Middle District of Florida

Fort Myers, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jennifer Hansen has pleaded guilty to three counts of filing false tax returns.  Hansen faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison for each count.

According to the plea agreement, Hansen, a registered nurse, was employed by a medical examination company to evaluate individuals who were seeking life insurance policies.  In that role, Hansen earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in income during the years 2016, 2017, and 2018, all of which she intentionally omitted from her federal income tax returns.  Through her false returns, Hansen caused a tax loss to the United States of $257,830.44.  As part of her plea agreement, Hansen will make full restitution to the United States in that amount.

During the investigation into Hansen’s tax crimes, investigators also learned that a substantial portion of Hansen’s unreported income was illegitimately earned.  In that regard, Hansen generated the illegitimate income by submitting false records to her employer claiming that she had examined a real patient, when, in fact, she had not.  As part of her plea agreement, Hansen will make full restitution to her previous employer in the amount of more than $1,000,000. 

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The IRS-CI investigates those who willfully and intentionally violate their known legal duty of filing and paying their fair share of taxes. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael V. Leeman.

Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jamel Muldrew (33, Houston, TX) has pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor, coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, use of a facility of interstate commerce in aid of racketeering, and interstate transportation of a person for prostitution.  Muldrew faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison.  A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, on April 9, 2021, law enforcement coordinated an operation in Tampa, Florida to identify victims of human trafficking, rescue those victims, and identify and arrest their traffickers. As part of this operation, an undercover officer observed what appeared to be a potentially underage female in an online escort advertisement and arranged for the minor victim to meet him at a hotel room for a commercial sex act, in exchange for $800. Soon thereafter, Muldrew arrived at the location driving a black Chevrolet Impala, with the minor victim in the passenger seat. The victim exited the vehicle, walked to the hotel room and entered, and was detained. As law enforcement approached Muldrew, he attempted to flee but was ultimately apprehended. At the time of his arrest, officers recovered multiple fictious identity cards Muldrew had in his possession, for both himself and the minor victim. The subsequent investigation revealed that Muldrew had been trafficking the minor victim across the country to engage in prostitution. Specifically, between February and April 2021, Muldrew had trafficked the minor victim for the purpose of commercial sex in Texas, New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, where he was ultimately arrested.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Houston Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel and Carlton C. Gammons.

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.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia Covington has sentenced Obed Almaguer Garrido (48, Tampa) to five years’ probation, during which period he will be prohibited from operating any watercraft, and to 100 community service hours, for violating a U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port Order. Garrido had pleaded guilty on August 18, 2021.

According to court documents, Garrido was the owner of a state-registered recreational vessel and operated a recreational vessel in commercial passenger service on the waters of Tampa Bay (Tampa, FL) without a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Merchant mariner credential.  The USCG issues Merchant Mariner Credentials and inspects passenger vessels to ensure the safety of patrons chartering vessels.  Despite being issued a Captain of the Port Order to cease operations, Garrido continued to operate in commercial passenger service. Illegal passenger vessels pose serious danger to passengers because unlicensed operators do not have the requisite knowledge to safely operate a vessel in commercial passenger service and vessels do not meet stringent Coast Guard safety requirements. Tampa Bay is a tourist destination attracting visitors from throughout the world. 

“The Coast Guard will continue to aggressively pursue vessel operators who needlessly place the lives of patrons at risk by not complying with Coast Guard passenger vessel regulations," said Captain Matthew Thompson, Commander of Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg. "We'd like to remind those who charter a boat, they should choose a vessel with a certified captain and crew. This criminal conviction demonstrates the aggressive posture the Coast Guard and our partners from the U.S. Attorney’s Office have taken protect the lives of those who charter passenger vessels.”

This case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service (Southeast Region), with assistance from U.S. Coast Guard Sector (St. Petersburg Investigations Division).  It was prosecuted by U.S. Coast Guard Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tereza Ohley.

 

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced today that Matthew Christopher Yates (27, Hastings) has been arrested and charged with using the internet to attempt to entice a 14-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. Yates faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervised release. At the time of his arrest on March 11, 2022, Yates was an eighth-grade teacher at Veritas Classical School in St. Augustine, Florida.

According to court documents, on February 11, 2022, an undercover FBI agent who was posing online as a 14-year-old child responded to an online notice posted by the user “English teacher” on a particular online social media application. The user was subsequently identified as Yates. During the online conversation, the “child” advised that she was 14 years old and in the eighth grade, and Yates stated that he was a teacher and suggested that they “should meet up” at the beach. The online conversation continued on another social media platform and Yates (using the name “prof0987”) and the “child” exchanged photos of each other.

Between February 22, 2022, and March 11, 2022, Yates and the “child” exchanged numerous text messages and Yates sent several photos that were either sexually suggestive or sexually explicit, including one that purportedly depicted Yates’ penis. On March 6, 2022, Yates texted the “child,” using explicit language, suggesting that they meet.  On March 8, 2022, Yates asked the “child” to meet in person on Friday, March 11, 2022, to engage in sexual activity. Yates provided the undercover agent with details about the sexual acts that he wished to perform on the “child.” On March 10, 2022, Yates and the “child” confirmed plans to meet, and Yates asked the “child” if “she” wanted to record their planned sexual activity on video. On the afternoon of March 11, 2022, Yates drove his vehicle to a prearranged location in Jacksonville to meet the “child” for sex and was arrested by FBI agents. Upon searching Yates, agents found him to be in possession of several condoms.  

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Jacksonville). 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. 

Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Edward Boney (40, Washington, DC), a federal prisoner at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex, has entered pleaded guilty to assaulting a correctional officer and possessing contraband. Boney faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. Boney had been indicted on October 12, 2021.

According to court records, Boney is currently serving a 13-year federal sentence at FCC-Coleman for armed robbery and assault on a law enforcement officer. On November 20, 2020, Boney refused to comply with correctional officers’ directions and told the officers, “Today is a good day to die.” Boney then raised his arm and struck a correctional officer multiple times with a sharp metal object. The correctional officer suffered three stab wounds on his arms. Three additional correctional officers were also injured during the incident as they attempted to control and detain Boney.

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

Fort Myers, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Alex Winters (43, Leesburg) guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Winters, who qualifies as an Armed Career Criminal based upon his criminal history, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.  Winters was indicted on February 24, 2021.

According to testimony presented at trial, on May 7, 2020, deputies with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office stopped a car for a traffic violation. After a deputy noted the smell of marijuana, the car was searched. Beneath Winters’s seat, deputies found a loaded 9mm pistol and fanny pack containing distribution amounts of crack cocaine, powder cocaine, and eutylone. Also in the fanny pack, deputies found a digital scale, baggies, a drug ledger, and 9mm ammunition. Winters’s DNA was later analyzed and compared to DNA swabs taken from the firearm and he was determined to be a possible contributor.

This case was investigated by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Trent Reichling and Mark Morgan.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

Tampa, FL – A Canadian man was extradited yesterday from Canada to the United States on an indictment returned in the Middle District of Florida that charges him with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and wire fraud, intentional damage to a protected computer, and transmitting a demand in relation to damaging a protected computer arising from his alleged participation in a sophisticated form of ransomware known as NetWalker. NetWalker ransomware has targeted dozens of victims all over the world, including companies, municipalities, hospitals, law enforcement, emergency services, school districts, colleges, and universities. Attacks have specifically targeted the healthcare sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking advantage of the global crisis to extort victims.

According to court documents, Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, 34, of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, from April through December 2020, conspired to and did intentionally damage a protected computer and transmit a ransom demand in connection with doing so. The indictment also alleges that the United States intends to forfeit more than $27 million, which is alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses. The defendant will make his initial appearance today in federal court in Tampa before U.S. Magistrate Judge Julie S. Sneed.

“As exemplified by the seizure of cryptocurrency by our Canadian partners, we will use all legally available avenues to pursue seizure and forfeiture of the alleged proceeds of ransomware, whether located domestically or abroad,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The department will not cease to pursue and seize cryptocurrency ransoms, thereby thwarting the attempts of ransomware actors to evade law enforcement through the use of virtual currency.”

“Ransomware is a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise that transcends physical and political boundaries. International collaboration is essential to identify the perpetrators of these sophisticated schemes,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “This case illustrates effective international law enforcement cooperation directed at identifying cybercriminals, holding them accountable for their alleged criminal actions, and recovering funds allegedly stolen from their victims.”

“This investigation is yet another example of the outstanding work conducted by the Tampa FBI Cyber program, the Middle District of Florida, the FBI’s Cyber Division, and our law enforcement partners around the world,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office. “It is also a reminder that the FBI continues to work tirelessly to identify, locate, and apprehend those who would prey upon the innocent and bring about justice for the citizens of the United States.” 

Vachon-Desjardins was extradited to the United States pursuant to the extradition treaty between the United States and Canada. Pursuant to a request submitted by U.S. authorities, Canadian law enforcement officers arrested Vachon-Desjardins in Gatineau, Quebec, on Jan. 27, 2021, and executed a search warrant at Vachon-Desjardins’s home in Gatineau. During the search, officers discovered and seized 719 Bitcoin, valued at approximately $28,151,582 as of today’s date, and $790,000 in Canadian currency.

The FBI’s Tampa Field Office is investigating the case. 

Trial Attorney Sonia V. Jimenez of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlton C. Gammons and Suzanne Nebesky of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in securing Vachon-Desjardin’s arrest and extradition. The U.S. Marshals Service transported Vachon-Desjardins from Canada to the United States.

The investigation benefited from law enforcement cooperation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Gatineau Police Service, and National Cybercrime Coordination Unit.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

A Canadian man was extradited yesterday from Canada to the United States on an indictment returned in the Middle District of Florida that charges him with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and wire fraud, intentional damage to a protected computer, and transmitting a demand in relation to damaging a protected computer arising from his alleged participation in a sophisticated form of ransomware known as NetWalker. NetWalker ransomware has targeted dozens of victims all over the world, including companies, municipalities, hospitals, law enforcement, emergency services, school districts, colleges, and universities. Attacks have specifically targeted the healthcare sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking advantage of the global crisis to extort victims.

According to court documents, Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, 34, of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, from April through December 2020, conspired to and did intentionally damage a protected computer and transmit a ransom demand in connection with doing so. The indictment also alleges that the United States intends to forfeit more than $27 million, which is alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses. The defendant will make his initial appearance today in federal court in Tampa before U.S. Magistrate Judge Julie S. Sneed.

“As exemplified by the seizure of cryptocurrency by our Canadian partners, we will use all legally available avenues to pursue seizure and forfeiture of the alleged proceeds of ransomware, whether located domestically or abroad,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The department will not cease to pursue and seize cryptocurrency ransoms, thereby thwarting the attempts of ransomware actors to evade law enforcement through the use of virtual currency.”

“Ransomware is a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise that transcends physical and political boundaries. International collaboration is essential to identify the perpetrators of these sophisticated schemes,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “This case illustrates effective international law enforcement cooperation directed at identifying cybercriminals, holding them accountable for their alleged criminal actions, and recovering funds allegedly stolen from their victims.”

“This investigation is yet another example of the outstanding work conducted by the Tampa FBI Cyber program, the Middle District of Florida, the FBI’s Cyber Division, and our law enforcement partners around the world,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office. “It is also a reminder that the FBI continues to work tirelessly to identify, locate, and apprehend those who would prey upon the innocent and bring about justice for the citizens of the United States.” 

Vachon-Desjardins was extradited to the United States pursuant to the extradition treaty between the United States and Canada. Pursuant to a request submitted by U.S. authorities, Canadian law enforcement officers arrested Vachon-Desjardins in Gatineau, Quebec, on Jan. 27, 2021, and executed a search warrant at Vachon-Desjardins’s home in Gatineau. During the search, officers discovered and seized 719 Bitcoin, valued at approximately $28,151,582 as of today’s date, and $790,000 in Canadian currency.

The FBI’s Tampa Field Office is investigating the case. 

Trial Attorney Sonia V. Jimenez of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlton C. Gammons and Suzanne Nebesky of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in securing Vachon-Desjardin’s arrest and extradition. The U.S. Marshals Service transported Vachon-Desjardins from Canada to the United States.

The investigation benefited from law enforcement cooperation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Gatineau Police Service, and National Cybercrime Coordination Unit.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Guillermo Inamagua (56, Davenport) and Mayra Velasquez (34, Apopka) have pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Each faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Inamagua and Velasquez each owned and managed a construction company which they had registered with the State of Florida. Inamagua’s company was named First Construction and Velasquez’s company was named Best Construction. These companies purported to supply construction services and a labor force to work for construction contractors. As such, each company was required to secure and maintain adequate worker’s compensation insurance coverage in order to comply with Florida law. The providers of worker’s compensation insurance based the premiums they charged and the amount of coverage they provided on the number of employees a company had and the total annual payroll of those employees. Inamagua’s and Velasquez’s companies each had agreements with contractors and subcontractors to use workers purported to be their company’s employees at construction sites. These workers were often undocumented aliens who were actually working for and under the daily supervision and direction of the contractors. Inamagua and Velasquez or others would regularly receive “payroll checks” from these contractors that were cashed at various financial institutions to pay the purported “employees” of either Best or First Construction.

During the time periods charged in their respective criminal informations, Inamagua and Velasquez each falsely and fraudulently represented in insurance applications that their company had very limited payroll and a very limited number of employees that worked on construction jobsites. They also caused the transmission of false and fraudulent wire communications to numerous contractors representing that their companies’ employees had full worker’s compensation coverage. In reality, Inamagua’s company received and cashed more than $18 million in checks from various construction contractors for his purported employees.  This payroll figure far exceeded the very limited payroll figures that Inamagua had reported to his worker’s compensation insurance company. Velasquez’s company received and cashed more than $7 million in checks from various construction contractors for her purported employees. This payroll figure far exceeded the very limited payroll figures that Velasquez had reported to her worker’s compensation insurance company. As a result, these employees 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 being manipulated to cover.

As a result of these misrepresentations, Best and First Construction 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. Thus, the contractors who actually paid these workers’ wages and used their services were also able to avoid responsibility for those duties as well. Over the course of this conspiracy, Inamagua’s misrepresentations caused a loss to the IRS of approximately $4,673,571 in unpaid payroll taxes. Velasquez’s misrepresentations caused a loss to the IRS in the amount of approximately $1,769,000.

These two cases are part of a series of prosecutions related to similar construction industry-related fraud in the Tampa Bay area. This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the State of Florida Department of Financial Services – Division of Investigative and Forensic Services. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.

Comprehensive Health Services LLC (CHS), located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, has agreed to pay $930,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by falsely representing to the State Department and the Air Force that it complied with contract requirements relating to the provision of medical services at State Department and Air Force facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is the Department of Justice’s first resolution of a False Claims Act case involving cyber fraud since the launch of the department’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative, which aims to combine the department’s expertise in civil fraud enforcement, government procurement and cybersecurity to combat new and emerging cyber threats to the security of sensitive information and critical systems. 

CHS is a provider of global medical services that contracted to provide medical support services at government-run facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan. Under one of the contracts, CHS submitted claims to the State Department for the cost of a secure electronic medical record (EMR) system to store all patients’ medical records, including the confidential identifying information of United States service members, diplomats, officials and contractors working and receiving medical care in Iraq. The United States alleged that, between 2012 and 2019, CHS failed to disclose to the State Department that it had not consistently stored patients’ medical records on a secure EMR system. When CHS staff scanned medical records for the EMR system, CHS staff saved and left scanned copies of some records on an internal network drive, which was accessible to non-clinical staff. Even after staff raised concerns about the privacy of protected medical information, CHS did not take adequate steps to store the information exclusively on the EMR system.

The State Department and Air Force contracts also required CHS to provide medical supplies, including controlled substances, that were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or European Medicines Agency (EMA) and manufactured in accordance with federal quality standards. The United States alleged that, between 2012 and 2019, CHS falsely represented to the State Department and Air Force that certain substances provided under those contracts were approved by the FDA or EMA. CHS lacked a Drug Enforcement Agency license necessary for exporting controlled substances from the United States to Iraq. CHS obtained controlled substances by having CHS physicians based in Florida send letters requesting that a South African physician prescribe the controlled substances. A South African shipping company then received controlled substances that were not approved by the FDA or EMA and sent them to CHS in Iraq, where CHS supplied the unapproved controlled substances to patients under the State Department and Air Force contracts.

“This settlement demonstrates the department’s commitment to use its civil enforcement tools to pursue government contractors that fail to follow required cybersecurity standards, particularly when they put confidential medical records at risk,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to ensure that those who do business with the government comply with their contractual obligations, including those requiring the protection of sensitive government information.”

“Protecting the health and safety of servicemembers, diplomats, and other government employees working abroad is of utmost importance,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “The defendants were required to maintain personal health information securely and provide only approved pharmaceuticals to patients. This settlement serves notice to federal contractors that they will be held accountable for conduct that puts private medical records and patient safety at risk. We are grateful for the support of our colleagues in the Middle District of Florida, the State Department and the Air Force for their assistance in investigating these important claims.”

“Government contractors should never disregard their obligations when providing medical care to members of the military,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “We thank our colleagues in the Eastern District of New York, as well as the investigative agencies who supported this effort, for their steadfast pursuit of this important investigation.”

“This settlement demonstrates the commitment State Department, Office of Inspector General, Special Agents have to protect the safety, well-being, and personal information of State Department personnel,” said Special Agent in Charge Elisabeth “Elli” Kaminsky of the U.S. Department of State OIG, Office of Investigations. “Our hope is that this outcome will send a clear message that cutting corners on State Department contracts has significant consequences.”

“The Department of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) is undeterred in its approach to hunting down fraud within our Foreign Military Sales programs and ensuring the offenders are held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Nicholas J. Groesbeck of OSI Procurement Fraud Detachment 4, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. “We applaud the complainant for coming forward, which allowed our joint partners to protect the governments procurement process and carry out the warfighting mission.” 

The civil settlement includes the resolution of two actions brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act against CHS. Under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the settlement if the government takes over the case and reaches a monetary agreement with the defendant. The qui tam cases are captioned United States ex rel. Lawler v. Comprehensive Health Servs., Inc. et al., Case No. 20-cv-698 (E.D.N.Y.), and United States ex rel. Watkins et al. v. CHS Middle East, LLC, Case No. 17-cv-4319 (E.D.N.Y.).

The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combatting cyber-fraud.  On October 6, 2021, the Deputy Attorney General announced the department’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative, which aims to hold accountable entities or individuals that put U.S information or systems at risk by knowingly providing deficient cybersecurity products or services, knowingly misrepresenting their cybersecurity practices or protocols, or knowingly violating obligations to monitor and report cybersecurity incidents and breaches. Information on how to report cyber fraud can be found here.

The resolutions obtained in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the Fraud Section of the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the U.S. Department of State Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Air Force.

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

Comprehensive Health Services LLC (CHS), located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, has agreed to pay $930,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by falsely representing to the State Department and the Air Force that it complied with contract requirements relating to the provision of medical services at State Department and Air Force facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is the Department of Justice’s first resolution of a False Claims Act case involving cyber fraud since the launch of the department’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative, which aims to combine the department’s expertise in civil fraud enforcement, government procurement and cybersecurity to combat new and emerging cyber threats to the security of sensitive information and critical systems. 

CHS is a provider of global medical services that contracted to provide medical support services at government-run facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan. Under one of the contracts, CHS submitted claims to the State Department for the cost of a secure electronic medical record (EMR) system to store all patients’ medical records, including the confidential identifying information of United States service members, diplomats, officials and contractors working and receiving medical care in Iraq. The United States alleged that, between 2012 and 2019, CHS failed to disclose to the State Department that it had not consistently stored patients’ medical records on a secure EMR system. When CHS staff scanned medical records for the EMR system, CHS staff saved and left scanned copies of some records on an internal network drive, which was accessible to non-clinical staff. Even after staff raised concerns about the privacy of protected medical information, CHS did not take adequate steps to store the information exclusively on the EMR system.

The State Department and Air Force contracts also required CHS to provide medical supplies, including controlled substances, that were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or European Medicines Agency (EMA) and manufactured in accordance with federal quality standards. The United States alleged that, between 2012 and 2019, CHS falsely represented to the State Department and Air Force that certain substances provided under those contracts were approved by the FDA or EMA. CHS lacked a Drug Enforcement Agency license necessary for exporting controlled substances from the United States to Iraq. CHS obtained controlled substances by having CHS physicians based in Florida send letters requesting that a South African physician prescribe the controlled substances. A South African shipping company then received controlled substances that were not approved by the FDA or EMA and sent them to CHS in Iraq, where CHS supplied the unapproved controlled substances to patients under the State Department and Air Force contracts.

“This settlement demonstrates the department’s commitment to use its civil enforcement tools to pursue government contractors that fail to follow required cybersecurity standards, particularly when they put confidential medical records at risk,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to ensure that those who do business with the government comply with their contractual obligations, including those requiring the protection of sensitive government information.”

“Protecting the health and safety of servicemembers, diplomats, and other government employees working abroad is of utmost importance,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “The defendants were required to maintain personal health information securely and provide only approved pharmaceuticals to patients. This settlement serves notice to federal contractors that they will be held accountable for conduct that puts private medical records and patient safety at risk. We are grateful for the support of our colleagues in the Middle District of Florida, the State Department and the Air Force for their assistance in investigating these important claims.”

“Government contractors should never disregard their obligations when providing medical care to members of the military,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “We thank our colleagues in the Eastern District of New York, as well as the investigative agencies who supported this effort, for their steadfast pursuit of this important investigation.”

“This settlement demonstrates the commitment State Department, Office of Inspector General, Special Agents have to protect the safety, well-being, and personal information of State Department personnel,” said Special Agent in Charge Elisabeth “Elli” Kaminsky of the U.S. Department of State OIG, Office of Investigations. “Our hope is that this outcome will send a clear message that cutting corners on State Department contracts has significant consequences.”

“The Department of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) is undeterred in its approach to hunting down fraud within our Foreign Military Sales programs and ensuring the offenders are held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Nicholas J. Groesbeck of OSI Procurement Fraud Detachment 4, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. “We applaud the complainant for coming forward, which allowed our joint partners to protect the governments procurement process and carry out the warfighting mission.” 

The civil settlement includes the resolution of two actions brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act against CHS. Under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the settlement if the government takes over the case and reaches a monetary agreement with the defendant. The qui tam cases are captioned United States ex rel. Lawler v. Comprehensive Health Servs., Inc. et al., Case No. 20-cv-698 (E.D.N.Y.), and United States ex rel. Watkins et al. v. CHS Middle East, LLC, Case No. 17-cv-4319 (E.D.N.Y.).

The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combatting cyber-fraud.  On October 6, 2021, the Deputy Attorney General announced the department’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative, which aims to hold accountable entities or individuals that put U.S information or systems at risk by knowingly providing deficient cybersecurity products or services, knowingly misrepresenting their cybersecurity practices or protocols, or knowingly violating obligations to monitor and report cybersecurity incidents and breaches. Information on how to report cyber fraud can be found here.

The resolutions obtained in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the Fraud Section of the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the U.S. Department of State Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Air Force.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Andrew Carl Fulda (44, Jacksonville) to 37 months in federal prison for possessing firearms while he was subject to a domestic violence injunction.  The Court also ordered Fulda to forfeit two rifles, a carbine, two pistols, two revolvers, nine silencers, and 4,435 rounds of ammunition. Fulda had pleaded guilty on November 16, 2021.

According to court documents, in September 2021, a Special Agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives received information that Fulda may be possessing firearms despite being prohibited by a domestic violence injunction. The agent verified Fulda’s prohibited status by reviewing the injunction, which informed Fulda that it would be a federal criminal felony offense for him to possess firearms or ammunition while subject to the injunction. The agent also observed that, in April 2020, Fulda had executed an affidavit attesting that he had turned over all of his firearms to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO). The agent also obtained records showing that Fulda had registered multiple silencers in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record but had not surrendered the silencers to JSO.

Upon further investigation, the agent identified a residence where Fulda had moved his firearms safe and obtained a federal search warrant for the residence. Upon executing the search warrant, the agent located the firearms safe, which contained multiple handguns and a silencer that was not registered to Fulda. Also in the room with the firearms safe were an unregistered short-barreled rifle, additional firearms and silencers, and more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor.

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.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Rasheed Karreem (38, Jacksonville) to eight years and four months in federal prison for distributing cocaine base, also referred to as “crack” cocaine. Karreem had pleaded guilty on December 8, 2021.

According to court documents, on July 13 and July 25, 2018, Karreem sold crack cocaine to a cooperating defendant who was working at the direction of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. At the time, Karreem was on state probation for the January 2018 battery of Jamie Lawyer.  On August 10, 2018, Karreem shot Lawyer to death as she sat in her vehicle in a McDonald’s drive-thru in Jacksonville. Karreem is serving three consecutive life sentences in connection with the murder of Lawyer.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Brandy Sue Rayburn (41, Jacksonville) and Duane Lamonte McCray (43, Jacksonville) each to five years in federal prison for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The Court also ordered them to forfeit a Remington pistol and ammunition. Rayburn and McCray had pleaded guilty on December 7, 2021.

According to court documents, between April and May 2020, Rayburn and McCray sold cocaine and other drugs from Rayburn’s residence in the Arlington area of Jacksonville. To protect their drug dealing operations, Rayburn and McCray obtained a firearm that they kept at the house. Following the arrest of Rayburn and McCray, a Remington firearm and ammunition was located and seized by law enforcement. Forensic investigation revealed DNA of Rayburn and McCray on the firearm.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Cyrus P. Zomorodian and Assistant United States Attorney Beatriz Gonzalez.

This case is 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, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Mizelle has sentenced Victor Manuel Hernandez (22, Wimauma) to 27 years in federal prison for a narcotics conspiracy involving methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine, as well as for being a felon in possession of multiple firearms.  Hernandez had pleaded guilty on July 27, 2021.

According to court documents, between on or about July 18, 2019, through February 12, 2021, Hernandez conspired with others to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, 100 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin, and a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine. On July 18, 2019, a confidential source (CS) spoke with Hernandez on the phone and ordered a kilogram of methamphetamine. The two agreed to meet that day and the CS traveled to an apartment complex and parked. Soon thereafter, a Dodge Charger pulled in next to the CS’s vehicle. As agents approached the car, Hernandez got out of the car and attempted to flee but was ultimately apprehended. Upon searching the car, agents found approximately 978 grams of methamphetamine.  Hernandez then took agents to his residence, where he led them to additional drugs: approximately 800 grams of heroin and approximately 4 kilograms of additional methamphetamine. Hernandez also had 13 guns and assorted ammunition inside the house.

While Hernandez was released on bond, law enforcement learned that he was again trafficking in narcotics. Subsequently, a search warrant was executed at Hernandez’s house, and inside, agents found approximately 31 kilograms of methamphetamine, 756 grams of cocaine, and approximately 523 grams of heroin. Investigators also found two rifles, both of which belonged to Hernandez.

Hernandez had been previously convicted of a felony, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. As such, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, the Sarasota Police Department, and the Bradenton Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Callan Albritton.

Jacksonville, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging former Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Aaron Zahn (42, Jacksonville Beach) and former JEA Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Ryan Wannemacher 40, Santa Rosa Beach) with conspiring to steal and obtain by fraud funds from the City of Jacksonville, which would have been generated from the sale of the JEA, Jacksonville’s municipal electric and water utility company. If convicted on all counts, Zahn and Wannemacher each face up to 25 years in federal prison.

According to the

indictment , Zahn and Wannemacher worked together to devise a lucrative bonus plan known as the Performance Unit Plan (PUP) that would have paid millions of dollars to Zahn, Wannemacher, and others had JEA been sold during the Invitation To Negotiate (ITN) in 2019. Ultimately, once information began to develop about the true nature of the PUP and the certainty of significant bonuses paid from the net proceeds to the City of Jacksonville from the sale of JEA, the JEA Board stopped the ITN process on December 24, 2019. During the ITN, Zahn and Wannemacher worked together to craft the PUP formula using JEA’s financial statements and net position to ensure that they would receive millions of dollars when JEA was sold. The indictment alleges that Zahn and Wannemacher made material misrepresentations about and otherwise hid the true nature of the PUP from the JEA Board, members of the Jacksonville City Council, other JEA executives, and members of the public. During the ITN, Zahn crafted minimum requirements for the sale of JEA that would appeal to the JEA Board, members of City Council, and the public and, at the same time, ensure that the PUP bonus plan would pay out millions of dollars to holders of PUP units, the overwhelming majority of which would have been available to Zahn, Wannemacher, and certain others, had JEA been sold.

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 investigators from the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tysen Duva.

Orlando, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Rafael Antonio Bracero-Navas (50, Kissimmee) guilty of seven counts of sexually exploiting a minor child. Bracero-Navas faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on each count and will be required to register as a sex offender. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 1, 2022. Bracero-Navas had been indicted on August 4, 2021.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, between approximately July 2018 and April 2021, Bracero-Navas used a minor child to produce pornographic pictures that depicted the lascivious exhibition of the child’s pubic area. He did so surreptitiously from outside a bathroom door, taking pictures using a cellphone camera pointed through the crack under the door as the child was stepping out of the shower. Although Bracero-Navas later deleted the full-sized images from his phone, thumbnail images remained and were later discovered by law enforcement. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Emily C. L. Chang and Amanda S. Daniels.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Raymond Malara (38, Tampa) to nine years in federal prison for trafficking cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana. The Court also ordered Malara to forfeit $ 37,820, which is traceable to proceeds of the offense. Malara had pleaded guilty on August 3, 2021.

According to court documents, between October 2020 and February 2021, a law enforcement investigation revealed that Malara and others had been distributing cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and marijuana. As part of the investigation, law enforcement conducted surveillance on Malara and observed him obtaining and distributing narcotics throughout the Middle District of Florida, including his barbershop in Pinellas County, the Westshore Plaza shopping mall in Tampa, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, and various other locations.

On January 21, 2021, agents executed a federal search warrant at Malara’s apartment and located cardboard boxes containing vacuum-sealed bags of cocaine and marijuana, scales, and piles of cash stacked next to a money counter. Agents also located several firearms, including two fully loaded automatic rifles with high-capacity magazines and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Malara had previously been convicted of second-degree murder. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

Agents also searched Malara’s vehicle and recovered fentanyl pills and approximately four kilograms of marijuana from the trunk of the car.

This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Petersburg Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Diego Novaes and Suzanne Nebesky.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Jarran Riley (37, Clearwater) to 15 years in federal prison for distributing narcotics. Riley had pleaded guilty on December 9, 2021. 

According to court documents, on June 5, 2019, at approximately 10:30 p.m., detectives from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Dunedin Cove Motel regarding the opioid overdose death of N.R. On the same day, detectives interviewed Heidi Kalous who had distributed the narcotics to N.R. Motel video surveillance and phone records showed that Kalous had obtained the narcotics from Riley before Kalous distributed them to the victim.  Riley later distributed narcotics to confidential informants on two occasions in August 2019.

On October 8, 2019, Riley was arrested for fleeing and eluding, a state offense, and was released on a bond the same day. Approximately 14 hours after bonding out of state custody, on October 8, 2019, Riley was captured on video surveillance distributing controlled substances to M.J. Less than five hours later, M.J. was pronounced dead, the result of a multi-drug overdose. The following day, Riley was arrested again by local law enforcement. On November 15, 2019, Riley posted bond and was released from state custody.  While on bond for his state distribution offenses, and after N.R. and M.J. had died, Riley continued to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, doing so on January 21, 23, and January 28, 2020.  On February 12, 2020, agents executed a federal search warrant at Riley’s residence, and Riley was taken into federal custody.

Kalous was also charged with drug distribution offenses. On February 24, 2022, she was sentenced to eight years in federal prison.  

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clearwater Police Department as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

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

 

Jacksonville, Florida– United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Justin Marland Fisher (41, Orange Park) with knowingly aiming a laser at an aircraft. If convicted, Fisher faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

According to the indictment, on September 1, 2021, Fisher knowingly aimed the beam of a laser pointer at a United States Coast Guard helicopter while it was conducting a training mission in Green Cove Springs, Florida.  

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

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), dangerous laser strikes topped all previous records in 2021. The FAA received 9,723 reports from pilots last year, a 41 percent increase over 2020. Laser strikes on aircraft remain a serious threat to aviation safety. Intentionally aiming lasers at aircrafts poses a safety threat to pilots and violates federal law. Many high-powered lasers can incapacitate pilots flying aircraft that may be carrying hundreds of passengers. Please visit https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/lasers/laws for additional information.

This case was investigated by the Coast Guard Investigative Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro.

Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Miranda Delee Farleigh (25, Ocklawaha) has pleaded guilty to possessing stolen mail. Farleigh faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Farleigh had been indicted on February 1, 2022. 

According to court records, Farleigh worked as a contract employee of the United States Postal Service delivering mail for the Lady Lake Post Office. Farleigh’s route included mail delivery services to postal stations in The Villages. On or about November 23, 2021, Farleigh’s supervisor discovered several tubs and bags of U.S. Mail in Farleigh’s possession that had been rifled (unlawfully opened). When confronted, Farleigh admitted to law enforcement that she had been opening outgoing mail in Lake and Sumter Counties for a month with the intent to steal money and gift cards to support her heroin addiction. In total, approximately 4,000 pieces of mail had been rifled through by Farleigh.   

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.

Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jimmy Wayne Hammonds, also known as “the Monkey Whisperer” (57, Parrish), today pleaded guilty to having violated the Endangered Species Act and Lacy Act in connection with a conspiracy to sell a protected primate to a celebrity client in California. Hammonds faces a maximum penalty of eight years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court records, Hammonds owned and operated The Monkey Whisperer, LLC, a business engaged in the breeding and selling of wildlife. From September 2017 until February 2018, Hammonds conspired to sell a capuchin monkey to an individual in California, even though that buyer could not lawfully possess a capuchin monkey in California. Hammonds facilitated the transportation of the capuchin monkey from Florida to California through individuals who were not permitted to possess that species of monkey in either state. The client had paid more than $12,000 for the animal. Law enforcement later seized the monkey from the client’s California residence.

In addition, Hammonds illegally sold cotton-top tamarins, which are primates listed as an endangered species, to buyers in Alabama, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. To conceal his unlawful wildlife trafficking, Hammonds submitted false records to a law enforcement officer and attempted to persuade a witness to lie to a law enforcement officer by saying that they had purchased the cotton-top tamarins at a flea market.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Murray.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced three former Hamilton Correctional Institution Annex officers for violating the civil rights of an inmate. Coty Michael Wiltgen (32, Live Oak) was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release; Ethan Burkett (25, Valdosta, GA) was sentenced to 31 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and William Story Shackelford (25, Valdosta, GA) was sentenced to 25 months in federal prison, followed by 1 year of supervised release. Wiltgen, Burkett, and Shackelford were ordered to surrender to their facility of designation no later than 2:00 p.m. on April 28, 2022.

On June 4, 2021, June 9, 2021, and July 22, 2021, Shackelford, Wiltgen, and Burkett, respectively, had pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of an inmate.  

According to court documents, on March 3, 2020, Burkett, Wiltgen, and Shackelford, on-duty correctional officers at the Hamilton Correctional Institution Annex (HCI) in Jasper, Florida, struck an inmate multiple times while the inmate was handcuffed and lying on the ground. Specifically, Wiltgen, and Shackelford escorted the victim to an outdoor area at HCI and assaulted the victim following an earlier altercation involving the victim and Burkett. The victim had pushed Burkett off his path while he was chasing after another inmate. After pushing Burkett and walking away, the victim was sprayed with pepper spray by Wiltgen. The victim laid down on the floor, showed no signs of resistance, and was handcuffed by Wiltgen. Wiltgen and Shackelford then escorted the cooperative and compliant victim outside of the facility, and out of camera view, and made the victim fall to the ground. Wiltgen kicked the victim in the face approximately 15 times while he was face down on the ground. Wiltgen was also observed calling the victim a racial epithet and spitting on the victim. Shackelford held the victim on the ground with his knee in the victim’s back to keep him from moving and struck the victim in the side. When Burkett arrived outside, he went up to the victim and hit him twice with an open hand to the upper back and punched the victim. The victim was screaming during the assault and was knocked unconscious by Wiltgen kicking him. This assault lasted approximately one to two minutes. Burkett, Wiltgen, and Shackelford knew that the use of force was unnecessary and excessive, counter to their training and completely unjustified at the time that they used, and watched others use, force against the victim. As a result of the assault, the victim suffered several injuries.

This case was investigated by the Florida Department of Corrections – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Harrison Holland Frith (40, Ponte Vedra Beach) to 7 years and 11 months in federal prison for receiving a video depicting child sexual abuse. Frith was also ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution to a victim of his crimes, to serve 10 years of supervised release upon his release from prison, and to register as a sex offender. Frith had pleaded guilty on October 27, 2021.

According to court documents, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Jacksonville received information from HSI agents in Fayetteville, Arkansas, that the agents had identified a man in Arkansas who was communicating online with others, including Frith, via Zoom and RingCentral meeting platforms to share child sexual abuse material. The content shared included videos of the Arkansas man sexually abusing a child between the ages of 5 and 6 years old. Frith is seen on a video made by the Arkansas man masturbating while watching a video of the Arkansas man sexually abusing the child. Frith can be heard expressing his desire to sexually abuse the child as well. HSI (Fayetteville) discovered Frith in other social media chatrooms, in which child sexual abuse material was discussed and shared.

On May 18, 2021, HSI (Jacksonville) executed a federal search warrant at Frith’s residence in Ponte Vedra Beach and encountered Frith at home. In an interview with agents, Frith admitted to receiving child sexual abuse videos over the internet and to participating in online video meetings with others during which child sexual abuse videos were played. He also acknowledged requesting videos of the sexual abuse of children as young as 8 years old. Frith told agents they would find files of child sexual abuse material on his laptop computer. He also said that he had viewed such material the night before agents had arrived. A search of Frith’s electronic devices yielded child sexual abuse material on four devices including two laptop computers, an iPad, and a thumb drive. One such file received by Frith in April 2021 showed an adult male removing the diaper from a baby boy and then his sexual assault of the baby.  

“A child is re-victimized every time a predator views or shares child pornography,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “HSI Jacksonville, and our partners with Clay County Sheriff’s, St. Johns Sheriff’s Office and HSI Fayetteville, are working diligently to ensure these predators are identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for these heinous crimes.”   

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.

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

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Tracy Lee Jedlicki (55, Delray Beach) has pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for her role in the operation of international boiler rooms which defrauded victims via the sale of worthless investments. Jedlicki faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

According to the plea agreement, Jedlicki and her co-conspirators operated international boiler rooms in Panama and elsewhere which used high-pressure sales techniques to defraud individuals who believed they were investing substantial amounts of money in regulated financial products or markets, such as options in commodities and stocks. The majority of the victims targeted by these boiler rooms were located in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

Jedlicki and her co-conspirators laundered the fraud proceeds generated by the boiler rooms through several money laundering rings to overseas accounts; the launderers received a percentage of the funds they had moved. Jedlicki's duties included, among other tasks, arranging travel for boiler room workers to the boiler room locations, calling victims while posing as an employee of a fake investment firm to set up loading calls for co-conspirators operating the boiler rooms, serving as a liaison between the boiler rooms and a money laundering organization, and reconciling payments between the boiler rooms and the money laundering organization. Jedlicki received a 2% referral fee for referring victims’ funds to a money laundering ring and used the funds to perpetuate the conspiracy and for her own personal enrichment. Jedlicki and her co-conspirators wired or caused to be wired victims’ funds in the approximate amount of $3,244,500 to money laundering accounts in furtherance of the wire fraud conspiracy.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A. Chee and Craig Gestring.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Nicholas Primo (35, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to distributing a substance that contained a mixture of heroin and fentanyl. Primo faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

 According to court documents, on November 13, 2019, Primo distributed narcotics to two individuals in the parking lot of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. One of the individuals injected himself with the substance and died. Primo was later captured on video surveillance returning to the vehicle, and after realizing the victim had died, fleeing the garage. Primo was later interviewed and admitted to purchasing $1,600 worth of heroin prior to distributing it.  Primo later contacted a friend and attempted to move the victim’s car out of the Hard Rock Casino.

This case was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.  This case is part of the Middle District of Florida’s anti-opioid strategy to combat opioid trafficking and abuse.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez-Covington has sentenced Jordan Jysae Pulido (27, Trinity) to 10 years in federal prison, and his father, Roberto Santana Jimenez (62, Trinity) to 20 years in federal prison for child exploitation offenses. The Court also ordered both men to serve a lifetime term of supervised release, register as sex offenders, pay restitution in the amount of $2,715, and forfeit electronic devices that were used in the commission of their offenses.

On October 28, 2021, a federal jury found Pulido guilty of enticement and coercion of minor, traveling out of the country to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and transporting a minor into the country to engage in sexual activity. The jury also found both Pulido and Jimenez guilty of conspiracy to transport a minor into the country to engage in sexual activity.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, then 23-year-old Pulido met a 14-year-old child who resided in and is a citizen of Croatia on a social networking website in 2017. Pulido began a teacher-student relationship with the child and promised to teach the child to play the guitar. After a few months of guitar lessons, however, Pulido began to romantically pursue the child. For nearly a year, Pulido used the internet to entice and coerce this child to engage in sexual activity with him. During this time, Pulido and Jimenez planned Pulido’s trip to Croatia and Pulido sought Jimenez’s advice and counsel on how to persuade the child to engage in sexual activity when he traveled to Croatia. Jimenez coached Pulido on what to do and say to the child and directly communicated with the child about her sexual relationship with Pulido. Jimenez falsely portrayed himself as a medical doctor and provided advice and counsel to the child about her fertility and precautions to take to avoid pregnancy.

On June 14, 2018, Pulido traveled from Florida to Croatia, proposed to the child on her 15th birthday, and engaged in sexual activity with the child. In the month that followed, Pulido and Jimenez conspired to transport the child from Croatia to Florida, again so that Pulido could engage in sexual activity with her. On or about July 23, 2018, Pulido did in fact transport the child from Croatia to Florida for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. Once in Florida, Jimenez took the child’s passport and identification documents and refused to allow the child to travel back to Croatia with her family. Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement rescued the child from the Pulido/Jimenez family home in Trinity, Florida on August 12, 2018.

“A child victim was rescued from these predators, and we hope this sentencing provides some closure on the path to recovery for them,” said HSI Tampa acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Westlove. “This case would not have been possible without the local and international law enforcement partnerships between HSI, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Koprivnica-Križevac County Police Administration of the Republic of Croatia Ministry of the Interior Criminal Police, the International Criminal Police Organization and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.”

FDLE Tampa Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell said, “This case highlights the ability and compassion of our FDLE agents.  What began as a routine welfare check soon escalated.  Picking up on subtle signs, our agent knew something wasn’t right, and, by quickly gaining the victim’s trust, he was able to rescue this child from sexual abuse.”

This case was investigated by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Koprivnica-Križevac County Police Administration of the Republic of Croatia Ministry of the Interior Criminal Police, and the International Police Organization. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell.

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

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced eight members of a Puerto Rico-based drug trafficking organization to federal prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine in the Tampa Bay area. Each of the eight individuals had previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced as follows:

Name

Age, Residence

Sentence

Jacques Orsini-Martinez

a/k/a “Papi”

45, Bayamon, PR

13 years’ imprisonment

Juan Carlos Orsini-Martinez

a/k/a “Tio Cano”

46, Incarcerated

5 years’ imprisonment

Jose Manuel Robles Negron

a/k/a “Chelo”

27, Bayamon, PR

10 years’ imprisonment

Pedro Javier Hernandez Sosa

a/k/a “Javi Carolina”

31, Carolina, PR

6 years, 8 months’ imprisonment

Raymond Jose De La Cruz

a/k/a “Sanky”

46, Largo, FL

7 years, 3 months’ imprisonment

Briss Malone Warren

43, Port Richey, FL

4 years, 3 months’ imprisonment

Luis Daniel Agosto Morales

30, Tampa, FL

5 years’ imprisonment

Josue Antonio Chinea Santos

36, Bayamon, PR

5 years’ imprisonment

The court also ordered Luis Agosto-Morales to forfeit $24,587, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense.

According to court documents, the individuals were part of an organization that trafficked in cocaine delivered from Puerto Rico via parcels sent to the Middle District of Florida. Proceeds of the cocaine sales were delivered to Raymond Jose De La Cruz and Jose Manuel Robles Negron, to be returned to Jacques Orsini-Martinez and others in Puerto Rico. The cocaine sent from Puerto Rico was supplied via a transnational criminal organization operating in and around the Dominican Republic and Colombia. Juan Carlos Orsini-Martinez was in federal prison at the time of the conspiracy but used a contraband cellphone to discuss the payment of drug proceeds back to Puerto Rico.

This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service and Tampa Police Department.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Diego Novaes and Dan Baeza.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Marcos Antonio Tejeda to 18 months in federal prison for preparing false tax returns for himself and others. Tejeda had pleaded guilty on December 7, 2021.

According to court documents, Tejeda owned and operated a tax preparation and accounting business. Tejeda provided personal and business accounting and tax preparation services for “S.M.” in 2016, 2017, and 2018. As a part of these services, Tejeda maintained a business bank account into which S.M. deposited money for estimated tax payments to the IRS. In 2016 and 2017, Tejeda prepared a 1040 tax return for S.M. Each year Tejeda prepared two versions of the same tax return, one he claimed was accurate, and one he knew was false. The accurate tax return included the estimated tax payments S.M. made and was predominately correct. This first version in both 2016 and 2017 also showed that S.M. owed money in addition to the money he had paid in estimated tax payments. Tejeda then created a second, fraudulent tax return for tax years 2016 and 2017. The fraudulent tax returns were filed with the IRS. These fraudulent returns misrepresented S.M.’s business gross receipts, capital gains, gross income, adjusted gross income, and other statutory adjustments under the provisions of the Internal Revenue laws to fraudulently decrease the amount of taxes owed.

Tejeda then embezzled the money that S.M. had provided for estimated tax payments and to pay the taxes that S.M. believed were owed based on the first version of the tax return created by Tejeda. In total, Tejeda embezzled $120,329.46 from S.M.

Additionally, Tejeda did not report a substantial amount of his income on his personal or business taxes. As such, the amount of income that should have been reported on his Individual Tax Return for 2017 was an amount substantially more than the amount Tejeda had reported.

“We are in tax filing season, and those who might consider preparing false tax returns should be aware of the consequences as evidenced today,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne. “The sentencing of Tejada emphasizes that the IRS will continue our aggressive pursuit of those who attempt to defraud America’s tax system.”

This case was investigated by The Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Daniels.

Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Robert Lee Ward (53, Fort Myers) guilty of conspiracy to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine and of tampering with an informant by killing. Ward faces a mandatory penalty of life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has not yet been set. Ward had been indicted on November 27, 2018.

According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, Ward was the leader of a drug trafficking organization in Fort Myers that distributed cocaine in Fort Myers and other locations for more than a decade until Ward’s arrest in 2018. Ward and his co-conspirators routinely purchased kilograms of cocaine from Ward’s supplier in Miami and distributed the drugs in Fort Myers and Panama City. Federal investigators used confidential informants (CIs) to make multiple purchases of cocaine from Ward’s co-conspirators. A CI who had purchased cocaine from Ward was relocated by investigators after they learned of a threat against the CI’s life.  

In 2012, the FBI obtained the assistance of Kristopher Smith, a member of Ward’s organization, who agreed to cooperate in the investigation against Ward. After learning about Smith’s cooperation with investigators, Ward solicited James Broomfield to kill Smith. Broomfield agreed to kill Smith in exchange for $30,000. Ward provided Broomfield with a loaded firearm and told him where to locate Smith. On January 7, 2013, Broomfield and another individual followed Smith and his girlfriend as they drove to their son’s school in Fort Myers. Smith remained in the vehicle while his girlfriend entered the school to deliver lunch to their son, who attended first grade at the school. Broomfield and his accomplice parked their vehicle behind the CI’s car and Broomfield ran up to the car and shot Smith several times, killing him.

In February 2014, investigators obtained a search warrant for a storage unit in Tampa that Ward had rented. Investigators seized more than $200,000 in cash hidden inside the storage unit.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Fort Myers Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Panama City Police Department, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Sinacore and Candace Rich.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jeffrey Siegmeister (53, Live Oak) has pleaded guilty to four felonies pursuant to a plea agreement. Specifically, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to use a facility of commerce for unlawful activity—specifically, bribery and extortion—conspiracy to commit extortion, wire fraud, and filing a false tax return. Siegmeister faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for conspiring to commit extortion and wire fraud, 5 years in federal prison for conspiring to use a facility of commerce for bribery and extortion, and 3 years in federal prison for filing a false tax return. Siegmeister also agreed to forfeit $518,803.50 and 7,372 shares of The Coca-Cola Company common stock, proceeds he obtained through his commission of the offenses.

According to court documents, Siegmeister was the elected State Attorney for the Third Judicial Circuit of Florida from 2013 through 2019, and Marion Michael O’Steen was a defense attorney who represented clients being prosecuted by Siegmeister’s office. Florida’s Third Judicial Circuit encompasses Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, and Taylor counties. As part of the conspiracy to use a facility of commerce for unlawful activity, between approximately November 2017 and May 16, 2019, O’Steen requested official acts from Siegmeister—including the favorable disposition of charges filed against his clients and the delay of official actions in order to enable O’Steen to obtain additional “fees” from at least one of his clients—for which Siegmeister solicited bribes from O’Steen. The plea agreement states that, on April 16, 2018, Siegmeister sent O’Steen four photographs of bulls he was selling, after the sentencing of one of O’Steen’s clients, indicating that Siegmeister expected O’Steen to purchase a bull from him in exchange for the favorable treatment Siegmeister had provided O’Steen’s client.

With respect to the extortion count, O’Steen solicited Siegmeister to resolve a case against another of his clients, referred to as “Client B,” through pre-trial intervention (“PTI”). The plea agreement indicates that Siegmeister made it clear to O’Steen that if O’Steen wanted Client B to get a PTI agreement, O’Steen would have to buy one of Siegmeister’s bulls. On August 17, 2018, O’Steen told Client B, “I can make everything go away all, your brothers, the other two nolle pros with you sign an agreement to pay their cost of investigation, you leave, you will not have to report but one time, uh, ah, I need $75,000 and everything goes away and you pay the money,” representing that O’Steen had favors with Siegmeister for which people would pay him.   

Siegmeister also admitted to committing wire fraud by defrauding the probate court and the estate of a man identified by the initials “L.T.” when serving as the voluntary guardian of L.T. While serving as the voluntary guardian, Siegmeister admitted to inflating the expenditures incurred by L.T. in a filing to the probate court and to diverting more than $500,000 in assets from L.T.’s estate to pay Siegmeister’s own personal expenditures in 2015 and 2016. Siegmeister also admitted that he had failed to report the diverted funds on his tax returns.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly S. Karase and David B. Mesrobian.

Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Rolanda Wingfield (39, Tampa) with two counts of access device fraud, one count of possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, Wingfield faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each of the access device offenses, as well as a consecutive two years in federal prison for the aggravated identity offenses. The indictment also notifies Wingfield that the United States intends to forfeit any proceeds, which are alleged to be traceable to the offense. 

According to the

indictment , between May and July 2020, Wingfield obtained personal identifying information of other persons and submitted, or caused to be submitted, false and fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims to various state workforce agencies for UI benefits. These UI benefits were then transferred to bank accounts or loaded onto debits cards issued in the names of other persons. Wingfield then used, and attempted to use, the fraudulently obtained debit cards to withdraw money from ATMs. On July 28, 2020, Wingfield was found to be in possession of 15 unauthorized access devices, specifically Social Security numbers of other individuals.

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.

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

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus

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

This case was investigated by the Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory D. Pizzo and John Cannizzaro.

Ocala, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Benjamin Townsel (23, Ocala) has pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and one count of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 20, 2022. Townsel had been indicted on July 21, 2021.

According to court documents, on three different occasions Townsel was found with a firearm after officers from the Ocala Police Department conducted traffic stops of vehicles in which Townsel was a passenger. DNA comparison analysis confirmed the presence of Townsel’s DNA on each of the firearms. The traffic stops occurred on August 7, 2020, December 3, 2020, and February 15, 2021, the latter two occurring after Townsel had been released from jail on bond on state charges. The firearm found during the first incident also had an obliterated serial number, in violation of federal law.

Townsel has four prior state felony convictions, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tyrie Boyer.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has sentenced Kevin Hohn (66, Brooksville) to 15 years in federal prison for production of child pornography. Hohn was also ordered to pay a fine of $30,000, a special assessment of $20,000, and $6,000 in restitution to the victims. Hohn will be required to serve 5 years of supervised release upon his release from prison and to register as a sex offender. Hohn had pleaded guilty on November 19, 2021.

According to court documents, in September and December 2020, investigators identified a certain internet protocol (IP) address as having distributed images and a video depicting children being sexually abused. The IP address used to distribute these materials was traced to Hohn’s residence in Brooksville. Investigators determined that Hohn is a retired Special Agent with the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, and former mayor of the City of Brooksville.

On February 19, 2021, investigators executed a search warrant at Hohn’s residence and found Hohn sitting in his office at a computer that was connected to an external hard drive. An examination of the external hard drive revealed more than 100 images depicting child sexual abuse materials. The investigators also discovered 40 videos and several hundred images depicting children that had been covertly recorded inside of Hohn’s home. The children were unaware that Hohn was recording them as they were dressing and undressing, exiting the shower, and engaging in other innocent activities. Hohn created screen captures of videos that depicted the children naked and zoomed in on one child’s genitalia.

“While child exploitation is disgusting and vile in all circumstances, it can be especially traumatic when the predator is in a position of leadership and trust,” said HSI Tampa acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Silliman. “Because of the efforts of HSI special agents and the Hernando County and Pasco Sheriff’s Offices, the community can rest assured this criminal will harm no more children.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit.

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

Orlando, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Nikesh Ajay Patel (38, formerly from Orlando) has been arraigned on charges related to almost $20 million in fraud that he perpetrated while on federal pretrial release. Patel has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and eight counts of money laundering. Patel faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison for each count of conspiracy and wire fraud and up to 20 years in federal prison for each count of money laundering. His trial is currently scheduled for the April 2022 trial term.

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

Patel’s new fraud scheme involved three parts. First, Patel fabricated fraudulent loan documents that falsely represented that a bank in Miami had authorized loans to be made to convert hotels in rural areas into assisted living facilities. Although the bank in Miami exists, it had never made any of the loans.  The person who was listed as signing the loans (“Ron Elias”) does not exist, but was a fictitious identity used by Patel to perpetrate his conspiracy and scheme. Second, Patel applied to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to guarantee the fake loans pursuant to its Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program.  Third, after the USDA agreed to guarantee the fake loans, Patel sold the guaranteed portion of the fake loans to the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, also known as Farmer Mac. 

Patel executed the scheme on three occasions, receiving almost $20 million in proceeds. Patel used a portion of the funds from that scheme to pay some of his restitution, but he was saving much of it to flee the United States.

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

Patel’s indictment in the Middle District of Florida relates to the conspiracy and fraud scheme that he executed while on he was pretrial release. 

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 United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

Orlando, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Joseph Ellicott (43, Bradenton) has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud and one count of distribution of a controlled substance. Ellicott faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. His sentencing is scheduled for April 26, 2022, before Senior U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell.

According to court documents, in January 2017, Ellicott was hired by a government agency in Seminole County (Governmental Agency) as a Special Projects Manager. The elected head of the Governmental Agency was a public official and Ellicott’s friend (Public Official). Beginning at least by January 2017, and continuing through 2019, Ellicott, the Public Official, and a contractor with the Governmental Agency (Contractor Conspirator) conspired with each other to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud.  

The conspiracy involved the Contractor Conspirator and the Contractor Conspirator’s company entering into a contract with the Governmental Agency to provide goods and services to the Governmental Agency. The Contractor Conspirator and the Contractor Conspirator’s company submitted inflated invoices for payment.  The Public Official agreed to use his official position to provide favorable official action on behalf of the Contractor Conspirator and the Contractor Conspirator’s company, including by continuing to employ the Contractor Conspirator and the Contractor Conspirator’s company and by causing the Contractor Conspirator and the Contractor Conspirator’s company to be paid, including for the inflated invoices. In exchange for the Public Official providing such favorable official action, the Contractor Conspirator agreed to pay bribes and kickbacks to the Public Official.  Ellicott’s role in the conspiracy was to serve as the intermediary for the payment of a bribe and kickback of $6,000 that was made on September 25, 2017.

Further, for at least two years, Ellicott illegally sold Adderall to others. Over the course of at least two years, one of Ellicott’s customers paid him more than $5,000 for hundreds of Adderall pills.

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

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Richard A. Kirkendall (34, Oviedo) to 24 years in federal prison for using the internet to receive and possess images and videos depicting the sexual abuse and torture of children. Kirkendall was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. Kirkendall had pleaded guilty on September 23, 2021.

According to court documents, Kirkendall used a particular peer-to-peer file sharing software to download child sexual abuse materials over the internet. In that process, he distributed child-pornographic videos to an undercover FBI agent. The videos distributed by Kirkendall depicted toddler-aged children being sexually abused and sodomized.

On May 10, 2021, federal agents executed a search warrant at Kirkendall’s residence and seized three cellphones belonging to Kirkendall. Forensic analyses of these devices revealed that they contained approximately 321 images and 103 videos depicting the sadistic sexual abuse of children, including material depicting infants and very young children being raped and sodomized. 

The analyses also showed email communications dating back to 2012 through which Kirkendall traded child sexual abuse materials with another person over the internet. In the emails, Kirkendall stated, among other things, that he was interested in extremely violent child sexual abuse images and videos and wanted to see “blood.” Kirkendall also explained in detail how the other user could sexually assault a 3-year-old child that the user had access to through the use of deception. 

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

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

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced David Milton Kissner, Jr. (34, Orlando) to 80 years in federal prison for two counts of using children to produce child sexual abuse materials and one count of distributing this material over the internet. Kissner was also ordered to serve a 15-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. Kissner had pleaded guilty on October 8, 2021.

 According to court documents, in May 2021, Kissner created a number of videos depicting three different young children being sexually abused. In several of these videos, Kissner can be seen molesting two of these children, one of which was toddler-aged. Kissner then distributed images and videos depicting this sexual abuse online, including several to an undercover law enforcement agent.

In one of these videos, Kissner can be heard saying, “I love molesting kids.” In another video, Kissner induced a child to remove the child’s clothing by asking if the child wanted a “toy.” During an online chat with an undercover officer, Kissner stated that he was a pedophile who liked both preteens and toddlers and that he was going to try to molest a child at his place of work, an Orlando area water park. Kissner also suggested that he and the undercover agent should meet to trade child victims.

During a subsequent interview with law enforcement agents at his workplace, Kissner admitted that he had committed hands-on sexual abuse of two children, and further that he had been sexually abusing these children since January 2021. A forensic examination of Kissner’s cellphone revealed that he had 16 videos and 4 images depicting child sexual abuse saved on the phone.

“When you consider the abuse and fear this monster forced upon his young victims, 80 years in prison is still not enough. I commend the dedicated special agents who make it their job to remove the individuals from our society who prey on innocent children,” said FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson.

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.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt.

Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Michael Tyrone Young (32, Ocala) with possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. If convicted, Young faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A federal grand jury had indicted Young on December 7, 2021, he was arrested on February 15, 2022. 

According to court documents, officers from the Ocala Police Department encountered Young during a routine patrol of a local public housing complex on the night of August 31, 2021. The officers observed Young dropping a heavy metallic object that resembled a firearm. Young, who was not a resident of the complex, had a strong odor of marijuana about his person. During a subsequent search, a loaded 9mm handgun fell out of Young’s pants. The officers also located MDMA (ecstasy) on his person. A record check showed that Young had prior state felony convictions for possession of cocaine with the intent to sell, possession of cannabis with the intent to sell, and possession of oxycodone with the intent to sell. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

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.

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 City of Ocala Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.

Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Marrin Maurice Baker (49, Williston) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Baker faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Baker had been indicted on November 9, 2021.

According to court documents, Baker is a felon with prior state convictions for battery on a law enforcement officer and sale of cocaine. On or about August 25, 2021, officers from the Ocala Police Department attempted to stop a truck being driven by Baker, but he refused to pull over. Once he finally stopped, officers searched the truck and recovered a loaded 9mm firearm by the driver’s seat and approximately 121 grams of marijuana on the floorboard. Baker admitted these items belonged to him and added that he had the firearm because of shootings in the local area and that he didn’t want “anyone to try [him].” As a convicted felon, Baker is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department 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.     

Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jeffrey Walt Boston (45, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing cocaine. Boston faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Boston had been indicted on July 20, 2021.

According to the plea agreement, Boston is a felon who previously had been convicted in state court of resisting arrest with violence, battery on a law enforcement officer, delivery of cocaine, and possession of cocaine. On June 4, 2021, while in Lake County, Boston tossed a cigarette box containing cocaine from the window of the car he was driving. A nearby deputy retrieved the box, recognized the contents, then pursued and stopped Boston. During the pursuit, Boston discarded a bag of marijuana that hit the deputy’s windshield. A subsequent search of the car revealed a matching cigarette box with cocaine, a stolen, loaded pistol under the driver’s seat, 13 bags of cocaine, 5 Alprazolam pills, and marijuana. Boston admitted that all the drugs and the loaded firearm belonged to him. He also confirmed that his fingerprints would be on the firearm. As a convicted felon, Boston is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, 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.

         

 

 

 

Jacksonville, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Edward Alan Hardin (35, Clay County) has pleaded guilty to one count of attempted production of child sex abuse material and one count of possession of such material. Hardin faces a minimum mandatory term of 15 years, and up to 40 years, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. His sentencing hearing has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, at various times in 2018, 2019, and 2020, Hardin had access to three female children who were in his custody. One of those children – referred to as Minor Victim 1 – had known Hardin since she was a toddler and considered Hardin to be a father figure. Beginning when Minor Victim 1 was about 12 or 13 years old, Hardin provided money and gifts to Minor Victim 1 in exchange for the sexual abuse of Minor Victim 1.

On May 8, 2020, a deputy with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office observed Hardin’s truck parked at a shopping center in Orange Park. As the deputy approached Hardin’s truck on foot, he observed Hardin in the driver’s seat of the truck, and then observed Minor Victim 1 sit up in the passenger seat of the truck. The deputy smelled the aroma of marijuana emanating from the truck. As the deputy approached the passenger door of the truck, he could see that Hardin’s pants were unzipped and that Hardin and Minor Victim 1 appeared nervous. Minor Victim 1 agreed to speak with a detective and disclosed text messages between she and Hardin that showed that Hardin, on multiple occasions, had made arrangements to pay Minor Victim 1 for sex. Minor Victim 1 stated that Hardin had been sexually abusing her in the truck prior to the deputy approaching. Hardin was arrested and admitted to engaging in sexual intercourse with Minor Victim 1 earlier that day, but he claimed it was the first time and that it had been consensual.

Minor Victim 1 also identified two other child victims who had been sexually abused by Hardin.

Minor Victim 2 was interviewed and disclosed that Hardin had transported her to Valdosta, Georgia to visit a particular theme park in July 2018, when she was 15 years old. Minor Victim 2 informed detectives that Hardin had sexually abused her during the trip, and continued to maintain a sexual relationship with her until around March 2020, during all of which time Minor Victim 2 was underage.

Minor Victim 3 was interviewed and disclosed that when she was 13 years old she had attended a sleepover with Minor Victim 1. During the sleepover, Hardin provided Minor Victim 3 and Minor Victim 1 with marijuana, and Minor Victim 3 was encouraged to allow Hardin to sexually assault her, and he did so. Hardin then gave Minor Victim 3 and Minor Victim 1 $20 as payment for the sex act.

Hardin’s phone was searched and contained photos of Minor Victim 2 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Additionally, Hardin’s phone contained text messages to Minor Victim 1 in which Hardin repeatedly requested that Minor Victim 1 produce pornographic images of herself and provide them to Hardin.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor.

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, Florida – A federal jury has found an unidentified Jamaican man, who was charged as John Doe, guilty of three counts of obstructing his deportation. Doe faces a maximum penalty of four years in prison for each count. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for May 16, 2022. Doe had been indicted on October 24, 2019.

According to the testimony and evidence presented at trial, Doe was first encountered by immigration authorities in January 1985 in Miami when he attempted to enter the United States from Jamaica by claiming to be a U.S. citizen named Freddie Davis. When authorities determined that he was not a U.S. citizen, he was allowed to voluntarily return to Jamaica. Doe attempted to enter the country again the next month in West Palm Beach, claiming to be a citizen of the Bahamas and using a fraudulent Bahamian passport in the name of Joseph Gordon. This ruse was discovered, and he was deported to Jamaica.

Sometime later, at an unknown place and time, Doe successfully entered the United States illegally and was encountered by immigration authorities in Dallas in September 1988, after serving a prison sentence. Doe said then that his name was Joseph Gordon and at first said that he was a U.S. citizen born in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, but later said that he was a citizen of the Bahamas. An immigration judge subsequently ordered him to be deported to Jamaica, but he was not deported at that time.

In June 2018, after completing a prison sentence in Florida, Doe was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Miami, this time using the name Ricardo Jones, the name under which he was convicted. Because Doe’s true identity could not conclusively be determined, the Jamaican authorities told ICE they needed more information to verify that he was a Jamaican citizen. Over the next several months, ICE and Jamaican authorities attempted to determine Doe’s true identity but were unsuccessful. Doe repeatedly was warned that he could be prosecuted if he continued to obstruct his deportation.

On January 18, 2019, Doe was scheduled for an interview with the Jamaican consulate, but he refused to speak to them. When an ICE officer, asked him his name, he responded “Only God knows my name.” Later that month, Doe was transferred to ICE custody in Baker County. In March 2019, ICE again attempted to obtain a travel document to deport Doe to Jamaica. The Jamaican consulate once again informed ICE that it could not issue a travel document for Doe, because there was no conclusive evidence that Doe was a citizen of Jamaica.

On April 17, June 20, and July 23, 2019, ICE attempted to obtain Doe’s cooperation in identifying him, and Doe refused to cooperate. Doe also claimed that he needed an attorney to advise him.

In addition to the identities discussed above, Doe has also used the names Dave Davis, Patrick Melbourne, Frank Douglas, and Danny Brooks while he has been illegally present in the United States.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway has sentenced Marc Anthony Hayes (48, Haines City) to three years in federal prison for possessing 3D printed auto sear devices. Hayes had pleaded guilty on November 3, 2021.

According to court documents, between January 12 and 30, 2021, Hayes engaged in the unlawful possession and sale of seven auto sear devices (a device used to convert a semi-automatic firearm to fully automatic firing mode). Hayes coordinated the sales through Facebook instant messages. 

A firearms expert with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive’s (ATF) Firearms and Ammunition Technology Division (FATD) forensically analyzed the auto sears and found that the devices were 3D printed, meaning the devices had been manufactured using a 3D printing device. The ATF FATD expert also tested the functionality of the auto sears by installing each device into a semiautomatic AR-15 type rifle. When installed, the device caused the rifle to function as an automatic machinegun. Thus, the auto sears were found to be parts designed and intended solely and exclusively for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun. 

On June 30, 2021, ATF special agents executed a search warrant at Hayes’s residence and seized two auto sears, a silencer, and a short-barreled rifle. The auto sears were test-fired and found to function as machineguns. ATF also examined the silencer and short-barreled rifle, which were found to meet the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFA) registration guidelines. Hayes was found to be in violation of NFA registration requirements.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera Miranda.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that George Utley (56, Oklahoma City, OK) has pleaded guilty to receiving stolen government property (Department of Labor disability benefit payments). Utley faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. He has also agreed to a forfeiture money judgment of $732,459.46, representing the value of the stolen funds. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Utley is a former mail handler for the United States Postal Service (USPS). In January 2009, Utley falsely claimed a job-related back injury to receive workers’ compensation disability benefits through the Department of Labor - Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (DOL-OWCP). The monthly payments ranged from approximately $2,600 (2011) to upwards of $3,300 (2019). These payments were the product of theft because Utley failed to truthfully report his prior accidents/injuries, his other sources of income and employment, and any improvements to his purported injury.

An investigation by the USPS – Office of Inspector General (OIG) revealed that Utley had falsely testified in a 2011 DOL deposition that he had never suffered a previous back injury or been in an automobile accident. Despite Utley’s allegations of tremendous, debilitating back pain, he had only received $14 worth of prescription pain medication during the 10-year benefit period. Utley also failed to report his other sources of income and employment—he had incorporated and operated a rubbish removal business for many years and had received monthly government housing assistance payments of $1,412 as the landlord for a property in Pennsylvania. Recorded video surveillance captured Utley doing yard work at his Florida home, repeatedly lifting and carrying heavy items, working on a racecar, and hitching a flatbed car carrier, box trailer, and fifth-wheel RV to his truck. A search of Utley’s email account and Facebook postings revealed photographs of Utley’s vacations (Key West and the Grand Canyon) and extensive physical activity (weightlifting, bicycling, deep-sea fishing, etc.). Utley’s fraudulent activity resulted in him receiving $732,459.46 in disability benefit payments to which he was not entitled.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judges Paul G. Byron and Carlos E. Mendoza have sentenced 11 members of an Osceola County-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) to federal prison sentences ranging between 15 and 300 months for a conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin. One individual was also sentenced for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. These 11 individuals were charged in 5 separate indictments and informations beginning in August 2019 and culminating in an indictment charging 7 members of the conspiracy in February 2020.  The charges and sentences are as follows:

Defendant

Charge(s)

Prison Term

Roberto Nunez-Cebrero

(42, Kissimmee)

Conspiracy

25 years

Yenitza Garcia-Cosme

(27, St. Cloud)

Conspiracy

7 years, 3 months

Michael Agosto-Martinez

(33, Kissimmee)

Conspiracy and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

11 years, 3 months

Eric Velazquez-Cosme

(36, Ohio)

Conspiracy

2 years, 9 months

Timothy Smith

(50, Illinois)

Conspiracy

7 years, 3 months

Jorge Alberto Quijada-Moreno

(31, Mexico)

Conspiracy

9 years, 1 month

Jose Robles-Roque

(40, Orlando)

Conspiracy

3 years, 10 months

Antonio E. Moya

(68, Illinois)

Conspiracy

3 years, 5 months

Luis Vazquez-Trujillo

(33, Illinois)

Conspiracy

10 years

Jose Antonio Cruz-Garcia

(43, Honduras)

Conspiracy

1 year, 3 months

Roberto Oduardo-Suarez

(39, North Carolina)

Conspiracy

10 years

 

Beginning in November 2017, a law enforcement investigation learned information about when shipments of heroin would be delivered from Mexico to Chicago and from Chicago to Osceola County by the DTO, which was led by Roberto Nunez-Cebrero. In addition, law enforcement learned when money would be paid by conspirators in Chicago and oftentimes transported to Osceola County. Based on their investigation, law enforcement seized more than 10 kilograms of heroin while it was en route to Osceola County from either Chicago or directly from Mexico, by Antonio E. Moya, Luis Vazquez-Trujillo, Jose Antonio Cruz-Garcia, and Roberto Oduardo-Suarez. Once the heroin was in the Middle District of Florida, Yenitza Garcia-Cosme, Michael Agosto-Martinez, Erik Velazquez-Cosme, Jorge Alberto Quijada-Moreno, and Jose Robles-Roque distributed the heroin to others. Michael Agosto-Martinez and Yenitza Garcia-Cosme also traveled to Chicago to pick-up money and transport heroin back to the Middle District of Florida. Timothy Smith was a Chicago-based drug trafficker who received his heroin from this drug trafficking organization. In total, from January 2012 through August 2019, this DTO was responsible for more than 100 kilograms of heroin coming into the Middle District of Florida. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn P. Napier.

Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Dean Dumont (23, Inverness) with possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act firearm (machinegun). If convicted, Dumont faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Dumont was indicted on December 7, 2021. He was arrested on February 14, 2022.

According to the facts presented in court, in November 2021, Dumont unwittingly reached out to a law enforcement confidential informant and offered to sell the informant a fully automatic, Glock-style handgun for $900. At that time, Dumont was on state felony supervision for an unrelated matter. Dumont sent the informant text messages and video files confirming that the firearm was a machinegun. The informant subsequently purchased the machinegun from Dumont. 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 the firearm sold by Dumont was a “ghost gun”—it had had no manufacturer serial number.

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 Citrus County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It will be 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.         

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway has sentenced Carlo Dorelli (36, O’Brien) to 10 years in federal prison for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it. Dorelli had pleaded guilty on August 16, 2021. 

According to court documents, on January 16, 2021, deputies from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office (VCSO) executed a search warrant at Dorelli’s residence and seized 990 grams of cocaine that was concealed by snake bedding inside of a glass tank in the living room. The deputies also seized firearms and ammunition. At the time of his arrest, Dorelli, a felon on probationary status, admitted that he had purchased the “brick” of cocaine for $39,000, and intended to sell it for an $8,000 profit.    

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Damian Sierra (43, Port St. Lucie) guilty of possessing 500 grams or more of cocaine with the intent to distribute it. Sierra faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, and up to 40 years, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Sierra had been indicted on January 20, 2022.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, agents conducting surveillance observed Sierra drive to a location, get out of his car with a Christmas gift bag, and meet with another person. After Sierra left the location, deputies from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office pulled him over for a tint violation on his vehicle. Inside the car, agents recovered a Christmas gift bag containing a kilogram of cocaine wrapped in tape, personal items belonging to Sierra, and a drug ledger. At the time of the incident, the drugs found with Sierra had a wholesale value of approximately $40,000.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Callan L. Albritton.

Ocala, FL – United States District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Tralvaster Epps (34, Ocala) to 10 years and 2 months in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Epps had pleaded guilty on November 18, 2021.

According to court documents, on July 22, 2020, officers from the Ocala Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a stolen Jeep that Epps was driving. Officers recovered approximately 140 grams of cocaine, a loaded firearm, nearly $12,000 in cash, and three cellphones from the vehicle. After his arrest, Epps made multiple phone calls from jail ordering family members to move multiple bags containing narcotics. Agents from the Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team, a drug task force, located and confiscated the bags. After receiving a search warrant for the contents of the bags, the agents found approximately 775 grams of fentanyl, 530 grams of methamphetamine, 440 grams of cocaine, 620 grams of marijuana, large amounts of various pills, drug paraphernalia, and approximately $51,000 in cash.

This case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tyrie Boyer.