Middle District of Florida
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Florida Power Company Pleads Guilty in Worker Death Case, Incident Resulted in the Deaths of Five WorkersRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – A Florida corporation pleaded guilty in federal court in the Middle District of Florida to a charge of willfully violating an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule. The criminal charge related to an explosion at a coal-fired power plant in 2017 that caused the deaths of five workers.
Tampa Electric Company (TECO) operates several facilities in Florida, including Big Bend, a coal-fired power plant outside of Tampa. At the time, the facility consisted of four large coal-fired furnaces. Underneath the furnaces were water-filled tanks designed to catch and cool the molten “slag” by-product that drips down from the furnace. On June 29, 2017, hardened slag had accumulated at the top and the bottom of the slag tank and could not be removed. Rather than shutting down the furnace, TECO called in a contractor to perform high-pressure water blasting to try and clear the slag with the unit on-line. The work proceeded without observance of several safety-related procedures required by law. Five people were killed when one of the slag accumulations came loose, spraying the area with molten slag.
Federal law makes it a class B misdemeanor to willfully fail to follow an OSHA safety standard, where the failure causes the death of an employee. The class B misdemeanor is the only federal criminal charge covering such workplace safety violations.
“This incident demonstrates the importance of OSHA’s safety standards, and the harms that they are designed to prevent,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The deaths caused by the defendant’s conduct were tragic and they were preventable. The Justice Department will vigorously prosecute those who fail to follow these critical safety rules.”
“Had TECO complied with OSHA’s workplace safety standards, conducted a pre-job briefing and followed its own procedure, these senseless deaths could have been prevented,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “Our hearts go out to the victims’ families as well as other TECO employees and contractors impacted by this catastrophic event. Our office is proud to have partnered with DOJ’s Environmental Crimes Section to shine a light on this willful violation of OSHA safety standards in order to deter such conduct and ensure that workers are protected in the future.”
“This investigation demonstrates the FBI’s unyielding commitment to the mission of protecting the American people and upholding the United States Constitution,” said Special Agent in Charge David Walker for FBI Tampa Field Office. “Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the victims’ families along with our promise to work with our federal partners in ensuring the safety of America’s workplaces.”
In a plea agreement with the government, TECO admitted to willfully failing to hold a pre-job briefing with the workers performing the work. Such briefing should have included the procedures for the water blasting work. Instead, the work proceeded even though the procedures could not be found. As a result, certain critical safety-related steps were not taken, including lowering the amount of coal entering the furnace, and shutting the unit down after a specified interval had lapsed.
The FBI and the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachelle DesVaux Bedke for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.
Convicted Sex Offender Living Under an Assumed Name Arrested in St. PetersburgRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that John Paul Angel, Jr., a/k/a “John Saravia,” (43, St. Petersburg) has been arrested and charged by a criminal complaint with failing to register as a sex offender. If convicted, Angel faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release.
According to the criminal complaint, in May 2001, Angel was convicted of second-degree sexual assault of a minor child after a guilty plea in Bergen County, New Jersey. After his release from a three-year prison sentence, Angel was required to register as a sex offender. Since 2003, however, Angel repeatedly failed to report his whereabouts and his status as a convicted sex offender as required by law. In May 2005, Angel failed to report annually to officials in New Jersey, as required by law, resulting in a warrant being issued for his arrest. In April 2022, law enforcement officers discovered Angel living in St. Petersburg using the alias “John Saravia.” He has been in the Middle District of Florida since 2012. There is no record of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that shows Angel, or “John Saravia” ever registering as a sex offender in Florida, as required by state and federal law.
A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service with assistance from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Clifton Police Department, and the New Jersey Parole Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc
Orlando Man Indicted for CarjackingRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Rodney Devon Jones (26, Orlando) with carjacking and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. If convicted on all counts, Jones faces a minimum mandatory term of seven years, and up to life, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Jones that the United States intends to forfeit firearms and ammunition involved in the offenses.
According to the indictment, on or about September 28, 2021, Jones knowingly took a 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio from another person by force, violence, and intimidation, with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Seminole Police Department, with assistance from the Orlando Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office as part of the Middle District of Florida’s Safe Trails Task Force. The Safe Trails Task Force is a partnership between the United States Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the Seminole Police Department, and other federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies that are working together to combat the growth of crime in Indian Country. This case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray.
This case is also being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
North Redington Shores Man Indicted in Multiple Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Alexander Leszczynski (22, North Redington Beach) with wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. If convicted on all counts, Leszczynski faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Leszczynski that the United States intends to forfeit $337,000, which represents the proceeds of the offenses, and property involved in the offenses. Leszczynski made his initial appearance on May 17, 2022, and was ordered detained pending his trial.
According to the court documents and the facts presented during the bond hearing, Leszczynski used fictitious charitable entities, such as Love & Bliss, Inc., to engage in numerous frauds. The schemes included fraudulently applying for and receiving two Payroll Protection Plan (“PPP”) loans totaling approximately $195,910 and engaging in a check kiting scheme and attempting to deposit $2.7 million of worthless checks into the Love & Bliss, Inc. business account. Leszczynski laundered the proceeds of the PPP and check kiting schemes through multiple accounts in an effort to conceal those proceeds from the United States and forestall its recovery. The United States ultimately seized $337,000 from an account Leszczynski controlled and, when he discovered that the money had been frozen, he attempted to have it released by producing a fabricated pardon purportedly signed by former President Donald Trump.
In a separate fraud scheme, Leszczynski filed fraudulent warranty deeds purporting to deed to himself and his businesses 10 properties around the United States collectively valued at more than $300 million. When property owners and attorneys attempted to correct the fraudulent deeds, Leszczynski responded by sending harassing and threatening letters, emails, and faxes.
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.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Largo Police Department, the Indian Shores Police Department, and the Palm Beach Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Jones and asset forfeiture will be handled by Assistant United States Attorney Jimmy Muench.
Federal Inmate Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Justice in Coconspirator’s CaseRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Manuel Angel Burgos (39, Brooksville) today pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. Burgos faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court filings, Burgos and Javier Monserrate Vazquez conspired to obtain kilograms of cocaine in packages sent from Puerto Rico to Zephyrhills. Text messages between the two corroborated their involvement, and Burgos made a post-Miranda statement to law enforcement implicating Monserrate Vazquez and another coconspirator. Burgos pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and was sentenced to five years in federal prison.
After Burgos was imprisoned, Monserrate Vazquez tried to corruptly obstruct his pending federal case by getting witnesses to sign affidavits exonerating him. Monserrate Vazquez and others tried to influence witnesses through payments and, in the case of one witness, relocating him to avoid a subpoena. While in federal prison, Burgos signed an affidavit falsely claiming that Monserrate Vazquez had nothing to do with drug trafficking and that certain text messages between the two about packages of cocaine were innocent in nature. Burgos knew these statements were false when he signed the affidavit; Burgos received payments to his prison inmate account from a family member of Monserrate Vazquez’s prior to signing the affidavit.
The United States is also seeking the forfeiture of $1,390, which represents the proceeds obtained by the defendant as a result of the offenses.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.
COVID Relief Fraudsters Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway has sentenced Tomas Ziupsnys (39, Kissimmee) to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Holly Lynn Urban (36, Kissimmee) was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The court also ordered both defendants to forfeit $632,000, which they had obtained from their participation in the bank fraud conspiracy. Ziupsnys had pleaded guilty on February 3, 2022, and Urban had pleaded guilty on January 20, 2022.
According to court documents, Ziupsnys and Urban conspired to defraud multiple banks by submitting false Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and PPP-approved lenders.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law that was enacted in March 2020. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who suffered the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief that the CARES Act provided was 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 allowed qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of one percent. Businesses were required to use PPP loan proceeds for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. The PPP allowed the interest and principal to be forgiven if the business spent the proceeds on these expenses within a set time period and used at least a certain percentage of the loan toward payroll expenses.
In furtherance of their bank fraud conspiracy, Ziupsnys and Urban submitted six loan applications that contained numerous false representations about the number of employees, average monthly payroll expenses, and annual sales revenue of five companies that they purportedly owned and controlled. Ziupsnys also submitted fabricated tax, payroll, and revenue documents in support of those six fraudulent PPP applications.
Moreover, Ziupsnys submitted false tax forms in support of at least one of the applications, using without authorization the personally identifiable information of Victim-1 and Victim-1’s two minor children. Ziupsnys had obtained the victims’ Social Security numbers when he contacted Victim-1 and expressed interest in employing Victim-1 and the two children in connection with the FedEx routes that he and Urban intended to purchase with PPP funds. After obtaining the victims’ Social Security numbers, Ziupsnys did not contact Victim-1 again concerning employment, and instead used the Social Security numbers on the false tax forms that he submitted in support of one of the loan applications that he and Urban submitted.
Ziupsnys and Urban’s false and fraudulent representations caused the SBA and the PPP lenders to approve and fund three PPP loans, totaling approximately $897,000 ($265,300 of which the bank froze before Urban and Ziupsnys could access the funds). Ziupsnys and Urban unlawfully transferred a significant portion of the PPP funds to an escrow account in connection with their intended purchase of a FedEx route.
In addition to conspiring with Urban, Ziupsnys submitted three additional fraudulent PPP loan applications, requesting more than $497,000. None of those applications were funded.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of the Inspector General, and the Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. L. Chang.
Seminole County Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Selling Fentanyl Analogue Causing A DeathRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Timothy Leon Wilson, Jr. (25, Seminole County) to 15 years in federal prison. Wilson had pleaded guilty on December 15, 2021.
According to court documents, on April 4, 2017, Wilson sold an individual a mixture of furanyl fentanyl and heroin which caused the individual to overdose shortly after using the substance. Seminole County Fire Department immediately responded and rushed the victim to the hospital, but he died shortly after arriving. On the same day, law enforcement was able to set up a controlled purchase with Wilson for additional drugs. Wilson arrived at the controlled purchase location with more of the same substance that he had sold the victim earlier that day. Wilson also brought a loaded firearm with him and was arrested. He admitted to selling the drugs to the victim.
The Medical Examiner confirmed that the cause of death to the victim was a heroin and furnyl fentanyl overdose. Furanyl fentanyl is an analogue of fentanyl and is on Schedule I of the Drug Enforcement Administrations’ schedules of controlled substances.
This case was investigated by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Gardella.
Man Sentenced to Prison for Traveling to Sexually Abuse MinorsRead the Press Release
A Florida man was sentenced today to life in prison for traveling from Florida to Vietnam to engage in sex acts with numerous Vietnamese minors he had met and communicated with over the internet.
Christopher Edwin Day, 52, of Saint Petersburg, pleaded guilty to two counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and two counts of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor into illegal sexual activity in February 2020. According to documents filed with the court and statements made in connection with Day’s plea and sentencing, on two separate occasions in 2015 and 2016, Day traveled from Florida to Vietnam to engage in sex acts with minor Vietnamese boys. According to court documents, Day flew back and forth to Vietnam under the guise that he was an English teacher, and some boys were lured to Day with promises of money and gifts while others were introduced to Day as their English teacher.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida, and Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Dumas of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa made the announcement.
The case was investigated by HSI agents in Tampa and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Candace Garcia Rich for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org.
Former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Emergency Dispatcher Pleads Guilty to Producing Photos and A Video of Himself Sexually Abusing Two Young ChildrenRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Scott Matthew Yotka (47, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to two counts of producing photos and a video depicting himself while he sexually abused two young children. Yotka faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, and up to 60 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release. Yotka was arrested on September 17, 2021, and has been detained since that time. His sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
According to court documents, on September 15, 2021, Yotka, using the name “Scottnjax44,” engaged in online private conversation using a particular social media application (app) with an undercover FBI task force officer in Washington, D.C. Yotka discussed his ongoing sexual exploitation of children in graphic detail, stated that he had access to two young children, and further that he enjoyed molesting them. Yotka sent the undercover officer several photos and a video depicting two prepubescent children being sexually abused by Yotka. The FBI traced this online messaging activity to Yotka’s residence and determined that the same “Scottnjax44” user account was also accessed from the offices of the City of Jacksonville located in the Ed Ball Building in downtown Jacksonville. FBI agents coordinated with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) and confirmed that Yotka was employed by JSO as a Police Emergency Communications Officer. On September 16, 2021, the FBI obtained a federal search warrant for Yotka’s residence.
During the early morning of September 17, 2021, the FBI, assisted by JSO, executed the search warrant and made contact with Yotka. During an interview, Yotka confirmed that he was the administrator of a chat room on the social media app for individuals interested in “incest fetishes, little kid things, [and] animal things.” Yotka admitted sending pornographic pictures of young children to another app user. He also admitted taking photos of these children as he molested them and used a particular object to sexually abuse them. Yotka stated “I know what I did” and “I’m not proud of what I did.” An FBI forensic examiner was able to recover from Yotka’s cellphone seven photos and a video depicting Yotka sexually abusing these two children.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and Washington, D.C. and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
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.
Florida Man Sentenced to Prison for Traveling to Sexually Abuse MinorsRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – A Florida man was sentenced today to life in prison for traveling from Florida to Vietnam to engage in sex acts with numerous Vietnamese minors he had met and communicated with over the internet.
Christopher Edwin Day, 52, of Saint Petersburg, pleaded guilty to two counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and two counts of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor into illegal sexual activity in February 2020. According to documents filed with the court and statements made in connection with Day’s plea and sentencing, on two separate occasions in 2015 and 2016, Day traveled from Florida to Vietnam to engage in sex acts with minor Vietnamese boys. According to court documents, Day flew back and forth to Vietnam under the guise that he was an English teacher, and some boys were lured to Day with promises of money and gifts while others were introduced to Day as their English teacher.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida, and Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Dumas of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa made the announcement.
The case was investigated by HSI agents in Tampa and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Candace Garcia Rich for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.
“The laws of the United States will still catch up to child predators who even travel to foreign countries to sexually abuse minor children,” said HSI Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Dumas. “Thanks to HSI’s international investigative authorities and strong partnerships, both at HSI Tampa and HSI Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, this sexual predator was stopped from harming more children and his victim will have the justice they deserve.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org.
Melbourne Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Possessing with the Intent to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Stephen Brian Dukeman (27, Melbourne) to 10 years in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. The court also ordered Dukeman to forfeit two firearms, which he had possessed during the offense. Dukeman had pleaded guilty on January 28, 2022.
According to court documents, on June 9, 2021, an officer with the Melbourne Police Department was working traffic enforcement when he observed a vehicle speeding. The officer attempted to catch up to the vehicle to make a traffic stop. However, the vehicle struck a curb and became disabled. The sole occupant of the vehicle, later identified as Dukeman, fled on foot through a field and a pursuit began. The officer ordered Dukeman to stop several times, but he refused to comply. While running, Dukeman was grabbing at an object in his pocket. The officer was able to gain control of Dukeman, a struggle ensued, and eventually Dukeman was arrested.
A search of Dukeman’s pockets revealed $450 in cash and a ripped baggie containing 103.42 grams of fentanyl. A search of Dukeman’s vehicle revealed a loaded Glock 9mm pistol on the driver’s seat floorboard, another baggie containing fentanyl weighing 145.61 grams in the center console, and a loaded multi-caliber Premiere firearm in the backseat floorboard area. Both firearms were stolen.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Melbourne Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Beatriz Gonzalez.
Four Arrested for Conspiracy to Commit Numerous Armed Robberies, Home Invasions, and Shootings While Dressed as Police OfficersRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Reginald Roberts a/k/a/ “Rudy” (22, Lakeland), Nathaniel Keith Carr, a/k/a “Nate” (28, Lakeland), Daniel Jackson, a/k/a “D-Jack” (29, Winter Haven), and Chrishawn De’Earl Butler, a/k/a “Baby” (22, Bartow) with conspiracy, Hobbs Act Robbery, and brandishing and discharging firearms in the commission of crimes of violence. If convicted on all counts, the defendants each face a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. Additionally, Roberts and Butler each face a minimum mandatory term of 31 years in federal prison, Jackson faces a minimum mandatory term of 24 years in federal prison, and Carr faces a minimum mandatory term of 14 years in federal prison.
Carr and Butler made their initial appearances on May 12, 2022, and were both detained pending trial. Roberts and Jackson will make their initial appearances on June 7, 2022.
According to the
indictment , between December 2020 and April 2021, Roberts, Carr, Jackson, and Butler engaged in a conspiracy to rob individuals they suspected were distributing narcotics. During that time, the conspirators engaged in at least five armed robberies in Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk, and Lee counties, three of which resulted in shootings. While committing these crimes, 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.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 will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Cybercriminal Sentenced to Federal Prison for Decrypting the Credentials of Thousands of Computers Across the World and Selling Them on A Dark Web WebsiteRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Glib Oleksandr Ivanov-Tolpintsev (28, Chernivtsi, Ukraine) to four years in federal prison for conspiring to traffic in unauthorized access devices and computer passwords. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $82,648, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.
Ivanov-Tolpintsev was taken into custody by Polish authorities in Korczowa, Poland on October 3, 2020, and extradited to the United States pursuant to the extradition treaty between the United States and the Republic of Poland. Ivanov-Tolpintsev pleaded guilty on February 22, 2022.
According to court documents, the “Marketplace” was a dark web website that illegally sold login credentials (usernames and passwords) to servers located across the world and personally identifiable information (dates of birth and Social Security numbers) of U.S. residents. Once purchased, criminals used these servers to facilitate a wide range of illegal activity that included ransomware attacks and tax fraud. In total, the Marketplace offered more than 700,000 compromised servers for sale including at least 150,000 in the United States and at least 8,000 in Florida. Marketplace victims spanned the globe and industries, including local, state, and federal government infrastructure, hospitals, 911 and emergency services, call centers, major metropolitan transit authorities, accounting and law firms, pension funds, and universities.
Ivanov-Tolpintsev controlled a “botnet,” which is a network of computers infected with malware and controlled as a group without the owners’ knowledge. He used the botnet to conduct brute-force attacks designed to decrypt numerous computer login credentials simultaneously. During the course of the conspiracy, Ivanov-Tolpintsev boasted that his botnet was capable of decrypting the login credentials of at least 2,000 computers every week. Ivanov-Tolpintsev then sold these hacked credentials on the Marketplace. From 2017 through 2019, Ivanov-Tolpintsev listed for sale thousands of login credentials of servers on the Marketplace, including more than 100 in the Middle District of Florida. Marketplace buyers paid at least $82,648 for servers listed by Ivanov-Tolpintsev.
This case was investigated by Tampa Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office. Substantial assistance was provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit in Washington, D.C. This investigation also benefited from foreign law enforcement cooperation by the Polish National Police, the Polish Prosecutor’s Office, and the Polish Ministry of Justice. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.
Active Duty Mayport Sailor Arrested and Charged with Possession of Child Sexual Abuse VideosRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Adam Lee-Fucci Ferenbach (34, Atlantic Beach) has been arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possessing child sexual abuse videos. Ferenbach faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Ferenbach was arrested at his residence on May 6, 2022. Ferenbach is currently an active-duty member of the U.S. Navy, stationed at Naval Station Mayport.
According to court documents, on May 6, 2022, agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a federal search warrant at Ferenbach’s residence in connection with an ongoing child exploitation investigation. Agents seized a cellphone that contained several videos in the device’s photo application depicting young children being sexually abused located.
This case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville. It is being 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.
A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg Recognizes Police WeekRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL - In honor of National Police Week, United States Attorney Roger Handberg will recognize the service and sacrifice of federal, state, and local law enforcement. This year, the week is observed Wednesday, May 11 through Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
“This week, we gather to pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who sacrificed their lives in service to our country,” said Attorney General Garland. “We remember the courage with which they worked and lived. And we recommit ourselves to the mission to which they dedicated their lives. On behalf of a grateful Justice Department and a grateful nation, I extend my sincerest thanks and gratitude to the entire law enforcement community.”
“Every day, thousands of law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect citizens from harm, enforce our nation’s laws, and preserve the peace,” said U.S. Attorney Handberg. “Our Office salutes the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and supports those who continue to serve the people of Florida and across America.”
In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. Based on data submitted to and analyzed by the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), 472 law enforcement officers died nationwide in the line of duty in 2021. Of that number, 319 succumbed to COVID-19. Thirty officers have died in the line of duty in the Middle District of Florida.
Additionally, according to 2021 statistics reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, 73 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2021 were killed as a result of felonious acts, whereas 56 died in accidents. Deaths resulting from felonious acts increased in 2021, rising more than 58 percent from the previous year. In 2021, unprovoked attacks[1] were the cause of 24 deaths significantly outpacing all other line of duty deaths resulting from felony acts and reaching the highest annual total in over 30 years of reporting. Additional LEOKA statistics can be found on FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website for the LEOKA program.
The names of the 619 fallen officers added this year to the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial will be read on Friday, May 13, 2022, during a Candlelight Vigil in Washington, D.C., starting at 8:00 PM EDT. Those who wish to view the vigil live online, can watch on the NLEOMF YouTube channel found at https://www.youtube.com/TheNLEOMF. The schedule of National Police Week events is available on NLEOMF’s website.
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Reference to any specific organization or service(s) offered by an organization is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Department of Justice.
[1] An unprovoked attack is defined as an attack on an officer not prompted by official contact at the time of the incident between the officer and the offender. Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program.
Trio of Cybercriminals Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced Alessandro Doreus (29, Port St. Lucie), Jean Elie Doreus Jovin (34, Loganville, GA), and Djouman Doreus (29, North Miami) to federal prison for conspiracy to commit fraud and aggravated identity theft. Alessandro Doreus and Jovin were each sentenced to six years and nine months in federal prison. Djouman Doreus was sentenced to five years and one month imprisonment. All three had previously pleaded guilty.
According to the plea agreements, from at least 2015 through 2020, Jovin, Alessandro Doreus, and Djouman Doreus conspired to knowingly, and with intent to defraud, possess tens of thousands of counterfeit and unauthorized access devices—including the names, Social Security numbers, account numbers, usernames, and passwords of identity theft victims.
The conspirators frequently exchanged these counterfeit and unauthorized access devices—in bulk—among themselves. For example, in November 2018, Jovin emailed Alessandro Doreus a file that contained track 2 data for approximately 58,700 credit cards. The conspirators also routinely sent each other messages that contained scores of names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth of identity theft victims and engaged in a number of fraudulent schemes using the personally identifiable information (PII) that they had amassed. For example, they fraudulently opened and used numerous financial accounts in the names of identity theft victims and used stolen or fraudulently obtained credit card information to pay fake vendor accounts that Jovin opened and controlled. In addition, they used the names and Social Security numbers of identity theft victims to file fraudulent tax returns and obtain tax refunds to which they were not entitled.
Jovin also purchased multiple compromised computer server credentials (including usernames and passwords) on a dark web marketplace and used those compromised server credentials to remotely and fraudulently access computer servers. At times, Jovin shared these compromised server credentials with Alessandro Doreus. To make it difficult for authorities to trace and attribute fraudulent activity to them, the conspirators opened dozens of email accounts—one of which was [email protected]. The conspirators used these email accounts exclusively or primarily to perpetuate their fraud scheme.
In August 2020, the FBI executed a search warrant at Alessandro Doreus’s home and seized notebooks that contained the PII of more than 300 identity theft victims, and credit cards issued in the names of identity theft victims. The FBI also seized $490,365, which are proceeds obtained from this conspiracy.
“No face, no case… No More. This trio will now forever be known to law enforcement,” said FBI Tampa Special Agent in Charge David Walker. “The FBI and its law enforcement partners will never cease to bring to justice heartless fraudsters who exploit identity theft victims. If you suspect your personal information has been compromised, please contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.”
“The Doreus trio wrongly assumed that their crimes would be untraceable, hidden under a cloak of internet anonymity,” said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne. “Through sophisticated investigative techniques, IRS-CI and our partners uncovered a digital set of footprints leading to these three criminals. Today’s sentencing now holds them accountable for their crimes and should serve as a warning to others involved in this parasitic behavior.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. L. Chang.
Third Conspirator in Attempted $600,000 Cocaine Purchase Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Derek Morales-Figueroa (26, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. Morales-Figueroa faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement and other court documents, beginning on September 11, 2020, Morales-Figueroa and a conspirator, Jacob Luis Bonilla-Rivera, engaged in a series of phone calls with individuals who they believed to be cocaine dealers but who were, in fact, undercover agents working on behalf of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). These discussions culminated in an agreement to purchase 20 kilograms of cocaine in Orlando. On September 16, 2020, HSI agents met with Bonilla-Rivera and Juan Omar Rodriguez, Jr. (21, Auburndale) where the conspirators showed to HSI agents the $600,000 in cash that they had brought to the deal in a hidden compartment in one of their vehicles. After doing so, Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez proceeded to a location where HSI agents had arranged to show them the 20 kilograms of cocaine. Morales-Figueroa participated in inspecting the cocaine by video conferencing on one of the conspirator’s phones. After inspecting the cocaine, Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez returned to their car to retrieve the cash from the hidden compartment, at which time they were arrested. Upon searching their vehicles, HSI agents found that both Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez had loaded firearms in their possession in the vehicles they had driven to the meeting along with a total of $639,325 cash. In his plea agreement, Morales-Figueroa agreed to forfeit the cash seized in connection with this arrest.
On September 17, 2020, Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez were charged for their roles in the conspiracy. Bonilla-Rivera and Rodriguez both pleaded guilty and were each sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. Morales-Figueroa was not located at the time. On March 10, 2021, Morales-Figueroa was identified during a traffic stop in Flagler County but fled from law enforcement. On January 3, 2022, Morales-Figueroa was arrested in Jacksonville in connection with a search of a residence and seizure of nine kilograms of cocaine.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Seminole County Sherriff’s Office, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.
Sarasota Woman Pleads Guilty to Aiding in Filing of False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Monica Clyburn has pleaded guilty to three counts of aiding in the filing of false tax returns. Clyburn faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison as to each count.
According to the plea agreement, Cyburn was a tax preparer working for a tax preparation business at its office location in Sarasota, Florida for tax years 2014, 2015, and 2016. In order to maximize the refunds that the IRS would have to pay her clients, Clyburn prepared Forms 1040 that falsely reported fictitious amounts in the Schedule A (Itemized Deduction) portion of those returns. Many of the tax returns she prepared for clients also contained false information as to dependents, and some contained fictitious information as to the Schedule C portion of the returns reflecting profit/loss from the operation of businesses. The inclusion of those false items helped to inflate fraudulently the refunds that the taxpayers would receive.
The information charged her with aiding in the filing of three such false tax returns. The tax loss for those three tax returns is approximately $11,921. The tax loss for other tax returns that the defendant had a role in preparing and which contained similar false statements was approximately $186,834.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.
Jury Finds Ocala Convicted Felon Guilty of Federal Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Nathanael Santiago (29, Ocala) guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a previously convicted felon. Santiago faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Santiago had been indicted on July 21, 2021.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office encountered Santiago behind the driver’s seat of an idling vehicle in Marion Oaks. Deputies approached Santiago and saw a marijuana “blunt” in the ashtray, which Santiago admitted to smoking. When Santiago stepped out of the vehicle, deputies discovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol partially concealed under his right leg. Santiago had previously been convicted of three felony offenses and never had his civil rights restored by executive clemency.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys William S. Hamilton and Hannah Nowalk.
Live Oak Father and Son Arrested and Charged with Unlawful Possession and Transfer of Firearm SilencersRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Dustin Eward (44, Live Oak) and Greg Eward (24, Live Oak) on a criminal complaint charging them with the possession and transfer of firearm silencers that are not registered to them in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The complaint also charges Dustin Eward with threatening to assault and murder a federal law enforcement officer. If convicted on all counts, Dustin Eward faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and Greg Eward faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
According to the criminal complaint, the Ewards are father and son who live together in Live Oak. In filings with the State of Florida, they are identified as the corporate officers of Eward Research, Inc. Via their company website, the Ewards nominally market “solvent traps,” which, in actuality, are firearm silencers or suppressors. Under federal law, it is illegal for any person to receive or possess firearm silencers that are not registered to that person in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. It is also illegal to transfer firearm silencers in violation of the National Firearms Act.
The complaint alleges that during two separate transactions in 2022, an undercover federal agent purchased a total of three firearm silencers from the Ewards. The agent communicated with Dustin Eward via an email address listed on the Ewards’s company website. Surveillance video captured Greg Eward mailing one of two packages containing silencers to the undercover agent.
It is further alleged in the complaint that Dustin Eward has a history of threatening law enforcement officers and public officials with violence, including in posts on YouTube, a personal website that he hosts, by phone, and by email. For example, on April 15, 2022, he emailed a federal agent and stated, among other things, “Your actions are an act of war against all Americans, and I will respond accordingly.” He also stated, “I have nothing left to lose. Arrest me? Kill me? .... Death is an upgrade. The only dream I have left is to take you with me.” He further stated, “You will call off your attack, or I will defend myself the only way I have left; with maximum violence.” He concluded the email, “I’m willing to die in this fight. Are you? I will not submit to satanic traitors.”
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Live Oak Police Department, the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kirwinn Mike and Michael Coolican.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Download Criminal ComplaintKissimmee Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Ricin in Plot to Kill Former PartnerRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Kevin Deane Jones (50, Kissimmee) today pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of ricin, a biological toxin, and possessing two firearms as a convicted felon. Jones faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count.
According to the plea agreement, on December 6, 2021, the FBI received a complaint that Jones had manufactured ricin intending to use it to kill his former partner. Law enforcement officers then learned that Jones had ordered numerous items online to produce ricin, had reportedly tested water guns to see which ones leaked, and had said that he would go on vacation immediately after spraying his former partner in the face with the ricin, so that he would have an alibi when she died.
On December 17, 2021, law enforcement officers learned that Jones intended to travel to out of state to where his former partner lived. Officers stopped Jones, who admitted to manufacturing ricin. Officers located a plastic water gun in Jones’s truck, as well as five tubes filled with liquids that later tested positive for ricin. A search of Jones’s residence revealed additional tubes containing ricin, along with castor beans, documents pertaining to ricin, and approximately 200 rounds of various types of ammunition.
Additional investigation revealed that on December 6, 2021, Jones was questioned by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) regarding his possession of weapons. Following the ATF visit, Jones removed multiple firearms and ammunition and took them to a storage unit rented in his name. Law enforcement officers later searched the storage unit and found a rifle, handgun, silencer, and approximately 3,000 rounds of various types of ammunition. Jones is a previously convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer M. Harrington.
Four Plead Guilty to Racketeering, Shootings, and Economic Crimes in “Robles Park” Criminal EnterpriseRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Keaujay Hornsby, a/k/a “Plug,” (26, Tampa); Kareem Spann, a/k/a “Reem,” (27, Tampa); and Tywon Spann, a/k/a “Weez” (25, Tampa) have pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy related to numerous violent, drug trafficking, and economic crimes that were committed in furtherance of a criminal enterprise called “Robles Park.” Hornsby and Kareem Spann have also pleaded guilty to committing violent crimes in aid of racketeering and discharging firearms in aid of crimes of violence. Eriaus Bentley (29, Tampa) and the three other defendants have each also pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit fraud and identity theft, and committing numerous substantive acts of fraud and identity theft. Bentley faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison. Tywon Spann faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment. Hornsby and Kareem Spann each face a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.
According to court documents, “Robles Park” is a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in acts involving murder, assault, intimidation, narcotics trafficking, access device fraud, identity theft, obstruction of justice, and other crimes. Among other acts of violence, on July 19, 2020, Hornsby and Kareem Spann committed a shooting outside the Truth Lounge in Tampa, igniting a shootout in front of a crowd that left eight people injured, including minors. On the afternoon of July 25, 2020, in retaliation for the Truth Lounge shooting, in the parking lot of the International Plaza in Tampa and near several witnesses, West Tampa gang members initiated an armed confrontation with Hornsby and Kareem Spann. Hornsby and Kareem Spann exchanged fire with the gang members, leaving behind 25 spent shell casings and several damaged vehicles.
This enterprise also distributed controlled substances, with customers that would also cover sales for each other. Sales were arranged via text messages, phone calls, and in-person contacts. The defendants maintained and used various premises to store and distribute the narcotics. On January 5, 2021, law enforcement officers searched one of the residences and found 253.2 grams of cocaine, 298.4 grams of marijuana, and 174.2 grams of synthetic cannabinoids.
Additionally, members of the enterprise worked with each other and other persons to unlawfully obtain the personal identifying information (PII) of other persons. They used this PII to submit false applications for unemployment benefits to which they were not entitled. In total, the defendants submitted more than 200 fraudulent claims, in 20 different states, with an intended loss of over $3 million. For many of those claims, a bank card was issued from the state in which the claim was filed, loaded with Unemployment Insurance funds. The defendants then used each of the cards to withdraw cash from an ATM.
On August 12, 2020, law enforcement officers searched Tywon Spann’s home and seized firearms, several pounds of marijuana, and $200,000 in cash, which is traceable to proceeds of these offenses, and will be forfeited.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, the United States Secret Service, and the Department of Labor. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
Jury Finds Sarasota Man Guilty of Running $80 Million “Oasis” Forex Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that following a 13-day trial, a federal jury has found Michael J. DaCorta (57, Sarasota) guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, money laundering, and filing a false income tax return. DaCorta faces a combined maximum penalty of 33 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. DaCorta had been charged in a superseding indictment in February 2021.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, from November 2011 through April 18, 2019, DaCorta ran an investment company named Oasis International Group, Ltd. (“OASIS”). DaCorta and his co-conspirators persuaded at least 700 victims to invest in OASIS through promissory notes and other means, causing victims’ losses exceeding $80 million. DaCorta, who had effectively been banned from conducting foreign exchange trading (“FOREX”) by agreement with the National Futures Association, induced victims to invest in OASIS by falsely representing to victim-investors that OASIS was reaping enormous profits by being a “market maker” and collecting “spread” on voluminous FOREX trades. DaCorta also pitched the opportunity as essentially risk free and OASIS as well-collateralized. In reality, OASIS was not making markets and had no true revenue. The “spread” earnings were being paid on each trade by OASIS back to OASIS to create the illusion of revenue, which was published to investors on fictious account statements and an online investor portal. The online investor portal showed the “spread” credits but concealed catastrophic underlying trading losses.
DaCorta and his conspirators used the balance of the victim-investors’ funds to make Ponzi-style payments to perpetuate the scheme and to fund lavish lifestyles. For example, DaCorta used victim-investors’ funds to purchase a Maserati and Range Rovers for his family members, a country club membership, multiple million-dollar homes in Florida, college tuition for family members, flights on private jets, and lavish trips to Europe and the Cayman Islands. DaCorta also underreported his income on his 2017 federal income tax return, claiming a negative income and receiving a tax refund.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the National Futures Association, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s Criminal Prosecution Assistance Group, and the Florida Office of Financial Regulation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachelle DesVaux Bedke, Frank Murray, and David W.A. Chee.
Armed Carjacker Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Javeon Maurice Jacobs (22, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to three firearms offenses relating to his brandishing of a firearm during three armed carjackings. Jacobs had entered his guilty pleas on April 14, 2022. He faces a minimum mandatory term of 21 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 13, 2022.
According to the plea agreement, on March 31, 2021, Jacobs used a firearm and physical force to carjack a vehicle in Safety Harbor. On April 18, 2021, Jacobs kidnapped two individuals at gunpoint in Tampa and took their vehicle. After releasing those victims, Jacobs abandoned their vehicle at another location in Tampa. He then carjacked another vehicle, again by brandishing a firearm.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Tampa Police Department, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Largo Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jim Preston.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
U.S. Attorney Announces Results of Multi-Faceted Strategy to Combat Fraud Related to COVID-19Read the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the results achieved to date by the Middle District of Florida’s efforts to combat fraud related to COVID-19. Those efforts have included complementary actions by the Criminal, Asset Recovery, and Civil Divisions, along with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
“Throughout the pandemic, my office and our law-enforcement partners have used all available methods to combat fraud related to COVID-19, and we will continue to do so,” stated U.S. Attorney Handberg. “After the United States instituted multiple programs to financially assist those most harmed by the pandemic, criminals sought to defraud those programs for personal enrichment at the expense of the taxpayers who funded these programs. We will continue to disrupt these fraud schemes, prosecute those who commit crimes, and return ill-gotten gains through our efforts.”
On the criminal-enforcement front, the United States Attorney’s Office and federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies joined together in March 2020 to form the Middle District of Florida COVID-19 Fraud Task Force to identify, investigate, and prosecute fraud related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception, the Task Force has prosecuted 28 defendants for fraud schemes designed to exploit federal programs created or expanded to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”), Unemployment Insurance (“UI”), and the Main Street Lending Program (“MSLP”). These defendants collectively sought to defraud the United States of over $31 million. Eighteen of those defendants have already been found guilty, while prosecution remains pending against ten defendants. (See chart for criminal case details.)
Further, the District’s Asset Recovery Division and federal seizing agencies have completed the forfeiture of more than $14.3 million of PPP, EIDL, and UI funds that were fraudulently obtained, depriving the fraudsters of their ill-gotten gains and recovering the proceeds for the victims. More than $8.5 million in additional pandemic fraud proceeds have been seized and are pending civil or criminal forfeiture.
For example, in May 2020, Don Cisternino obtained a $7.2 million PPP loan for a non-existent movie production company. Cisternino used almost $3.5 million of the PPP loan proceeds to buy a 12,579 square foot luxury home with seven bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a four-car garage, theater room, resort-style pool and spa area, tennis courts, and a 5-stall horse barn, on more than twelve acres, pictured below.
The United States completed a civil forfeiture of the lavish home, selling it earlier this year for more than $4 million, which will be returned to the victim. Cisternino has been indicted in Orlando and was arraigned on April 29, 2022, after being successfully extradited from Croatia. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in securing Cisternino’s arrest and extradition.
Similarly, in April 2020, Casey Crowther obtained a $2.1 million PPP loan by falsely stating that he intended to use the money for his roofing company. However, Crowther quickly used the proceeds for personal purchases, including nearly $700,000 for a 40’ catamaran boat, pictured below.
Crowther was convicted following a trial in Fort Myers, and in June 2021, he was sentenced to over three years in federal prison and was ordered to forfeit the boat and over $3 million.
The District’s Civil Division has similarly combatted fraud related to COVID-19 through its enforcement efforts. For example, in the summer of 2020, consumers complained about websites that were falsely claiming to sell personal protection equipment for the COVID-19 virus. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations identified three men in Vietnam who were using hundreds of web pages to steal money from consumers seeking to purchase PPE. The Civil Division and the agents together halted the payments from U.S. purchasers and obtained a permanent restraining order blocking the websites from being hosted by a U.S. company. The men are now in custody in Vietnam and are facing criminal charges there.
Further, as a result of the efforts of the Civil Division, a Tampa pain management practice, Physician Partners of America, and its affiliated companies, paid a $1.3 million penalty under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act as part of a larger civil settlement, to resolve our claim that the defendants improperly applied for a PPP loan of over $5.9 million while engaged in unlawful Medicare overbilling. Similarly, in two recent bankruptcy proceedings handled by the Civil Division, debtors were required to return PPP loans totaling almost $2 million because the United States objected to their obtaining the loans while also seeking bankruptcy protections.
The Attorney General has established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Through the PPP, the federal government authorized over $600 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. The EIDL program provides economic relief to small businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. The MSLP provided support to small and medium-sized businesses and their employees across the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. UI programs provided unemployment benefits to eligible workers who became unemployed through no fault of their own.
The criminal cases identified in the linked chart have been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Secret Service, Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor—Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Small Business Administration, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation—Office of Inspector General, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, the Orlando Police Department, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys throughout the Middle District of Florida.
The Department of Justice needs the public’s assistance in remaining vigilant and reporting suspected fraudulent activity. To report suspected fraud, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) at (866) 720-5721 or file an online complaint at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. Complaints filed will be reviewed at the NCDF and referred to federal, state, local, or international law enforcement or regulatory agencies for investigation.
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.
United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida
COVID Fraud Cases
Defendant(s) (Age)
Charge(s)
Max. Imprisonment
Type of Fraud*
Intended Loss
Amount
Tampa Division
Richard Simpkins (47)
Conspiracy to commit bank fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years
Illegal monetary transactions
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
PPP
$1.9M
Joseph Abdo (39)
Wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
Illegal monetary transactions
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
PPP
$500k
Jorge Gutierrez Echeverria (33)
Wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
EIDL
$150k
Steve Moodie (33)
Melinda Hernandez (33)
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 5 Years
Wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
Aggravated identity theft
Maximum: Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive
UI
$550k
These COVID Fraud cases from the Tampa Division are being handled by AUSAs Rachel Jones, Greg Pizzo, Candace Rich, and Jennifer Peresie
Orlando Division
Don Cisternino (46)
Wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
Illegal Monetary Transactions
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
Aggravated Identity Theft
Maximum: Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive
PPP
$7.2M
Emmet Bowens (53)
Wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
Illegal monetary transactions
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
PPP
$740k
These COVID Fraud cases from the Orlando Division are being handled by AUSAs Chauncey Bratt and Amanda Daniels
Fort Myers Division
Daniel Joseph Tisone (34)
Wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
Bank fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years
Money laundering
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
Aggravated Identity Theft
Maximum Prison Term: 2 Years Consecutive
Possession of Ammunition by a Prohibited Person
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
PPP/EIDL/MSLP
$2.6M
Liliana Gonzalez (31)
Wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
PPP
$169k
These COVID Fraud cases from the Fort Myers Division are being handled by AUSAs Trent Reichling and Shannon Laurie
Adjudicated Cases
Tampa Division
Rolanda Wingfield (39)
Access device fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
Aggravated identity theft
Maximum: Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive
UI
$135k
Keith Nicoletta (49)
Conspiracy to commit money laundering
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
PPP
$1.9M
Randy Jones (34)
Wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
Aggravated identity theft
Maximum: Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive
EIDL/UI
$250k
Rosenide Venant (37)
Conspiracy to commit money laundering
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
EIDL/PPP
$413k
Julio Lugo (45)
Conspiracy to commit money laundering
Maximum Prison Term: 20 Years
EIDL/PPP
$4.4M
These COVID Fraud cases from the Tampa Division are being handled by AUSAs Rachel Jones and Tiffany Fields
Orlando Division
Tomas Ziupsnys (39)
Conspiracy to commit bank fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years
Bank fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years
Aggravated identity theft
Maximum: Prison Term: Two Years Consecutive
PPP
$2M
Holly Urban (36)
Conspiracy to commit bank fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years
PPP
$1.5M
These COVID Fraud cases from the Orlando Division are being handled by AUSA Emily Chang
Fort Myers Division
Anthony Bruey (36)
Amber Bruey (35)
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years
Wire fraud
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Years
Conspiracy to commit money laundering
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
Illegal monetary transactions
Maximum Prison Term: 10 Years
PPP/EIDL
$881k
Edrica Leann Watson (30)
False statement to a lending institution
Maximum Prison Term: 30 Year
PPP
$392k
These COVID Fraud cases from the Fort Myers Division are being handled by AUSAs Trent Reichling and Jesus M. Casas
Sentenced Cases
Tampa Division
Louis Thornton, III (63)
Wire Fraud
Sentence Imposed: 42 months in federal prison
EIDL/PPP
$815k
Kary Stevenson (48)
Corey Quinn (35)
Conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft
Sentence Imposed: 5 years, 10 months in federal prison (Stevenson)
Sentence Imposed:7 years in federal prison (Quinn)
UI
$1M
Bridgitte Keim (52)
Bank fraud
Sentence Imposed: 2 years in federal prison
PPP
$588k
Wayne Ganaway (47)
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Sentence Imposed: 4 years in federal prison
EIDL
$300k
These COVID Fraud cases from the Tampa Division were handled by AUSAs Rachel Jones, Greg Pizzo, Tiffany Fields, and SAUSA Chris Poor
Orlando Division
Jacquavius Smith (21)
Possession of short-barreled rifle; felon in possession of firearm; and aggravated identity theft
Sentence Imposed: 7 years, 1 month in federal prison
PPP
$10k
Johnson Eustache (40)
Wire fraud
Sentence Imposed: 5 years in federal prison
EIDL/PPP
$2.2M
Joseph Harrison (43)
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Sentence Imposed: 12 months in federal prison
UI
$2.1M
These COVID Fraud cases from the Orlando Division were handled by AUSAs John Gardella, Amanda Daniels, Chauncey Bratt, and Jennifer Harrington
Fort Myers Division
Casey Crowther (36)
Bank fraud, false statement to a financial institution, illegal monetary transaction
Sentence Imposed: 3 years, 1 month in federal prison
PPP
$2.7M
This COVID Fraud case from the Fort Myers Division was handled by AUSAs Trent Reichling, Michael V. Leeman. AUSA Suzanne Nebesky obtained the forfeitures.
Types of Fraud*
Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
Unemployment Insurance (UI)
Main Street Lending Program (MSLP)
Tampa Serial Robber Indicted and ArrestedRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Richard Allen Randolph (42, Youngstown, OH) with four counts of interference with commerce by robbery and attempted robbery, three counts of brandishing a firearm, and one count of discharging a firearm during the commission of one of the robberies. If convicted, Randolph faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each robbery count, a minimum mandatory of term of 7 years, up to life, in federal prison for each count of brandishing a firearm, and a minimum mandatory of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison for discharging a firearm during one of the robberies.
According to the indictment, during between January 27 and February 26, 2020, Randolph went into four commercial establishments in Tampa and robbed store employees at gunpoint.
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 Tampa Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria Guzman.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Seminole County Man Extradited from Croatia to Face COVID Relief Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Don V. Cisternino (45, Chuluota) has been successfully extradited from Croatia to face charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and illegal monetary transactions. A federal grand jury in Orlando previously returned an indictment against Cisternino for these charges in February 2021. If convicted, Cisternino faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count, up to 10 years’ imprisonment for each illegal monetary transaction count, and a mandatory consecutive term of two years for the aggravated identity theft counts.
Cisternino arrived in Orlando and had his initial appearance on the charges on April 29, 2022, following which he was ordered detained pending trial.
According to the indictment, in May 2020, Cisternino fraudulently secured more than $7.2 million in emergency funds through a Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan.
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 potentially 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 towards qualifying business expenses.
Cisternino’s PPP loan application falsely claimed that Cisternino’s New York business, MagnifiCo, had 441 employees and monthly payroll expenses in 2019 of more than $2.8 million. In truth, MagnifiCo, had few, if any, employees other than Cisternino and his girlfriend, and MagnifiCo did not report any wages to the IRS for 2019. In support of his PPP loan application, Cisternino submitted false W-2s for MagnifiCo’s purported employees, many of which listed the names and social security numbers of actual persons who were not MagnifiCo employees and who had not authorized Cisternino to use their identities.
Once he obtained the emergency loan of $7.2 million, Cisternino did not use these funds for qualifying expenses. Instead, he spent the funds for unauthorized purposes and for his own personal enrichment, including the purchase of Lincoln Navigator, Maserati, and Mercedes-Benz vehicles, and an approximately 12,579 sq. ft. residence in Seminole County, Florida, pictured below.
“Financial fraud targeting COVID-relief funds is a serious crime,” stated U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg. “Our successful extradition of this defendant from Croatia back to Orlando shows that we and our law enforcement partners will pursue every lawful avenue to locate and prosecute those engaged in such fraud.”
Department of Justice Director of COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Kevin Chambers stated, “This matter demonstrates that the Department will aggressively go after anyone who stole pandemic relief funds, whether they are in the United States or hiding overseas. I applaud the tireless work of the Middle District of Florida in achieving this important step and thank our international partners for their assistance.”
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Tampa Field Office. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in securing Cisternino’s arrest and extradition. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt.
Tampa Multi-Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than Five Years for Possessing A Loaded FirearmRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Mizelle has sentenced Willard Green Porter (44, Tampa) to five years and three months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Porter was also ordered to forfeit the firearm. He had pleaded guilty on January 18, 2022.
According to facts presented in court, on June 29, 2021, officers from the Tampa Police Department (TPD) observed a speeding vehicle fail to stop at a stop sign shortly before 1:00 a.m. Officers initiated a traffic stop around the corner on Terra Ceia Drive as the car pulled into a residential driveway. When the officers approached the vehicle, one of the officers observed the sole occupant—later identified as Porter—reach into the vehicle’s center console. The officer observed Porter put his hand on a black handgun in the console and the officer immediately alerted his partner. Porter was removed without incident and placed in handcuffs. He admitted to police that he was a convicted felon, that he knew he had the gun in his car, and that he kept the loaded gun “for protection.”
When Porter was searched, the officers located plastic baggies in his front pocket containing 3 grams of powder cocaine and 2 grams of crack cocaine. An additional 11.6 grams of crack cocaine, several scales, and empty baggies were recovered from inside the car. In addition, a black Springfield Armory .40 pistol was recovered from the center console of the car. The pistol was loaded with 15 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber.
Law enforcement records showed that Porter had multiple prior felony convictions, including for possession of cocaine (2002); battery on a law enforcement officer (2004); obstructing an officer with violence (2004); possession of cocaine (2004); tampering with evidence (2004); and possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine (2004), for which he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
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 Craig Gestring.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Tampa Man Sentenced for Role in Construction-Related Wire Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced George Garcia (34, Tampa) to 21 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The Court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $126,200, the proceeds of the wire-fraud conspiracy. Garcia had pleaded guilty on January 18, 2022.
According to court documents, Garcia owned and managed a construction company which purported to supply construction services and labor for construction contractors and subcontractors. In order to comply with Florida law, Garcia’s company was required to secure and maintain adequate worker’s compensation insurance coverage. Garcia’s company had agreements with contractors and subcontractors to use workers purported to be Garcia’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. Garcia or others would then regularly receive “payroll checks” from contractors that were cashed at various financial institutions to pay Garcia’s purported “employees” and other related expenses.
During the time period charged, Garcia falsely and fraudulently represented in insurance applications that his company had a very limited payroll and a very limited number of employees who worked on construction jobsites. Garcia also falsely and fraudulently sent wire communications to numerous contractors representing that his company’s employees had full worker’s compensation coverage.
In reality, Garcia’s company received and cashed more than $19 million in checks from various construction contractors for these purported “employees.” This payroll figure far exceeded the very limited payroll figures that Garcia had reported to his worker’s compensation insurance company. As a result, these employees, in reality the employees of other entities, performed work on jobsites without adequate insurance coverage. In addition, the 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, Garcia’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.
“Garcia is facing the consequences of his scheme to defraud the insurance company by severely misrepresenting his workers compensation policy,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Dumas, HSI Tampa. “Garcia’s greed jeopardized the health and well-being of hundreds of non-citizen laborers who worked dangerous and difficult jobs without the safety net of proper workman’s compensation insurance.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the State of Florida Department of Financial Services. It is part of an investigation by those agencies into the use of shell companies and “ghost” employees in the construction industry. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.
Hillsborough County Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Kelbin Tejeda (32, Tampa) pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Tejeda faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Tejeda owned and managed a construction company which he registered with the State of Florida in November 2018. This company purported to supply construction services and labor to work for construction site contractors and contractors. In order to comply with Florida law, Tejeda’s company was required to secure and maintain adequate worker’s compensation insurance coverage. Providers of worker’s compensation insurance based their premiums and the amount of coverage they provided on the number of employees a company had and the total annual payroll of those employees. Tejeda’s company had agreements with contractors and subcontractors to use workers purported to be Tejeda’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. Tejeda or others would then regularly receive “payroll checks” from contractors that were cashed at various financial institutions to pay Tejeda’s purported “employees” and other related expenses.
During the time period charged in the criminal information, Tejeda falsely and fraudulently represented in insurance applications that his company had a very limited payroll and a very limited number of employees who worked on construction jobsites. Tejeda also falsely and fraudulently sent wire communications to numerous contractors representing that his company’s employees had full worker’s compensation coverage. In reality, Tejeda’s company received and cashed more than $18 million in checks from various construction contractors for these purported “employees.” This payroll figure far exceeded the very limited payroll figures that Tejeda had reported to his worker’s compensation insurance company. As a result, these employees of Tejeda’s company, who in reality were 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, Tejeda’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 and the State of Florida Department of Financial Services. It is part of an investigation by those agencies into the use of shell companies and “ghost” employees in the construction industry. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.
Orlando Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Federal Prison for Armed CarjackingsRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Larry Burrows (26, Orlando) to 27 years in federal prison for carjacking and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Burrows had pleaded guilty on February 7, 2022.
According to court documents, Burrows was the leader of a carjacking crew that had carjacked four victims at gunpoint in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties during January 2017. Other members of this crew also included Jeffery Noel, Herichie Paul, and Awetu Megersa. One victim, a fast-food delivery driver, was confronted by Burrows, Noel, Paul, and Megersa while attempting to deliver food to an apartment in Orlando. At gunpoint, the carjackers forced the victim into the apartment and removed the victim’s clothing. They took the victim’s cellphone, wallet, and the keys to the victim’s minivan. Three other victims were carjacked by Burrows and his crew at gunpoint during the course of the next week, including a woman who was carjacked while returning from work.
Noel, Paul, and Megersa were previously sentenced for their involvement in the carjackings. Noel was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison, Paul was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment, and Megersa was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Vershaun Lamar Puzie (33, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Puzie faces a minimum mandatory term of imprisonment of ten years, and up to life, in federal prison.
According to the plea agreement, on January 1, 2019, officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) encountered Puzie in the area of 31st Street and Silver Street after Puzie jumped out of a car during a traffic stop. Puzie then fled on foot. As he fled, Puzie ingested an item. A JSO officer who was chasing Puzie tased him and took him into custody on the ground, at which point Puzie was still chewing the item he had ingested. Officers commanded Puzie to spit out the item, which contained rocks of crack cocaine mixed with other material. Upon tracing Puzie’s flight path, officers located a torn baggie with drug residue and a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol in plain view that Puzie had tossed over a fence.
On July 16, 2020, JSO officers were dispatched to the Hometown Inn & Suites located on Mustang Road. An officer arriving on scene observed Puzie in the parking lot; Puzie began to walk quickly into the Hometown Inn & Suites upon the arrival of the officer’s patrol car. The officer pursued Puzie on foot into the hotel lobby and then up an interior stairwell of the hotel while commanding Puzie to stop. While going up the stairs, the officer heard a thud as Puzie discarded a Smith & Wesson 9mm caliber pistol and cell phone on the stairs. Puzie ran across the hotel and down another stairwell and outside, where he was taken into custody by the officer. A second officer recovered the pistol from the stairwell. While fleeing, Puzie again ingested a quantity of cocaine base that he had intended to sell. Puzie entered a state of excited delirium as a result of ingesting the drugs and was transported to a hospital.
Puzie admitted in his plea that he had possessed both pistols to protect himself while he possessed with intent to sell crack cocaine.
Puzie agreed to forfeit both of the pistols that had been recovered by JSO, which were involved in the offense.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Florida Man Charged with Hate Crimes Following Use of Vehicle in Racially-Motivated Attack Against a Black Man Driving with His FamilyRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida announced today that a federal grand jury in Tampa, Florida, returned a two-count indictment charging Jordan Patrick Leahy, 29, with committing hate crimes for his racially-motivated attack on a Black man who was driving along a public road in Seminole, Florida.
The indictment alleges that on Aug. 8, 2021, Leahy willfully intimidated and interfered with J.T., and attempted to injure, intimidate, and interfere with J.T. through the use of a dangerous weapon (Leahy’s vehicle), because of J.T.’s race and color, and because J.T. was traveling on a public road in Seminole, Florida. According to the indictment, J.T.’s girlfriend and daughter were also in the car with J.T. when Leahy allegedly committed the attack.
If convicted, Leahy faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlton Gammons for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorneys David Reese and Laura-Kate Bernstein of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
Federal Jury Finds Leader of Drug Trafficking Organization GuiltyRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that a federal jury has found Jonathan Jermaine Thomas (32, Ocala) guilty of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, and more than 1 kilogram of heroin. The jury also found Thomas guilty of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and possessing with the intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl. Seven co-conspirators pleaded guilty prior to the trial. Thomas faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, and up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to evidence presented during the four-day trial, Thomas supplied large amounts of drugs to a “trap” house in Summerfield. Once the drugs were delivered to the house, his fellow conspirators worked together to prepare, mix, and distribute the various substances to users and smaller-scale suppliers who made daily purchases from the residence. During the course of the investigation, DEA agents found that Thomas served as the lead supplier and that his enforcers carried firearms to protect the drug assets and others who helped package and distribute the substances from the house.
On September 9, 2020, Thomas was stopped by law enforcement on I-75 in Gainesville. After smelling the odor of marijuana, a search of the vehicle by law enforcement yielded nearly a kilogram of fentanyl hidden within the vehicle’s side paneling. The fentanyl had been packaged for distribution, and Thomas was heading to Detroit, Michigan, to meet with a buyer. His passenger, who was charged in the indictment, pleaded guilty prior to trial.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, and the Gainesville Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael P. Felicetta and Tyrie K. Boyer.
Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 25 Years for Sending and Receiving Child Sexual Abuse Images and Videos over the InternetRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton has sentenced Thomas James Harris (42, Orlando), a registered sex offender, to 25 years in federal prison for receiving and distributing child sexual abuse images and videos over the internet. Harris was also ordered to serve a life term of supervised release. Harris had pleaded guilty on February 2, 2022.
In 2005, Harris was convicted of attempting to provide obscene material to minors, using the internet to solicit a child for sex or lewdness, promoting a sexual performance by a child, and possession of child pornography. As a result, he is registered and designated as a sexual offender.
According to court documents, Harris used a particular chat application to download images and videos depicting children being sexually abused and distributed them over the internet. Harris also distributed some of these materials to an undercover FBI agent.
On November 5, 2021, FBI agents executed a federal search warrant to seize and search Harris’s cellphone. A forensic review of the phone revealed child sex abuse images and videos on the device. During an interview, Harris admitted to receiving, viewing, and distributing child sex abuse images and videos using chat application accounts that had been previously identified on his cellphone by the FBI. Several of the videos received by Harris and found on his cellphone depicted toddler-aged children being sexually abused.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Terry B. Livanos.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Attorney General Merrick Garland and United States Attorney Roger Handberg Recognize Middle District of Florida Awardee Gail Frances Gardner for Advocacy on Behalf of Crime Victims and Commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights WeekRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today awarded the Special Courage Award to Gail Frances Gardner of Ocoee, Florida for her advocacy on behalf of crime victims. Ms. Gardner was among 14 individuals and teams from across the country who were honored for their work. The award recipients were recognized virtually during the annual National Crime Victims’ Service Awards Ceremony, as part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This year’s theme—rights, access, equity, for all victims—underscores the importance of enforcing victims’ rights, expanding access to services, and ensuring equity and inclusion for all. By guaranteeing that equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive services and meaningful compensation are available to survivors, the Department helps all victims find the justice and healing they seek.
“Empowering and encouraging people who have been victimized to participate in our legal system is essential to justice,” said Attorney General Garland. “For the past 41 years, the Department of Justice has recognized the challenges, struggles and achievements of crime victims and victim advocates in their efforts to secure the rights, access and equal justice that all survivors deserve. I am pleased to congratulate this year's honorees on their selection for these distinguished awards and extend my deepest gratitude for their continued work.”
In 1988, Ms. Gardner, a single mother, was raped by an unknown perpetrator during a home invasion. Her case remained open for more than 30 years, but with the advancement in DNA testing and a 2016 law that mandated testing the backlog of sexual assault kits, she finally learned the identity of her attacker, a serial rapist known as “the Malibu rapist” who was already serving a life sentence for another sexual assault. Through DNA testing, he was connected to 26 additional sexual assaults. Ms. Gardner is the namesake for Florida’s Gail’s Law, recently enacted legislation requiring sexual assault evidence kit tracking via a database designed to keep victims aware of the status of evidence in their case throughout the testing process. State law now requires kits to be submitted for testing within 30 days and that laboratories process them within 120 days. Ms. Gardner advocates for social justice on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence who struggle with addiction or arrest after their victimization, and has helped to bring the topic of sexual assault out into the open.
“This week affords us the opportunity to recognize and honor the perseverance, innovation, and unyielding commitment of our victim service providers and the strength and resilience of crime victims,” said U.S. Attorney Handberg. “We congratulate Ms. Gardner on her award and thank her for her courage and dedication as an advocate for survivors of sexual assault in Florida and across the country. This week, we celebrate Ms. Gardner’s achievement, as well as the advancement of victims’ rights in the criminal justice system.”
Ms. Gardner and the other award recipients were selected from public nominations in 10 categories, including federal service, public policy, victim services and a Special Courage award. The Office for Victims of Crime, a component of the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first Victims’ Rights Week in 1981, placing crime victims' rights, needs, and concerns in a prominent spot on the American agenda. He also established the President's Task Force on Victims of Crime, which laid the groundwork for a national network of services and legal safeguards for crime victims.
“This time every year, we honor and remember victims of crime, not only for the trauma that they have endured and the adversity they have encountered, but also for their courage and resilience and for paving the way toward justice and healing for countless other survivors across the country,” said Amy L. Solomon, Principal Deputy Attorney General for OJP. “These extraordinary individuals and teams embody an ethic of service and compassion that distinguishes them from an already exceptional field of victim-serving professionals. We join the Attorney General in expressing our deepest appreciation for providing crime victims—all crime victims—a place to turn in their time of need.”
Following is a list of the 2022 NCVRW award recipients:
- The Allied Professional Award recognizes individuals working outside the victim assistance field for their service to victims. Recipients: Deborah Flowers, Pittsboro, North Carolina and Dr. Linda Laras, Caguas, Puerto Rico
- The Award for Professional Innovation in Victim Services recognizes a program, organization or individual who expands the reach of victims’ rights and services. Recipients: Barrier Free Living, Bronx, New York and LGBTQ+ Victim Advocacy Initiative at Eskenazi Health, Indianapolis, Indiana
- The Financial Restoration Award recognizes individuals, programs, organizations, or teams that have instituted innovative approaches for securing financial restoration for crime victims. Recipient: Asset Forfeiture Unit and Financial Litigation Program in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville.
- The Victims Research Award recognizes individual researchers or research teams who made a significant contribution to the nation’s understanding of crime victim issues. Recipient: John Chapin, Ph.D., Monaca, Pennsylvania
- The Crime Victims’ Rights Award honors the dedicated champions throughout our nation whose efforts to advance or enforce crime victims’ rights have benefited victims of crime at the state, tribal, or national level. Recipient: Derek Marchman, Conyers, Georgia
- The Federal Service Award recognizes federal agency personnel for service to victims of federal, tribal, or military crimes. Recipient: Environmental Crime Victim Assistance Team, Washington, D.C.
- The National Crime Victim Service Award honors extraordinary efforts to provide direct services to crime victims. Recipient: Brenda J. Muhammad, Atlanta, Georgia and Michelle L. Shae, Abbottstown, Pennsylvania
- The Ronald Wilson Reagan Public Policy Award honors leadership, innovation, and vision that lead to noteworthy changes in public policy on behalf of crime victims. Recipient: The Every Voice Coalition, Boston, Massachusetts
- The Special Courage Award honors extraordinary bravery in the aftermath of a crime or courageous act on behalf of a victim or potential victim. Recipients: Gail Frances Gardner, Ocoee, Florida and Suamhirs Piraino-Guzman, Seattle, Washington.
- The Volunteer for Victims Award recognizes individuals who serve without compensation. Recipient: Linda Stambaugh, Newell, South Dakota
“The Office for Victims of Crime works every day to support victims in every corner of our country, ensuring that no crime survivor feels voiceless, marginalized or alone,” said Kristina Rose, Director of OVC. “Through their tireless work, boundless capacity for empathy and fierce devotion to justice, these award recipients have made it possible for victims to find their voice and to begin, with a feeling of hope, the long journey toward healing.”
During National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, victim advocacy organizations, community groups and state, local and tribal agencies traditionally host rallies, candlelight vigils and other events to raise awareness of victims’ rights and services. This year, many communities are organizing virtual gatherings and online public awareness campaigns.
To see the complete list of awardees and learn more about past NCVRW recipients, visit the OVC gallery.
Tampa Man Who Brandished Firearm While Driving Pleads Guilty to Possessing A Firearm and Ammunition as A Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Karey Tyrone Taylor, II (42, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Taylor qualifies for an increased penalty under the Armed Career Criminal Act. He faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on January 2, 2021, Taylor brandished a firearm at a woman while they were driving in adjacent lanes on East Fowler Avenue in Tampa. Units from the Tampa Police Department (TPD) subsequently located Taylor’s car at a nearby gas station. After apprehending Taylor, TPD discovered a black handgun in the driver’s side door pocket of Taylor’s car. The handgun had one round of ammunition in the chamber and 14 rounds of ammunition in an extended magazine. Taylor had previously been convicted of several felony offenses, including a conviction for possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and convictions for multiple serious drug offenses, and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Risha Asokan.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Retired Jacksonville School Teacher Pleads Guilty to Possessing Videos and Images Depicting the Sexual Abuse of ChildrenRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Michael Paul Gillis (64, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to possessing computer media containing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Gillis was arrested by FBI agents on February 2, 2022, and has been detained since that time. His sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
According to court documents and information provided in open court, FBI agents were investigating individuals who were using a particular online file-sharing network to receive and share child pornography. The investigation revealed that Gillis, a retired public-school teacher, had accessed this network from his residence.
On February 2, 2022, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Gillis’s home. Gillis, who was home at the time, admitted that he had been accessing child sexual abuse materials using the internet for at least the past 15 years, that he had viewed materials depicting children as young as 3 years old, and that he currently had “a couple hundred” contraband videos on his computer. Gillis also admitted that he viewed child sexual abuse materials while working as a teacher and would fantasize about touching children inappropriately but claimed that he never acted on it. During the execution of the search warrant, FBI personnel seized several computers belonging to Gillis that contained at least 2,000 images and 210 videos depicting infants, toddlers, and other young children being sexually abused.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown. The forfeiture of assets is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.
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.
Jacksonville Sexual Predator Sentenced to 35 Years for Using Hidden Camera to Produce and Possess Child Sexual Abuse Videos and ImagesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Chief United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced James Thomas Butler II (41, Jacksonville) to 35 years in federal prison for the production, attempted production, and possession of videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of a minor child. Butler was also ordered to serve a 25-year term of supervised release. A federal jury had found Butler guilty in December 2021. Butler was arrested on October 2, 2018, and has been detained since his arrest.
In 2001, Butler was convicted of attempted capital sexual battery and lascivious molestation of minor children in Jacksonville, and since then he has been registered and designated as a sexual predator.
According to court documents and evidence and testimony admitted during the trial, on May 2, 2018, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a residence in Jacksonville where Butler and several other registered sex offenders lived. During an interview with law enforcement, FBI agents obtained a smart phone from Butler. A forensic examination of Butler’s smart phone revealed that it contained sexually explicit videos and images of a minor child that appeared to have been filmed using a camera concealed in a bedroom. Through further investigation, law enforcement was able to identify this child as well as the residence located in north Florida where the camera was concealed. On October 2, 2018, FBI agents and personnel executed a federal search warrant at this residence and discovered that Butler had installed a tiny internet-enabled camera device in an air vent in the child’s bedroom. Butler had wired this hidden camera into the house’s electrical system through the attic and was able to control this camera remotely over the internet using an app on his smart phone, collecting videos, and creating customized, lascivious screenshots of the child. A forensic review of Butler’s smart phone revealed that it contained at least 65 videos and 35 screenshots that depicted the child in various stages of undress.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Duval County School Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown. The forfeiture of assets is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.
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.
Jacksonville Methamphetamine Dealers Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced three Jacksonville men to federal prison for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Steven Ray McWhorter (49) was sentenced to 11 years and 4 months, Christopher Douglas Green (48) was sentenced to 10 years, and Kevin Joseph DeWitt (50) was sentenced 3 years and 1 month. A fourth individual, Michael Brandon Voght (28, Jacksonville), was charged in the same indictment and was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The Court also ordered McWhorter to forfeit $21,000, two firearms, and ammunition, which were used to facilitate and/or were proceeds of McWhorter’s drug trafficking activities. Each of the defendants had previously pleaded guilty.
According to court documents, from June to November 5, 2020, McWhorter, Green, and DeWitt worked together to distribute methamphetamine. Specifically, McWhorter distributed 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, while Green and Witt distributed 50 grams of more of methamphetamine. Several controlled purchases of methamphetamine were made during the investigation. In addition, law enforcement made a controlled purchase of a 12-gauge shotgun from Voght. Voght had previously been convicted of a felony and is therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Beatriz Gonzalez and Ashley Washington. The forfeiture of assets was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Orlando Man Sentenced to over 24 Years for Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, and CoercionRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Henry Lee White, III (27, Orlando) to 24 years and 4 months in federal prison for sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion and for possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. As part of his sentence, the Court also ordered White to pay $87,121.98 in restitution to Victim 1 and to forfeit the electronic devices used in the commission of the offense. White had pleaded guilty on December 29, 2021.
According to court documents, from June 2020 through January 2021, White forced and coerced Victim 1 to engage in commercial sex throughout the Middle District of Florida and Georgia. White used threats of violence and physical violence to control 20-year-old Victim 1. For example, in September 2020, White transported Victim 1 to an “outcall” at an unknown apartment complex. White became upset because he thought Victim 1 was being deceptive about where she was going. White used his revolver to beat Victim 1. He then removed four of the five bullets from the revolver and played Russian Roulette with Victim 1 while holding the gun to her head and pulling the trigger. Victim 1 stated White did this about six or seven times. He then threw Victim 1’s phone at her face, causing a laceration on the center of her forehead in between her eyebrows.
During the relevant time, Victim 1 reached out to law enforcement and a local non-governmental organization for assistance. Law enforcement officers recovered Victim 1 during a joint undercover operation on January 7, 2021. At the time Victim 1 was recovered by law enforcement officers, she had an injury on her left knee that she sustained after White had thrown her to the ground in a hotel.
At the time of his arrest, White was found in possession of a chrome and burgundy semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine. The firearm had one round in the chamber and several live rounds in the magazine. White had previously been convicted of several felonies and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. During the course of his arrest, law enforcement officers located and seized several cellphones that had been used to communicate with commercial sex buyers and post advertisements of Victim 1 on the internet.
“This predator used intimidation, humiliation, and violence to barbarically force his victim into submission,” said acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Silliman. “Thanks to the quick action of Homeland Security Investigations, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Tampa Police Department, and Selah Freedom, Henry White III became the first federal arrest for human trafficking under the auspices of the Tampa Bay Human Trafficking Task Force which was created in 2020.”
“Human trafficking is a crime that is nothing less than modern-day slavery, and escaping the wrath of a human trafficker takes courage. I commend the survivor who spoke up, allowing the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and our law enforcement partners to bring her trafficker to justice,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “Through every undercover operation, I believe we are making a difference, one arrest at a time, and moving closer to our goal of ultimately eradicating human trafficking across Hillsborough County and the state of Florida.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell.
This case was brought as part of the Tampa Bay Human Trafficking Task Force of the Middle District of Florida, which is one of 13 task forces in the country to receive grant funding from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Task Force is a collaboration of local, state, and federal law enforcement agents working together with organizations to detect, investigate, and prosecute human trafficking in the Tampa Bay area. This includes trafficking of minors, forced labor, transnational sex trafficking, and sex trafficking of adults by force, fraud, or coercion. More information about the Tampa Bay Human Trafficking Task Force can be found at www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/humantrafficking. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to More Than Eight Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Becky Angeles (39, Tampa) to eight years and four months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Angeles had pleaded guilty on April 27, 2021.
According to court documents, between September and November 2020, Angeles and her co-conspirator distributed methamphetamine to an undercover police officer on several occasions. At the time they distributed the narcotics, Angeles and her co-conspirator were both armed with loaded firearms. Both had previously been convicted of felonies and, therefore, are prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Plant City Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Use A 9-Year-Old Child to Produce Photos of Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Tadd Andrew Melton (33, Jacksonville) today pleaded guilty to attempted production of child sex abuse images. Melton faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years, and up to 30 years, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Melton was arrested on July 23, 2021, and has been detained since his arrest.
According to the plea agreement, on February 2, 2021, a federal agent working in an undercover capacity entered a chat group in an online social media app that featured users with a sexual interest in children. While using a particular chat application, the federal agent assumed the persona of the mother of a 9-year-old female child. Melton contacted the undercover agent and expressed interest in receiving underwear from the “child,” molesting the “child,” and receiving child sex abuse images of the “child.” Melton detailed what type of child sex abuse images he wanted of the “child.” In addition, he also distributed a child sex abuse image to the undercover agent. Law enforcement was able to identify Melton as the user of the account chatting with the undercover agent based on his account information and investigation into his background.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington. The forfeiture of assets is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.
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.
Florida Tax Preparers IndictedRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Jamica Nelms, Capriesha Cummings, Camille Harper, and Ashley Flournoy with conspiracy to commit tax fraud and aiding or assisting in the preparation of false income tax return documents. If convicted on all counts, each faces a maximum penalty of eight years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, from January 2017 through April 2019, Nelms, Cummings, Flournoy, and Harper were income tax return preparers at Business #1 in St. Petersburg. The defendants conspired to defraud the United States by preparing false income tax returns for numerous Business #1 clients in order for the Internal Revenue Service to issue tax refunds in amounts in excess of what the clients were entitled to receive. In doing so, the defendants prepared fraudulent Individual Income Tax Return Forms 1040 and Schedule C forms that resulted in fraudulent Earned Income Tax Credits, fraudulent fuel tax credits, and education credits.
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 Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory Pizzo and Maria Guzman.
Fentanyl Dealer Pleads Guilty to Distributing NarcoticsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Marvin “MJ” Mitchell (36, St. Petersburg) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin, crack cocaine, and fentanyl, and possession with the intent to distribute heroin, crack cocaine, and fentanyl. Mitchell faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, between approximately April and June 2019, Mitchell sold heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine from the Express Inn located in Clearwater. Mitchell used co-conspirators to distribute his product. During April, May, and June 2019, confidential informants conducted several controlled purchases from room #126 at the Express Inn. The CI’s would go to the Express Inn to purchase heroin from either Mitchell or one of his co-conspirators. In exchange for cash, they would receive small, silver aluminum foil packages containing a grayish, white powdery substance, which later tested positive for heroin, fentanyl, or both.
On June 17, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the Express Inn, rooms #126, 128, and 130, and upon entering room #130, detained Mitchell. In that room, officers found one tin foil bindle that was identical in appearance to those bindles found in room #126. Officers also found $2,219 in cash, 38 insulin syringes, and an electronic scale. Upon entry into room #126, officers detained two of Mitchell’s co-conspirators. Agents seized multiple tin foil bindles, five doses of NARCAN, used syringes, cash, and a ledger partially hidden between a headboard and the wall.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Pinellas Park Police Department, with assistance from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pasco and Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
Convicted Felon Who Fired at Occupied Vehicle Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced Antonio Phillips (23, Tampa) to eight years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Phillips had pleaded guilty on January 25, 2022.
According to court documents, on December 1, 2020, in Tampa, Phillips and others were inside a white Infiniti and pulled out in front of another occupied vehicle. The occupants of the Infiniti opened fire into the other vehicle’s windshield. After the shooting, law enforcement air support tracked the Infiniti, which had fled the scene. Video surveillance captured muzzle flashes coming from the passenger side of the Infiniti where Phillips was sitting. Numerous bullet holes were observed on the other vehicle. Phillips and others fled from the Infiniti, discarded weapons, jumped over fences and across yards before they were ultimately apprehended.
Officers recovered the firearms which had been discarded by the suspects. They included a Glock 19 (9mm), an FNH (.40-caliber), and a Glock 26 (9mm), along with a 50-round drum-style magazine and trigger mounted laser. Bullet casings recovered from the scene of the shooting had been fired from the Glock 19 and Glock 26 firearms. An empty semi-automatic magazine was recovered from the Infiniti’s driver's door pocket, and an empty black pistol holster was recovered from the back right passenger’s seat of the vehicle. Spent bullet casings were recovered from the front and back passenger’s compartments. DNA belonging to Phillips and three other men was recovered from the Glock 26.
Prior to these events, Philips had been convicted of multiple felonies and therefore is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing His Twin’s Identity to Obtain Veterans BenefitsRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan today sentenced Wayne Bowen (64, Jacksonville) to two years in federal prison for aggravated identity theft. The Court also ordered Bowen to reimburse various federal agencies a total of $63,773 for government benefits that he had received in connection with his identity theft scheme. Bowen had pleaded guilty on January 20, 2022.
According to court documents, in 2014, Bowen used the name, Social Security card, and military discharge papers of his estranged twin brother to apply for federally subsidized housing benefits. The specific subsidy – intended for indigent military veterans – was funded under a joint program administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Unlike his twin, Bowen is not a military veteran.
When interviewed by federal agents, Bowen admitted that he had been using his twin brother’s identity for years. He had obtained a Florida identification card using his twin’s name and had been arrested and convicted of felony offenses under his twin’s identity. Although Bowen initially told the agents that he, like his twin, had served and been honorably discharged from the U.S. Army, Bowen eventually relented and admitted that those were lies.
Due to Bowen’s fraudulent use of his twin’s identity, the VA provided him with $32,434 in medical services, HUD provided him with $18,905 in housing subsidies, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture funded $12,434 in nutritional benefits for him. Bowen’s twin has confirmed that he did not apply for any of these benefits and that he never gave Bowen permission to use his name.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.
Citrus County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of A “Ghost” MachinegunRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Dean Dumont (23, Inverness) today pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered National Firearms Act firearm (machinegun). Dumont faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date had not been set. Dumont had been indicted on December 7, 2021.
According to the plea agreement, Dumont unwittingly reached out to a law enforcement confidential informant in November 2021. At that time, Dumont was on state felony supervision for an unrelated matter. Dumont offered to sell the informant a fully automatic, Glock-style handgun for $900 so that Dumont could pay his court costs. Dumont then sent the informant text messages and video files confirming that the firearm had been modified into a machinegun. The informant subsequently purchased the firearm from Dumont in a video-recorded transaction.
Law enforcement testing verified that the firearm discharged more than one round of ammunition from a single pull of the trigger. A record check confirmed that this machinegun was not registered to Dumont in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required under federal law. Investigators also determined that it was a “ghost” gun because it had been assembled from a kit, without a manufacturer serial number.
This case was investigated by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Tampa Man Who Displayed Firearm on Social Media Pleads Guilty to Possessing A Firearm as A Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Devin Kelly (27, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Kelly faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on July 2, 2021, Kelly and co-defendant Keyshawn Watts handled and displayed an AR-15 style rifle during an Instagram live video. One week later, investigators searched Kelly’s residence and seized a Ruger AR 556 rifle and an extended magazine loaded with 40 rounds of ammunition. Kelly admitted that the rifle seized from his residence was the rifle he had displayed in the Instagram video. Kelly, who had previously been convicted of several felony offenses, is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
Keyshawn Watts (21, Tampa) has been charged with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. His case is currently 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Tampa Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Corrections. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Sinacore.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Naples Felon Indicted for COVID Relief FraudRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Daniel Joseph Tisone (34, Naples) with wire fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, illegal monetary transactions, and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. If convicted, Tisone faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count (4 counts) and bank fraud count (6 counts), a 2-year minimum mandatory term of imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft counts (2 counts), up to 10 years in federal prison for each illegal monetary transaction count (5 counts) and for the possession of ammunition count. The indictment also notifies Tisone that the United States intends to forfeit his interest in a 2019 Tiara 34LS boat, two real properties located in Naples, a 4.02 carat solitaire engagement ring, approximately $65,645.69 seized from two bank accounts, and approximately $2,617,447.17, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.
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, 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 more than $2.6 million into bank accounts Tisone controlled. Tisone then unlawfully used the funds for unauthorized purposes and for his own personal enrichment, including the purchase of residences in Naples, stocks and investment securities, and ammunition.
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.
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, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR), Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Office of Inspector General for the Federal Reserve Board. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Trent Reichling and Suzanne Nebesky.