaging in a commercial sex act. Da Silva will be required to register as a sex offender upon release from prison. The court also ordered Da Silva to forfeit a cellular phone, which was used in the offense. Da Silva had pleaded guilty on April 26, 2023.

According to court documents, on October 6, 2021, Da Silva responded to an online sexual advertisement on a website that was initiated as part of an undercover operation by law enforcement to target individuals using the internet for purposes of engaging in commercial sex acts with children. Da Silva indicated to the undercover officer that he wanted to have sex with the minors that were depicted in the advertisement, referring to them as “babies.”

“Human trafficking and the exploitation of children are exceptionally horrific offenses,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristopher Pagitt. “HSI and our law enforcement partners with the St. Petersburg Police Department will continue to aggressively pursue those who target children and attempt to utilize the internet to engage in these acts.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Abigail K. King and former Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Scott Andrew Hollington (58, St. Augustine) guilty of 14 counts of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances not for a legitimate medical purpose in the usual course of professional practice, and 5 counts of obstructing justice. Hollington faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each of the drug trafficking offenses, and up to 10 years for the obstruction charges. His sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. Hollington was charged in a superseding indictment on March 23, 2023.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) first learned of Hollington after receiving a tip from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office that Hollington was exchanging narcotic prescriptions for sexual favors. Following additional evidence of Hollington’s illegal prescribing practices, the DEA deployed five undercover agents to Hollington’s addiction clinic, from February 2022 to July 2022, with the purpose of obtaining prescriptions without a legitimate medical need. Through their investigation, the agents managed to secure a total of 17 prescriptions of schedule II, III, and IV controlled substances, including amphetamines (Adderall), benzodiazepines (Valium and Xanax), and buprenorphine (Suboxone), during the five visits.

Throughout the trial, the evidence showed that Hollington asked the agents about their drug preferences, offered prescriptions without proper medical justification, and admitted that he did not care about urine drug screening results. Physical examinations, vital checks, and proper documentation were omitted during most medical encounters with the undercover agents. Further evidence revealed that Hollington altered medical notes in each of the undercover agents’ medical files following his indictment, leading to the obstruction convictions.

Testimony during the trial included statements from three female victims who revealed that Hollington exchanged, coerced, or solicited sexual favors for prescriptions. One victim described him as a “monster” who took advantage of her vulnerability while seeking help for addiction. A fourth victim recounted Hollington asking if she needed a “sugar daddy” and engaging in conversation of a sexual nature instead of discussing her medical history and need for medication. 

This case was jointly investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Ormond Beach Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and State Attorney’s Office, 7th Judicial Circuit. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kirwinn Mike and Ashley Washington. The forfeiture of assets is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran. 

Jacksonville, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Deconna Burke (34, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to wire fraud involving COVID Relief Fraud through the Paycheck Protection Program. Burke faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and payment of restitution to the United States government. No sentencing date has been set.   

According to court documents, in April 2021, Burke submitted a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application to a lender authorized by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to lend funds for approved PPP loan applications. The PPP loan application falsely claimed that Burke operated his own babysitting business with a gross income of $98,000. Throughout the loan application, Burke made multiple false statements regarding his purported payroll and operating expenses. In support of his PPP loan application, Burke submitted a false IRS Form 1040 “Profit or Loss From Business” that contained false statements about operating expenses, gross income, and wage expenditures for his purported business. In reliance on the false statements in his PPP loan application and supporting documentation, Burke received a PPP loan in the amount of $20,415. After receiving the PPP loan proceeds into his bank account, Burke began making withdrawals and spending it on personal expenses, including paying off a loan for a motorcycle. In November 2021, Burke filed a PPP Loan Forgiveness Application, falsely stating that he spent the $20,415 on payroll. In reliance on his false statements the SBA forgave the entire loan amount.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service – Jacksonville Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein. The asset forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.

In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866‑720‑5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Passion Lajodia Jackson (30, Ocala) with one count of wire fraud related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. If convicted, Jackson faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Her case is set for trial before Senior United States District Judge Gregory A. Presnell in October 2023.

According to the indictment, between April 2 and April 6, 2021, Jackson devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA). During this time, she applied for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan under the CARES Act. It is alleged that Jackson made false representations and provided false documentation to obtain the loan. The United States is seeking an order of forfeiture for at least $20,132, which represents the unlawful proceeds of the offense charged in the indictment. 

An indictment is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a federal criminal offense. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.

In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866‑720‑5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg, along with Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter for the IRS - Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge David Walker for the FBI - Tampa Division, announces that Vitalii Chychasov (37, Ukraine) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud and trafficking in unauthorized access devices relating to his administration of SSNDOB Marketplace, a series of websites that operated for years and were used to sell personal information, including the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers belonging to individuals in the United States. The SSNDOB Marketplace has listed the personal information for millions of individuals in the United States, generating more than $19 million in sales revenue. On June 7, 2022, seizure orders were executed against the domain names of the SSNDOB Marketplace, effectively ceasing the website’s operation.

Chychasov faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison, and as part of his plea agreement, he has agreed to forfeit the internet domains BLACKJOB.BIZ, SSNDOB.CLUB, SSNDOB.VIP, and SSNDOB.WS, which were used to commit the offenses and were part of the series of domains that comprised the “Marketplace.” Chychasov also agreed to a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $5 million, the proceeds of the access device fraud.

Chychasov was arrested in March 2022 while attempting to enter Hungary; and was extradited to the United States in July 2022. A second SSNDOB Marketplace administrator, Sergey Pugach, was arrested in May 2022.

According to court records, the SSNDOB administrators created advertisements on dark web criminal forums for the Marketplace’s services, provided customer support functions, and regularly monitored the activities of the sites, including monitoring when purchasers deposited money into their accounts. The administrators also employed various techniques to protect their anonymity and to thwart detection of their activities, including strategically maintaining servers in various countries, and requiring buyers to use digital payment methods.

Stolen Social Security numbers can be used to commit a variety of frauds, including United States tax fraud, unemployment insurance fraud, loan fraud, credit card fraud, and the like. Investigators determined that a single buyer from the site used stolen personal identifying information that he purchased to steal and launder nearly $10 million.

The U.S. investigation was led by the IRS - Criminal Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit and the FBI – Tampa Division, with assistance from the IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office. Substantial assistance was also provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s Legal Attaché Offices responsible for Latvia and Cyprus, the Latvian Police, and the Cypriot authorities.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Jones and the asset forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Deion R. Brown (27, Clearwater) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The court also ordered Brown to forfeit the firearm used in the offense. Brown had pleaded guilty on August 30, 2022.

According to court documents, on July 18, 2021, officers from the Clearwater Police Department (CPD) responded to reports of gunfire at the intersection of South Prospect Avenue and Turner Street in Clearwater. Multiple eyewitnesses had reported seeing a young man arguing with two other men before opening fire into the air. The shooter was seen standing near a black SUV, which was being driven by a young woman. After firing five rounds, the shooter chased the other two men on foot, then the shooter and the female driver then left the scene in the black SUV.

The next day, a CPD officer located the black SUV in Clearwater and observed the vehicle pull into an apartment complex located about one block from the scene of the shooting. A man and a woman got out of the vehicle and went inside the building. A few minutes later, the man and woman returned to the SUV, and were arrested by CPD. The man was identified as Brown.

During an interview with CPD detectives, the woman who had been with Brown admitted that she had been driving with Brown in the SUV the day prior, when the shooting had occurred. She also permitted CPD to search her SUV, where they discovered Brown’s wallet in the driver’s side door panel, as well as a Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. model EC9s pistol on the driver’s floorboard, partially underneath the seat. The firearm’s magazine did not contain any live rounds.

During an interview with law enforcement, Brown admitted that he had possessed the gun and that he had fired it. Brown also acknowledged that, as a convicted felon, he knew that he could not possess firearms.

This case was investigated by the Clearwater Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Risha Asokan.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Iona K Coates (67, Orange Park) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Coates faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and payment of restitution to the victims in the case. 

According to court documents, in 2020, Coates met two individuals online through a dating website. She subsequently provided both individuals with her bank account information and began receiving money into her account. Coates then facilitated the movement of the money from her account to unknown individuals. In December 2020, the United States Secret Service (USSS) met with Coates and explained she was acting as a “money mule” in an online romance scheme. As part of the scheme, criminals acting as fake suitors on dating websites developed relationships and convinced victims to send money to Coates’s bank account. Coates, in turn, sent the money to criminals.

The USSS met with Coates and advised her to cease participation in the scheme, as the criminals were using her bank account to facilitate stealing money from the victims. After the meeting and advice for her to stop, Coates continued to facilitate the criminal activity. Between December 2020 through September 2021, she received $229,376.26 into her bank accounts from victims targeted in the online romance scheme.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service – Jacksonville Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

Jacksonville, FL – United States District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Dylan Milton Jarvis (31, Orange Park) to one year and four months in federal prison for unlawful possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act firearm (sawed-off shotgun). Jarvis was found guilty after a bench trial on April 25, 2023.

According to court documents, at approximately 5:30 pm on January 11, 2022, deputies from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) responded to calls of shots fired near Blanding Boulevard, a heavily traveled road in Orange Park. Eyewitnesses in the area described an individual, later identified as Jarvis, carrying a shotgun and firing multiple rounds. Upon making contact with Jarvis in a parking lot, the deputies determined that Jarvis had fired three to four shells from a Harrington & Richardson 12-gauge shotgun, then discarded the firearm. The deputies located the shotgun in the immediate vicinity of the parking lot, along with multiple spent shotgun shells. During an interview with CCSO, Jarvis admitted to illegally modifying the shotgun. Further investigation by the CCSO and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined that Jarvis previously sawed off the barrel and the stock of the 12-gauge shotgun. A record check confirmed that this sawed-off shotgun was not registered to Jarvis in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required under federal law. 

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

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

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Christopher Leo Daragjati has pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of theft of government property, over $1,000. Daragjati faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each wire fraud count, a mandatory minimum penalty of 2 years’ imprisonment for each aggravated identity theft count, up to 10 years in prison on the charge of theft of government property, over $1,000 and payment of restitution to the victims he defrauded. Daragjati appeared in federal court on March 28, 2023, and the court subsequently ordered him detained. He is set for sentencing on October 26, 2023.  

According to court documents, Daragjati obtained the personal identifiable information (PII) to include the Social Security number of multiple victims. In July 2022, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into an unknown individual, later identified as Daragjati, using stolen identities to commit fraud. Daragjati opened up commercial lines of credit with Sunbelt Rentals using the PII of victims. After renting thousands of dollars of equipment from Sunbelt Rentals, he pawned or stole the equipment. Daragjati’s actions caused a felony arrest warrant to be issued for an innocent victim. The Florida Highway Patrol – Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence, with assistance from other members of law enforcement, determined that Daragjati fraudulently obtained 26 genuine Florida driver licenses and identification cards.

Homeland Security Investigations also determined that Daragjati, using two fraudulently obtained Florida identification cards, applied for three Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans in the identity of two victims. Unsuspecting lenders approved the three loan applications and Daragjati received approximately $150,000 in PPP loan proceeds.

The Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation determined that Daragjati submitted eight fraudulent federal tax returns using the stolen identities of six victims. The IRS approved one such tax refund and Daragjati received a refund of more than $3,000 in the identity of the victim.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office with valuable assistance provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Highway Patrol – Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Secret Service Jacksonville Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein. AUSA Mai Tran is handling the asset forfeiture.

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Manuel Alfredo Dickerson Copland (29, Fort Myers) guilty of possession with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of MDMA, possession of oxycodone, and attempted possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Copland faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has not yet been set. Copland had been charged in a superseding indictment on January 25, 2023.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Copland was stopped in his vehicle on December 30, 2021, by members of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Narcotics Team. Detectives found nearly 1,500 fentanyl pills, MDMA, oxycodone, and three firearms in Copland’s truck. Forensic evidence linked Copland to the drugs and firearms in the vehicle. During the subsequent investigation, information was obtained that revealed Copland was associated with mail packages that were believed to contain drugs that were being shipped to him in the Fort Myers area. As a result, the investigation identified a package containing approximately four pounds of methamphetamine that had been sent through the mail from California. The package was seized by the United States Postal Inspection Service. The intercepted package containing methamphetamine was linked to Copland through further investigation.  

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark R. Morgan and Patrick L. Darcey.

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

Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Fiona Eyana Palmer (39, Wesley Chapel) to 15 months in federal prison for sexual abuse of an inmate. A federal jury had found Palmer guilty on April 11, 2023.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Palmer was employed as a correctional officer at the Coleman Federal Correction Complex when she engaged in sexual acts with an inmate at the prison between January 2018 and March 2019. In two recorded phone calls between Palmer and the inmate, Palmer discussed the sexual acts and offered to send money to one of the inmate’s relatives. Palmer also directed the inmate to lie to federal investigators if asked about the sexual relationship.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice – Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys William S. Hamilton and Hannah Nowalk.

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Charlene Honeywell has sentenced Dartis Cobb (35, St. Petersburg) to four years and three months in federal prison for possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. Cobb had pleaded guilty on March 9, 2023.

According to court documents, on August 13, 2022, deputies with the Pinellas County Sherriff’s Office attempted to pull over a vehicle being driven by Cobb. Cobb refused to stop the car and fled from the deputies, leading them on a chase through a neighborhood. Eventually, deputies were able to stop the vehicle on a residential street. They then placed Cobb under arrest for felony fleeing and recovered one round of 9 mm ammunition from Cobb’s front pants pocket.

Deputies also located a bag in the passenger seat. The bag was open, and deputies could see the magazine well of a firearm sticking out of the bag. They could also see the magazine was inside the well. Deputies took the weapon and the magazine containing 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition into evidence. They deputies also concluded that the firearm appeared to be a “ghost gun” with no identifiable or traceable components. This was later confirmed by agents with ATF.

Cobb has previously been convicted of two felonies including robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky is handling the forfeiture.

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

Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Wayne Allen Phillips, Jr. (45, Brooksville) to 15 years in federal prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a previously convicted felon. Phillips was found guilty after a trial on April 11, 2023.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, deputies from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office encountered Phillips while attempting to serve a warrant for his arrest on another matter. Phillips ran from the deputies but was apprehended after a brief foot chase. A search of his person revealed a revolver loaded with five rounds of ammunition in his pants pocket. Phillips has numerous previous state felony convictions, including shooting into an occupied building, strongarm robbery, sale of cocaine, and fleeing and eluding law enforcement. As a previously convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. Moreover, Phillips’s prior felony convictions qualified him for a sentencing enhancement as an Armed Career Criminal.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.

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

Tampa, FL - U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven has sentenced James John Hall (34, Zephyrhills) to two years and three months in federal prison for unlawfully making a firearm. Hall had pleaded guilty on April 3, 2023.

According to court documents, on November 1 and 2, 2022, Hall spoke by phone with a man to whom he had sold firearms in the past. During these conversations, Hall offered to sell the man a “pipe bomb” that he had built. Hall told the man that he had contemplated using the “pipe bomb” to target an individual with whom he was angry. The man who Hall was communicating with was a confidential informant (CI) with the Pasco Sherriff’s Office. The CI reached out to the Pasco Sheriff’s Office who then coordinated further with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Later in the evening on November 2, the CI and an undercover detective from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office met with Hall, where the undercover detective purchased the “pipe bomb.” When asked about future purchases, Hall indicated that he “had enough to build six more now.”

The suspected destructive device was then disassembled by ATF special agent bomb technicians. The materials were then sent to ATF laboratories for additional analysis where a senior explosives enforcement officer examined the device and concluded that it was designed to function as a weapon and would be characterized as both an improvised explosive bomb and destructive device.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman.

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

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of a superseding indictment charging 17 individuals with a drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy as a result of a joint investigation. Two of the defendants have also been charged with two additional counts of distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. 

According to court records, over the course of the past six years, the Drug Enforcement Administration has been involved in an investigation into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operates largely out of Lake County, Florida, with sources of supply or distributors in California, Texas, the eastern United States, and China. The Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) has investigated the laundering of drug proceeds by the DTO.

Since at least 2017, the DTO (led by Dudzinski Poole) has been responsible for trafficking thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine and fentanyl via commercial planes, trains, and the mail. So far, DEA has seized more than 250 pounds of drugs (mostly methamphetamine and fentanyl). The defendants played various roles in the DTO, such as suppliers, distributors, couriers, and courier coordinators. Each defendant is also charged with money laundering conspiracy. See defendant chart for details.

Multi-State Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering Conspiracy

Defendant Chart

Name (Age, Residence)

Charges

Potential Penalties

Dudzinski Edwinn Poole

a/k/a “Zink”

(48, Apopka, FL)

Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

(two counts)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Money laundering conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Melvin Tyrone Patterson, Jr.

a/k/a “Goon”

(31, Wildwood, FL)

Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (two counts)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Money laundering conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Andrew Woodruff, Jr.

a/k/a “Smurf”

(38, Mount Dora, FL)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Money laundering conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Jose Ivan Carbajal

a/k/a “Primo”

(33, California)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Money laundering conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Diego Navarro- Martinez

a/k/a “Shooter”

(32, California)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Money laundering conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Michael Andre Chester

a/k/a “Dre”

(48, Apopka, FL)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Money laundering conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Samantha Tiesha King

a/k/a “Mamp”

(32, Altamonte Springs, FL)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Money laundering conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Felisha Denise Williams

a/k/a “Lil Momma”

(34, Apopka, FL)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Money laundering conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Rodrieka Lashay Manning

a/k/a “Drieka”

(25, Apopka, FL)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Money laundering conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Janice Denise Anderson

a/k/a “Butter”

(65, Mount Dora, FL)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Money laundering conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Oveda Denise Miller

a/k/a “Gangsta Granny”

(60, Mount Dora, FL)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Money laundering conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Roland Richardson

(63, Mount Dora, FL)

 

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Money laundering conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Latonya Sharee Conley

a/k/a “Hershey”

(46, Mount Dora, FL)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Money laundering conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

George Nelvin King, Jr.

(46, Altamonte Springs, FL)

 

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Money laundering conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

The DTO has operated largely through the use of couriers who fly to California from Florida with large sums of cash to purchase drugs and transport checked luggage full of drugs back to Florida on commercial flights. These flights were typically between the Orlando International Airport (MCO) in Florida and the Palm Springs Airport (PSP) or the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in California. Flight records during a two-year period show more than 350 flights between California and Orlando among the various conspirators.

The DTO also used couriers to transport large amounts of methamphetamine from Orlando to Virginia via train. In April 2022, one of these couriers was arrested at a train station in Virginia with approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine inside a suitcase.

In addition to transporting drugs on commercial flights and trains, Poole and his associates had multiple stash houses and received hundreds of mailed packages of methamphetamine from California and other drugs, including fentanyl, from China. Poole’s source of supply in California would ship packages containing anywhere from one pound to ten or more pounds of methamphetamine at a time. Poole would provide the source of supply various addresses to ship the drugs, including co-conspirators’ residences. Investigators have identified almost 400 packages that were shipped from California as part of this conspiracy from 2021 to 2023.

The members of this DTO also conspired with one another to engage in money laundering. A key aspect of this conspiracy was Poole’s development of an entertainment business that he used to promote concerts with legitimate artists, whom he paid with drug proceeds. Poole then commingled the profits from the ticket sales with the drug proceeds in the same business account. Members of the conspiracy also used drug proceeds to pay for various expenses of the DTO, and they engaged in other financial transactions to conceal the drug proceeds. 

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

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the United States Secret Service; the Orlando Police Department’s Special Enforcement Division and Crime Center and Forensics Division; the Orange County Sheriff’s Office’s Gang Enforcement Unit; the Florida Highway Patrol; the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office; the Casselberry Police Department; the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation; the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office; the Marion County Sheriff’s Office; the Kissimmee Police Department; the St. Cloud Police Department; the Winter Park Police Department, and the St. Cloud IRS Financial Crimes Task Force. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tyrie K. Boyer and Belkis H. Crockett.

Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Woodrow Milton Butler (40, Mount Dora) to seven years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the firearm and ammunition used in the offense. Butler had pleaded guilty on February 1, 2023.  

According to court records, Butler has nine prior state felony convictions, including armed burglary of a dwelling, sale of cocaine, and fleeing and eluding law enforcement. On March 21, 2019, officers from the Eustis Police Department responded to a call about a suspicious person and discovered Butler with a stolen handgun in his pants pocket. The firearm was loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition. As a convicted felon, Butler is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the City of Eustis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk and Tyrie Boyer.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Juan Antonio Ortiz-Valle (54, Mexico) to six years and three months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. Ortiz-Valle had pleaded guilty on March 22, 2023. Judge Mizell previously sentenced a coconspirator, Jeramie Normandin (33, Melbourne, Florida), to three years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. Normandin had also previously pleaded guilty.

According to court documents, Ortiz-Valle is a Mexican citizen who was legally admitted into the United States from 1996 to 2000 but remained in the country after his legal status had expired. Ortiz-Valle lived in Dallas, Texas and Pensacola, Florida until his arrest in this case.

In March 2017, Ortiz-Valle arranged the sale of 10 kilograms of cocaine through a confidential source. He and a coconspirator met with an undercover agent in Jacksonville, where they discussed the pending cocaine transaction and how they could continue to work together in the future. Ortiz-Valle said he worked with individuals in Mexico and Texas, and that he had sources that could supply as much cocaine as needed. However, the sale of cocaine planned for that day did not occur because the vehicle carrying the cocaine was involved in an accident.

In September and October 2017, Ortiz-Valle and a confidential source discussed cocaine deliveries to a buyer in Florida. They met in Lakeland with the buyer, Normandin, and Ortiz agreed to supply Normandin with kilogram quantities of cocaine. After their initial meeting, Ortiz and Normandin continued to communicate through the confidential source and agreed that their initial transaction would take place in Dallas. Normandin met with Ortiz and his suppliers in Dallas and purchased two kilograms of cocaine from them. After the transaction, the cocaine was seized by law enforcement during a traffic stop.

In April 2018, Ortiz communicated with the confidential source to arrange a delivery of two kilograms of cocaine to Normandin in Lakeland. Ortiz and coconspirators traveled to Lakeland for the transaction and arrived at the prearranged location. After verifying that Ortiz and his coconspirators had brought the cocaine, law enforcement seized two kilograms of cocaine from a coconspirator’s vehicle.            

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lakeland Police Department, and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Sinacore.

Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Katrina Denise McCoy (40, Minneola) with fourteen counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud and a two-year minimum mandatory prison sentence for the aggravated identity theft offense. The indictment also provides for forfeiture of at least $39,570, representing the proceeds of the offenses.

According to evidence presented in court, between March 27, 2019, and February 23, 2021, and while employed as a correctional officer with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, McCoy created a scheme to defraud by making false representations on disability claims and submitting fictitious documentation in support of those claims. She also used a means of identification of two people to effectuate her scheme. As a result, she caused fourteen wire transfers into her bank account totaling $39,570.

An indictment is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a federal criminal offense. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Investigative and Forensic Services, Bureau of Insurance Fraud and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Clinton Darnelle Kaham (24, Ocala) resulting from an indictment charging him with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. If convicted, Kaham faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A federal grand jury had returned the indictment on July 11, 2023.

According to evidence presented in court, on approximately July 6, 2022, officers from the Ocala Police Department found Kaham, a gang member, in possession of a loaded firearm. The firearm had previously been reported stolen from Marion County. Kaham has previously been convicted of a felony, possession of heroin (2021), and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

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

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

This case is being investigated by the Ocala Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Steven Dewayne Barnes, Jr. (26, Fort Myers) has been found guilty, following a bench trial before United States District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell, of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Barnes faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

According to court records, on November 15, 2022, officers from the Fort Myers Police Department were on patrol when they encountered Barnes walking on Washington Avenue in Fort Myers. During a conversation with Barnes, officers became concerned that Barnes, a multi-convicted felon, may be concealing a weapon, and he was subsequently searched. Officers located and removed a loaded Smith and Wesson handgun equipped with a laser sight that had been concealed in Barnes’s waistband. The serial number on the gun had been scratched out. Barnes, who had previously served a sentence in state prison for a violent felony, is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. Additionally, federal law prohibits possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.  

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

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn K. Mizelle has sentenced James John Melis (54, Largo) to four years and three months in federal prison for bank fraud and wire fraud. As part of his sentence, the court entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $439,177, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct. The court also ordered Melis to pay $684,000 in restitution, which represents the loss amount of the offenses. Melis had pleaded guilty on March 20, 2023. 

According to court documents, Melis was involved in two fraud schemes. In the first, Melis abused his position as business manager at a private school in Hillsborough County by fraudulently attaching his personal bank account to one of the school’s financial accounts. When parents made tuition payments, Melis initiated fraudulent electronic funds transfers to his personal account. He then spent the stolen funds on travel and luxury items, including jewelry.

In the second scheme, Melis carried out a mortgage origination fraud against a financial institution for two properties that he owned. To deceive the lender into believing that he was a qualified borrower, Melis used the personal identification information of another person on loan applications, and prepared and submitted false and fraudulent IRS income tax returns, fictitious satisfactions of mortgages falsely representing that his properties had equity, and bogus lease agreements falsely showing he received substantial rental income. Based on Melis’s misrepresentations, the financial institution approved and funded both mortgage loans. The mortgage loans were purchased and guaranteed by Fannie Mae.

This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General and Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.  Assistant United States Attorney James A. Muench is handling the forfeiture.

Orlando, FL - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Antione Oshea Ladson (29, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana and two counts of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Ladson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the drug offenses, and up to 15 years for the firearm and ammunition offenses. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for October 17, 2023.

According to the plea agreement, on August 27, 2022, Ladson had checked into the Bel Air Hotel in Orlando. While walking through an outdoor breezeway, Ladson encountered another man walking past him. After a brief confrontation with the man, Ladson lifted his modified pistol and shot the man in the neck.

On November 16, 2022, Ladson was apprehended at a convenience store in Orlando. Upon review of surveillance videos, law enforcement noticed that Ladson continuously lifted a bottom-level grocery shelf, retrieved items from under the shelf, and lowered the shelf back down. Underneath the bottom shelf, law enforcement officers found a fanny pack that contained Ladson’s wallet and Social Security card, two digital scales used for weighing narcotics, a pistol magazine, and plastic baggies containing cocaine and marijuana. Under Ladson’s fanny pack was a Glock 23 pistol loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition.

On December 27, 2022, members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Gang Enforcement Unit noticed Ladson driving on Orange Blossom Trail and subsequently pulled him over. A search of Ladson’s car revealed an XD9 firearm with 19 rounds of ammunition, an additional 12-round magazine fully loaded with 9mm rounds, a drum-style magazine, 4.8 grams of crack cocaine, and 61.4 grams of marijuana. Ladson has multiple prior felony convictions and is therefore prohibited under federal law from possessing both firearms and ammunition.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Gang Enforcement Unit. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Pardo.

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

Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced Brandon Jamal Alex Grant (23, Gainesville) to three years and one month in federal prison for possessing counterfeit access devices with the intent to defraud and possessing firearms as a convicted felon. Grant had pleaded guilty on May 2, 2023.

According to court documents, on July 5, 2022, troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol pulled over a Maserati owned and operated by Grant for driving on a suspended license. After troopers smelled marijuana, they searched the vehicle and discovered 61 fraudulent debit and credit cards, a forged identification card bearing Grant’s photograph, numerous fraudulent checks, electronic devices used to facilitate fraud (including a laptop computer and laser printer), two loaded firearms, and more than $14,000 in cash. Grant has prior state felony convictions for possession of a forged driver’s license, possession of oxycodone, and grand theft. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.

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

Fort Myers, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Timothy Craig Jolloff (46, Fort Myers) and Lisa Ann Jolloff (56, Fort Myers) with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and illegal monetary transactions. Timothy Jolloff is also charged with multiple counts of bank fraud. The chart below summarizes the indictment charges and maximum penalties as to each defendant.

Defendant

Charge

Maximum Penalty per Count

Timothy Craig Jolloff

Wire Fraud (11 Counts)

20 years in federal prison

Bank Fraud (7 Counts)

30 years in federal prison

Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

10 years in federal prison

Illegal Monetary Transactions (4 Counts)

10 years in federal prison

Lisa Ann Jolloff

Wire Fraud

20 years in federal prison

Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

10 years in federal prison

Illegal Monetary Transactions (4 counts)

10 years in federal prison

The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit a 2019 GMC truck and approximately $3,403,265, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.    

According to the indictment and other court documents, between April and March 2021, Timothy Jolloff and his wife, Lisa Jolloff, submitted false and fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications to the Small Business Administration, as well as PPP approved lenders. In the PPP loan applications, the Jolloffs falsely represented the number of employees and average monthly payroll for the applicant businesses. The Jolloffs also falsely represented and certified that PPP funds would be used to retain workers and maintain payroll or make mortgage interest payments, lease payments, and utility payments. In EIDL applications, Timothy Jolloff misrepresented the gross revenue and cost of goods sold for the applicant businesses for which he sought EIDL funds. He also misrepresented the number of employees of the EIDL applicant businesses. Moreover, in loan documents signed and submitted by Timothy Jolloff for EIDL loans, he mispresented that EIDL proceeds would be used solely for working capital and to alleviate economic injury.

The Jolloffs’ false and fraudulent representations caused the Small Business Administration and PPP lenders to approve and fund 11 EIDLs and 8 PPP loans, as well as EIDL Advances, totaling approximately $3,403,265. The Jolloffs then conspired to unlawfully use PPP and EIDL funds to purchase three pontoon boats totaling more than $300,000, real estate in Fort Myers, Florida and Angola, Indiana, home furnishings, outdoor kitchens for their homes, a 2019 GMC truck, a 2020 Polaris UTV, as well as jewelry, and two dogs. The Jolloffs also fraudulently used more than $600,000 in EIDL funds to purchase a furniture business in Indiana and a landscaping business in Sarasota, Florida, which had no connection to the businesses for which the Jolloffs had obtained COVID relief money.

In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

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 United States Secret Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Trent Reichling.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866‑720‑5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Maisha K. Daniels (46, Jacksonville) today pleaded guilty to selling a stolen firearm. Daniels faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

According to the plea agreement, Daniels worked for the U.S. Postal Service at various times, beginning in 1998. In April 2022, she was assigned to a distribution center in Jacksonville. While it was passing through that particular facility, a Sig Sauer semi-automatic pistol was stolen from a parcel that a licensed firearms dealer had shipped from Nevada to Florida. Daniels worked on the day that the pistol went missing. The Nevada firearms dealer reported the pistol stolen, and one week later, Daniels sold it to a firearms dealer in Jacksonville for $250. While conducting the transaction, Daniels provided her name, address, and cellphone number. A security camera captured an image of her during the sale.

Daniels later agreed to be interviewed by special agents from the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. She initially denied any knowledge about particular items being stolen from the postal distribution center and ever owning a firearm. When shown a picture of her at the Jacksonville gun dealer, Daniels eventually admitted that she had stolen a pistol at work. She also admitted stealing three Coach brand clutch purses.

When the agents searched Daniels’s belongings at work, they found four bags of THC edibles; a sealed letter bearing postal stamps that was addressed neither to nor from Daniels; a gift box and card, which was also not addressed to her, but instead to a third party; a Coach hat in its packaging; four gift cards; a Coach watch with its original box, and a Coach scarf and its packaging. Daniels denied stealing the Coach items and claimed that they were gifts from other postal employees.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.

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

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced today that a federal jury has found Gabriel Almenas Carrasquillo (35, Orlando) guilty of using the internet and his cellphone to attempt to entice a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. Almenas faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release. Almenas was ordered detained after the return of the verdict. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 18, 2023.  

According to evidence and testimony introduced during the three-day trial, on August 11, 2022, an undercover agent (UC) with the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation was posing online on a social media application (app) as a 13-year-old child seeking to identify individuals with a sexual interest in children. Almenas initiated a conversation with the UC, typing “You r really beautiful.” When Almenas asked if “he” was 18, the UC advised that “he” was “a little younger,” and stated, “I’ll be fourteen in a few months …” Almenas responded, “Oh wow you look really quite develop,” and “… I’m down to keep getting to know you more …” The two discussed meeting and Almenas confirmed that the “child” would be alone without adult supervision that entire evening. At Almenas’s suggestion, their online conversation moved to another social media app. Almenas then described the sexual acts that he wanted to perform on the “child,” and he sent the UC a video depicting Almenas’s genitalia. A short time later, Almenas drove to a pre-determined location in Orlando where he believed that the “child” was staying and was subsequently arrested. In an interview, Almenas stated, among other things, that he knew that the “child” was underage when he came to meet “him,” and agreed that he “took a chance and showed up for the 13-year-old.” He also admitted that he brought the lubricant found in his backpack to engage in sexual acts with the “child.”

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

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber today sentenced Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari (26, Tampa) to 18 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The court also ordered Al-Azhari to forfeit certain assets that are traceable to proceeds of the offense, as well as various items of property, including gear, that were involved in, or intended to be used to commit, the offense. Al-Azhari had pleaded guilty on February 23, 2023.

According to court documents, Al-Azhari pleaded guilty to the charge in February 2023. Al-Azhari is a United States citizen who spent most of his life abroad and came to embrace dogmatic, Islamist/Salafist beliefs. In 2018, Al-Azhari was released from prison in Saudi Arabia following a conviction and sentence for supporting terrorism in Syria, after which he was removed to the United States.

Upon Al-Azhari’s arrival to the United States in or around December 2018, the FBI began investigating him for potentially providing material support to ISIS, which, at all relevant times, was designated as a foreign terrorist organization under federal law. In or around April 2020, Al-Azhari began to plan to carry out an attack in support of ISIS. Around the same time, Al-Azhari began to acquire multiple firearms. Al-Azhari also researched and scouted potential locations for an attack in the Tampa Bay area. Since at least May 2019, Al-Azhari also consumed ISIS propaganda and spoke favorably about ISIS, to whom he eventually pledged his allegiance through a bay’ah (an Islamic oath of allegiance). Furthermore, Al-Azhari spoke about avenging the United States’ imprisonment of Muslims, including ISIS fighters, and the United States’ military actions in the Middle East. In addition, Al-Azhari rehearsed parts of the plan described above, including practicing statements that he would make during, or in connection with, the plans described above in support of ISIS.

Al-Azhari had multiple, recorded interactions with an FBI undercover employee (UCE) and a confidential human source (CHS) in April and May 2020. Al-Azhari was in the process of trying to buy guns from the undercover employee, including a fully automatic rifle, when he was arrested on state charges for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. After his release from state custody, Al-Azhari continued to try to buy firearms from the UCE. Al-Azhari also met with the CHS, attempted to “convert” the CHS to Islam, and Al-Azhari confided in the CHS about Al-Azhari’s affiliation with ISIS and the plans described above to provide material support to ISIS, as well as to send money to ISIS. Al-Azhari also recruited the CHS to help him in connection with the plans described above in support of ISIS, as well as robberies, and he asked the CHS to obtain a Glock pistol and an unregistered silencer. Agents arrested Al-Azhari when he took possession of the gun and silencer on May 24, 2020.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida, and Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI Counterterrorism Division made the announcement.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Tampa Police Department, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Petersburg Police Department, the Clearwater Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Risha Asokan and Cherie Krigsman for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case, with assistance from Joshua Champagne and Paul Casey of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

Jacksonville, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Connor Lee Austin (28, Starke) has pleaded guilty to theft of mail. Austin faces up to five years in federal prison and payment of restitution to the victims in the case. No sentencing date has been set.   

According to court documents and public records, in late April 2022, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) received multiple reports of mail being stolen from mail boxes in the Keystone Heights area. Surveillance footage from homes in that area captured a truck driving down roads with the passenger, later identified as Austin, and his co-defendant, Maranda Ann Stewart (26, Starke), stealing mail from mailboxes. On May 6, 2022, the Baker County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) arrested Austin and Stewart for their involvement with a fraudulent check. During the arrest, the BCSO conducted an inventory search of the truck used by them and located over 100 pieces of mail that had been stolen from various addresses in Clay County.

Further investigation determined that after stealing mail, Austin and Stewart used Austin’s phone in an effort to deposit stolen checks into their bank accounts through mobile deposit. Law enforcement recovered mail that had been stolen by Austin and Stewart from Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, and Putnam counties. 

Austin appeared in federal court on April 19, 2023, pursuant to a writ bringing him to Jacksonville from Florida State Prison where he is serving a prison sentence of 36 months for grand theft, grand theft from a dwelling, and burglary. He was ordered detained.

On June 27, 2023, Stewart pled guilty to one count of theft of mail. She faces up to five years’ imprisonment and payment of restitution to the victims in the case. No sentencing date has been set. 

This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with valuable assistance from the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jesus Alejandro Millan Gomez (38, Kissimmee) has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud offense, and a mandatory consecutive term of 2 years for the aggravated identity theft offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, Millan Gomez used multiple fraudulent rideshare driver accounts that had been created through an online registration process using stolen identities. As a part of the scheme, Millan Gomez caused numerous rider accounts to also be established by others outside of Florida, including in Mexico and elsewhere. Using multiple cellphones at the same time and a “spoofing” location application to mask or manipulate his location to the rideshare service, Millan Gomez received instructions to pair trips together using cellphones that he controlled. Once a trip was underway, Millan Gomez used the location app to deceive the rideshare service into believing that he had driven significantly further than the original destination requested, which increased the fare. This fraud scheme exploited a then-existing weakness in the rideshare company’s payment system and defrauded the company of $232,994.87 in payments.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ranganath Manthripragada.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Dwayne Eric Thompson (39, Jacksonville) guilty of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Thompson faces a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to evidence presented at trial, Thompson was arrested, pursuant to an outstanding warrant, by officers from the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office and his car was searched. A loaded pistol was recovered from the center console. During the search, Thompson and the other passengers denied knowledge and ownership of the firearm. DNA evidence presented at the trial showed that Thompson’s DNA was present on the firearm and the loaded magazine. At the time, Thompson had multiple prior felony convictions and was on federal supervised release, having previously been convicted by a federal trial jury in 2010 of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. As a convicted felon, Thompson is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro. Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran is handling the forfeiture.  

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

WASHINGTON – Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, 26, of Tampa, Florida, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

According to court documents, Al-Azhari pleaded guilty to the charge in February 2023. Al-Azhari is a United States citizen who spent most of his life abroad and came to embrace dogmatic, Islamist/Salafist beliefs. In 2018, Al-Azhari was released from prison in Saudi Arabia following a conviction and sentence for supporting terrorism in Syria, after which he was removed to the United States.

Upon Al-Azhari’s arrival to the United States in or around December 2018, the FBI began investigating him for potentially providing material support to ISIS, which, at all relevant times, was designated as a foreign terrorist organization under federal law. In or around April 2020, Al-Azhari began to plan to carry out an attack in support of ISIS. Around the same time, Al-Azhari began to acquire multiple firearms. Al-Azhari also researched and scouted potential locations for an attack in the Tampa Bay area. Since at least May 2019, Al-Azhari also consumed ISIS propaganda and spoke favorably about ISIS, to which he eventually pledged his allegiance through a bay’ah (an Islamic oath of allegiance). Furthermore, Al-Azhari spoke about avenging the United States’ imprisonment of Muslims, including ISIS fighters, and the United States’ military actions in the Middle East. In addition, Al-Azhari rehearsed parts of his plans, including practicing statements that he would make during or in connection with, his intention to support ISIS.

Al-Azhari had multiple, recorded interactions with an FBI undercover employee and a confidential human source (CHS) in April and May 2020. Al-Azhari was in the process of trying to buy guns from the undercover employee, including a fully automatic rifle, when he was arrested on state charges for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. After his release from state custody, Al-Azhari continued to try to buy firearms from the UCE. Al-Azhari also met with the CHS, attempted to “convert” the CHS to Islam, and Al-Azhari confided in the CHS about Al-Azhari’s affiliation with ISIS and his plans to provide material support to ISIS, as well as to send money to ISIS. Al-Azhari also recruited the CHS to help him in connection with his plans in support of ISIS, as well as robberies, and he asked the CHS to obtain a Glock pistol and an unregistered silencer. Agents arrested Al-Azhari when he took possession of the gun and silencer on May 24, 2020.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida, and Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI Counterterrorism Division made the announcement.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Tampa Police Department, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Petersburg Police Department, the Clearwater Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Risha Asokan and Cherie Krigsman for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case, with assistance from Joshua Champagne and Paul Casey of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza today sentenced Okechukwu Iwuji (38, Orlando) to three years and six months in federal prison for mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered Iwuji to pay $55,149 in restitution, which represents the loss amount. Iwuji had pleaded guilty on April 19, 2023.  

According to court documents, Iwuji acquired Personal Identifiable Information (PII) from the dark web and then accessed the Arizona Department of Economic Security/Unemployment Insurance Program’s (AZ-UI) website to create fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits on behalf of unsuspecting victims. As a part of his scheme, Iwuji used the PII to gain access to existing beneficiary accounts, changing the mailing address for where the benefits would be delivered. Some of the fraudulent benefits were sent to a post office box in Orlando that had been established as a part of the scheme.  

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ranganath Manthripragada.

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the results achieved by the Middle District of Florida’s efforts to combat fraud related to COVID-19. Those efforts have included complementary actions by the United States Attorney’s Office’s (USAO-MDFL) Criminal, Asset Recovery, Appellate, and Civil Divisions, along with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

“The Middle District of Florida United States Attorney’s Office continues to pursue, investigate, prosecute, and recover money from those who were engaged in major or sophisticated fraud schemes designed to steal benefits intended for Americans coping with the myriad impacts of the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg.

On the criminal enforcement front, the USAO-MDFL and federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies combined resources in March 2020 to form the Middle District of Florida COVID-19 Fraud Task Force to identify, investigate, and prosecute fraud related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception, the Task Force has prosecuted 67 defendants for fraud schemes designed to exploit federal programs including the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”), Unemployment Insurance (“UI”), the Main Street Lending Program (“MSLP”), the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (“ERAP”), as well as government Healthcare programs such as Medicare (“HCF”). Collectively, these defendants sought to defraud the United States of over $78 million. Forty-seven of those defendants have been found guilty, while prosecution remains pending against 20 defendants. (See chart below for criminal case details.)

For example, in April 2023, former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Corrections Officer Deconna Burke was charged with wire fraud relating to an alleged scheme to obtain a PPP loan for a nonexistent babysitting business.

And in June 2023, Timothy and Lisa Jolloff were charged in a scheme relating to EIDL and PPP applications submitted by Timothy Jolloff between April and May 2020. Timothy Jolloff’s false and fraudulent representations caused the SBA and a PPP lender to approve and fund 11 EIDLs and 6 PPP loans, totaling approximately $2.14 million. Timothy Jolloff and his wife, Lisa Jolloff, allegedly used the funds to purchase three pontoon boats, real estate in Indiana, home furnishings, outdoor kitchens for their homes, a 2020 Polaris UTV, as well as jewelry, and two dogs. The couple also fraudulently used more than $600,000 in EIDL funds to purchase a furniture business in Indiana and a landscaping business in Sarasota, which had no connection to the businesses for which the couple had obtained COVID relief funds.

As a result of the USAO-MDFL’s Appellate Division’s advocacy, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the convictions and sentence of Casey David Crowther, who had been found guilty in Ft. Myers of bank fraud, making a false statement to a lending institution, and two counts of money laundering in connection with his PPP loan scheme. Crowther had obtained a $2.1 million PPP loan by stating that he intended to use the money for payroll, rent, and utilities for his company, Target Roofing and Sheet Metal, but, according to the evidence at trial, he instead had his bank deposit the money into a secret account separate from his company’s main operating account. He quickly used the account for personal use, spending nearly $700,000 on a 40-foot pleasure boat and $55,000 on a horse. When Crowther’s bank warned him that he was likely to be audited, he attempted to conceal his fraud by falsely “hiring” family members and dozens of fictitious employees to inflate his company’s apparent payroll.

The U.S. Attorney General has established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Through the PPP, the federal government authorized over $600 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. The EIDL program provides economic relief to small businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. The MSLP provided support to small and medium-sized businesses and their employees across the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. UI programs provided unemployment benefits to eligible workers who became unemployed through no fault of their own.

The criminal cases charged by the Middle District of Florida COVID-19 Fraud Task Force have been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation, the Department of Labor—Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Service, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Small Business Administration, the Small Business Administration—Office of Inspector General, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation—Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, Federal Reserve Board—Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services—Office of Inspector General, the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, the Orlando Police Department, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, the Winter Park Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys throughout the Middle District of Florida.    

The Department of Justice needs the public’s assistance in remaining vigilant and reporting suspected fraudulent activity. To report suspected fraud, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (“NCDF”) at (866) 720-5721 or file an online complaint at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. Complaints filed will be reviewed at the NCDF and referred to federal, state, local, or international law enforcement or regulatory agencies for investigation.

United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida

COVID Fraud Criminal Cases

Charged Cases

Defendant(s) (Age)

Charge(s)

Max. Imprisonment

Type of Fraud*

Intended Loss

Amount

Tampa Division

Alexander Alli

Wire fraud conspiracy

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

EIDL

$80k

Ellyn Pinkney

Wire fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

EIDL

$40k

Kieanna Garrett

Wire fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

EIDL

$40k

Nicole Bramble-King

Wire fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

PPP

$40k

Mehdi Tazi

Conspiracy

Maximum Prison Term: 5 years

Wire fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

Aggravated identity theft

Maximum Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive

UI

$1.5M

Modupe Ogundele

Wire fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

PPP

$20k

Jalissa McDuffy

Wire fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

PPP

$41k

Devontaie Deravil

Aggravated identity theft

Maximum Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive

Access device fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

UI

$480k

These COVID Fraud cases from the Tampa Division are being handled by AUSAs Rachel Jones, Tiffany Fields, Greg Pizzo, Candace Rich, and Jennifer Peresie

Orlando Division

Evan Edwards

Joshua Edwards

Conspiracy to commit bank fraud (E. Edwards)

Maximum Prison Term: 30 years

 

Bank fraud (J. Edwards)

Maximum Prison Term: 30 years

Visa fraud (J. Edwards)

Maximum Prison Term: 10 years

False statements (J. Edwards)

Maximum Prison Term: 30 years

PPP

$8M

Emmet Bowens

Wire fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

Illegal monetary transactions

Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

PPP

$740k

Latresia Wilson

False Statements

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

HCF

$2.6M

These COVID Fraud cases from the Orlando Division are being handled by AUSAs Kara Wick and Amanda Daniels

Jacksonville Division

Deconna Burke

Wire fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

PPP

$20k

Christopher Daragjati

Wire fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

Theft of government funds

Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

Aggravated identity theft

Maximum: Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive

UI

$150k

These COVID Fraud cases from the Jacksonville Division are being handled by AUSA Kevin Frein

Fort Myers Division

Venera Price

Mail fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

ERAP

$82k

Ismaelle Manuel

Bank Fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years

Wire Fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

PPP

$280k

Denis Casseus

Bank Fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years

Wire Fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

PPP

$298k

Timothy Jolloff

Wire Fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

Money laundering

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

Illegal monetary transactions

Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

PPP/EIDL

$2.1M

Lisa Jolloff

Money laundering

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

Illegal monetary transactions

Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

PPP/EIDL

$2.1M

These COVID Fraud cases from the Fort Myers Division are being handled by AUSA Yolande Viacava and Trent Reichling

Ocala Division

Henry Wade

Wire Fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

EIDL

$500k

This COVID Fraud case from the Ocala Division is being handled by AUSA Hannah Nowalk

Adjudicated Cases

Tampa Division

Joseph Abdo

Wire fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

Illegal monetary transactions

Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

PPP

$500k

Alexander Leszczynski

Wire fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

Bank fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years

Illegal monetary transactions

Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

PPP

$200k

Keaujay Hornsby

Racketeering conspiracy

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

Aggravated identity theft

Maximum Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive

Access device fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

UI

$3M

Kareem Spann

Racketeering conspiracy

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

Aggravated identity theft

Maximum Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive

Access device fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

UI

$3M

Marqus Willard Johnson

Bank fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years

Money laundering

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

PPP

$500k

Charles Cunningham

Bank fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 30 years

PPP

$800k

These COVID Fraud cases from the Tampa Division are being handled by AUSAs Rachel Jones, Diego Novaes, Tiffany Fields, Jennifer Peresie, and Greg Pizzo, and DOJ Trial Attorney John Scanlon

Orlando Division

Brian Blake

Possession of device-making equipment

Maximum Prison Term: 15 Years

Access device fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years

Aggravated identity theft

Maximum: Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive

PPP/UI

$832k

This COVID Fraud case from the Orlando Division is being handled by AUSAs Chauncey Bratt

Jacksonville Division

Desmond Williams

Wire fraud conspiracy

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

Wire fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

PPP

$40k

Kenneth Landers

Wire Fraud

Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years

Money Laundering

Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years

PPP

$1.4M

These COVID Fraud cases from the Jacksonville Division are being handled by AUSA Kevin Frein and Michael Coolican

Sentenced Cases

Tampa Division

Louis Thornton, III

Wire Fraud

Sentence Imposed: 42 months in federal prison

EIDL/PPP

$815k

Kary Stevenson

Corey Quinn

Conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft

Sentence Imposed: 5 years, 10 months in federal prison (Stevenson)

Sentence Imposed:7 years in federal prison (Quinn)

UI

$1M

Bridgitte Keim

Bank fraud

Sentence Imposed: 2 years in federal prison

PPP

$588k

Wayne Ganaway

Conspiracy to commit wire fraud

Sentence Imposed: 4 years in federal prison

EIDL

$300k

Eriaius Bentley

Racketeering conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud

Sentence Imposed: One year in federal prison

UI

$3M

Rolanda Wingfield

Access device fraud, Aggravated identity theft

Sentenced Imposed: 3 years in federal prison

UI

$135k

Tywon Spann

Racketeering conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud

Sentence Imposed: 6 years and 9 months in federal prison

UI

$3M

Randy Jones

Wire fraud, aggravated identity theft

Sentence Imposed: 5 years and 1 month in federal prison

EIDL/UI

$250k

Julio Lugo

Conspiracy to commit money laundering

Sentence Imposed: 7 years and 6 months in federal prison

EIDL/PPP

$4.4M

Keith Nicoletta

Conspiracy to commit money laundering

Sentence Imposed: 24 months in federal prison

PPP

$1.9M

Rosenide Venant

Conspiracy to commit money laundering

Sentence Imposed: 5 years in federal prison

EIDL/PPP

$413k

Melinda Hernandez

Conspiracy to commit wire fraud

Wire fraud and aggravated identity theft

Sentence imposed: Three years and six months in federal prison

UI

$1.5M

Bri’antina Mills

Wire fraud and theft of government funds

Sentence imposed: 15 months in federal prison

 

$10K

Jorge Gutierrez Echeverria

Wire fraud

Sentence imposed: Two years and six months in federal prison

EIDL

$150k

Omar Esquivel Bello

Wire fraud

Sentence imposed: 15 months in federal prison

EIDL

$242k

Steve Moodie

Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft

Sentence imposed: 5 years and 10 months in federal prison

UI

$1.5M

Richard Simpkins

Conspiracy to commit money laundering

Sentence imposed: 5 years and 10 months in federal prison

PPP

$1.9M

These COVID Fraud cases from the Tampa Division were handled by AUSAs Rachel Jones, Greg Pizzo, Tiffany Fields, Diego Novaes, Jennifer Peresie, and SAUSA Chris Poor

Orlando Division

Daniel Johnson

Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, unlawful transfer of firearm

Sentence Imposed: 7 years, 6 months in federal prison

UI

$2.3M

Jacquavius Smith

Possession of short-barreled rifle; felon in possession of firearm; and aggravated identity theft

Sentence Imposed: 7 years, 1 month in federal prison

PPP

$10k

Johnson Eustache

Wire fraud

Sentence Imposed: 5 years in federal prison

EIDL/PPP

$2.2M

Joseph Harrison

Conspiracy to commit wire fraud

Sentence Imposed: 12 months in federal prison

UI

$2.1M

Tomas Ziupsnys

Conspiracy to commit bank fraud; bank fraud; aggravated identity theft

Sentence Imposed: 5 years in federal prison

PPP

$2M

Holly Urban

Conspiracy to commit bank fraud

Sentence Imposed: 30 months in federal prison

PPP

$1.5M

Joel Greenberg

Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and other offenses while on pretrial release

Sentence Imposed: 11 years in federal prison

EIDL

$430k

Don Cisternino

           

Wire fraud, illegal monetary transactions, and aggravated identity theft

Sentence Imposed: 8 years and 6 months in federal prison

PPP

$7.2M

Keith Ingersoll          

Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft

Sentence imposed: 9 years, 1 month in federal prison.  

EIDL

$66k

Jaheim Davis

Access device fraud and aggravated identity theft

Sentence imposed: 3 years, 6 months in federal prison.  

UI

$219k

Teresa McIntyre

Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and other offenses

Sentence Imposed: 5 years’ probation

EIDL

$730k

These COVID Fraud cases from the Orlando Division were handled by AUSAs John Gardella, Amanda Daniels, Chauncey Bratt, Emily Chang, Shannon Laurie, and Jennifer Harrington, and U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg

Jacksonville Division

Jacob Byrd

Wire fraud

Sentence Imposed: probation

PPP

$10k

This COVID Fraud case from the Jacksonville Division was handled by AUSA Kevin Frein

Fort Myers Division

Casey Crowther

Bank fraud, false statement to a financial institution, illegal monetary transaction

Sentence Imposed: 3 years, 1 month in federal prison

PPP

$2.7M

Anthony Bruey

Amber Bruey

Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, illegal monetary transactions

Sentence Imposed:

Anthony Bruey: 4 years, 3 months in federal prison

Amber Bruey: 4 years in federal prison

PPP/EIDL

$881k

Edrica Leann Watson

False statement to a lending institution

Sentence Imposed: 15 months in federal prison

PPP

$392k

Daniel Joseph Tisone

Wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person

Sentence Imposed: 7 years in federal prison

PPP/EIDL/MSLP

$10.7M

Liliana Gonzalez

Wire fraud

Sentence Imposed:  5 years of probation with 18 months of home confinement

PPP

$169k

Al Clint LaRoche

Bank fraud

Sentence Imposed: Two years in federal prison

PPP

$1M

These COVID Fraud cases from the Fort Myers Division were handled by AUSAs Trent Reichling, Michael Leeman, and Jesus M. Casas

Ocala Division

Lavelle Harris

Wire Fraud

Sentence Imposed: Two years and three months in federal prison

PPP

$1.2M

This COVID Fraud case from the Ocala Division was handled by AUSA Hannah Nowalk

Types of Fraud*

Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

Unemployment Insurance (UI)

Main Street Lending Program (MSLP)

Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)

Health Care Fraud (HCF)

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces today the results of the third quarter of fiscal year 2023 Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) strategy. During the third quarter, ending on June 30, 2023, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida has prosecuted 107 defendants for federal firearms and violent crime offenses, removing 147 firearms from our streets in the process. The prosecutions include defendants who have been indicted, pleaded guilty, convicted at trial, or who have been sentenced. (See chart for case details.)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has also engaged in community outreach efforts aimed at violent crime prevention throughout the year. Those efforts in the third quarter involved approximately 200 individuals. These community outreach efforts included presentations to elementary, middle and high school students, meetings with community leaders, and re-entry programs. Middle District of Florida re-entry presentations included federal prosecutors visiting state prisons to speak with inmates nearing their release dates.   

“Our office is committed to reducing violent crime throughout the Middle District of Florida,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg. “We will continue working with our law enforcement partners and community stakeholders as part of our joint effort to make our communities safer.”

PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. This evidence-based program has proven to be effective at reducing violent crime by engaging a broad spectrum of stakeholders working together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in communities and developing comprehensive solutions that reduce crime. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses on prevention and intervention efforts through community engagement and problem-solving partnerships, strategic enforcement of the most violent offenders, and locally based re-entry programs to reduce recidivism.

Q3 PSN case highlights:

United States v. Alex Winters (Ft. Myers)

According to court documents, on May 7, 2020, deputies with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office stopped a car for a traffic violation. After a deputy noted the smell of marijuana, the car was searched. Alex Winters was in the vehicle and beneath his seat, deputies located a loaded 9mm pistol and a fanny pack with distribution amounts of crack cocaine, powder cocaine, and eutylone. Also, inside the fanny pack, deputies found a digital scale, baggies, a drug ledger, and 9mm ammunition. Winters was convicted at trial and later sentenced to 40 years in federal prison. 

United States v. Kristopher Ervin and Matthew Hoover (Jacksonville)

On April 21, 2023, a federal jury found Kristopher Ervin and Matthew Hoover guilty of conspiring to transfer unregistered machinegun conversion devices that they referred to as “Auto Key Cards,” and multiple counts of transferring unregistered machinegun conversion devices. Ervin was also convicted of possessing unregistered machinegun conversion devices and structuring cash transactions to avoid currency transaction reporting requirements. According to court records, in January 2021, Ervin’s bank contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to report that employees believed that Ervin was trafficking in machinegun conversion devices. Subsequent investigation revealed that Ervin was running an online business selling machinegun conversion devices, known as lightning links, etched into metal cards, which he referred to as Auto Key Cards.

A lightning link can be dropped into an otherwise legal AR-15 type firearm and convert it into a fully automatic machinegun. Hoover operated a YouTube channel on which he advertised Auto Key Cards. Hoover’s videos advertising the Auto Key Card led to a substantial increase in Ervin’s sales. Ervin sold more than 2,000 Auto Key Cards in only a few months. Ervin compensated Hoover for his advertisements by sending cash through the mail. Sentencing hearings for Ervin and Hoover are scheduled for September 2023.

United States v. Christopher Munroe (Ocala)

On June 15, 2023, Christopher Richard Munroe was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. According to court records, on November 14, 2022, law enforcement responded to a call from the owner of a moving company who had discovered his employee, Munroe, had stolen three firearms while packing a residence for customers. Munroe fled when confronted about the missing firearms and was soon located hiding in the landscaping of a nearby business. Munroe had hidden the stolen firearms, seven ammunition magazines, and ammunition in that same location. Munroe had previously been convicted of second-degree murder in New York and was released on parole in 2018. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearm and ammunition under federal law.

United States v. Joel Fonseca Flores (Orlando)

On May 2, 2023, Joel David Fonseca Flores was charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl causing death, possession of fentanyl and cocaine with the intent to distribute it, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. According to court records, in April 2022, Flores conspired to distribute fentanyl that resulted in the death of an individual. Flores is further charged with possessing drugs and a firearm on October 3, 2022, following a traffic stop in Orlando. Officers from the Orlando Police Department recovered a loaded firearm and several bags of drugs from inside the vehicle, including cocaine and fentanyl. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

Robles Park RICO (Tampa)

In June 2023, Keaujay Hornsby was sentenced to 16 years and 6 months in federal prison and Kareem Spann was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison for criminal conduct committed by, and on behalf of, the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) group known as the “Robles Park Enterprise.” These crimes included a series of shootings, attempted murder, drug trafficking, fraud, and identity theft. According to court documents,in the early morning of July 19, 2020, Hornsby and other members of the Enterprise congregated outside the Truth Lounge club in Tampa. The streets and sidewalks were flooded with people, including rival gang members in the parking lot outside the club. Spann drove through the crowd, while Hornsby engaged in a verbal altercation with rival gang members. Hornsby then pulled out a firearm and fired into the crowd. The shooting resulted in the injury of at least eight people, including children. Law enforcement later recovered dozens of ammunition casings. Six days later, and in retaliation for the Truth Lounge shooting, three rival gang members ambushed and opened fire on Hornsby and Spann as they exited the International Plaza in Tampa. In total, seven vehicles were struck by gunfire, including two occupied by innocent bystanders. Law enforcement later determined that at least 25 bullets had been fired from three different firearms. On July 27, 2020, while driving in Tampa, Hornsby and Spann followed a rival gang member and later opened fire on a residential street, unleashing dozens of shots at his target. In addition to acts of violence, the Robles Park Enterprise also trafficked in cocaine, marijuana, and firearms. Members of the Robles Park Enterprise also used the personal identifying information (PII) of other persons to submit false applications to claim unemployment benefits to which they were not entitled. In total, the defendants submitted over 200 fraudulent claims, in 20 different states, with an intended loss of approximately $2.8 million dollars. On June 10, 2022, a third member of this conspiracy, Tywon Spann was sentenced to 6 years and months’ imprisonment.

These cases are being prosecuted by the Assistant United States Attorneys in all five divisions throughout the Middle District of Florida. For additional information on Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit our website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/project-safe-neighborhoods-0.   

Charged Cases

Defendant(s)

(Age)

Charges

Minimum/Maximum Terms of Imprisonment

Firearms Seized

Fort Myers Division

Chester Lewis Risco, III (19)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

1

Nicholas Munson Troemner (40)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

1

Christopher Jorge Ponce (36)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

1

These PSN cases from the Fort Myers Division are being handled by AUSAs Mark Morgan and Simon Eth.

Jacksonville Division

Kristofferson Farmer, Jr. (22)

Possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking offenses.

Minimum mandatory prison term: 5 years, up to life imprisonment

3

Houston James Fender (31)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

Maximum prison term: 15 years

21

Edgar Guintivano (51)

 

Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

Minimum mandatory prison term:  5 years, up to 40 years

Possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Minimum mandatory prison term: 5 years

2

Edwin Sherwood Gustafson, IV (30)

Possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Maximum prison term: 20 years per count

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

2

Jaylin Orange (19)

Possession of a machinegun.

Maximum prison term: 10 years

1

Donald Plemmons (44)

False statements to a federal firearms dealer.

Maximum prison term: 5 years

0

Dwayne Eric Thompson (39)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

1

Jamie Thompson (49)

False statements to a federal firearms dealer.

Maximum prison term: 5 years

0

Peter Alexander Lawrence (31)

False statements to a federal firearms dealer

Maximum prison term: 5 years

0

Elliott Alex Sims (55)

Possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 10 years

Distribution of cocaine (6 counts).

Maximum prison term: 20 years per count

1

These PSN cases from the Jacksonville Division are being handled by AUSAs John Cannizzaro, Brenna Falzetta, David Mesrobian, Aakash Singh, Frank Talbot, and Kevin Frein.

Ocala Division

Alexander Timothy Rosa (31)

Possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 10 years

Possession of a stolen firearm.

Maximum prison term: 10 years

Stealing a firearm from a federal firearms licensee.

Maximum prison term: 10 years

1

Eddie Lee Parks, II (24)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

1

Craig Antwon O’Neal (53)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Minimum mandatory prison term:

15 years, up to life imprisonment

1

Brian David Casey (35)

 

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

2

These PSN cases from the Ocala Division are being handled by AUSAs William Hamilton, Hannah Nowalk, and Belkis H. Crockett.

Orlando Division

Jacoby Jules Colon (20)

Conspiracy to rob a postal carrier.

Maximum prison term: 5 years

Robbery of a postal carrier.

Maximum prison term: 25 years

Brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Minimum mandatory prison term: 7 years, up to life imprisonment

4

Christian Ponce (31),

Rodney Hernandez (27)

Possession of a firearm by convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

3

Alfred Lamar Shavers (49)

Possession of firearm by convicted felon (Armed Career Criminal).

Minimum mandatory prison term:  15 years, up to life imprisonment.

9

Christian Arroyo-Rivera (30)

Possession of firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 10 years

Possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.

Minimum mandatory prison term: 5 years, up to 40 years

1

Joel David Fonseca Flores (41)

Distribution of fentanyl causing death.

Minimum mandatory prison term: 20 years, up to life imprisonment

Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.

Maximum prison term:  20 years

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Minimum mandatory prison term:  5 years consecutive, up to life imprisonment

3

Zachary Ramyard (22)

Conspiracy to rob a postal carrier, robbery of postal carrier.

Maximum prison term: 35 years

0

Camilo Ignacio Vivas Sanchez (20)

Conspiracy to rob a postal carrier, robbery of postal carrier.

Maximum prison term: 35 years

0

Robert Pringle (34)

Possession of firearm as a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 10 years

2

Nelson Henderson (21)

Hobbs Act robbery (3 counts).

Maximum prison term: 20 years per count

Brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence (3 counts).

Minimum mandatory prison term: 7 years, up to life imprisonment per count

0

Brandon Eugene Brooke (29)

False statements in application for purchase of firearm.

Maximum prison term: 5 years

7

These PSN cases from the Orlando Division are being handled by AUSAs Michael Felicetta, Lauren Stoia, John Gardella, Shannon Laurie, Kara Wick, Megan Testerman, and Terry Livanos.

Tampa Division

Jason Washington (42)

Distribution of controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute it.

Maximum prison term: 20 years per count

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

1

Milton Anthony Bradshaw (43)

Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

Minimum mandatory prison term:15 years, up to life imprisonment

0

John Knight (45)

Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

0

Antonio McCray (22)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

0

John Alexis (30)

Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

0

These PSN cases from the Tampa Division are being handled by AUSAs Samantha Newman, Michael Kenneth, and Diego F. Novaes

 

Adjudicated Cases

Defendant(s)

(Age)

Charges

Minimum/Maximum Terms of Imprisonment

Firearms Seized

Fort Myers Division

Javonte Keyon Whitfield (25)

Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 10 years

1

Samuel Robert Bruner (47)

Possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon.

Minimum mandatory prison term:  15 years, up to life imprisonment

2

Travis Lavon Anderson (36)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 10 years

3

Michael Karp (50)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Minimum mandatory prison term:  5 years, up to life imprisonment

1

These PSN cases from the Fort Myers Division are being handled by AUSAs Simon R. Eth, Patrick L. Darcey, and Mark R. Morgan.

Jacksonville Division

Cody Mack McCormick (35)

Possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

0

Thelonious Wayne Kirby (51)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 10 years

1

Kristopher Justinboyer Ervin (43)

 

Matthew Raymond Hoover (39)

Conspiracy to transfer unregistered machinegun conversion devices.

Maximum prison term (Ervin): 110 years

Maximum prison term (Hoover): 45 years

0

Dylan Milton Jarvis (31)

Unlawful possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act firearm (sawed-off shotgun).

Maximum prison term:10 years

1

Dr. Rakesh Verma (46)

Making false statement to federal firearms dealer.

Maximum prison term: 5 years

0

Paul Steven Hulbert (27)

Unlawful possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act firearm (sawed-off shotgun).

Maximum prison term: 10 years

7

Byron Jones, Jr. (34)

Making false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer during the attempted purchase of two firearms.

Maximum prison term: 5 years

0

These PSN cases from the Jacksonville Division are being handled by AUSAs Michael J. Coolican, Frank Talbot, Laura Cofer Taylor, David B. Mesrobian, and Kevin C. Frein.

Ocala Division

Wayne Allen Phillips, Jr. (45)

Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

Minimum mandatory prison term:

15 years, up to life imprisonment

1

David Robinson, Jr. (24)

Possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act firearm.

Maximum prison term: 10 years

1

Luis Alicea (29)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Minimum mandatory prison term:

15 years, up to life imprisonment

1

Brandon Jamal Alex Grant (22)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

1

These PSN cases from the Ocala Division are being handled by AUSAs William S. Hamilton and Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

Orlando Division

Bernard Rogers (35)

Hobbs Act robbery (2 counts).

Maximum prison term: 20 years per count

Bank robbery.

Maximum prison term: 20 years

Brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence (2 counts).

Minimum mandatory prison term: 7 years, up to life imprisonment per count

1

Michael Jerome Virgil (28)

Bank robbery.

Maximum prison term: 20 years

Brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

 Minimum mandatory prison term: 7 years, up to life imprisonment

1

Rany Jonathan Parrales (35)

Making a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer during the purchase of a firearm.

Maximum prison term:10 years

7

Robert J. Potocnack (48)

Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine

Minimum mandatory prison term:  10 years, up to life imprisonment.

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.

Minimum mandatory prison term:

5 years consecutive, up to life imprisonment.

2

Alvarez Caprio Cosby (25)

Desmond Nyshon Smith (18)

Possession of firearm as a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

3

Leo Lamar Massey, III (47)

Possession of a firearm and ammunition by convicted felon.

Maximum prison term:10 years

1

DaMarris Saint-Juste (20)

Marcus Ellington (21)

Hobbs Act robbery (2 counts).

Maximum prison term: 20 years

Brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence (2 counts).

Minimum mandatory prison term: 7 years, up to life imprisonment

0

These PSN cases from the Orlando Division are being handled by AUSAs Dana Hill, Megan Testerman, Terry Livanos, and Ranganath Manthripragada.

Tampa Division

James John Hall (34)

Unlawfully making a firearm (destructive device).

Maximum prison term: 10 years

1

Toney Dewayne Salter (31)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Minimum mandatory prison term: 15 years, up to life imprisonment

1

John Charles Anderson (39)

Bank robbery.

Maximum prison term: 25 years

1

Armani Dilworth (28)

 

 

 

Possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute.

Maximum prison term: 20 years

Possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.

Minimum mandatory prison term: 5 years, up to life imprisonment

0

Lemar Cowart (27)

Possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute.

Maximum prison term: 20 years

Eugene Washington, Jr. (36)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

Possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.

Maximum prison term: 40 years

0

Kranston Algeno Rolle (33)

Firearms trafficking.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

2

Terrance Thompson (42)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maximum prison term: 15 years

1

These PSN cases from the Tampa Division are being handled by AUSAs Samantha Newman, Daniel J. Marcet, Risha Asokan, David Sullivan, Samantha Beckman, and David W.A. Chee.

 

Sentenced Cases

Defendant(s)

(Age)

Charges

Sentence Imposed

Firearms Seized

Fort Myers Division

Terry Kristopher Flournoy (23)

Possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 2 years, 6 months

1

Clayton Mack Rhodes (45)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 7 years, 6 months

1

Jontavius Jarquel Griffin (34)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 5 years,10 months

1

Doumy Joseph (27)

Possession with the intent to distribute controlled substance and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 6 years, 9 months

2

Alphonso Lataurean James (29)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 7 years, 8 months

1

Alex Winters (44)

Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Sentence imposed: 40 years

1

These PSN cases from the Fort Myers Division were handled by AUSAs Mark Morgan, Simon R. Eth, and Trent Reichling.

Jacksonville Division

Terry Lenard Shipman (48)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 5 years,5 months

1

Cory Lee Kelly (35)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 4 years, 9 months

2

Leonard M. Green (51)

Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 15 years

1

Ronald Bernard Thomas, Jr.

Selling methamphetamine while armed with two pistols.

Sentence imposed: 20 years

2

Sabastian Amrine (20)

Brandon Bayne (25)

Five armed robberies of convenience stores.

Sentence imposed (Amrine): 16 years, 8 months

Sentence imposed (Bayne): 10 years

1

Johnny Deangelo White (46)

Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and the use of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.

Sentence imposed: 8 years, 4 months

1

These PSN cases from the Jacksonville Division were handled by AUSAs John Cannizzaro, Michael Coolican, Kirwinn Mike, and Laura Cofer Taylor.

Ocala Division

Timothy Eric Evans (41)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 15 years

1

Nishera Remon Johnson (42)

Conspiracy to distribute narcotics and possession of a firearm as an Armed Career Criminal.

Sentence imposed: 16 years, 8 months

1

Christopher Richard Munroe (55)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 4 years, 9 months

1

Justin Heath Griffin (34)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 15 months

1

These PSN cases from the Ocala Division were handled by AUSAs Hanna Nowalk, William S. Hamilton, and Belkis H. Crockett.

Orlando Division

Wendell Harp (24)

Carlos Tawan Reed, Jr. (23)

Deontrae Walden (23)

Bank burglary and bank theft in connection with the destruction of an ATM.

Sentence imposed (Harp): 2 years, 6 months

Sentence imposed (Reed): 4 years, 3 months

Awaiting sentence (Walden)

0

Nacoe Ray Brown (54)

Bank robbery and violating the terms of his supervised release.

Sentence imposed: 10 years

1

Ramondo Zavious Williams (42)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.

Sentence imposed: 6 years

1

Darrius Jaques Garrett (33)

Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 7 years, 6 months

1

Curtis Tyrone Johnson (35)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute various controlled substances.

Sentence imposed: 15 years

1

Jesus Rojas (21)

Tarick Charles (22)

Conspiracy to rob a postal carrier (Rojas and Charles); armed postal robbery (Rojas) and theft of arrow key and receipt of stolen property (Charles)

Sentence imposed (Rojas): 7 years, 3 months

Pending sentencing (Charles)

0

Elsie Marie Crespo (27)

Possession with intent to distribute controlled substances (3 counts); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Sentence imposed: 15 years

1

These PSN cases from the Orlando Division were handled by AUSAs Michael Felicetta, Sarah Megan Testerman and Shannon Laurie, Courtney D. Richardson-Jones, Beatriz Gonzalez, and Kara Wick.

Tampa Division

Enrique Marquez (26)

Hobbs Act robberies, conspiracy to commit those robberies, and brandishing a firearm during the commission of the robberies.

Sentence imposed: 17 years, 11 months

1

Jesus Rivas (29)

Unlawful possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 8 years, 4 months

0

Niko Wimbley (30)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 5 years

1

Christian Joel Andujar Rivera (25)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 4 years, 4 months

1

Patraic Setzer (29)

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 3 years, 5 months

1

Christopher Alvarez (19)

Dyonnie Alvarez (22)

Hobbs Act robberies, conspiracy to commit those robberies, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence during the commission of the robberies

Sentence imposed (C. Alvarez): 15 years

Sentence imposed (D. Alvarez): 15 years

1

Jamaal Black (21)

Armed robberies and discharging a firearm during one of the robberies.

Sentence imposed: 15 years

1

Micheal Hankerson (31)

Possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed 6 years

1

Raequan M. Nelson (24)

Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 5 years

0

Corey Small (44)

Interfering with commerce by robbery, using and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, conspiring to distribute cocaine, possessing a firearm by a convicted felon, and possessing, brandishing, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, causing death by murder.

Sentence imposed: 25 years

0

Dempsey Gilmore (32)

Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana, possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana, carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sentence imposed: 30 years

1

Jamel Middleton (27)

Possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Sentence imposed: 15 years and 8 months

5

Deshawn Martin (26)

Hobbs Act robbery.

Sentence imposed: 20 years

0

These PSN cases from the Tampa Division were handled by AUSAs Samantha Newman, Charlie Connally, David W. A. Chee, Shauna Hale, Michael Sinacore, Michael Kenneth, Charlie Connally, and Samantha Beckman

 

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Andrew Thomas Bull (35, Tolland, Connecticut), formerly known as Andrew Thomas Picard, with the attempted production and distribution of child sex abuse materials. If convicted, Bull faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years, up to 170 years, in federal prison and a lifetime term of supervised release. On July 7, 2023, Bull was arraigned in Jacksonville and ordered detained pending his trial. 

Bull is a registered sex offender, having been convicted in Connecticut in 2013 of importation and illegal possession of child pornography. On May 25, 2023, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Bull’s home in Connecticut and Bull was arrested and later transported to Jacksonville for prosecution.

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

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

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

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Wyatt Olen Henderson (64, Cape Coral) today pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Henderson faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, on May 12, 2023, deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office encountered Henderson on the campus of a Lee County school openly carrying a loaded firearm holstered to his hip. Henderson, a convicted felon who had previously served time in federal prison, was an employee of the school at the time. As a convicted felon, Henderson is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.     

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

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Basilio Amaury Bron, Jr. (43, Cape Coral) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Bron faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, on March 12, 2022, at around 5:00 p.m., Bron was driving carelessly and more than 100 miles per hour northbound on Interstate 75 near the Laurel Road exit. A deputy from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office stopped Bron’s vehicle for speeding. The deputy conducted a background check which revealed that Bron was a convicted felon on federal supervised release. During the traffic stop, the odor of marijuana emanated from Bron’s vehicle, and two 20-inch tactical swords were visible near the driver’s seat and the driver’s door. Bron also admitted to having a firearm in the vehicle. The deputy located a SCCY CPX-1 9mm pistol, loaded with seven rounds of ammunition, inside the vehicle’s center console and a bag containing 4 grams of marijuana. The deputy also recovered a pair of nunchucks from the driver’s seat pocket. Bron later admitted to ATF agents that he had possessed the firearm, handled it multiple times, and sold marijuana.

In 2016, Bron was sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

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

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A Chee and Michael Kenneth.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell today sentenced Rafael Jose Gonzalez Alomar (39, Tampa) to seven years and three months in federal prison for possessing over 500 grams of cocaine with the intent to distribute it. Gonzalez Alomar had pleaded guilty on March 28, 2023.

According to court documents, in February 2022, officers conducted a series of controlled purchases of cocaine from Gonzalez Alomar at his Tampa home. On March 14, 2022, officers executed a search warrant at Gonzalez Alomar’s home and seized more than two kilograms of cocaine, two firearms, and $93,842 in cash.  Alomar Gonzalez admitted that the items belonged to him.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charlie D. Connally.

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

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Karl Knocker has pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to provide information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as required by law relating to his income tax liability. Knocker faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement and information presented at the plea hearing, Knocker owned and managed a restaurant in Sarasota. Beginning at least as early as August 2013, Knocker and his partner and co-owner of the restaurant, Madeline Nikolson, instituted a scheme to defraud the IRS by removing the records of daily cash sales from point-of-sale registers at the restaurant, leaving the record to consist only of credit card sales. The owners kept the true record of their sales and income secret and did not disclose it to the IRS, as required by the Internal Revenue Code and regulations. The two restaurant owners provided this falsified record of sales income to tax preparers who prepared both their personal income tax returns and their corporate tax returns for tax years 2016, 2017, and 2018. As a result, they falsified and removed any reference to approximately $726,105 in sales income from their corporate and personal tax returns for those tax years, resulting in over $100,000 of taxes due and owing on those sums of unreported income.

Nikolson previously pleaded guilty for her role in this case.  Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 1, 2023.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia Covington has sentenced William Douglas Collinsworth (54, Cape Coral) to 14 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. The court also ordered Collinsworth to serve a lifetime of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and forfeit his cellphone which was used in the commission of the offense. Collinsworth had pleaded guilty on March 8, 2023.

According to court documents, Collinsworth spoke with an undercover agent believing he was going to meet a purported 10-year-old to engage in sexual activity. Collinsworth engaged the undercover agent in conversation for approximately two months, discussing various sex acts, before traveling to meet the purported minor, where he was arrested by agents. Collinsworth came prepared to engage in sex acts with the purported 10-year-old, bringing a unicorn backpack, penis pump, lubrication, and condoms.

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Tampa Police Department, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa Spergel.

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

A Florida man pleaded guilty yesterday to two federal hate crimes for attacking two Black women with a gun.

According to the plea agreement, using force or a threat of force, Frederick Eugene Pierallini III, 27, willfully intimidated the victims and interfered with their enjoyment of federally protected activities because of their race and color. Victim 1 was enjoying her private employment, and Victim 2 was enjoying a facility provided by the state of Florida.

Specifically, on Sept. 10, 2022, Pierallini went to Daily’s Place, a convenience store, located at 620 Chaffee Road South in Jacksonville, Florida. Victim 1 was working there as a clerk at the register. Pierallini attempted to buy snacks at the register, but his card was declined. He then attempted to walk out of the store with unpaid merchandise. Pierallini ultimately returned, scolding Victim 1 for not knowing how to do her job and directing racial slurs at her. Pierallini left the store, retrieved a shotgun from his car, pointed it at Victim 1 and cocked it by pulling the slide back to open the chamber and load a bullet into it. Victim 1 ran away in fear. Pierallini used racial slurs throughout the encounter.

Two days later, on Sept. 12, 2022, Pierallini approached Victim 2 as she was sitting in her walker on the public sidewalk near 1571 University Boulevard West. He directed racial slurs at her and told her that she could not sit where she was. Pierallini also threatened to kill Victim 2. He then left, returned with a shotgun and fired a single shot.

“The defendant is being held accountable for targeting two Black women with a gun on two separate days because of their race and because they were engaging in federally protected activities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Racially motivated threats and acts of violence have no place in our society today. The Justice Department stands ready to investigate and prosecute individuals who target Black people with threats and acts of violence.”

“The defendant in this case committed a vile assault on two women with a dangerous weapon because of their race,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “These actions were repugnant and endangered the women’s and the public’s safety. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to counter crimes like these with the full force of the law.”

“Investigating these acts and seeking justice remains a top priority for the FBI and our partners because hate crimes are not only an attack on the victim – they are meant to threaten and intimidate an entire community,” said Special Agent in Charge Sherri E. Onks of the FBI Jacksonville Field Office. “There is no place for hate and racism, and no one should ever fear they could be targeted in an act of violence based on how they look, where they’re from or any part of their identity. The team at FBI Jacksonville is proud to work alongside our partners at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to protect all members of this community.”

A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. For each count, Pierallini faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, three years of mandatory supervised release and a fine up to $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Handberg and Special Agent in Charge Onks made the announcement.

The FBI Jacksonville Field Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Washington for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Anna Gotfryd of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.

A Florida man pleaded guilty yesterday to two federal hate crimes for attacking two Black women with a gun.

According to the plea agreement, using force or a threat of force, Frederick Eugene Pierallini III, 27, willfully intimidated the victims and interfered with their enjoyment of federally protected activities because of their race and color. Victim 1 was enjoying her private employment, and Victim 2 was enjoying a facility provided by the state of Florida.

Specifically, on Sept. 10, 2022, Pierallini went to Daily’s Place, a convenience store, located at 620 Chaffee Road South in Jacksonville, Florida. Victim 1 was working there as a clerk at the register. Pierallini attempted to buy snacks at the register, but his card was declined. He then attempted to walk out of the store with unpaid merchandise. Pierallini ultimately returned, scolding Victim 1 for not knowing how to do her job and directing racial slurs at her. Pierallini left the store, retrieved a shotgun from his car, pointed it at Victim 1 and cocked it by pulling the slide back to open the chamber and load a bullet into it. Victim 1 ran away in fear. Pierallini used racial slurs throughout the encounter.

Two days later, on Sept. 12, 2022, Pierallini approached Victim 2 as she was sitting in her walker on the public sidewalk near 1571 University Boulevard West. He directed racial slurs at her and told her that she could not sit where she was. Pierallini also threatened to kill Victim 2. He then left, returned with a shotgun and fired a single shot.

“The defendant is being held accountable for targeting two Black women with a gun on two separate days because of their race and because they were engaging in federally protected activities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Racially motivated threats and acts of violence have no place in our society today. The Justice Department stands ready to investigate and prosecute individuals who target Black people with threats and acts of violence.”

“The defendant in this case committed a vile assault on two women with a dangerous weapon because of their race,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “These actions were repugnant and endangered the women’s and the public’s safety. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to counter crimes like these with the full force of the law.”

“Investigating these acts and seeking justice remains a top priority for the FBI and our partners because hate crimes are not only an attack on the victim – they are meant to threaten and intimidate an entire community,” said Special Agent in Charge Sherri E. Onks of the FBI Jacksonville Field Office. “There is no place for hate and racism, and no one should ever fear they could be targeted in an act of violence based on how they look, where they’re from or any part of their identity. The team at FBI Jacksonville is proud to work alongside our partners at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to protect all members of this community.”

A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. For each count, Pierallini faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, three years of mandatory supervised release and a fine up to $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Handberg and Special Agent in Charge Onks made the announcement.

The FBI Jacksonville Field Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Washington for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Anna Gotfryd of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.