Middle District of Florida

Orlando, FL - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Robert J. Potocnack (42, St. Cloud) has pleaded guilty to one count of possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. He faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison for the drug possession offense, and a consecutive minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years, up to life, in federal prison for the firearm offense. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for August 9, 2023.

According to the plea agreement, in November 2022, Potocnack sold 224 grams of methamphetamine and a firearm to an undercover detective from the St. Cloud Police Department.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. Cloud Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Terry B. Livanos.

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 Madeline Nikolson has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to impede and impair the ability of the Internal Revenue (“IRS”) to ascertain and collect personal and corporate income tax revenue. Nikolson faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement and information presented at the plea hearing, Nikolson owned and managed a restaurant in Sarasota. Beginning at least as early as August 2013, she and her partner and co-owner of the restaurant instituted a scheme to defraud the IRS by removing the records of daily cash sales from the point-of-sale registers at the restaurant, leaving the record to consist only of credit card sales. The owners used this falsified record of sales income to submit 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.

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

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Al Clint LaRoche (43, Palm Beach County) to two years in federal prison for bank fraud. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $1,078,652.50, which were the proceeds of the bank fraud. LaRoche had pleaded guilty on January 30, 2023.

According to court documents, between April 2020 and April 2021, LaRoche submitted false and fraudulent First Draw and Second Draw Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications to a financial institution through a financial services and technology company based in Naples for his business – Bornwild, LLC. The loan applications contained numerous false representations and certifications, including Bornwild’s average monthly payroll, number of employees, and that the loan funds would be used for authorized purposes. 

To qualify for each PPP loan and in support of his fraudulent loan applications, LaRoche submitted fake and fictitious quarterly federal tax returns (IRS Form 941s) for Bornwild that contained false representations about the business’s quarterly payroll expenses. LaRoche’s false and fraudulent representations caused the PPP lender to approve and fund a First Draw and Second Draw PPP loan, resulting in the deposit of approximately $1,078,652 into bank accounts LaRoche controlled. LaRoche then used the funds for unauthorized purposes and for his own personal enrichment, including the purchase of a Mercedes Benz SUV, jewelry, hotel and travel stays, various retail purchases, and more than $350,000 in cash withdrawals. 

This case was investigated by the FBI. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Trent Reichling.

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 via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Curtis Tyrone Johnson (35, Melbourne) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing with the intent to distribute various controlled substances. The court also ordered Johnson to forfeit a Glock .40 caliber pistol and ammunition traceable to the offense. A federal jury had found Johnson guilty on February 8, 2023.

According to evidence presented at trial, on March 25, 2022, the Melbourne Police Department and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, along with members of the DEA and FBI, were executing search warrants at two residences on Williams Street in Melbourne. While law enforcement moved in to set a perimeter, Johnson came jogging down the side of a residence holding a black bag. Upon making eye contact with law enforcement, Johnson took off running through backyards on Ryoland Street. Agents who followed Johnson observed him holding the black bag and a firearm. Johnson was given commands to put his hands in the air but instead threw the bag and firearm over a fence into a church parking lot. Both items were recovered. The firearm was determined to be a Glock .40 caliber pistol, loaded with 16 rounds of Winchester ammunition. The bag contained approximately 181 grams of methamphetamine, 35 grams of crack cocaine, 15 grams of fluorofentanyl, and 194 grams of N, N-Dimethylpentylone, a drug similar to MDMA.     

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Melbourne Police Department, and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Beatriz Gonzalez and Sarah Megan Testerman.

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 – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Doumy Joseph (27, Fort Myers) to six years and nine months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. The court also ordered Joseph to forfeit the firearms and ammunition he illegally possessed. Joseph had pleaded guilty on September 22, 2022.

According to court documents, law enforcement stopped Joseph’s vehicle after discovering there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Before Joseph’s vehicle was towed, law enforcement conducted an inventory search of the vehicle. During the inventory search, a brown fast-food bag containing four circular crack cocaine cookies, weighing approximately 69.4 grams total, was found on the front passenger seat. A loaded Glock 9mm firearm was located in the vehicle’s center console. Law enforcement also searched the trunk of the vehicle and found a Smith & Wesson MP15 rifle, as well as assorted ammunition. Joseph admitted to purchasing the firearms found in his vehicle.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Trent Reichling.

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 out 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 first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. 

Fort Myers, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Javonte Keyon Whitfield (25, Fort Myers) guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a previously convicted felon. Whitfield faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. His sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Whitfield had been indicted on February 9, 2022. 

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, shortly before 1:30 A.M. on May 14, 2021, officers from the Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD) were alerted to multiple gunshots near the intersection of Linhart Avenue and Evans Avenue in Fort Myers. While investigating the origin of the gunfire, the officers spoke with an occupant of a duplex on Evans Avenue, who denied hearing any gunshots and claimed that he was alone in the residence with his three young children. Shortly thereafter, in direct contradiction to what he just told officers, six adult males—including Whitfield—and three young children exited the residence. Officers observed that one of the men was suffering from a gunshot wound, and EMS was summoned. When the residence was later searched, FMPD personnel located seven unsecured firearms, dozens of rounds of ammunition, and cocaine. From under the bed in one of the two bedrooms of the residence, FMPD recovered a loaded NORINCO SKS rifle equipped with a high-capacity magazine. Subsequent forensic analysis of that firearm determined that a latent fingerprint lifted from the metallic bayonet of the rifle belonged to Whitfield, a previously convicted felon who had been released from prison less than five months earlier. As a previously convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

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 Attorneys Simon R. Eth 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.

Tampa, FL - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Hector Caballero (70, Venezuela) guilty of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, as well as possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Caballero faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for July 21, 2023. Caballero and three others were indicted on November 30, 2022.

According to testimony presented at trial, a maritime patrol aircraft spotted a panga-style “go-fast vessel” in the Caribbean Sea, about 100 miles north of the nearest point of land in Colombia. The vessel was suspected of drug smuggling because it had several fuel barrels and a tarp covering the deck, had no registration numbers on the hull and was flying no flag, was operating at a high rate of speed, and was sailing in a location where maritime drug smuggling by similar vessels is common. A U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) helicopter and a USCG Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) were deployed from HNLMS Holland, a Dutch naval vessel patrolling in the area, to intercept the suspicious vessel. The helicopter and its crew were from the USCG Helicopter Interdiction Squadron (“HITRON”) unit based in Jacksonville and the LEDET boarding team was from the USCG Tactical Law Enforcement Team South (“TACLET South”) based in Opa-Locka. 

The helicopter arrived on scene first and signaled the go-fast vessel to stop. The vessel continued at a high rate of speed, even after the helicopter deployed warning shots in front of the vessel. Ultimately, the helicopter successfully deployed disabling fire to the go-fast vessel’s two outboard engines, and the small boats from the Holland with the USCG LEDET boarding team arrived at the vessel. 

The boarding team found Caballero and three others onboard. The USCG determined the vessel to be without nationality, and therefore subject to U.S. jurisdiction. A search of the vessel revealed over 700 kilograms of cocaine, worth approximately $21 million, hidden under the fuel barrels and tarp on the vessel. The three others onboard previously pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing. Photos of the law enforcement boarding and cocaine below:

This case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and the Panama Express Strike Force, a standing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force comprised of agents and analysts from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. 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.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Pardo and Special Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Krebs.

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Raequan M. Nelson (24, Tampa) to five years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Nelson to forfeit the firearm and ammunition. Nelson had pleaded guilty on September 26, 2022.

According to court documents, on February 13, 2022, Nelson had two warrants for his arrest in Hillsborough County. Officers from the Tampa Police Department located Nelson in Tampa. When Nelson entered his car, the officers executed a “box-in” to stop Nelson from leaving the scene. Nelson responded by trying to flee. Once detained, law enforcement removed a loaded Glock 9mm pistol from Nelson’s right front pocket. At the time, Nelson had multiple prior felony convictions and is therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael R. Kenneth. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne C. Nebesky.

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 – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Milton Anthony Bradshaw (43, Tampa) with possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. If convicted, Bradshaw faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Bradshaw that the United States intends to forfeit the firearm and ammunition traceable to the offense.

According to the indictment, on September 20, 2022, Bradshaw was in possession of a firearm and ammunition. At the time of the incident, Bradshaw had four previous felony convictions for delivery of cocaine. As a previously convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

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

This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael R. Kenneth. The forfeiture will be handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.

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 – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Johnny Fior (48, Cape Coral) to 46 months in federal prison for wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $1,404,169.74, which were the proceeds of the wire fraud and illegal monetary transaction offenses. Fior had pleaded guilty on January 18, 2023.

According to court documents, Fior committed the fraud by engaging in two different fraud schemes. With the first scheme, Fior convinced two individuals, by false and fraudulent pretenses, to serve as private investors/lenders for short-term balloon loans that were secured by mortgages on real properties in Lee County. To accomplish the scheme and give the investors the impression that their funded loans were secured by real property, Fior fraudulently filed fictitious mortgage deeds, promissory notes, and mortgage satisfactions. Additionally, Fior provided the investors interest-only payments to further delay repayment of the loans and requested loan repayment extensions to further prolong the scheme. Fior diverted the investors’ funds for his own personal use and none of the funds were used for their intended purpose.

In the second scheme, Fior, in his role as a real estate closing agent, diverted funds intended to be used to pay off property sellers’ existing mortgages to himself during real estate closings. In furtherance of the scheme, Fior created and caused the creation of real estate settlement statements that falsely represented a seller’s mortgage was repaid during the real estate closing process. Additionally, Fior created fake and fictitious bank statements, lender correspondence, wire transfer records, cashier’s checks, deposit records, and shipment records that fraudulently represented a seller’s mortgage had been paid or that the mortgage pay-off funds were submitted. As a result of the second scheme, two separate title insurance companies suffered a total loss of approximately $977,330.23.  

This case was investigated by the FBI. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Trent Reichling.

Tampa, FL - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Jason Washington (42, St. Petersburg) with three counts of distribution of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute it, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted, Washington faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each of the controlled substance charges and up to 15 years on the firearm charge.

According to court documents, on several dates throughout February and March 2023, Washington sold cocaine to a confidential informant working with law enforcement. On April 13, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence where the sales had taken place and found six firearms in the room in which Washington was located, including an AR-15 type semiautomatic pistol and an AK-47 type semi-automatic pistol. The indictment further alleges that Washington has prior felony convictions.

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

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It will be 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.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton has sentenced sixteen individuals for their respective roles in a multi-kilogram cocaine and fentanyl distribution operation dubbed “Operation Titan Fall.” Each of the defendants charged in the case pleaded guilty and were sentenced on the dates set forth below:

Name

Drugs, Drug Quantities, Other Charges

Date of Plea

Sentencing Date

Sentence Imposed 

Alexander Acosta-Zapata

5 kilograms cocaine; 400 grams fentanyl

12/13/22

 4/10/23

16 years

Frank Cadiz

5 kilograms cocaine

12/14/22

3/20/23

10 years, 1 month

Adal Antonio Navas-Feliciano

400 grams fentanyl

1/18/23

4/10/23

15 years

Jonathan Andres Marte-Rodriguez

5 kilograms cocaine

2/8/23

5/8/23

10 years

Juan Felipe Sanchez

40 grams fentanyl

2/7/22

4/24/23

4 years, 3 months

Nimesh Rashmikant Patel

500 grams cocaine

2/9/23

5/1/23

4 years, 6 months

Joseph Juan Torres-Torres

500 grams cocaine

9/7/22

12/21/22

5 years

Gabriel Isaac Irizarry-Aponte

500 grams cocaine

2/10/23

5/1/23

2 years

Jacob Nelson

500 grams cocaine

1/25/23

4/17/23

7 years

Carlos Alberto Roman

cocaine, firearm w/silencer possessed in furtherance of drug offense

12/6/22

3/14/23

40 years

James Richard Howell

cocaine, fentanyl

12/5/22

3/14/23

4 years, 9 months

Joely Manuel Burgos

40 grams fentanyl

12/28/22

3/13/23

4 years, 3 months

Kenneth Angel Vera

cocaine

12/6/22

3/14/23

2 years, 3 months

James Mirabal

5 kilograms cocaine

12/27/23

3/20/23

15 years

Jonathan Beharry

5 kilograms cocaine

11/29/22

2/13/23

9 years

Vilnarie Figueroa-Matos

5 kilograms cocaine

1/30/23

4/17/23

1 year, 6 months

According to the plea agreements and other court documents, during the course of this investigation, the DEA seized approximately 110 kilograms of cocaine and multiple kilograms of fentanyl through the mail, traffic stops, and search warrants. A search warrant executed on Carlos Alberto Roman’s home on August 9, 2022, yielded 19 firearms, 6 silencers, 3 flash-bang grenades, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Mirabal and his conspirators were linked to a seizure of 50 kilograms of cocaine in April 2022, and the seizure of 20 kilograms of cocaine seized in Beharry’s apartment in the Baldwin Park area in October 2022. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Winter Garden Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Kissimmee Police Department, the Winter Park Police Department, the Clermont Police Department, the Orlando Police Department, the Apopka Police Department, the Ocoee Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.

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

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging nine individuals with a drug trafficking conspiracy and other charges as a result of a joint investigation dubbed “Operation Ice Man.” According to the indictment and court documents, since early 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the DeLand Police Department, and the Daytona Police Department have been involved in an investigation into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that was transporting methamphetamine and cocaine from Phoenix, Arizona and Los Angeles, California to central Florida.

See chart below for details on the defendants and charges. One additional defendant remains unnamed pending their arrest.

Name

Crimes

Potential Penalties

Luis Miguel Hernandez (36, Phoenix, AZ)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Saul Sandoval

(39, Phoenix, AZ)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Tyrone James Jones

(55, Palm Coast, FL)

Drug trafficking conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Zara Adriana Mascarella (20, Palm Coast, FL)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Jimmie Lee Bizzell

(53, Green Cove Springs, FL)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison

Alfred Lamar Shavers

(48, Bunnell, FL)

Drug trafficking conspiracy and possession of firearms by a convicted felon

Maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and mandatory minimum of 15 years up to life in prison

Camarie Dontre Shavers (23, Bunnell, FL)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 5 years up to 40 years in prison

Alfred Lamar Shavers, Jr.

(26, Bunnell, FL)

Drug trafficking conspiracy

Mandatory minimum of 5 years up to 40 years in prison

During the investigation, federal agents and task force officers identified several members of the conspiracy and the methods used by the DTO to ship methamphetamine and cocaine from Mexico across the United States to central Florida using commercial trucks. Law enforcement tracked the drugs from Phoenix and Los Angeles gathering vital intelligence on the DTO. Bizzell was one of the commercial truck drivers who transported the drugs from Phoenix to Florida.

On October 31, 2022, search warrants were executed at six locations in Palm Coast, Bunnell, and Daytona Beach. As a result, 44.54 kilograms of methamphetamine and 2.72 kilograms of cocaine were seized. In addition, nine guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were seized from a location where Alfred Shavers resided. Jones, Mascarella, Alfred Shavers, Alfred Shavers, Jr., and Camarie Shavers, were all identified as drug distributers in central Florida.

Upon further investigation, law enforcement determined that Sandoval and Hernandez were the sources of the methamphetamine and cocaine from Phoenix and Los Angeles. Agents learned that Sandoval and Hernandez had brokered deals with co-conspirators in Mexico who were sending drugs across the border for Sandoval and Hernandez to sell. Law enforcement also discovered that Sandoval possessed multiple illegal firearms at his residence including fully automatic firearms, short-barrel firearms, and auto switches designed to be installed on Glock handgun slides to render the handguns fully automatic. Authorities believe that since 2021, Sandoval and Hernandez distributed more than 300 kilograms of drugs that were shipped to central Florida.

On April 25, 2023, Sandoval was arrested in Phoenix and a search warrant was executed at his residence. Inside his home, agents located 1,114 grams of fentanyl pills, 18 firearms, 4 firearm suppressors, and more than $5,000 in cash. Sandoval was detained and is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transport to the Middle District of Florida for further proceedings. Hernandez was arrested in Los Angeles on the same day. He was in the middle of conducting a new drug trafficking deal for approximately 36 kilograms of methamphetamine at the time of his arrest. Hernandez was also detained and placed in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending his transport to the Middle District of Florida.

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

The indictment also notifies Alfred Lamar Shavers that the United States intends to forfeit four pistols, two rifles, and one shotgun which are alleged to be traceable to the offense.

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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, and the Volusia Bureau of Investigation which includes the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the Daytona Beach Police Department, and the DeLand Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney AUSA John M. Gardella.

 

Download Superseding Indictment

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard today sentenced Gregory James White (45, Jacksonville) to 13 years and 9 months in federal prison for attempted coercion or enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. The Court also ordered White to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. He also forfeited a cellphone that had been used in the commission of the offense. White had pleaded guilty on November 17, 2022.

According to court documents, in 2021, White spent more than three weeks communicating with an undercover agent, who was posing as a 14-year-old girl, over a social media platform and via text message. During these conversations, White engaged the fictitious child in sexual conversations and requested that the child send him explicit sexual images. On June 25, 2021, White traveled to a residence in Jacksonville for the purpose of committing a sexual battery on the child and was subsequently arrested.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David B. Mesrobian. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.

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

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has sentenced Oscar Adriano Quintero Rengifo, a/k/a “Guatala,” (35, Colombia) to 20 years and 10 months in federal prison for smuggling cocaine into the United States of America. Referred to in the Colombian media as the “Prince of Semi-Submersibles,” Quintero Rengifo was arrested in Colombia at the request of the United States on January 29, 2021, and extradited to the United States on January 26, 2022. He pleaded guilty on May 20, 2022.

According to the plea agreement filed in this case, Quintero Rengifo was part of a transnational criminal organization that smuggled cocaine from South America to Central America for ultimate importation into the United States. The organization primarily sent vessels such as self-propelled semi-submersible vessels to Guatemala, where the cocaine was then smuggled over the Guatemala/Mexican border and then into the United States. A former mayor in Guatemala, who controlled drug routes in northern Guatemala into Mexico, oversaw the smuggling of cocaine to Mexican cartel members. Quintero Rengifo progressed within the group, from organizing smuggling operations, to ultimately investing in shipments and securing investors.

From at least as early as January 2015 through September 2019, the U.S. Coast Guard interdicted at least four vessels, including two semi-submersible vessels, directly linked to the defendant’s organization, and involving more than 13,000 kilograms of cocaine.

This case was investigated by the Panama Express Strike Force, a standing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) comprised of agents and analysts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, and the U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS) Judicial Attachés in Bogotá, Colombia substantially assisted in in securing the arrest and extradition of the defendant to the United States. The Government of Colombia and the Colombian Office of the Attorney General provided significant assistance and support. 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. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg, announces that Moad Mohamed Benkabbou (23, Kissimmee) has pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements to a federal agency. He faces a maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

On August 9, 2022, FBI agents interviewed Benkabbou and asked him several questions relating to a terrorism investigation. When asked if he ever talked about ISIS with a person known to FBI, Benkabbou falsely answered “No, I didn’t.” Benkabbou was asked if he ever made plans to travel overseas to join ISIS. Again, he falsely stated, “No, I didn’t.”

According to the plea agreement and evidence admitted during a detention hearing, Benkabbou swore an oath to support ISIS in January 2020, made plans to travel to Turkey and Syria to fight for ISIS, sent money to support ISIS, purchased airplane tickets for travel to Turkey in August 2020 and January 2021 (later canceling both tickets), and sent ISIS propaganda videos to others, including ISIS-sponsored videos showing the executions (by gunshot and beheading) of American allies fighting against ISIS. Benkabbou also sent a picture of himself dressed as an ISIS fighter with the statement, “Hey Crusaders hey Jews die within your rage.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn P. Napier.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Micheal Hankerson (31, Poinciana) to six years in federal prison for possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. As part of his sentence, the court also ordered Hankerson to forfeit firearms and ammunition. Hankerson had been found guilty on December 3, 2022.

According to court documents, in May 2022, investigators developed information that a known member of the Fruit Town Brims gang, who had been wanted on felony warrants from Alachua County for more than a month, was living in Hankerson’s residence in Poinciana. Hankerson was known to be a high-ranking member of the Fruit Town Brims gang.

On May 10, 2022, the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force entered the residence to arrest the fugitive. As they searched the house for the fugitive, they spotted a firearm with an attached large drum magazine in plain view in the master bedroom. Hankerson, who had previously been convicted of robbery and served a five-year prison sentence, is prohibited from possessing a firearm. The task force officers informed agents from the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) of their observations.

After obtaining a warrant to search Hankerson’s residence, FDLE investigators searched the house and found multiple firearms and various types of ammunition. The firearm that had been seen in the master bedroom, a CZ Scorpion Evo 3 semi-automatic with a 50-round drum magazine attached, was loaded with 50 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

Investigators also recovered parts of a disassembled AR-15 style pistol in the house. When assembled, the pistol—which had been painted and its serial number obliterated—was functional and capable of firing .223 caliber ammunition. 97 rounds of ammunition were recovered during the search, including 9mm ammunition, .223 caliber ammunition, and 12-gauge shotgun shells.

Hankerson admitted to investigators that he was the highest-ranking member of the Brims gang in Florida. He also admitted that he had spray-painted the components to the AR-15 style firearm. He claimed that the CZ Scorpion firearm belonged to his girlfriend, who was not a convicted felon, but investigators obtained other evidence indicating Hankerson had acquired the firearm and was its true owner. 

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

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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, FL - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Troy Mitchell McGowan (25, Deltona) with three counts of distributing child sexual abuse images and videos over the internet, two counts of receiving child sexual abuse images and videos over the internet, and one count possession of child sexual abuse images and videos. If convicted, McGowan faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years, up to 20 years’ imprisonment, for each count of distributing and receiving child sexual abuse images and videos, and up to 20 years’ imprisonment for possessing child sex abuse images and videos.

According to court documents, McGowan used a particular chat application to download images and videos depicting children being sexually abused and distributed them over the internet. McGowan also distributed some of these materials to an undercover FBI agent.

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Terry B. Livanos.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mizelle today sentenced Omar Rochester Miller, Jr. (23, Tampa) and Christopher Diaz, aka “Chico,” (27, Tampa) for the armed robbery of a postal mail carrier. Specifically, Miller was sentenced to 9 years and 2 months in federal prison for armed robbery of a postal mail carrier, theft of postal keys, and brandishing a firearm during the commission of the robbery. Diaz was sentenced to 8 years in federal prison for armed robbery of a postal mail carrier and theft of postal keys. Diaz  had pleaded guilty on January 10, 2023. A federal jury found Miller guilty on January 25, 2023.

According to evidence presented at trial, Miller robbed a letter carrier at gunpoint while she was delivering mail at an apartment complex. Miller approached the letter carrier from behind, pointed a firearm at her, threatened to shoot her, and demanded her postal keys. After Miller stole the postal keys, he pushed the mail carrier to the ground and ran to a waiting getaway car, driven by Edwin Betancourt Vega. This robbery was organized through phone calls and text messages between Betancourt Vega and Diaz, to coordinate the robbery and sale of the postal keys in exchange for cash. Law enforcement recovered the postal keys, as well as proceeds from the sale of the key from both Miller and Betancourt Vega. They recovered the firearm used in the robbery, which contained Miller’s DNA.

Betancourt Vega was also charged for his role in the robbery as a getaway driver. He pleaded guilty to armed robbery of a postal mail carrier and theft of postal keys. On February 3, 2023, Betancourt Vega was sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.

“Employee safety is a top priority for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service,” said Juan Vargas, Inspector in Charge of the Miami Division. “These convictions and sentences demonstrate the commitment of the Inspection Service, as well as our partners at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, to bring justice to anyone who would endanger the public servants of the Postal Service.”

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ilyssa M. Spergel and Stacie B. Harris.

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that John Charles Anderson (39, Spring Hill) has pleaded guilty to bank robbery. Anderson faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court records, on January 14, 2022, Anderson entered the SunTrust Bank located at 12902 North Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa armed with a Crossman BB pistol, a dangerous weapon. Anderson brandished the BB pistol while demanding money from the teller. The pistol appeared to be a functioning handgun, which caused fear in the mind of the teller, who complied with Anderson’s demand and gave him $941 in cash from the cash drawer. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Beckman.

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 Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Jamaal Black (21, Riverview) to 15 years in federal prison for two armed robberies and discharging a firearm during one of the robberies. Black had pleaded guilty on January 26, 2023.

According to court documents, on January 30, 2021, Black entered a gas station in Riverview, pulled out a pistol with an extended magazine, aimed it at a clerk, and demanded money. Black attempted to go behind the counter when the clerk refused to give Black the money. Black engaged in an altercation with the clerk and shot the clerk in the arm during the struggle. The clerk fell to the ground. Black approached the clerk, aimed the firearm at the clerk, and repeated the demand for money. The clerk, bleeding profusely from the gunshot wound, complied. The clerk gave Black the contents of the cash register and Black escaped the gas station with $200.

Two months later, on March 14, 2021, Black committed another robbery. Black used a juvenile girl to arrange for a marijuana transaction. The girl went to a local drug dealer’s home under the guise of purchasing marijuana. Black approached the dealer when the dealer retrieved the marijuana for the sale. Black pressed a firearm to the drug dealer’s head and demanded the marijuana. The drug dealer threw the marijuana at Black and retreated back into the home.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives 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.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Joel Michael Phelan (48, Jacksonville) to 19 years and 7 months in federal prison, followed by a life term of supervised release, for distributing videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. The court also ordered Phelan to forfeit a cellphone and computers, which were used in the commission of the offense. Phelan had pleaded guilty on January 13, 2023.

According to court documents, the case began with an investigation by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO), which had executed a search warrant at Phelan’s residence in 2017, after receiving reports of the upload of files of child sexual abuse material from the residence. JSO seized multiple devices for further forensic examination. Phelan was arrested on the day the warrant was executed for unlawfully possessing a firearm and for two sex offender registration offenses. Phelan was sentenced to five years in prison for the state offenses.  

During a forensic review of the devices, law enforcement found Phelan had hundreds of files of child sexual abuse material and had communicated with others over chat messages about his desire to engage in sexual activity with children.

Phelan was previously convicted in Polk County in 2008 of using a computer to seduce a child after he had traveled to a location for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with whom he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. Phelan was sentenced to sex offender probation but violated his probation by possessing an illegal image of the sexual exploitation of two young girls.     

“This significant sentence is proof that not everyone learns their lesson the first time. Every time this previously convicted child predator feeds his perversion by receiving and distributing illicit images of children, he revictimizes those innocent victims,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge John Condon. “This sentence is proof that the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force, HSI Jacksonville, and our partners at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, will stop at nothing to identify and prosecute those who exploit the vulnerability of our children.”     

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.

This case is 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, FL – U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven has sentenced Christopher Alvarez (19, Tampa) and Dyonnie Alvarez (22, Tampa) to 15 years in federal prison for four Hobbs Act robberies, conspiracy to commit those robberies, and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence during the commission of the robberies. Dyonnie Alvarez was also sentenced for an additional attempted Hobbs Act robbery. Both had previously pleaded guilty.

According to court documents, on May 5, 2022, Christopher and Dyonnie Alvarez and their codefendant, Enrique Marquez, robbed two convenience stores in the Tampa area. During the robberies, Marquez brandished a firearm. The next morning, the three individuals robbed two more Tampa area convenience stores in the same manner. Also, on May 1, 2022, Marquez and Dyonnie Alvarez attempted to rob an individual in an attempt to obtain narcotics.

Marquez previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced on March 28, 2023, to 17 years and 11 months in federal prison.

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

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 James S. Moody has sentenced Donald Ray Shadowens (30, Clearwater) to 6 years in federal prison for receiving child sex abuse material. On April 19, 2023, Judge Moody sentenced related defendant Craigan Joyner (20, Clearwater) to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison for receiving child sex abuse material. Both Shadowens and Joyner will be required to register as sex offenders and pay restitution to their victims. Shadowens had pleaded guilty on February 8, 2023, and Joyner pleaded guilty on January 11, 2023.

According to court documents, Joshua Tripp, Joyner, and Shadowens all lived together at a residence in Clearwater. On August 18, 2022, investigators executed a search warrant at the residence and discovered more than 1,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse material on the three defendants’ electronic devices. This material included children less than 12 years old and children in sado-masochistic images. Additionally, certain conversations between Tripp and Joyner indicated their desire to drug and rape children.

Tripp pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child sex abuse material and one count of receiving child sex abuse material on March 28, 2023. He is scheduled for sentencing on November 8, 2023.

“These predators openly discussed their desires to drug and rape children and possessed a vast collection of explicit images and videos of children,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristopher Pagitt. “HSI, alongside our partners in the Dickson County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office, the Clearwater Police Department, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, are fully committed to making our streets safe from those who sexually exploit children.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with substantial assistance from the Dickson County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office, the Clearwater Police Department, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit.

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

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Toney Dewayne Salter (31, Lutz) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Salter faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Salter has also agreed to forfeit the firearm traceable to the offense.

According to court documents, on February 21, 2022, officers from the Tampa Police Department encountered Salter when they pulled over a car for a traffic infraction. After detecting an odor of marijuana and observing a firearm in the driver’s possession, the officers searched the vehicle and located a handgun under Salter’s seat. They also located quantities of cocaine and marijuana during the search of the vehicle.

At the time of his arrest, Salter had multiple felony convictions, including convictions for delivery of cocaine and delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a church. As such, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David P. Sullivan. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne C. Nebesky.

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 – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Jontavious Jarquel Griffin (34, Fort Myers) to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. The court also ordered Griffin to forfeit the firearm and ammunition possessed during the offense. Griffin had pleaded guilty on January 25, 2023.

According to court records, on July 27, 2022, deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven and solely occupied by Griffin. Deputies later searched the vehicle, and inside a backpack on the front-passenger seat, they found a loaded Smith & Wesson handgun and quantities of cocaine and fentanyl. As a convicted felon, who had previously served prison time for a drug-related crime, Griffin is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. 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.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jeffrey Charles Thomas (41, Lithia) has pleaded guilty to distribution and possession of child sex abuse material. Thomas faces a mandatory minimum term of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison. He will be required to forfeit the electronic devices used in the offense.

According to court documents, Thomas communicated with an undercover agent he met in an online chat group dedicated to people interested in father/daughter incest. Between August 9 and November 28, 2022, Thomas communicated online with the undercover agent. In his communications, Thomas described in graphic detail his desire to engage in various sexual acts with the undercover agent’s fictitious minor stepdaughter. Thomas then sent the undercover agent an approximately 14-minute video of a minor child being sexually abused.

On December 6, 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant at Thomas’s residence and found him in possession of approximately 14 images and 31 videos of child sex abuse material, including the video he had sent to the undercover agent.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by 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.justice.gov/psc.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James Moody, Jr. has sentenced Christian Joel Andujar Rivera (25, Tampa) to four years and four months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of firearms. The court also ordered him to forfeit a Glock firearm and assorted ammunition associated with the offense. Andujar Rivera had pleaded guilty on February 2, 2023.  

According to court documents, in June 2022, Andujar Rivera was wanted on a felony charge of fleeing and eluding police. On June 13, 2022, the United States Marshal's Service Fugitive Apprehension Unit located Andujar Rivera at his residence in Plant City. On that same day, investigators arrived at the Plant City residence and engaged in a standoff with Andujar Rivera. Andujar Rivera stood at the top of a set of stairs in the home, concealed his hands behind his back, and failed to obey law enforcement commands to surrender. He told the officers that the officers would have to shoot him once he pulled his firearm out. He eventually surrendered without incident.

After a search of the home, law enforcement located nine firearms and large amounts of assorted ammunition. A laboratory analysis later determined DNA found on one of those firearms, a Glock pistol, was linked to Andujar Rivera. As a multi-convicted felon, Andujar Rivera is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shauna S. Hale.  

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. PSN is a program that brings 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. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Neal Evan Pollman (42, Panama City) with one count of manufacturing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes and nine counts of passing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes, and Lyndsey Rhea Markland (41, Panama City) with four counts of passing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. If convicted, each faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count and payment of restitution to the victims they defrauded.  

According to court documents and public records, Pollman manufactured counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. Thereafter, he and Markland defrauded multiple businesses throughout the Middle District of Florida by passing the counterfeit currency. Pollman and Markland appeared in federal court on April 27, 2023, pursuant to a writ bringing them to Jacksonville from the Bay County Jail where they are serving time for violating their state probation on charges related to passing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. The Court ordered Pollman and Markland detained pending trial. Pollman and Markland are currently on State of Florida felony probation for multiple crimes related to the passing of counterfeit Federal Reserve notes in 2022. Their trial is set for June 2023.  

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 Orange Park Police Department, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Secret Service - Jacksonville Field Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

Orlando, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Manuel Tato  has pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to truthfully account for and pay over employment taxes. Tato faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, Tato owned and operated multiple restaurants in the Orlando area from at least 2010 to 2017, including Spice Modern Steakhouse. Tato was the owner and operator of an entity called Core Food Group, an affiliated company for Tato’s restaurants that was responsible for processing payroll for the employees of Tato’s restaurants. Through Core Food Group, Tato employed approximately 645 restaurant workers between 2010 and 2017, and had a duty to collect and pay over employment taxes on behalf of those employees. Employment taxes include Federal Income Tax, Medicare and Social Security.

While Tato withheld employment taxes from his employees’ paychecks and informed his employees that he was doing so on their paystubs, he never actually paid those taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). During the charged time frame, July 2016 to March 2017, Tato failed to pay the IRS $93,690.66. Throughout the entire time Core Food Group existed, Tato failed to pay over $2 million in taxes that he had withheld from his employees and owed in relation to their employment.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel S. Lyons and Assistant United States Attorney Dana Hill.

Jacksonville, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Corinthian King (32, Jacksonville) to 11 years and 8 months in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine. King has also agreed to the forfeiture of a Glock 9mm pistol and ammunition, possessed during his commission of the offense. King had pleaded guilty on September 21, 2022, and admitted to violating his supervised release on April 25, 2023.   

According to court documents, in April 2022, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic top of King as he was departing a Southside motel. During the traffic stop, the officer learned that King had a suspended driver license. During a search of the vehicle, officers recovered a digital scale with cocaine residue, plastic baggies, and a loaded Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol under the rear passenger seat. As the officers prepared to transport King, they discovered a plastic baggie in his pants containing more than 50 grams of powder cocaine, more than 40 grams of methamphetamine, and fentanyl and oxycodone pills.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Jack Protzman (74, Tavares) to two years in federal prison for conspiracy to traffic more than 130 pounds of marijuana. The court also ordered Protzman to forfeit $18,440, and an additional $32,800 was administratively forfeited, which amounts were traceable to proceeds of the offense. Protzman had pleaded guilty on August 16, 2022.  

According to court documents, an individual working with law enforcement met with Protzman regarding his marijuana dealing. Protzman showed the individual THC oil cartridges he was trafficking and said he purchases 2,000 cartridges at a time. Protzman also advised that he cultivated marijuana out of state and could provide marijuana to the individual in 50-pound increments. Protzman also advised that he was looking for someone to assist him in transporting his marijuana across state lines in a concealed compartment in a specially-outfitted vehicle.

Protzman sold the individual hundreds of THC oil cartridges and pounds of marijuana, including one instance where Protzman delivered 110 pounds of marijuana in November 2019, which was seized by law enforcement. Agents seized $32,800 in cash from Protzman.

In 2004, Protzman was convicted of conspiracy to import 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana into the United States and sentenced 5 years and 11 months in federal prison.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.

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.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Andrew David Salas (35, Jacksonville) with interstate travel with the intent to engage in sexual conduct with a child, interstate transportation of a child to engage in sexual activity, production, attempted production, and possession of child sexual abuse materials, and committing felony offenses involving a child while required to register as a sex offender. If convicted, Salas faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 25 years, up to life, in federal prison, and a lifetime of supervised release. Salas was arrested at his residence on November 3, 2022, and has been in custody since that time. He is scheduled for arraignment on May 4, 2023.

Salas is a registered sex offender, having been convicted of carnal knowledge of a minor child in Virginia in 2008.

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

This case was investigated by the Carroll County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia State Attorney General’s Office, the United States Marshals Service, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Atlanta and Jacksonville. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys D. Rodney Brown and Kelly S. Karase.

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 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.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Kiana Fiona Alphonse (29, Covington, Georgia) has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, seven counts of bank fraud, five counts of false representation of a Social Security number, and five counts of aggravated identity theft. Alphonse faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 2 years’ in federal prison on the aggravated identity theft charges, up to 30 years in federal prison for each count of bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, up to 5 years in federal prison on each count of false representation of a Social Security number, and payment of restitution to the victims she and her co-defendant, Anthony Jermaine Robinson (31, Covington, Georgia), had defrauded. Her sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents and public records, in 2019, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) stopped a car Robinson was driving for a cracked windshield. Based on a probable cause search of the car, the CCSO located among other items, counterfeit Social Security cards and driver licenses in the identity of genuine individuals, genuine credit cards in the name of individuals, and multiple phones. Pursuant to a search warrant, the CCSO conducted a forensic examination of Robinson’s cellphone and determined that it contained among other things, text messages between Robinson and Alphonse. The text messages outlined instructions on how to fraudulently set up business accounts at banks using fraudulent business documents for non-existent businesses, identification documents, and Social Security numbers.

Follow up investigation by law enforcement determined that in 2019, Robinson and Alphonse obtained the personally identifiable information (PII) of multiple victims and then obtained counterfeit driver licenses purportedly from Washington state and Delaware in the identity of the victims. The counterfeit driver licenses contained the PII of the victims, but a photo of Alphonse. Using the PII including the Social Security numbers of the victims, the counterfeit driver licenses, and documents created for fictitious businesses, Alphonse visited multiple banks and set up fraudulent business bank accounts in the name of various victims. These bank accounts were then utilized as part of a scheme to defraud multiple victims involving the online purchase of nonexistent cars. Once the bank accounts received funds from the victims, Robinson, Alphonse, and co-conspirators withdrew the funds for their own personal use.

Alphonse appeared in federal court on April 26, 2023, pursuant to a writ bringing her to Jacksonville from Newton County Jail in Georgia where she is serving a jail sentence for violating probation on a firearm related crime.

Robinson appeared in federal court on November 3, 2022, pursuant to a writ bringing him to Jacksonville from Georgia State Prison where he is serving a prison sentence for violating parole on a fraud related crime. The Court ordered Robinson detained pending trial. On February 8, 2023, Robinson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 32 years in federal prison and payment of restitution to the victims he and Alphonse defrauded. Robinson is also wanted on violation of probation warrants from South Carolina and Columbia County, Florida on two unrelated financial crime cases.

This case was investigated by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service - Jacksonville Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has sentenced Patraic Setzer (29, New Port Richey) to three years and five months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Setzer to forfeit a Sig Sauer firearm, which is traceable to the offense. Setzer had pleaded guilty on February 7, 2023.

According to court documents, officers from the New Port Richey Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Setzer, a six-time convicted felon, on May 31, 2022. A police canine alerted on the vehicle and officers searched the car, locating a loaded Sig Sauer firearm. Setzer was on federal supervised release at the time of the incident, following a sentence in the Bureau of Prisons for being a felon in possession of a firearm. As such, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Port Richey Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Beckman.

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, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Carlos Tejeda (62, Cape Coral), Juan Tejeda (35, Cape Coral), and Pedro Pelaez (59, Cape Coral) guilty in connection with their involvement in a large-scale credit card fraud scheme which operated in Cape Coral between late-2015 and mid-2018. Father and son ringleaders, Carlos and Juan Tejeda, were each convicted of 44 federal crimes, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit money laundering, production of counterfeit access devices, and possession of device-making equipment.  For his role in the fraud, Pelaez was convicted of 11 federal crimes, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of more than 100 years in federal prison, including 2-year minimum mandatory sentences for each aggravated identity theft conviction. Their sentencing hearings are yet to be scheduled. All three defendants were remanded into custody pending sentencing.

According to evidence presented at trial, Carlos Tejeda recruited several friends and associates, including co-defendant Pedro Pelaez, to create shell companies, obtain credit card processing terminals for their shell companies, and then permit Carlos Tejeda to swipe counterfeit credit cards fraudulently encoded with stolen credit and debit card numbers using the shell company credit card terminals. Evidence showed that Juan Tejeda’s primary role was to encode the counterfeit cards for his father Carlos Tejeda, but that he personally swiped counterfeit cards on shell company terminals as well. Each fraudulent transaction was typically between $1,000 and $3,000, but the same stolen card number was often used several times across multiple shell companies before victim cardholders from across the United States even knew their card numbers had been compromised. 

After the stolen funds were deposited into shell company bank accounts, the shell company owners would kickback a pre-determined percentage of the fraudulent proceeds to Carlos or Juan and keep the remainder for themselves. In total, nine shell companies were used to perpetrate the fraud, including those personally opened by Carlos Tejeda and Juan Tejeda. Credit card transaction data presented to the jury showed that during the duration of the fraud, more than $2.6 million dollars of credit card charges were attempted or conducted on the shell company terminals. In total, nine people have been convicted for their roles in this fraud, including the three above-named defendants and six others who previously pleaded guilty to their involvement and are awaiting sentencing.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Cape Coral Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Mateus Fernandes Evangelista Da Silva (23, Brazil) has pleaded guilty to attempted sex trafficking of a child. Evangelista Da Silva faces a minimum mandatory term of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. As part of the plea agreement, Evangelista Da Silva will forfeit the electronic devices he used in committing the offense and make restitution to victims associated with this case who have been identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

According to the plea agreement, on October 6, 2021, Evangelista Da Silva used his cellphone to communicate with an undercover agent who purported to have access to two minor children, ages 13 and 14. Evangelista Da Silva coordinated a meeting and travelled to a designated location in St. Petersburg, Florida to meet the fictitious children for the purposes of engaging in sex. Once Evangelista Da Silva arrived, he stated he wanted to engage in oral sex and vaginal intercourse with the 13-year-old and paid the undercover agent $200.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell.

This case was brought as part of the Tampa Bay Human Trafficking Task Force of the Middle District of Florida, which is one of 13 task forces in the country to receive grant funding from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Task Force is a collaboration of local, state, and federal law enforcement agents working together with organizations to detect, investigate, and prosecute human trafficking in the Tampa Bay area. This includes trafficking of minors, forced labor, transnational sex trafficking, and sex trafficking of adults by force, fraud, or coercion. More information about the Tampa Bay Human Trafficking Task Force can be found at www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/humantrafficking. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell has sentenced Brian Carroll (47, New Market, Tennessee) to 15 months in federal prison for wire fraud. The court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $42,000, representing the proceeds of the wire fraud scheme. Carroll had pleaded guilty on January 5, 2023.

According to court documents, at the time of the commission of the offense, Carroll was serving as the Executive Vice President of Southeastern University, a private university in Lakeland, Florida. Carroll became involved in a project to redesign the website and digital brand of the university’s President. Carroll conducted a self-dealing scheme to enrich himself by setting up an “anonymous” LLC based in New Mexico and setting up a bank account in the name of that LLC, both of which he controlled. The Board of Directors and President of Southeastern University were unaware of Carroll’s involvement in this LLC.

The LLC that Carroll controlled then submitted a bid to the university to perform the web rebranding project for a total price of $185,000. Carroll recommended and promoted the acceptance of this contract, thereby causing the university to make a number of wire payments to that LLC for work done on the project. Unbeknownst to the university, Carroll’s LLC contracted with an unrelated company based in New York to do the actual work on the project and create the new website. This New York company charged Carroll’s LLC $30,000 for the project. Carroll thus engineered a scheme to pay his LLC $185,000 for a project that, in reality, cost only $30,000 to perform. He thereby defrauded Southeastern University out of approximately $155,000.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Lakeland Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that James Edward Davis (52, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with one count of providing contraband into a prison. He faces a maximum penalty of six months in federal prison.

According to court records, Davis is a retired Federal Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) correctional officer. In 2019, he was working as a BOP correctional officer at the United States Penitentiary II, Federal Correctional Complex Coleman in Florida. Between December 10, 2018, and February 1, 2019, Davis gave contraband to Coleman inmates in exchange for payment. When confronted, Davis told BOP staff that he “really messed up,” had “a weak moment,” and “brought cigarettes in for an inmate.” Davis added that he had been paid in two separate transactions for smuggling in the contraband—one payment was for $1,300 and another payment was for $1,400. Cigarettes are an item prohibited by the prison’s rules. If possessed by inmates, they threaten the order, discipline, and security of the prison as well as the life, health, and safety of other prisoners and staff.

This case is being investigated by the United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Dr. Rakesh Verma (46, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a federal firearms dealer. Verma faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court records, on October 16, 2020, Verma attempted to purchase a Smith and Wesson, 9mm pistol from a federally licensed firearms dealer. Verma falsely stated that he was not subject to a court order restraining him from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner, when in fact he was subject to a permanent injunction for protection against domestic violence. The instant background check prevented Verma from receiving the firearm. All instant background denials are referred to law enforcement for possible prosecution.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Talbot.

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 an indictment charging Robert Howard Lawrence II (55, Citrus County) with one count of receiving stolen government property. If convicted, Lawrence faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and the forfeiture of at least $364,000.

According to court records, the Veterans Affairs (“VA”) Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (“DIC”) program furnishes a monthly benefit paid to eligible survivors of deceased military service members. If the surviving spouse remarries, however, they are no longer eligible to receive DIC benefits. Lawrence was a surviving spouse of a military service member who died in 1994. Lawrence remarried in November 1995. Beginning in November 1995, and continuing through approximately April 1, 2023, Lawrence received DIC benefits to which he was not entitled because he repeatedly told the VA that he had not remarried. In fact, Lawrence had remarried twice – once in 1995 and again in 2023. By failing to report his subsequent marriages, Lawrence illegally received a total of $364,497.80 in stolen VA DIC benefit payments.

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 United States Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging Sam David Harris, Jr. (37, Middleburg) with possession of videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children. If convicted, Harris faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Harris has been ordered detained pending trial.  

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

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Northeast Florida (NEFL) INTERCEPT Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.

This case is 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.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and the return of an indictment charging Andrew Lynn Overheul (43, Orange Park) with six counts of producing and attempting to produce child sexual abuse files. If convicted, Overheul faces a minimum mandatory 15 years, up to 180 years, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Overheul that the United States intends to forfeit electronic devices used in the commission of the charged offenses.  Overheul has been ordered detained pending a trial scheduled for the June 2023 trial term.  

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 Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Northeast Florida (NEFL) INTERCEPT Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.

This case is 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.

Jacksonville, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Dylan Milton Jarvis (31, Orange Park) has been found guilty of unlawful possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act firearm (sawed-off shotgun), following a bench trial. Jarvis faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and forfeiture of the sawed-off shotgun seized by law enforcement during their investigation. The case is set for sentencing on July 24, 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 and 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 the CCSO, Jarvis admitted to illegally modifying the shotgun. Follow up investigation by the CCSO and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined that Jarvis had 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 is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein. Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran is handling the forfeiture of the sawed-off shotgun.

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 Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Mayra Velasquez (35, Apopka) to three years and five months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States and the Internal Revenue Service. The Court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $600,752, and an order for the forfeiture of three properties in Polk County, all as part of the proceeds of the conspiracies. Velasquez had pleaded guilty on March 9, 2022.

According to court documents, Velasquez owned and managed a construction company which purported to supply construction services and labor for construction contractors and subcontractors. In order to comply with Florida law, Velasquez’s company was required to secure and maintain adequate worker’s compensation insurance coverage. Velasquez’s company had agreements with contractors and subcontractors to use workers purported to be Velasquez’s employees at construction sites and these workers were often undocumented aliens who were actually working for and under the daily supervision and direction of the contractors. Velasquez or others then regularly received “payroll checks” from contractors that they cashed at various financial institutions to pay Velasquez’s purported “employees” and other related expenses.

During the time period charged, Velasquez falsely and fraudulently represented in insurance applications that her company had a very limited payroll and a very limited number of employees who worked on construction jobsites. Velasquez also falsely and fraudulently sent wire communications to numerous contractors representing that her company’s employees had full worker’s compensation coverage.

In reality, Velasquez’s company received and cashed more than $7 million in checks from various construction contractors for these purported “employees.” These payroll figures far exceeded the very limited payroll figures that Velasquez had reported to her worker’s compensation insurance company. As a result, these employees, in reality the employees of other entities, performed work on jobsites without adequate insurance coverage. In addition, the insurance companies that dealt with Velasquez’s company lost premiums they would have charged had they been aware of the true number of workers their policies were thus being manipulated to cover. The loss to those insurers was almost $750,000 in insurance premiums that were not paid.

As a result of these misrepresentations, Velasquez’s company also disclaimed responsibility for ensuring that jobsite workers were legally authorized to work in the United States and evaded laws that required the payment of state and federal payroll taxes on behalf of these workers. Velasquez’s company did not collect or remit any such payroll taxes to the United States. In addition, the contractors who actually paid these workers’ wages and used their services were also able to avoid responsibility for those taxes as well. The amount of those unpaid payroll taxes totaled more than $1.769 million.

“Velasquez engaged in a scheme which benefitted her at the expense of every U.S. Taxpayer,” said IRS CI Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne. “This scheme is all too common in the construction industry and IRS CI is working hard to ensure all employers operate on an even playing field and according to the law.”

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said, “Workers’ compensation fraud will not be tolerated in Florida. It puts businesses and injured workers in jeopardy and drives up insurance costs for honest business owners who properly protect their employees.”

“This fraudster was responsible for a scheme to evade worker’s compensation premiums and avoid paying employment taxes, resulting in illicit profits and proceeds in the millions of dollars,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Dumas. “HSI is proud to partner with the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the State of Florida Department of Financial Services to hold criminals accountable for taking advantage of government, private industry, and America’s workforce.”

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Investigative and Forensic Services Bureau of Insurance Fraud, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It is part of a lengthy investigation by those agencies into the use of shell companies and “ghost” employees in the construction industry. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Deconna Burke (34, Jacksonville) with one count of wire fraud involving COVID Relief Fraud through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). If convicted, Burke faces up to 20 years in federal prison and payment of restitution to the United States government.   

According to the indictment, in April 2021, Burke submitted a PPP loan application to a lender authorized by the Small Business Administration 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.” It 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 for $20,415. After receiving the PPP loan proceeds into his bank account, Burke began making withdrawals and spending it on personal expenses to include paying off a loan for a motorcycle. In November 2021, Burke filed a PPP Loan Forgiveness Application, falsely stating that he had spent the $20,415 on payroll. In reliance on his false statements the Small Business Administration forgave the entire loan amount. Burke’s case is set for trial in July 2023.

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

Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Romeo Lopez-Hernandez (37, Coleman) to life in federal prison. A federal jury had found Lopez-Hernandez guilty of first degree, premeditated murder on January 19, 2023.

According to evidence presented during the three-day trial, on February 1, 2021, Lopez-Hernandez strangled his cellmate to death using a torn bed sheet he had made with an improvised knife. After the victim lost consciousness, Lopez-Hernandez watched for guards and continued to strangle the victim until he was sure that the victim had died. Lopez-Hernandez later confessed to the murder and bragged about it to prison personnel. At trial, however, Lopez-Hernandez changed his story and claimed the victim had committed suicide.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tyrie K. Boyer and Belkis H. Crockett. 

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury today found Kristopher Justinboyer Ervin (43, Orange Park) and Matthew Raymond Hoover (39, Wisconsin) guilty of conspiring to transfer unregistered machinegun conversion devices that they referred to as “Auto Key Cards.” Additionally, Ervin was convicted of seven counts of transferring unregistered machinegun conversion devices, three counts of possessing unregistered machinegun conversion devices, and one count of structuring cash transactions to avoid currency transaction reporting requirements. Hoover was also convicted of four counts of transferring unregistered machinegun conversion devices. Ervin faces a maximum penalty of 110 years in federal prison and Hoover faces a maximum penalty of 45 years in federal prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 31, 2023. Ervin was first charged on March 2, 2021, and Hoover on January 26, 2022. Both Ervin and Hoover have been remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, 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. Ervin described the Auto Key Card as a “pen holder,” a “novelty,” and a “political sculpture.” A lightning link can be dropped into an otherwise legal AR-15 type firearm and convert it into a fully automatic machinegun.

In February 2021, federal agents from ATF and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) surveilled Ervin and observed him dropping off dozens of packages at an Orange Park, Florida post office, each of which was determined to contain unregistered machinegun conversion devices.

The ATF examined the Auto Key Cards and a firearms enforcement officer was able to remove the pieces of a lightning link from an Auto Key Card using a common Dremel rotary tool in about 40 minutes. When the firearms enforcement officer placed the two pieces of the lightning link into an AR-15 type firearm, it converted the semi-automatic firearm to be fully automatic. 

Hoover operated a YouTube channel called CRS Firearms on which he advertised Auto Key Cards. In his videos, Hoover stated that “laws only work if we follow them” and encouraged his viewers to use “discreet ordering” by mail to purchase Auto Key Cards. Hoover stated that his viewers could cut a lightning link out of the Auto Key Card, “drop it in your receiver, scratch your full auto itch, throw it away when you’re done” and “no one’s the wiser.” 

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.  Multiple purchasers of the Auto Key Card testified at trial that they had learned about it from Hoover’s videos and purchased the Auto Key Card intending to use it to convert their AR-15 type weapons into machineguns. Ervin compensated Hoover for his advertisements by sending cash through the mail and, on one occasion, a Louis Vuitton purse.

In March 2021, federal agents executed a search warrant at Ervin’s home and recovered Auto Key Cards containing etchings for more than 1,500 lightning links.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Laura Cofer Taylor and David B. Mesrobian.

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 Court Judge Susan C. Bucklew today sentenced two brothers, Robin Castro-Gomez (36, Colombia) and Alvaro Castro-Gomez (41, Colombia), each to 22 years in federal prison for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute over 3,500 kilograms (7,700 pounds) of cocaine. The approximate value of this cocaine is over $100,000,000. The Castro-Gomez brothers had pleaded guilty on September 12, 2022.  

According to court documents and information offered in open court, between August of 2017 and March of 2018, Robin and Alvaro Castro-Gomez conspired to traffic over 3,500 kilograms of cocaine through the Eastern Pacific Ocean via three different low-profile vessels. These cocaine-laden vessels left the shores of Tumaco, Colombia, with an ultimate destination of Central America for further importation into the United States. Alvaro Castro-Gomez has a prior federal conviction for trafficking narcotics on the high seas.

Regarding the first drug trafficking venture in August of 2017, Robin Castro-Gomez was the leader of this operation, recruiting mariners to partake in the trip, as well as giving orders and providing logistical equipment to his co-conspirators. Alvaro Castro-Gomez was present at the dispatch site and participated in furthering this drug trafficking conspiracy. After the low-profile vessel was launched from the shores of western Colombia, the United States Coast Guard interdicted the vessel approximately 420 nautical miles northwest of the Galapagos Islands. The target vessel had 998 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of cocaine stashed inside. (Photos of the vessel and cocaine bales below):

  

 

 

In November of 2017, Robin Castro-Gomez again led and organized another drug trafficking venture in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, giving orders to mariners and handling the logistical operations of the crime. Alvaro Castro-Gomez recruited, hired, and paid one of the mariners for his participation in the drug trafficking voyage. This boat, too, launched from the shores of western Colombia. The United States Coast Guard interdicted the low-profile vessel approximately 326 miles northwest of Isla de Coco, Costa Rica. The target vessel contained 1,453 kilograms (3,203 pounds) of cocaine. (Photo of vessel below)

Again, in March of 2018, Robin Castro-Gomez organized and operated another drug trafficking venture in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Alvaro Castro-Gomez was also present at the dispatch site and participated in furthering the drug trafficking conspiracy. Days after the low-profile vessel launched from the western shores of Colombia, the United States Coast Guard interdicted the boat approximately 360 nautical miles south of Guatemala. The low-profile vessel was captured with 1,120 kilograms (2,469 pounds) of cocaine stored inside. (Pictures of the vessel and cocaine below)

This case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and the Panama Express Strike Force, a standing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force comprised of agents and analysts from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. 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 https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Pardo.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Connor Lee Austin (31, Starke) and Maranda Ann Stewart (26, Starke) with theft of mail. If convicted, each faces up to five years in federal prison and payment of restitution to the victims in the case.  

According to court documents and public records, Austin and Stewart stole First Class mail over multiple months in 2022. 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. The Court ordered Austin detained pending trial. Stewart appeared in federal court on April 17, 2023, and was released on a bond. Their trial is set for June 2023.

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 Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with valuable assistance from the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.