Middle District of Florida

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced William Perez (28, Tampa) to 18 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $245,980, the proceeds of the crime. Perez had pleaded guilty on August 31, 2022.

According to court documents, India-based conspirators falsely and fraudulently identified themselves as federal law enforcement officers, such as Social Security Administration officials, FBI agents, or IRS officers, provided “official” titles and/or “badge numbers,” and threatened their victims with imminent arrest, a lawsuit, and/or other economic consequences, usually based on alleged drug trafficking or money laundering crimes supposedly committed using the victims’ identities. The conspirators told victims, the majority of whom were older adults, that they could avoid these consequences by mailing checks or cash equivalents to conspirators in the United States. From April 2018, through at least August 2018, Perez laundered money that had been extorted from United States residents by conspirators residing in the United States and overseas. Perez received payments directly from victims, typically via packages sent via a commercial carrier. Once he retrieved the fraud proceeds, Perez provided them to his coconspirators and was paid for conducting the transactions.

“Millions of Americans, to include the most vulnerable of the population, have fallen victim to IRS impersonation scheme telephone calls which ultimately led to the loss of their life savings,” said Ronald A. Loecker IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge.  “Today’s sentence again demonstrates our persistent resolve to hold fraudsters accountable for taking advantage of both the system and the elderly with the hope justice has been served”.

“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration will aggressively pursue anyone who defrauds taxpayers by impersonating themselves as Internal Revenue Service employees,” stated J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  “We greatly appreciate the efforts of our federal partners in holding this individual to account.”    

This case was investigated by Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Huyler.

Combatting elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a key priority of the Department of Justice. Together with our federal, state, local and tribal partners, the Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to combatting all forms of elder abuse and financial exploitation through enforcement actions, training and resources, research, victim services, and public awareness.

Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Carlos Tawan Reed, Jr. (23, Orlando) to four years and three months in federal prison for bank burglary and bank theft in connection with the destruction of an ATM machine. Reed had pleaded guilty on November 28, 2022.

According to court records, Reed helped two other individuals wrap a chain around an ATM machine at a Chase Bank on Colonial Drive in Orlando. Using a stolen F-250 truck, the men then destroyed the casing of the ATM and stole the cash boxes inside, containing $116,650. The three individuals fled in a Mercedes rental car driven by Reed. Deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office pursued the burglars on the ground and in the air. Reed failed to stop and led police on a high-speed chase, which ended when deputies deployed spike strips and disabled the car. All three men then attempted to flee on foot but were quickly apprehended. Inside the Mercedes, police recovered all of the stolen money.

The two other accomplices, Deontrae Walden and Wendell Harp, have both entered guilty pleas and are awaiting sentencing. Walden admitted his role in five such burglaries in the area. A fourth individual, Aqunis Green, was arraigned and has pleaded not guilty. Green is currently serving a 46-month federal sentence for similar conduct in the Eastern District of Texas. He now faces a maximum term of 20 years on this indictment in the Middle District of Florida.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.

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 that Nikesh Ajay Patel (38, formerly of Windermere) has pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with 13 counts related to almost $20 million in fraud that he perpetrated while on federal pretrial release. Patel has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and eight counts of money laundering. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison for each count of conspiracy and wire fraud, and up to 20 years’ imprisonment for each money laundering count. His sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

According to court documents, Patel, a Central Florida resident, was charged in 2014 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Illinois for a $179 million fraud scheme. He was arrested and released on bond. For the next several years, Patel claimed that he was cooperating with authorities and using his business skills to get funds to repay some of what he owed. In fact, Patel had devised a new scheme that netted him almost $20 million.

Patel’s new fraud scheme involved three parts. First, Patel fabricated fraudulent loan documents that falsely represented that a bank in Miami had authorized loans to be made to convert hotels in rural areas into assisted living facilities. Although the bank in Miami exists, it had never made any of the loans. The person who was listed as signing the loans (“Ron Elias”) was a fictitious identity used by Patel to perpetrate his conspiracy and scheme. Second, Patel applied to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to guarantee the fake loans pursuant to its Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program. Third, after the USDA agreed to guarantee the fake loans, Patel sold the guaranteed portion of the fake loans to the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, also known as Farmer Mac. Patel executed the scheme on three occasions, receiving almost $20 million in proceeds. Patel used a portion of the funds from that scheme to pay some of his restitution, but he was saving much of it to flee the United States.

Patel’s sentencing in the Northern District of Illinois was set for January 9, 2018. Three days before that, he was arrested at the airport in Kissimmee. Patel had chartered a flight to Ecuador, where he intended to request political asylum and live off the proceeds that he had obtained from his new scheme. Instead, Patel’s bond was revoked and the U.S. Marshals Service transported him to the Northern District of Illinois. On March 6, 2018, Patel was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for his case in the Northern District of Illinois. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta and United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Denise E. Kovacs (60, Clermont) has pleaded guilty to embezzlement. Kovacs faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 21, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger.

According to court documents, Kovacs was the bookkeeper at Plumbers AFL-CIO Local 803, a labor union that represents plumbers and pipefitters in central Florida. During a nearly five-year period of employment, Kovacs stole $43,777 in cash from union dues and charged $261,126 in expenses on the union’s credit card. To conceal her theft, Kovacs altered internal business records which kept union officials in the dark about her ongoing embezzlement of funds.

This case was investigated by the Department of Labor, Office of Labor Management Standards. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Reginald Roberts (22, Lakeland), a/k/a/ “Rudy,” Nathaniel Keith Carr (28, Riverdale), a/k/a “Nate,” and Chrishawn De’Earl Butler (22, Brooksville), a/k/a “Baby,” have each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, Hobbs Act robbery, and brandishing and discharging firearms in the commission of crimes of violence. Each faces a minimum mandatory sentence ranging from 14 to 21 years, up to life, in federal prison. Sentencing dates have not yet been set.

According to the plea agreements, and as depicted in the attached photographs introduced at the initial appearance hearing on May 12, 2021, between December 2020 and April 2021, Roberts, Carr, Butler and others engaged in a conspiracy to rob individuals they suspected of distributing narcotics. During that time, the conspirators engaged in numerous armed robberies in Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk, and Lee counties, some of which resulted in shootings. While committing these offenses, the conspirators impersonated law enforcement officers by wearing black clothing, gloves, and masks, often with law enforcement insignia, or vests with “Sheriff” affixed. In addition, during certain robberies, the conspirators drove a black Dodge Durango and white Chevrolet Malibu equipped with blue lights and sirens. 

Co-conspirator Jasmine Weber (28, Tampa) has also pleaded guilty, and is pending sentencing. Indicted co-conspirators Daniel Jackson and Darius Hudson are pending trial. 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 FBI, with assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Bartow Police Department, the Lakeland Police Department, the Dade City Police Department, the Cape Coral Police Department, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, the Arcadia Police Department, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

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

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge William Jung has sentenced Steve Aloysius Moodie, Jr. (35, Tampa) to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. As part of his sentence, the court also ordered Moodie to pay $1,070,647 in restitution, jointly with co-defendant Melinda Sue Hernandez (33, Ruskin), to the various state workforce agencies they defrauded. Moodie had pleaded guilty on September 19, 2022.

Hernandez was previously sentenced to 42 months in federal prison for her role in the conspiracy.  

According to court documents, from approximately June 2020 through April 2021, Moodie and Hernandez obtained personal identifying information (PII) of others without their knowledge. Hernandez was employed as a medical assistant at a Tampa Bay area hospital and gained access to patient PII, which she used to further the scheme. Moodie used that PII and that of others to submit, and cause to be submitted, false and fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims to various state workforce agencies to obtain UI benefits. These UI benefits were then transferred to bank accounts or loaded onto debit cards issued in the names of others. Moodie and Hernandez then used, and attempted to use, the fraudulently obtained debit cards to withdraw money from ATMs. Law enforcement calculated the total intended loss caused by the fraudulent UI claims to be between $1.5 million and $3.5 million.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Greg Pizzo.

In March 2020, the President signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which expanded states’ ability to provide UI for many workers impacted by COVID-19, including for workers who were not ordinarily eligible for benefits.

On May 17, 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, among other methods, 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 https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Meccos Donta Allen (38, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing a firearm. Allen faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. Allen has also agreed to forfeit the Glock pistol traceable to the offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, officers from the Tampa Police Department approached Allen after receiving a complaint that someone fitting Allen’s description had assaulted a couple after following them from Tampa’s Downtown Riverwalk. Allen fled from the police, dropping a loaded Glock pistol in the process. At the time of his arrest, Allen had multiple felony convictions, including for felony battery and the delivery of cocaine. As a convicted felon, 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.

Tampa, FL – Lakeland Regional Medical Center (LRMC) in Lakeland, Florida, has agreed to pay the United States $4 million to resolve allegations that it made donations to a local unit of government to improperly fund the state’s share of Medicaid payments to LRMC. 

The Florida Medicaid program provides medical assistance to low-income individuals and individuals with disabilities, and is jointly funded by the federal and state governments. Under federal law, Florida’s share of Medicaid payments must consist of state or local government funds, and may not come from “non-bona fide donations” from private health care providers, such as hospitals. A non-bona fide donation is a payment — in cash or in kind — from a private provider to a governmental entity that is then returned to the private provider through a payment by Medicaid. Because Medicaid services are reimbursed jointly by the federal and state governments, a non-bona fide donation causes federal expenditures to increase without any corresponding increase in state expenditures, since the state share of the Medicaid payments to the provider comes from and is returned to the provider. The prohibition of this practice ensures that states are in fact paying a share of Medicaid payments and thus have an incentive to curb Medicaid costs and prevent unnecessary services.  

The United States alleged that, between October 2014 and September 2015, LRMC made improper, non-bona fide donations to Polk County, Florida by assuming and paying certain of Polk County’s financial obligations to other healthcare providers. These donations were designed to increase Medicaid payments received by LRMC, by freeing up funds for the County to make payments to the State as the state share of Medicaid payments to LRMC. This state share was “matched” by the federal government before being returned to LRMC as Medicaid payments. The Medicaid payments LRMC received were thus funded by the federal government and LRMC’s own donations, in violation of the prohibition on non-bona fide donations. 

“When private parties make improper donations to fund the state share of Medicaid, they undermine a key safeguard for ensuring the integrity of the Medicaid program,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Medicaid expenditures should be determined by beneficiaries’ medical needs rather than by donations by private hospitals to local units of government.”

“Protecting the Medicaid program is crucial, as millions of Floridians rely on it for their medical care and related services,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “We are committed to ensuring that government funds are used for their intended purposes and are not improperly obtained.” 

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

The matter was handled by Fraud Section Attorneys Alison B. Rousseau and Jonathan T. Thrope and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn B. Tapie.

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

Ocala, Florida – U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Jorge Mojocoa (69, Fort McCoy) guilty of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sex. Mojocoa faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing is set for June 8, 2023, before Senior United States District Judge Gregory A. Presnell.

According to evidence presented at trial, on March 30, 2022, Mojocoa responded to a social media posting offering a minor child for sexual services in return for cash. The post had been made by an undercover law enforcement officer. The fictional child purportedly suffered from many physical disabilities, including paralysis and autism. Over the span of two days, Mojocoa spoke to an undercover officer about engaging in sex with the 12-year-old girl. After settling on a price, Mojocoa drove to an agreed-upon location to engage in sex with the child. Once arrested, law enforcement recovered lubricant and candy in Mojocoa’s possession. During the negotiations, Mojocoa had agreed to bring those particular items for his encounter with the child.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the United States Secret Service, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tyrie K. Boyer and Belkis H. Crockett.

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, FL - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Martez Manning (26, St. Petersburg) with one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. If convicted, Manning faces up to 15 years in federal prison. The indictment notifies the defendant that the government intends to forfeit the firearm and ammunition traceable to the offense.

According to the indictment, on January 2, 2023, Manning possessed a Beretta model 21A Bobcat semiautomatic pistol and two rounds of CCI .22 caliber long rifle ammunition. Manning has seven prior felony convictions including possession of cocaine; tampering with physical evidence; and multiple convictions for either the sale or delivery of cocaine. As a previously convicted felon, Manning is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

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

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman. The forfeiture is being 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.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced Keith Ingersoll (46, Orlando) to nine years and one month in federal prison for wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, attempted wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered Ingersoll to forfeit $9,814,993.36 in proceeds traceable to the offense and ordered him to pay $12.748 million in restitution to the victims. Ingersoll had pleaded guilty on October 18, 2022.

According to court documents, in one conspiracy, Ingersoll and his co-conspirators fraudulently obtained $12.7 million from a victim between 2016 and 2021. The co-conspirators falsely represented that the funds provided by the victim would be used as refundable deposits for specific real estate transactions, that the funds would be held in escrow by an attorney, and that the funds would be returned to the victim upon request. In fact, the funds were sent to two conspirators who were not licensed attorneys. Rather than retain the funds as had been promised, these conspirators diverted portions of the funds for their own personal benefit, including for luxury car rentals, travel, and adult entertainment and transferred the majority of the funds to Ingersoll. As part of the conspiracy, Ingersoll and other conspirators provided the victim with fake real estate purchase contracts and other documents that were not executed by the owners of the properties, but rather contained forged signatures or were executed using the names of fictitious individuals and that falsely represented the entities that owned the properties. Ingersoll and other conspirators also falsely claimed that specific entities and individuals had expressed interest in purchasing the real estate, when those potential buyers did not exist, had never been contacted about purchasing the real estate, or had declined to pursue a transaction.

When the victim requested a return of some of the funds, Ingersoll provided false excuses about why the funds could not be returned, including false claims that the purported escrow agent was in Costa Rica and was not allowed to leave that country due to having COVID-19.

In another conspiracy that took place in 2017, Ingersoll conspired to defraud a local government entity in the Middle District of Florida out of $262,000 through the straw purchase and markup of a piece of real estate. As part of that conspiracy, Ingersoll used his position as a consultant for the local government entity to find a straw purchaser to buy a piece of real estate. On the same day that the straw purchaser bought this real estate, Ingersoll caused the property to be transferred to the local government agency for an extra $262,000 above the purchase price. The $262,000 windfall was then divided amongst Ingersoll, the straw purchaser, and other conspirators.

In yet another scheme, on March 31, 2020, Ingersoll submitted a fraudulent application to the U.S. Small Business Administration seeking $66,500 in emergency COVID-19 funding in the form of an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) for a business controlled by him named “The Ingersoll Group.” In this application, Ingersoll made false representations regarding The Ingersoll Group’s revenues and costs in an attempt to fraudulently increase the amount of the loan. The application was ultimately denied.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg and Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda Daniels, Chauncey A. Bratt, and Jennifer M. Harrington.

Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Omayra Ujaque (52, Saint Cloud) with three counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in federal prison on each bank fraud count and a mandatory consecutive 2 years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft count.

According to the indictment, Ujaque, in her capacity as a licensed mortgage loan officer, created and executed a mortgage fraud scheme targeting the financial institution where she worked. To ensure that otherwise unqualified borrowers were approved for mortgage loans, Ujaque falsified borrowers’ income through completely fabricated or inflated monthly child support payments on mortgage loan applications that she signed and certified to the financial institution’s underwriting department. In furtherance of her scheme, Ujaque created fictitious Final Judgments of Dissolution of Marriage and Final Orders Modifying Child Support showing the borrowers were entitled to receive non-existent monthly child support payments. Ujaque then used the names of judges from the Circuit Court of the Ninth District of Florida and forged their signatures on the fabricated Final Judgments of Dissolution of Marriage or Final Orders Modifying Child Support. Ujaque then created bogus Florida Department of Revenue Statements showing the party purportedly paying monthly child support payments to the borrowers and manufactured phony prepaid debit card statements showing the borrowers purportedly withdrawing the non-existent monthly child support payments.

In most cases, the children did not exist or the borrowers had never been married. Ujaque submitted bogus paperwork to the financial institution to support the false monthly income on the loan applications. Based on Ujaque’s misrepresentations, the financial institution approved and funded the mortgage loans.

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 Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General and the Florida Office of Financial Regulation. It will be prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Gregory Austin Eward (25, Live Oak) today pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and transfer unregistered firearm silencers. Eward faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

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

In 2018, Dustin Eward was interviewed by two FBI Special Agents. He told the agents that he lived with his son and that they operated a business out of their home. According to Dustin Eward, they produced and sold “solvent traps” and adaptors for firearms. It is common for sellers of illicit firearms silencers to falsely claim that their products are not actually silencers, but instead are “solvent traps,” that is, devices supposedly designed to catch or “trap” dirty cleaning solvent pushed through the barrel of a firearm from the chamber end and out through the muzzle.

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

The devices were examined by an ATF Firearms Enforcement Officer and firearms expert who concluded that the devices were consistent in design and construction with firearms silencers that he had examined in the past and he recognized the devices to be firearms silencers. The officer noted that to make the silencers functional, an end-user would need to drill center holes through the silencers’ baffles and end cap; the officer estimated, however, that this task only would require five to ten minutes to complete. Notably, also included in the parcels that the Ewards had mailed were 3D-printed tools, including a tool designed to act as a “jig” to accurately guide the drilling of center holes through the silencers. These silencers were not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by federal law.

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

During an interview after his arrest, Gregory Eward acknowledged that he was the CEO of Eward Research and that he and his father worked for the company.  He volunteered that his products look like silencers, but he denied that he was selling these products as silencers or silencer kits. He later acknowledged that their products were similar to silencers, and they would operate as silencers if a hole was drilled through them. Eward claimed that these products were intended to store small items, such as fishing line, a syringe, or a towel. 

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

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

“This outcome reflects the tireless efforts of investigators from several federal, state and local agencies,” said ATF Tampa Field Division’s Acting Special Agent in Charge Richard Coes. “Northeast Florida is much safer today, thanks to their teamwork.”

“Although law enforcement continues to fight violent crime, it remains a threat in too many of our communities,” said Sherri E. Onks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “The FBI and our local, state and federal law enforcement partners remain focused on identifying and investigating those who commit violent crime, including those who traffic in illegal firearms. Let this case be a warning that we will not rest while Americans live in fear of violence in their neighborhoods.”

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

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

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Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Michael Ray King (42, Jacksonville) to eight years and one month in federal prison for using the internet to download and receive videos and images showing children being sexually abused. King was also ordered to serve a 15-year term of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and pay child victims a total of $50,500 in restitution. King was arrested by FBI agents at his home on November 18, 2021, and he has been detained since June 1, 2022, when his bond was revoked because he accessed the internet in violation of his release conditions. King had pleaded guilty in September 2022.

According to court documents, in 2021, the FBI was investigating individuals who were using online networks to receive and share child sexual abuse materials. This investigation revealed that in July, August, and September 2021, King used a computer connected to the internet at his Jacksonville residence to access videos depicting young children being sexually abused.

On November 18, 2021, the FBI executed a federal search warrant at King’s house and seized, among other things, an external computer hard drive that was connected by a cable to a gaming computer. A forensic examination of these devices ultimately revealed that King had collected at least 5,000 videos and at least 2,000 images depicting child sexual abuse, including young children being sexually assaulted, bestiality, and bondage. The forensic evidence further showed that King had downloaded these child sexual abuse materials from the internet using a particular file-sharing program.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown. Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran handled the forfeiture of assets, including the two computer devices used by King to receive and store child sexual abuse materials.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of online 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 investigate, 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 Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Raequin Smith (27, Tampa) to six years and three months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Smith had pleaded guilty on December 1, 2022.

According to court documents, on April 5, 2022, Smith was stopped by law enforcement for driving at a high rate of speed. When asked to exit the vehicle, Smith fled in the vehicle. Police helicopters were dispatched and located Smith driving at a high rate of speed and disregarding traffic signals through busy roadways in Tampa. Officers used spike strips to disable Smith’s vehicle, but Smith fled on foot, discarding a bookbag in a driveway as he ran. Officers pursued Smith until he was apprehended. They retrieved the bookbag which contained a firearm, ammunition, cocaine, marijuana, two digital scales, and multiple empty baggies.

This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Strategic Pattern Armed Robbery Technical Apprehension (SPARTA) unit of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria Guzman.

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 Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Demetrius Reddick (36, Tampa) to 10 years in federal prison for attempted coercion or enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. The court also ordered Reddick to serve a 15-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. He also forfeited a cellphone that was used in the commission of the offense. Reddick had pleaded guilty on September 13, 2022.

According to court documents, Reddick spent approximately two months communicating with an undercover detective, who was posing as a 13-year-old girl, over a social media platform. During these conversations, Reddick engaged the fictious child in sexual conversations, and ultimately traveled to a hotel in Orlando to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual activities with the child.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shannon Laurie.

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

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari (26, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, namely, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (“ISIS”). Pursuant to the terms of his plea agreement, Al-Azhari and the United States have agreed to the imposition of a stipulated sentence of 18 years in federal prison. Al-Azhari has also agreed to forfeit certain assets that are traceable to proceeds of the offense, as well as various items of property, including gear involved in, or intended to be used to commit the offense.

According to the plea agreement, Al-Azhari is a United States citizen who spent most of his life abroad and came to embrace dogmatic, Islamist/Salafist beliefs. In or around 2015, Al-Azhari was convicted of advocating for Jaysh al-Islam, an armed Islamist group then participating in the Syrian conflict, in Saudi Arabia. Al-Azhari spent approximately three years in Saudi Arabian custody, after which he was removed to the United States. Upon Al-Azhari’s arrival to the United States, in or around December 2018, the FBI began investigating him for potentially providing material support to ISIS, which, at all relevant times, was designated as a foreign terrorist organization under federal law.

In or around April 2020, Al-Azhari began planning to carry out an attack in support of ISIS. Around the same time, Al-Azhari began to acquire multiple firearms. He also researched and scouted potential locations in the Tampa Bay area. Since at least May 2019, Al-Azhari consumed ISIS propaganda and spoke favorably about ISIS, to whom he eventually pledged his allegiance through a bay’ah (an Islamic oath of allegiance). Furthermore, Al-Azhari spoke about avenging the United States’ imprisonment of Muslims, including ISIS fighters, and the United States’ military actions in the Middle East. In addition, Al-Azhari rehearsed parts of the plan described above, including practicing statements that he would make during, or in connection with, an attack in support of ISIS.

Between late April and May 2020, Al-Azhari also had multiple interactions with an FBI undercover employee (“UC-1”) and a confidential human source (“CHS-1”), during which Al-Azhari tried to buy guns from the UC-1, including a fully automatic rifle, but he was arrested on unrelated state charges while negotiating the purchase. Al-Azhari thereafter met CHS-1, attempted to “convert” CHS-1 to Islam, and confided in CHS-1 about his affiliation with ISIS and his plans to provide material support to ISIS, as well as to send money to ISIS. Al-Azhari recruited CHS-1 to help him carry out the plans described above in support of ISIS, as well as robberies, and he asked CHS-1 to obtain a Glock pistol and an unregistered silencer for him. Agents arrested Al-Azhari when he took possession of the gun and silencer on May 24, 2020.           

This case was investigated by FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Tampa Police Department, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Petersburg Police Department, the Clearwater Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick Scruggs and Risha Asokan.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Robert L. Birchum (55, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing and retaining classified documents relating to the national defense of the United States. Birchum faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Birchum has also agreed to surrender certain computer equipment that contained classified information and facilitated the unlawful retention of national defense information.

According to the plea agreement, Birchum, who retired in 2018 as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force, had served in various positions in intelligence, including those requiring him to work with classified intelligence information for the Joint Special Operations Command, the Special Operations Command, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. While he was on active duty, Birchum entered into several agreements with the United States regarding the protection and proper handling of classified information. In 2017, however, law enforcement officers discovered that Birchum had removed more than 300 classified files or documents, including more than 30 items marked Top Secret, from authorized locations to his home, his overseas officer’s quarters, and a storage pod in his driveway. None of these locations were authorized for storage of classified national defense information, and Birchum knew as much. For example, Birchum possessed two documents on a thumb drive found in his home that contained information relating to the National Security Agency’s capabilities and methods of collection, and targets’ vulnerabilities. Both documents were classified as Top Secret/SCI, and their unauthorized release could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security of the United States.

This case was investigated by the United States Air Force—Office of Special Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cherie L. Krigsman and Trial Attorney Evan N. Turgeon of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

 

Download Plea Agreement

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Travis Morgan Slaughter and Tripp Charles Slaughter with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit tax fraud related to a roofing business that they operated. Travis Slaughter is also charged with failing to account for and pay over payroll taxes to the IRS and evading personal income taxes for the years 2017 through 2019. Tripp Slaughter is also charged with filing false personal income tax returns for the years 2016 through 2019.

The wire fraud conspiracy count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and the tax fraud conspiracy and evasion of taxes counts each carry a maximum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment. The filing false tax return counts each carry a maximum penalty of 3 years’ imprisonment. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to seek forfeiture of a total of approximately $3 million, the estimated amount of proceeds obtained as a result of the wire fraud conspiracy.

According to the indictment, Travis Morgan Slaughter and Tripp Charles Slaughter operated a roofing business in Jacksonville under the name Great White Construction, Inc. (a/k/a Florida Roofing Experts, Inc., a/k/a 5 Star Roofing Services LLC). The company contracted with professional employer organizations ("PEOs") to prepare payroll checks for the company's employees, after making deductions for payroll taxes, and to file payroll tax returns and forward tax payments to the governmental authorities.

However, the company did not provide the PEOs with information about all of the hours worked by or all of the wages due to its employees. Instead, the company also paid the employees directly, with separate checks drawn on company bank accounts, and did not deduct payroll taxes from these checks. By paying employees with “split checks”—one from the PEO and one from the company—the company avoided paying the full amount of payroll taxes due to the IRS.

On many occasions, the company issued checks from its checking account in lump sum amounts to work crew leaders for work performed by the crews. Many of the workers on these crews were citizens of other countries who were living and working in the United States illegally. The work crew leaders obtained cash for the checks and paid the workers on the crews in cash. Paying the workers in cash helped these undocumented non-citizens to continue to live and work in the United States illegally.

During the period of January 2017 through July 2020, the PEOs issued payroll checks to the employees totaling approximately $4,930,613, after deducting and paying over to the IRS the payroll taxes due. During that same period, the company issued checks to the employees totaling approximately $18,545,845, with no payroll taxes being deducted or paid. The unpaid payroll taxes on that amount—including only the Social Security and Medicare taxes and income tax that should have been withheld from the employees’ pay—was $2,768,377.

The PEOs also secured workers’ compensation insurance coverage for the company. The premiums charged by the workers’ compensation insurers were based on the total amount of payroll that the company reported to the PEOs. If the company had reported the actual amount of payroll, the insurers would have charged additional premiums totaling millions of dollars.

Travis Slaughter evaded the payment of income taxes for the years 2017 through 2019 by, among other things, failing to file a tax return for 2017 and not filing returns for 2018 and 2019 until 2021, which returns significantly underreported his income from the business. He also withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars from business bank accounts, fraudulently transferred two properties to his children, and purchased four properties that he fraudulently titled in the names of his children.

Tripp Slaughter filed false tax returns for the years 2016 through 2019 by failing to include the income he was paid directly by the company that totaled approximately $121,492 and failing to report business income that totaled approximately $847,597.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Daniel Joseph Tisone (35, Naples) to seven years and three months in federal prison for wire fraud, bank fraud, illegal monetary transactions, and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Tisone was also ordered to forfeit the properties, engagement ring, ammunition, and cash seized from bank accounts, as well as to pay restitution in the amount of $2,617,447.17, all traceable proceeds of the offenses. Tisone had pleaded guilty on August 26, 2022.    

According to court documents, between March 2020 and April 2021, Tisone, a convicted felon, submitted false and fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), Main Street Lending Program (MSLP), and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA), as well as PPP and MSLP approved lenders. The loan applications contained numerous false representations, including the criminal history, average monthly payroll, number of employees, and gross revenues of the applicant, Tisone.

 In support of the fraudulent EIDL, PPP, and MSLP applications, Tisone submitted false and fictitious payroll and tax documents, as well as a fake commercial lease. Further, Tisone fraudulently used the means of identification of individuals who purported to work for Tisone’s companies, including their names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers, to submit false and fraudulent payroll and payroll tax documents. Tisone also fraudulently used the means of identification of an individual, including the individual’s name, date of birth, driver license, and Social Security number, to submit a false and fraudulent EIDL application.

Tisone’s false and fraudulent representations caused the SBA, PPP, and MSLP lenders to approve and fund one MSLP, four EIDL, and five PPP loans, resulting in the deposit of approximately $2,617,447 into bank accounts Tisone controlled. Tisone then used the funds for unauthorized purposes and for his own personal enrichment, including the purchase of residences in Naples, Florida, stocks and investment securities, a 2019 Tiara 34LS boat, a 4.02 carat engagement ring, and ammunition.

On March 20, 2022, while executing a search warrant at Tisone’s residence, FBI agents discovered more than 800 rounds of assorted .223/5.56 and 9mm caliber ammunition in Tisone’s master bedroom and garage. As a convicted felon, Tisone is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted March 2020. It is designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act is the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding.

The PPP allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of one percent. Businesses must use PPP loan proceeds for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. The PPP allows the interest and principal to be forgiven if the business spends the proceeds on these expenses within a set time period and uses at least a certain percentage of the loan toward payroll expenses.

The EIDL program is designed to provide economic relief to small businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. EIDL proceeds can be used to cover a wide array of working capital and normal operating expenses, such as continuation of health care benefits, rent, utilities, and fixed debt payments. If an applicant also obtains a loan under the PPP, the EIDL funds cannot be used for the same purpose as the PPP funds. 

The MSLP was designed to provide support to small and medium-sized businesses and their employees across the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program was intended to help companies, that were in sound financial condition prior to the onset of the pandemic, maintain their operations and payroll until conditions normalized.

“Daniel Joseph Tisone seriously abused three federal programs that used taxpayers’ money to aid struggling small businesses through the pandemic, said Brian Miller, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. “SIGPR is glad to have played a significant role teaming with other law enforcement agencies and the United States Attorney’s Office to hold Mr. Tisone accountable.”

This case was investigated by the FBI, Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR), IRS – Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Reserve Board OIG. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Trent Reichling, Suzanne Nebesky, and Julie Simonsen.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced Martin Felder, Jr. (43, Orlando) to 12 years in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. The court also ordered Felder to forfeit assets, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense. Felder had pleaded guilty on October 20, 2022.

According to court documents, Felder, a previously convicted felon, was under investigation for narcotics distribution in the Tampa Bay area. On two subsequent occasions, Felder sold methamphetamine and heroin to a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confidential source. A forensic laboratory test of the narcotics seized indicated that the methamphetamine was “ICE” – which is very high purity methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Callan Albritton and Maria Guzman.

Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Jermaine Lamar Harvard (41, Lake County) guilty of distributing fentanyl resulting in the death of another. Harvard faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 20 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 15, 2023.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, in October 2019, Harvard distributed a quantity of fentanyl to the victim, M.R. An analysis of the victim’s cellphone revealed that Harvard had set up multiple drug transactions with the victim. These drugs led directly to the victim’s death. Harvard represented that the substance was heroin. A medical examiner subsequently determined that the victim had died of acute fentanyl toxicity.

Harvard has prior state convictions for the sale of cocaine in 2013.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton and Hannah J. Nowalk.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Karl Patrick Kluge (54, Fort Myers) to eight years and one month in federal prison for possession of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. Kluge was also sentenced to a 15-year term of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender. Kluge was found guilty following a bench trial on October 31, 2022.

According to court documents, in May 2021, an FBI task force agent had connected to Kluge’s computer sharing files depicting a child being sexually abused. The FBI later executed a search warrant at Kluge’s residence and seized Kluge’s laptop computer, cellphones, and a thumb drive. Kluge admitted to agents that he looked at child sex abuse images. A subsequent forensic examination of Kluge’s devices revealed in excess of 300 images and more than 150 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.

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

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

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Marcus Jamar Fowler (32, Tarpon Springs) a/k/a “Drastic,” and Abelardo Torres (36, Tampa) with conspiracy to distribute narcotics and possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance. Pierre Marquise Fowler (34, Port Richey), a/k/a “Durk,” and Cyion Craig Kerr (45, New York), a/k/a “Bling,” are charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. If convicted, each faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit nine pieces of real property, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.

According to the indictment, Marcus Jamar Fowler and Pierre Marquise Fowler conspired to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, 400 grams or more of a mixture containing a detectable amount fentanyl, and 5 kilograms or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.

The indictment further alleges that Kerr conspired to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, and 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. Torres is alleged to have conspired to possess with the intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.

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

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha E. Beckman. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney James Muench.

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.

Tampa, Florida - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida has implemented the new United States Attorney’s Offices’ Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy released earlier this week. The policy, which is effective immediately, details the circumstances under which a company will be considered to have made a voluntary self-disclosure (VSD) of misconduct to a United States Attorney’s Office (USAO-MDFL), and provides transparency and predictability to companies and the defense bar concerning the concrete benefits and potential outcomes in cases where companies voluntarily self-disclose misconduct, fully cooperate and timely and appropriately remediate.

The goal of the policy is to standardize how VSDs are defined and credited by USAOs nationwide, and to incentivize companies to maintain effective compliance programs capable of identifying misconduct, to expeditiously and voluntarily disclose and remediate misconduct, and to cooperate fully with the government in corporate criminal investigations. The policy was developed pursuant to the Deputy Attorney General’s September 15, 2022 memorandum, “Further Revisions to Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policies Following Discussions with Corporate Crime Advisory Group” (Monaco Memo), which directed each Department of Justice (DOJ) component that prosecutes corporate crime to review its policies on corporate voluntary self-disclosure and, if there was no formal written policy to incentivize self-disclosure, draft and publicly share such a policy.

“Transparency and accountability are integral to establish public and private trust,” said U.S. Attorney Handberg. “The new Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy is an important step in encouraging corporate governance. This policy incentivizes corporations to do the right thing by reporting wrongdoing before detected by regulators and law enforcement. We hope that it will have a transformative effect in promoting positive, corporate practices within our district and nationwide.”

Under the new VSD policy, a company is considered to have made a VSD if it becomes aware of misconduct by employees or agents before that misconduct is publicly reported or otherwise known to the DOJ, and discloses all relevant facts known to the company about the misconduct to a USAO in a timely fashion prior to an imminent threat of disclosure or government investigation. A company that voluntarily self-discloses as defined in the policy and fully meets the other requirements of the policy, by—in the absence of any aggravating factor—fully cooperating and timely and appropriately remediating the criminal conduct (including agreeing to pay all disgorgement, forfeiture, and restitution resulting from the misconduct), will receive significant benefits, including that the USAO will not seek a guilty plea; may choose not to impose any criminal penalty, and in any event will not impose a criminal penalty that is greater than 50% below the low end of the United States Sentencing Guidelines (USSG) fine range; and will not seek the imposition of an independent compliance monitor if the company demonstrates that it has implemented and tested an effective compliance program.

The policy identifies three aggravating factors that may warrant a USAO seeking a guilty plea even if the other requirements of the VSD policy are met: (1) if the misconduct poses a grave threat to national security, public health, or the environment; (2) if the misconduct is deeply pervasive throughout the company; or (3) if the misconduct involved current executive management of the company. The presence of an aggravating factor does not necessarily mean that a guilty plea will be required; instead, the USAO will assess the relevant facts and circumstances to determine the appropriate resolution. If a guilty plea is ultimately required, the company will still receive the other benefits under the VSD policy, including that the USAO will recommend a criminal penalty of at least a 50% and up to a 75% reduction off the low end of the USSG fine range, and that the USAO will not require the appointment of a monitor if the company has implemented and tested an effective compliance program.

In cases where a company is being jointly prosecuted by a USAO and another DOJ component, or where the misconduct reported by the company falls within the scope of conduct covered by VSD policies administered by other DOJ components, the USAO will coordinate with, or, if necessary, obtain approval from, the DOJ component responsible for the VSD policy specific to the reported misconduct when considering a potential resolution. Consistent with relevant provisions of the Justice Manual and as allowable under alternate VSD policies, the USAO may choose to apply any provision of an alternate VSD policy in addition to, or in place of, any provision of its policy.

The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC), under the leadership of United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams, requested that the White Collar Fraud Subcommittee of the AGAC, under the leadership of United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace, develop policies in response to the Deputy AG’s memo. The policy announced today was prepared by a Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policy Working Group comprised of U.S. Attorneys from geographically diverse districts, including U.S. Attorney Peace, as well as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut Vanessa Avery, U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Clare Connors, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Stephanie Hinds, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Christopher Kavanaugh, and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Philip Sellinger. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Riedel, White Collar Crimes Coordinator for the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, also participated in the development of the policy.

Download United States Attorney's Office Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy

 

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and extradition of Dariy Pankov a/k/a “dpxaker.” Pankov is charged with conspiracy, access device fraud, and computer fraud. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum penalty of 47 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Pankov that the United States intends to forfeit $358,437, which is alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses.

Pankov, a citizen and resident of Russia, was taken into custody by Georgian authorities in the Republic of Georgia, on October 4, 2022, and extradited to the United States pursuant to a request from the United States. Pankov appeared before United States Magistrate Christopher P. Tuite on February 21, 2023, in Tampa, Florida and was ordered detained pending trial.

According to the indictment, Pankov developed a malicious software program named “NLBrute.” The powerful malware was capable of compromising protected computers by decrypting login credentials, such as passwords. Pankov used NLBrute to obtain the login credentials of tens of thousands of computers located all over the world. He marketed, sold, and had others sell on his behalf, NLBrute to other cybercriminals for a fee. Pankov sold the stolen login credentials on a dark web website that specialized in the purchase and sale of access to compromised computers. Once sold, those credentials were used to facilitate a wide range of illegal activity, including ransomware attacks and tax fraud. Pankov listed the credentials of more than 35,000 compromised computers for sale on the website, and obtained more than $350,000 in illicit proceeds.

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

This investigation was led by the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation, Tampa Field Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tampa Field Office. Substantial assistance was provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and United States Marshals Service. This investigation also benefited from foreign law enforcement cooperation by the Georgian Prosecutor General’s Office, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Internal Affairs. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.

 

Download Indictment

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced Jy’Quale Samari Grable (21, Tampa) to life in federal prison for conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, and first-degree premeditated murder of two individuals.  A federal jury had found Grable guilty on November 18, 2022.

According to evidence presented at trial, on December 22, 2020, Grable orchestrated a plan in which he and two co-conspirators drove to the Valrico Station Apartments in Brandon to conduct a robbery of marijuana. Grable went to the victims’ third floor apartment. On the back patio of the apartment, Grable shot B.B. in the neck, severing his spinal cord, and killing him instantly. Grable then shot M.M. in the chest, perforating his heart and lung, which lead to his death. Neighbors heard the gun shots and observed blood dripping from the third floor back balcony apartment down to the lower floors. Deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office immediately responded and secured the scene.

According to evidence presented in court, Grable deleted messages and phone calls from his phone, had family members dispose of the murder weapon, and burned his bloody clothing.

“Combatting the drug-related violence plaguing our communities is one of DEA’s top priorities,” said DEA Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter. “Our joint partnerships were pivotal to the success of this investigation, and we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe and healthy.”

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes and David P. Sullivan.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday has sentenced Thaddeus Timeaus Howard (30, Tampa) to 10 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Howard to forfeit the firearm and ammunition seized during his arrest. Howard had pleaded guilty on December 15, 2022.

According to court documents, on July 9, 2022, Howard fired approximately seven shots at his ex-girlfriend in the Sulphur Springs neighborhood of Tampa. After firing his weapon, Howard entered his vehicle and chased the victim, who had fled in a car driven by her cousin. That chase ended when Howard caused a multi-vehicle accident near the intersection of North Nebraska Avenue and East Broad Street, after swerving in and out of oncoming traffic. Howard fled the scene of that crash on foot and was apprehended by officers from the Tampa Police Department. Upon searching Howard, officers located a pistol in the pocket of his jeans. 

At the time of the incident, Howard had prior felony convictions for armed robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David P. Sullivan. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney James A. Muench.

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 Thomas Bellere (40, Pasco), a/k/a Tommy Gunz, has pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. Bellere has also agreed to forfeit the firearm, which is traceable to the offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, on January 30, 2022, Bellere was in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle with a stolen tag. A deputy from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office with a drug canine conducted an investigation (sniff) of the vehicle. The canine alerted on the car. Deputies conducted a search of the vehicle and observed a firearm (Smith & Wesson model 642, .38 caliber) partially under the driver’s seat. The firearm had been reported stolen. In addition, deputies located 107 grams of pure methamphetamine inside the vehicle.

Bellere has multiple felony convictions, including being a felon in possession of a firearm, leaving the scene of a crash involving injury, and felony battery. As such, 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 and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha E. 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.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that James Allen Randall (70, Orange Park) has been arrested and charged by federal criminal complaint with receiving child sex abuse materials and accessing with the intent to view child sex abuse materials. Randall faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release. Randall has been detained pending a hearing scheduled for February 21, 2023.

According to the complaint, an investigation was initiated by law enforcement after they had received a CyberTip from an internet service provider indicating a user had uploaded child sex abuse materials. Further investigation determined the upload was tied to an IP address for Randall’s residence. 

On February 16, 2023, agents and task force officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at Randall’s residence and located a computer that was being used by Randall that had the search results for child sex abuse materials displayed on the screen. A preliminary review of the computer showed Randall had previously downloaded a file containing child sex abuse material.

A criminal complaint is only an allegation and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington has sentenced Dominic Shapiro (33, Forrest Hills, New York) to 10 years in federal prison for attempted coercion or enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. The court also ordered Shapiro to register as a sex offender and forfeit a cellphone that was used in the commission of the offense. Shapiro had pleaded guilty on November 18, 2022.

According to court documents, Shapiro spent approximately six weeks communicating with an undercover detective, who was posing as a 14-year-old girl, over various social media platforms including Kik, Snapchat, and text messages. During these conversations, Shapiro engaged the fictitious child in sexual conversations, sent images and videos of himself masturbating, and ultimately drove to a park for the purpose of engaging in sexual activities with this child.

“Predators, like Dominic Shapiro, use the pseudo-anonymity of the internet to lure children into a false sense of security before proposing to meet in person,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristopher Pagitt. “Thanks to the diligent efforts of our task force officers and law enforcement partners with the St. Petersburg Police Department along with support from HSI New York, the Federal Air Marshal Service, and the New York Police Department, he was sentenced to a decade behind bars.”    

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

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Covington has sentenced Robert Humberston (39, Sarasota) to six years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Humberston had pleaded guilty on December 2, 2021.

According to court documents, in March 2021, law enforcement officers recovered three firearms from a felon during a probation search. The felon was prohibited from possessing firearms and informed the officers that they had purchased all three firearms from Humberston, as recently as January 2021. The felon showed the officers a series of Facebook messages where Humberston arranged for the sale of a firearm.

Law enforcement officers secured a search warrant for Humberston’s Facebook account. The account contained several pictures of Humberston holding various firearms, along with numerous posts and messages relating to the sale of firearms. The officers discovered the chain of messages where Humberston agreed to sell the firearm to the felon. Tattoos in the photos also matched those on Humberston.

Humberston has multiple prior felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charlie D. Connally.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell has sentenced Terry Augusta Newsome (34, Tampa) to seven years in federal prison for unlawful possession of a firearm. The court also ordered Newsome to forfeit the firearm and ammunition. Newsome had pleaded guilty on November 1, 2022.

According to court documents, on February 15, 2021, an officer from the Tampa Police Department observed Newsome driving a moped, failing to stop at a stop sign, and colliding with a bicyclist. The officer responded to the scene of the crash and called for emergency services.

When the officer arrived at the scene, he observed that Newsome and the bicyclist were both severely bleeding. The officer attempted to attend to Newsome’s injuries, but Newsome rose to his feet clutching a firearm that he had hidden under his shirt. Additional officers that had arrived on scene noticed a holster partially hidden under Newsome’s shirt. The officers restrained Newsome and retrieved a loaded firearm from Newsome’s pants.

At the time of the incident, Newsome had at least 26 prior state felony convictions, including 3 convictions for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, 5 for grand theft motor vehicle, 9 burglary, and 1 for armed robbery. Because of his prior felony convictions, Newsome is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

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

Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Tyler Deandre Johnson (27, Tampa) to three years and eight months in federal prison for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered the forfeiture of $40,039.67, which represents the proceeds Johnson obtained from these offenses. The federal sentence is to run consecutively to a three-year state prison sentence Johnson is currently serving on four Hillsborough County state cases. In those cases, Johnson was convicted of three counts of fleeing to elude, two counts of armed possession of a controlled substance, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. Johnson had pleaded guilty to the federal charges on November 15, 2022. 

According to court records, between March 16 and June 15, 2021, Johnson used Green Dot VISA debit cards and PayPal credit cards with stolen account numbers embossed on them to purchase a total of $40,039.67 worth of merchandise. The merchandise included jewelry and cellphones. Because another person’s name was embossed on these cards, Johnson used fraudulent identification cards to corroborate the names on the debit and credit cards as his own.

This case was investigated by the U.S. General Services Administration - Office of Inspector General, Southeast and Caribbean Regional Investigations Office, the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Southeast Region, Amtrak - Office of Inspector General, Central Region, the U.S. Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, the Davie Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff's Office, the Cape Coral Police Department, the Belleview Police Department, the Sarasota Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, and the Synchrony Bank Special Investigations Team. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Jorge Gutierrez Echeverria (34, Tampa) to two years and six months in federal prison for wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent receipt of Covid-19 funds. The court also ordered Gutierrez Echeverria to forfeit $149,900, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense. Gutierrez Echeverria had pleaded guilty on August 11, 2022.

According to court documents, in July 2020, Gutierrez Echeverria falsely and fraudulently claimed in a federal application for Covid-19 funding that he was the sole proprietor of a business suffering an economic injury due to the Covid-19 pandemic when in fact Gutierrez Echeverria had no such business. He further claimed that he had no felony convictions when in fact he had two felony convictions. Gutierrez Echeverria submitted a fraudulent 2018 tax return, including a fraudulent Schedule C, in support of his application as purported proof that his claimed business was real. As a result of his false and fraudulent representations, Gutierrez Echeverria received a $149,900 loan to which he was not entitled. He spent the money on extravagant personal expenses.  

“The Secret Service remains committed to holding individuals accountable that attempt to exploit taxpayer funded pandemic relief programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Engel of the United States Secret Service – Tampa Field Office. “The outcome of this case is the direct result of the coordination with our partners at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.”

This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.

         

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Terrance Paul Snow (22, North Fort Myers) with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted, Snow faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Snow that the United States intends to forfeit a Taurus Model 85 .38 Special revolver and 4 rounds of .38 ammunition, which are alleged to be traceable to the offense. 

According to court proceedings, on January 8, 2023, Snow was at a bar in New Port Richey. After a verbal dispute with other patrons of the bar, Snow pulled a small black revolver out of his waistband and pointed it at the patrons. Officers from the New Port Richey Police Department responded to the scene and apprehended Snow a short distance from the bar. The officers located a black Taurus Model 85 .38 Special revolver hidden behind a dumpster near the location where Snow was apprehended. At the time of the incident, Snow was serving a 5-year probation term related to his prior federal felony conviction for conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery. As a convicted felon, Snow is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

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

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New Port Richey Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David P. Sullivan.

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 the return of an indictment charging Nicholas Quinton Hanson (32, Lakeland) with possessing ammunition as a convicted felon and Marcus Dewonn Mobley, Jr. (22, Lakeland) with possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. 

According to court documents and information presented in court, on January 30, 2023, Hanson, Mobley, and others shot 11 men in Lakeland from a blue Nissan Altima in a drive-by shooting. The victims all survived. Crime scene technicians recovered 9-millimeter, .40 caliber, and 5.56 millimeter spent shell casings from the crime scene. The evidence includes DNA collected from some of those shell casings, as well as from the Altima. Mobley’s DNA was recovered from a .40 caliber spent shell casing and the Altima. Hanson’s DNA was recovered from two spent 9-millimeter shell casings. Officers also subsequently seized a loaded, 9-millimeter handgun from Hanson’s home. 

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 Strategic Pattern Armed Robbery Technical Apprehension (SPARTA) unit of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Lakeland Police Department, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and the State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s 10th Judicial Circuit. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray

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.

 

Download Criminal Complaint (Hanson)

 

Download Indictment (Hanson/Mobley)

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Zachary Ray Ellis (45, Jacksonville) has been arrested and charged with using the internet to attempt to entice a 12-year-old child to engage in sexual activity.  Ellis faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervised release. At the time of his arrest on February 14, 2023, Ellis was an employee of a media and technology company.

According to court documents, on August 26, 2022, an undercover FBI agent, who was posing online as the mother (the “mother”) of an 11-year-old “child,” received a message from the user “Twiztd,” subsequently identified as Ellis, on a particular social media application. During the conversation, which eventually switched to text messages, the “mother” advised that she was looking for the “child” to get some experience and Ellis stated that he “love[s] young girls. 10-12 fav age.”  Ellis detailed his sexual interest in the “child,” telling the “mother” about the sexual acts he wanted to perform on the “child.” During the messaging, Ellis spoke directly with the “child” via text message, grooming her, and directing her on how to perform a sex act. The conversation then continued on and off throughout September, October, and November 2022, with Ellis reinitiating contact each time, checking to see if the “mother” had found anyone to help her with the “child” yet. 

On February 5, 2023, Ellis again reached out to the “mother” to find out about her progress with finding someone for the “child.” From February 6 through February 13, 2023, Ellis detailed his interest in the “child,” who was now 12 years old, including specific sexual activities he wanted to engage in with her. Ellis discussed meeting the “mother” first and then if the meeting went well, taking the “child” out separately on his own. On February 13, 2023, Ellis made arrangements to meet with the “mother” at a prearranged location and was arrested by FBI agents when he arrived. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.

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

Ocala, FL – Senior United States District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced Aaron Haa (42, Ocala) to 17 years and 7 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Haa had pleaded guilty on July 13, 2022.

According to information presented in court, on December 9, 2020, Haa was arrested by state authorities after being found with a firearm during a traffic stop. After being released from state custody, Haa was arrested again on January 22, 2021. During that second incident, Haa led police on a high-speed chase on U.S. 441 in Marion County. A deputy had to force Haa’s vehicle to stop when Haa started fleeing into the opposite lanes of traffic. After Haa flipped his vehicle, deputies took him into custody. Deputies found another firearm and 70 grams of methamphetamine in Haa’s vehicle. 

Haa has at least 21 prior state felony convictions, including trafficking in a controlled substance, fleeing and eluding, and sale of a controlled substance. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tyrie K. Boyer.

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 Ramon Paz (52, Lakeland) has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Paz faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Paz owned and managed a construction company which he registered with the State of Florida in December 2016. This company purported to supply construction services and labor to work for construction site contractors. In order to comply with Florida law, Paz’s company was required to secure and maintain adequate worker’s compensation insurance coverage. Providers of worker’s compensation insurance base the premiums they charge and the amount of coverage they provide on the number of employees a company has and the total annual payroll of those employees. Paz’s company had agreements with contractors and subcontractors to use workers purported to be Paz’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. Paz or others would then regularly receive “payroll checks” from contractors that were cashed at various financial institutions to pay Paz’s purported “employees” and other related expenses.

During the time period charged in the criminal information, Paz falsely and fraudulently represented in insurance applications that his company had a very limited payroll and a very limited number of employees that worked on construction jobsites. Paz also falsely and fraudulently sent wire communications to numerous contractors representing that his company’s employees had full worker’s compensation coverage. In reality, Paz’s company received and cashed more than $21 million in checks from various construction contractors for these purported “employees.” These payroll figures far exceeded the very limited payroll figures that Paz had reported to his worker’s compensation insurance company. As a result, the employees of Paz’s company, in reality the employees of other entities, performed work on jobsites without adequate insurance coverage. In addition, the insurers lost premiums they would have charged had they been aware of the true number of workers their policies were thus being manipulated to cover.

As a result of these misrepresentations, Paz’s company also disclaimed responsibility for ensuring that jobsite workers were legally authorized to work in the United States and that required state and federal payroll taxes were being paid for these workers. The contractors who actually paid these workers’ wages and used their services were thus also able to avoid responsibility for those duties as well.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the State of Florida Department of Financial Services. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Kenneth Steven Landers (57, Jacksonville) today pleaded guilty to wire fraud and engaging in an illegal monetary transaction. Landers faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, during 2020 and 2021, Landers applied for federally backed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans ten times, requesting a total of $1,410,000. He submitted the applications on behalf of four different corporate entities that he controlled, specifically, the American Fallen Veterans Service Project Inc., Tire Empire LLC, Maypops LLC, and Florida United Inc. In support of each application, Landers electronically submitted false information and documents, including fictitious or altered Internal Revenue Service tax forms.

Notwithstanding Landers’s use of fraudulent documents, seven of his ten PPP loan applications were approved and funded in the total amount of $910,000, which was deposited into financial accounts that he controlled. Rather than use the loan proceeds exclusively to pay employees or for other allowable expenses under the PPP, Landers used funds for his personal benefit. For example, he paid off the mortgages on his home and a business property, purchased an 18kt gold Rolex watch, and bought a vintage Jaguar XKE Roadster. He also wrote checks to himself, transferred funds electronically to personal accounts, paid down personal debt, and made approximately $113,000 in cash withdrawals of funds traceable to PPP loan proceeds.

As part of his plea agreement, Landers agreed to forfeit $910,000, the proceeds of the wire fraud, as well as two pieces of real estate that he purchased or funded with the proceeds. 

This case is being prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the CARES Act relief programs. The CARES Act is a federal law enacted in March 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the two programs that were developed through CARES Act is the PPP. It provides funding to businesses through PPP loans for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. PPP allows the interest and principal on loans to be forgiven if the business spends proceeds on certain expense items within a designated time and uses a certain percentage of the loan on payroll expenses. The Department of Justice remains vigilant in detecting, investigating, and prosecuting wrongdoing related to the crisis.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mai Tran and Michael J. Coolican.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Yonasky Fernandez Rosa (40, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. Rosa faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for access device fraud and a consecutive 2-year minimum mandatory term of imprisonment for aggravated identity theft. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, in 2018, Rosa was convicted of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft in federal court in Ohio. After serving 22 months in prison, his supervised release was transferred to the Middle District of Florida, during which he continued to commit identity theft and access device fraud. On April 6, 2021, Rosa used a victim’s personally identifiable information (PII) to purchase gasoline at a Circle-K gas station in Plant City without the victim’s authorization. The victim told law enforcement that he did not know Rosa, did not authorize the purchase, and did not give Rosa permission to possess his PII.  

On June 2, 2021, during a search of Rosa’s residence in the Town N’ Country neighborhood of Tampa, law enforcement officers discovered device-making equipment, including magnetic stripe encoders and skimmers, and hundreds of instances of PII in the form of credit card numbers, cardholder names, and PINs, on Rosa’s laptop computer.   

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – Office of Agriculture Law Enforcement, the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee.

Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced Troy Nix (30, Mount Dora) to five years and eight months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Nix had pleaded guilty on September 21, 2022.

According to court records, on June 3, 2022, Nix sold a 9mm firearm to an undercover ATF agent and then fled on foot when agents attempted to arrest him. Nix is a previously convicted felon with at least eight prior state felony convictions including battery on a person 65 years of age or older, sale of cocaine, and fleeing to elude police. Because of his prior felony convictions, Nix is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mount Dora Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tyrie K. Boyer. 

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 a federal jury has found Jonathan Daniels (44, St. Petersburg) guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Daniels faces a maximum penalty of 62 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 5, 2023. Daniels had been indicted on August 25, 2021.

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

One of Daniels’s co-conspirators, Ian McGeehan, has pleaded guilty. His sentencing is scheduled for May 4, 2023.

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

Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Curtis Tyrone Johnson (35, Melbourne) guilty of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and possession with the intent to distribute various controlled substances. Johnson faces a minimum mandatory term of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 10, 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 the FBI, executed search warrants at two residences on Williams Street in Melbourne. While law enforcement moved in to set a perimeter one street south, 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 following 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 black bag and firearm over a fence into a church parking lot. Both items, the Glock .40 caliber pistol loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition, and a bag containing 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 – were recovered.

After he was arrested, Johnson told agents that they “didn’t get no gun off me” and asked if possession is nine-tenths of the law. Further investigation revealed that a vehicle located in an open field, which had been towed to the Melbourne Police Department pending a search warrant, belonged to Johnson and his girlfriend. Law enforcement searched the vehicle and located $7,000 inside a sock and two digital scales. During a jail phone call that Johnson had placed to his girlfriend after his arrest, Johnson instructed his girlfriend to get the title to the car because there were 8 “wraps” in the vehicle, which is common street terminology for a stack of $1,000.        

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 is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Beatriz Gonzalez and Megan Testerman.

  

 

Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces today that Florida Cardiology, P.A., Sandeep Bajaj, Karan Reddy, and eight other physicians have agreed to pay the United States and the State of Florida $2 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting inflated claims to Medicare and Medicaid and for billing while the physicians were outside the United States.

The United States and the State of Florida previously intervened in a whistleblower lawsuit against Florida Cardiology and the physician-defendants on June 27, 2022. The lawsuit and settlement relate to the submission of claims that were improperly billed or performed, and submitted or caused to be submitted by Florida Cardiology, Sandeep Bajaj, Abbas Ali, Karan Reddy, Claudio Manubens, Milan Kothari, Saroj Tampira, Sayed Hussain,Raviprasad Subraya, Harish Patil, and Edwin Martinez.

According to the lawsuit and settlement agreement, Dr. Bajaj and Dr. Reddy caused Florida Cardiology to bill for more intravascular stents than were actually inserted into patients; Dr. Bajaj caused Florida Cardiology to bill for radiofrequency ablations that were not performed by him and in some instances, were not performed by a qualifying provider; and all ten physician-defendants caused Florida Cardiology to bill for procedures and services while they were outside the United States.  According to the Complaint in Intervention, except in limited circumstances, providers cannot bill for services while outside the United States. According to the settlement agreement, Florida Cardiology submitted these false claims for payment to Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program.

“Fraud schemes represent a tangible threat to our public health programs,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg. “This civil settlement demonstrates our continuing commitment to the integrity of these programs, and to holding providers accountable for the truth of what they represent in their claims.”

“The defendants in this case attempted to rip off taxpayers—even going as far as billing Medicaid and Medicare for services they claimed were provided to patients in Florida while these doctors were actually out of the country. As a result of their brazen scheme and the great work of whistleblowers, my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and our federal partners, these defendants will now pay for ripping off taxpayers,” stated Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

“Health care professionals participating in Medicare and Medicaid are expected to abide by rules meant to protect patients, and to properly bill the programs on which their patients rely. Physicians who put financial gain above the well-being of patients and the integrity of federal health care programs will be held accountable for their actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “In coordination with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG will continue to investigate such allegations to protect the beneficiaries of all HHS programs.”

“We commend the U.S. Attorney’s office, the Florida MFCU, HHS Office of Inspector General, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service for their commitment to safeguarding the TRICARE Health Plan,” stated the Defense Health Agency. “Their efforts protect taxpayer dollars to ensure our service members, veterans, and their families continue to receive the highest degree of medical care.”

“False claims threaten the integrity of the Federal health care programs and waste American taxpayer funds,” said Conrad J. Quarles, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, OPM OIG. “We applaud our partners at the Department of Justice for holding providers accountable for fraudulent billing practices.”

The settlement concludes a lawsuit originally filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida by Relators Derrick Graham and Jesse Frauenhofer.  The Relators sued under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act permitting private citizens to sue on behalf of the United States for false claims and to share in the recovery. The Act also allows the United States to intervene and prosecute the action. The Relators will receive $420,000 of the proceeds from the settlement with the Defendants.

This settlement resulted from a coordinated effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the Florida Office of the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (“MFCU”), the HHS Office of Inspector General, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy R. Bloor and Florida MFCU’s Senior Assistant Attorney General Matthew Vitale led the investigation.

The case is captioned United States and the State of Florida ex rel. Graham and Frauenhofer v. Florida Cardiology, P.A., et al, Case No. 18-cv-1444-Orl-RBD-LHP. The settlement resolves the United States and the State of Florida’s claims in that case. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

 

Tampa, FL - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Evan Ingram (42, Clearwater) with seven counts of distribution of a controlled substance, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and two counts of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. If convicted, Ingram faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each of the distribution charges and a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison on each of the possession of firearm and ammunition charges.

According to the indictment, on seven separate dates in August and September 2022, Ingram distributed cocaine. On four dates during that time frame, he possessed a firearm. The indictment also alleges that Ingram has previously been convicted of seven felonies, including three or more violent felonies or serious drug offenses. As a previously convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

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

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Clearwater Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman. The forfeiture is being 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.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and the return of an indictment charging Carl Stephen Smith, Jr. (32, Green Cove Springs) with distributing and possessing child sexual abuse materials using the internet. If convicted, Smith faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release. Smith was arrested on January 31, 2023, and has been detained pending trial in this case.

According to court documents and evidence proffered in open court, in July 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a CyberTipline report from an online social media application (app) that three child sexual abuse videos had been uploaded on the app by a user named “daddysir142.” The IP address used to upload these materials resolved to an internet service provider in Green Cove Springs. An investigation commenced by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office revealed nine other CyberTipline reports submitted by several online social media apps for IP addresses that traced back to either the same internet service provider account at Smith’s residence or a cellphone service carrier used by Smith.

On January 31, 2023, members of the Northeast Florida Intercept Task Force, including agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Clay County Sheriff's Office, and other state and local investigators, executed a federal search warrant at Smith’s residence and seized a cellphone belonging to Smith. A forensic review of this device revealed that it contained at least 15 videos and 14 images depicting young children being sexually abused. The review also showed Smith had distributed one such video over the internet on January 6, 2023, using a social media app. 

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, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

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

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that 16 individuals, charged in 3 indictments, have all pleaded guilty to their respective roles in conspiring to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl and cocaine, in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) “Operation Titan Fall” investigation. This investigation yielded evidence from three drug trafficking organizations, and each defendant faces penalties of up to life in federal prison (see chart below):

Name

Drugs, Drug Quantities, Other Charges

Date of Plea

Sentencing Date

Sentence or Sentencing Range

Alexander Acosta-Zapata

5 kilograms cocaine; 400 grams fentanyl

12/13/22

4/10/23

15 years to life

Frank Cadiz

5 kilograms cocaine

12/14/22

3/20/23

15 years to life

Adal Antonio Navas-Feliciano

400 grams fentanyl

1/18/23

4/10/23

15 years to life

Jonathan Andres Marte-Rodriguez

5 kilograms cocaine

2/8/23

TBD

10 years to life

Juan Felipe Sanchez

40 grams fentanyl

2/7/22

4/24/23

10 years to life

Nimesh Rashmikant Patel

500 grams cocaine

2/9/23

TBD

10 years to life

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

TBD

5-40 years

Jacob Nelson

500 grams cocaine

1/25/23

4/17/23

10 years to life

Carlos Alberto Roman

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

12/6/22

3/14/23

30 years to life

James Richard Howell

cocaine, fentanyl

12/5/22

3/14/23

Up to 20 years

Joely Manuel Burgos

40 grams fentanyl

12/28/22

3/13/23

5-40 years

Kenneth Angel Vera

cocaine

12/6/22

3/14/23

Up to 20 years

James Mirabal

5 kilograms cocaine

12/27/23

3/20/23

10 years to life

Jonathan Beharry

5 kilograms cocaine

11/29/22

2/13/23

15 years to life

Vilnarie Figueroa-Matos

5 kilograms cocaine

1/30/23

4/17/23

10 years to life

According to plea agreements and other court documents, during the course of this investigation the DEA seized an estimated 110 kilograms of cocaine along with kilograms of fentanyl through the mail, traffic stops, and search warrants. Many of the communications between Acosta-Zapata, Cadiz and their conspirators related to the “brand” or “logo” of the cocaine – for example, an anchor or Ferrari – that was visible on the exterior of the packaging of the cocaine that was seized.  

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, depicted here along with three firearms seized from Cadiz’s home.

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 (pictured below):

In addition to controlled substances, the DEA seized proceeds and other assets used in the offenses. Upon the arrest of Beharry on October 17, 2022, the DEA seized $39,560; upon the arrest of Mirabal on October 31, 2022, 24 cellphones and $124,598 was seized (pictured below):

 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 is being 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.

Jacksonville, FL – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Shawn Curtis Robinson, Jr. (33, Jacksonville) to 10 years in federal prison for distributing over 50 grams of pure methamphetamine. Robinson had pleaded guilty on December 28, 2021.

According to court documents, Robinson started selling methamphetamine to an undercover detective in March 2021. The methamphetamine purity level was very high, with one laboratory testing placing its purity level at 100%. Robinson was ultimately held responsible for the distribution of almost one-fourth kilogram of pure methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Laura Taylor and Frank Talbot.