Middle District of Florida

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the  unsealing of four indictments charging employees, inmates, and associates of inmates at the Citrus County Detention Facility (CCDF) with bribery and drug-related charges. The unsealed indictments charge the following individuals:

Justin Harvey (50)

Inverness, Florida

Acceptance of a Bribe by a Public Official

Introduction of Contraband to a Prison

Dekarri Nixon (28)

Jasper, Florida

Courtney Smith (35)

Brooksville, Florida

Conspiracy to Bribe a Public Official

Acceptance of a Bribe by a Public Official

Introduction of Contraband into a Prison

Joshua Gallimore (31)

Dade City, Florida

Nicole Knecht (43)

Beverly Hills, Florida

Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances

Conspiracy to Bribe Public Officials

Acceptance of a Bribe by a Public Official

Ashley Fraccalvieri (41)

Spring Hill, Florida

Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances

Conspiracy to Bribe Public Officials

Bribery of Public Officials

April Vanzant (58)

Lady Lake, Florida

Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances

Conspiracy to Bribe Public Officials

Bribery of Public Officials

Ernest Grimaldi (40)

Lecanto, Florida

Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances

Conspiracy to Bribe Public Officials

This group of indictments charge employees and inmates of the CCDF. This facility is a private jail where federal inmates are held in custody while awaiting trial or sentencing for matters pending in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Like all prisons, this facility was intended to be a secure facility, and contraband, like cellphones and controlled substances, are prohibited. Across the four indictments, the above named individuals are charged with violating the law by ignoring the facility’s secure nature and bringing in cellphones and controlled substances in exchange for money.

According to the first indictment, Justin Harvey was a correctional officer at CCDF. While there, an inmate (working at law enforcement’s direction) approached Harvey and requested that Harvey bring in a contraband cellphone. Harvey agreed to do so. And to effectuate that smuggling, Harvey met up with another person to receive that cellphone and $4,000 as payment. Harvey later smuggled the cellphone into CCDF and gave it to the inmate.

Like Harvey, the second indictment that charges Dekarri Nixon alleges that Nixon also worked as correctional officer at CCDF. While Nixon was employed at CCDF, an inmate (working at law enforcement’s direction) approached Nixon and requested a cellphone from Nixon. Nixon met with another person outside the jail and accepted $4,000 to introduce a cellphone to CCDF.

According to the third indictment, Courtney Smith and Joshua Gallimore worked together to introduce contraband into CCDF. Smith worked as a commissary worker at the facility, while Gallimore was a federal inmate. Smith agreed to smuggle contraband into the facility for Gallimore, and in return, Smith received at least $5,700 in bribes from Gallimore and his associates. Through this scheme, Smith smuggled a cellphone into facility in exchange for approximately $300.

The fourth indictment alleges that Nicole Knecht, Ashley Fraccalvieri, Ernest Grimaldi, and April Vanzant worked together to introduce contraband, including controlled substances, into CCDF in exchange for money. Knecht worked as a nurse at the facility and Fraccalvieri previously worked as a correctional officer there. Grimaldi was a state inmate at the facility. This group worked together to introduce controlled substances and other contraband into the facility. Grimaldi directed Knecht and Fraccalvieri, via the facility’s jail call system, to receive contraband from individuals outside the CCDF for smuggling into the facility. Knecht received money from Fraccalvieri and Grimaldi for her smuggling services. Eventually, law enforcement stopped Knecht with controlled substances after she met with Fraccalvieri. Knecht planned to smuggle these controlled substances into CCDF. Law enforcement officers later stopped Fraccalvieri with more than 400 oxycodone pills that were to be introduced into the facility. Fraccalvieri had obtained these pills after meeting with Vanzant.

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.

These cases were investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service, and the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. They will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Buchanan.

Tampa, Florida – Jimmy Wayne Hammonds (62, Parrish), a/k/a “The Monkey Whisperer,” has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven to nine months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to violate the Lacey Act and Lacey Act trafficking. Hammonds pleaded guilty on October 23, 2025. The court also ordered Hammonds to pay a $60,000 fine to benefit the Lacey Act Reward Fund and placed a ban on Hammonds from possessing, breeding, selling, transporting, or exhibiting any wildlife. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Hammonds, despite being a convicted Lacey Act trafficker and on federal probation, ran a business called, “The Monkey Whisperer, LLC,” that specialized in selling primates and other exotic animals. Through his business’s social media account, Hammonds connected with an individual who was an undercover agent. At Hammonds’s request, the conversations moved to an encrypted texting app to discuss potential wildlife sales. Hammonds agreed to sell the undercover agent two common marmosets for $7,400. Hammonds arranged for the transaction to occur in Georgia to avoid law enforcement oversight. The two common marmosets are pictured below.

As a result of this prosecution, Hammonds surrendered his ownership of 67 animals to include numerous primate species, muntjac deer, lemurs, kangaroos, wallabies, and otters.

Hammonds’ violation of probation hearing will take place on April 2, 2026.

This case was investigated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service with substantial assistance from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Erin Claire Favorit and Abigail K. King.

Tampa, Florida – Jonathan James Elder (35, St. Petersburg) has been arrested and charged by criminal complaint with using the telephone to make a threat to kill, injure, intimidate, or damage a building. If convicted, Elder faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the complaint, Elder called MacDill Air Force Base on March 18, 2026, in the wake of the discovery of a suspicious package at MacDill Visitor Control Center earlier that week. When an operator at MacDill Air Force Base picked up the phone, Elder stated, “How did you like the surprise at the MacDill Visitor Center?” and then yelled “tick tick boom, it’s gonna be between your eyes.” He then hung up. This threat led to the closure of MacDill’s gates and required on-base personnel to shelter in place for approximately four hours.

Law enforcement later learned that just before this call, Elder called another phone number not affiliated with MacDill and stated:

Did you enjoy your pipe bombs at the front gate of MacDill...oh...is there anything else I can do for you...(unintelligible)...that’s why I said that you entitled little f*cking brat, now I told you if you try to f*ck with my meds again, I told you this last year, if you try to f*ck with my meds I will f*cking torture you, well you tried it again, so here you, you don’t learn, I will beat you in the face 10,000 times harder, you will get a pipe bomb that actually explodes in your f*cking face next time, f*ck you pigs. 

Agents later located Elder in St. Petersburg and arrested him. He remains in federal custody.

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

This investigation is being conducted by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Tampa, which includes the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Buchanan.

Tampa, FL –Debra Jean Schilling (71, Largo) has been charged by indictment with receipt, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). If convicted on all counts, Schilling faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment and court proceedings, in her employment as a phone sex operator, Schilling received and distributed CSAM to her clients in furtherance of their sexual conversations. Additionally, she possessed CSAM on her iCloud account. 

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abigail K. King.

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

Tampa, Florida – Ann Mary Zheng (27, Land O’Lakes) has been charged by indictment with assisting after the fact related to her brother, Alen Zheng, placing an improvised explosive device at the MacDill Air Force Base Visitor’s Center in Tampa and evidence tampering. If convicted on all counts, Ann Mary Zheng faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Ann Mary Zheng that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture in the amount of $5,000, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, Ann Mary Zheng, knowing that her brother, Alen Zheng, had attempted to damage government property by fire or explosion, assisted him in order to hinder and prevent his apprehension, trial, and punishment. The indictment also charges Ann Mary Zheng with corruptly altering, destroying, mutilating, and concealing a 2010 black Mercedes-Benz GLK 350 with the intent to impair its integrity and availability for use in the federal prosecution of Alen Zheng.

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 Joint Terrorism Task Force. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Stoia and David P. Sullivan.

Tampa, Florida – Alen Zheng (20, Land O’Lakes) has been charged by indictment with attempted damage of government property by fire or explosion, unlawful making of a destructive device, and possession of an unregistered destructive device. If convicted, Zheng faces a minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to the indictment and statements made in court, on the evening of March 10, 2026, Zheng unsuccessfully attempted to detonate an improvised explosive device at the MacDill Airforce Base Visitor’s Center in Tampa. Law enforcement later discovered the device, ensured it was safely disassembled, and determined it to be an improvised explosive device. 

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 Joint Terrorism Task Force. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Stoia and David P. Sullivan.

Orlando, FL - Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida (collectively, the “Department”) filed a lawsuit against United Parks & Resorts Inc. and its subsidiaries (UPR), alleging UPR’s policy banning guests with disabilities from using wheeled walkers with seats, including rollators, violates Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). UPR is a global theme park and entertainment company that owns, leases, or operates twelve parks and experiences in the United States, including SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Discovery Cove Orlando, and Aquatica Orlando.

“The ADA requires theme park companies like UPR to provide guests with equal access, regardless of ability,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “This complaint reinforces our commitment to holding public accommodations in the Middle District of Florida accountable when they engage in disability discrimination.”

“The ADA requires equal access for people with disabilities, and theme parks such as SeaWorld are no exception,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Under my leadership, the Division is committed to defending the rights of all Americans with disabilities, as the law requires.”

The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability by public accommodations, including UPR and its theme parks. The ADA requires UPR to permit individuals with disabilities to use manually powered mobility aids, including walkers, in areas open for pedestrian use.

The Department sued UPR based on complaints from many people with disabilities alleging UPR would not allow them to enter its parks with their wheeled walkers with seats. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, alleges that UPR’s policy banning wheeled walkers with seats prevented children, veterans, and other individuals with disabilities from accessing the parks, facially violating the ADA. The civil complaint also alleges that UPR imposes impermissible surcharges on guests with disabilities in the form of rental fees and refuses to reasonably modify UPR’s policies, practices, or procedures, where necessary, to avoid discriminating against guests with disabilities.

The lawsuit seeks a court order to force UPR to stop discriminating against individuals with disabilities, to modify its policies to comply with the ADA, and to train its staff on the ADA. The lawsuit also seeks monetary damages to compensate aggrieved individuals subjected to UPR’s discrimination and demands UPR pay a civil penalty to vindicate the public’s interest in eliminating disability discrimination.

If you believe you have been a victim of disability discrimination by United Parks & Resorts Inc., including parks such as SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Discovery Cove Orlando, and Aquatica Orlando, please file a complaint with the Civil Rights Division online at www.civilrights.justice.gov, or by calling the Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (1-833-610-1264 (TTY)). For more information on the ADA and the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.ada.gov or www.justice.gov/crt.

Tampa, Florida – A federal jury has found Elizabeth Danielle Rowe (25, Tampa), a/k/a Simon Roe, guilty of transmitting interstate a threat to injure. Rowe faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 24, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to evidence presented at trial, on January 24, 2025, Rowe sent the following message on Instagram to New York victim A.A.: “I am coming to kill you. I will kill your pets first while you watch. Die c*nt.” The victim, who did not recognize the Rowe’s account, immediately notified her family of the threatening message and sought protective services from security personnel. Around the same time as sending the threatening message to A.A., Rowe sent several threatening messages to other Instagram users. Rowe later admitted in a separate set of messages that Rowe got “banned for dming [Zionists] telling them to kill themselves.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Risha Asokan.

Jacksonville, Florida – Denzel Demoree’a Prince (28, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in connection with a Jacksonville hotel robbery. Prince faces a minimum penalty of 7 years, up to life plus 20 years, in federal prison. His sentencing date has not yet been set. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, on September 8, 2025, Prince approached a vending machine near the pool at a hotel in Jacksonville. He then walked to the front window that led to the front desk area to speak with an employee at the hotel to request money back from the vending machine. The employee told Prince that he would need to come back in the morning. A few minutes later, Prince knocked on the back window of the front desk area. The employee saw that Prince was wearing the same clothing that he had on moments before, but this time he had a green/camouflage style mask pulled up to his nose in an attempt to conceal his identity. He was also in possession of a firearm.

Surveillance video from inside the hotel showed Prince pointing the firearm at the employee before throwing a brick through the window. Prince then climbed through the window, walked behind the front desk counter and opened several drawers before locating the cash register. Prince pulled cash from the register before running out of the rear door.

During the investigation, officers identified Prince and obtained a search warrant for his residence. Inside Prince’s home, officers located clothing that matched the description of the robber, including white pants, white shoes, green shorts, and a camouflage bandana.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.

Orlando, Florida – Henry Baker (30, Winter Park) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Julie Sneed to 14 years and 8 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, distributing and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Baker pleaded guilty on January 6, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Baker and his grandfather, Arthur Bradshaw, were members of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and bromazolam (a synthetic drug used to make counterfeit Xanax tablets) in Central Florida. During the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) investigation of Baker and Bradshaw, an undercover agent purchased 9,000 counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills from Baker and Bradshaw over the course of four controlled purchases during the summer of 2024. The transactions took place in Winter Park, Sanford, and Casselberry.

On September 24, 2024, a federal search warrant was executed at the Winter Park apartment that Baker and Bradshaw shared, resulting in the seizure of 1,069 grams of methamphetamine, 17 grams of fentanyl, 85 grams of cocaine, and 803 grams of bromazolam. Just before executing the search warrant, Baker and Bradshaw were arrested by DEA agents as they were leaving the apartment.

The case against Arthur Bradshaw remains pending.

This case was investigated by the DEA, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office - Special Investigations Unit, and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office- City County Investigative Bureau. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson.

Tampa, FL - Jeffrey Hennig (60, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of firearms with altered or removed serial numbers. Hennig faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. The sentencing date has not yet been set. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents and proceedings, in March 2024, officers with the St. Petersburg Police Department coordinated the purchase of methamphetamine and a firearm from Hennig. An undercover officer purchased a .22 H&R Model 929 revolver from Hennig. The firearm had an obliterated serial number. Hennig also sold the officer 50 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition. Hennig also sold 28 grams of methamphetamine to the undercover officer for $200.

Agents searched Hennig’s apartment on March 20, 2024, and seized two additional firearms, a Taurus .357 Magnum revolver and a Hi-Point JCP .40 S&W with a loaded extended magazine. Both firearms were loaded and the Hi Point had an obliterated serial number. Small amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl were also found in the apartment.

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

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

Tampa, Florida – Kendarius Devonta Stitten (26, Parrish) pleaded guilty today to a violation of the federal Anti-Arson Act. Stitten faces a minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court records, on March 20, 2025, Stitten used a lighter and a t-shirt to set a van on fire in a motel parking lot in Bradenton. A couple from Oregon had rented the van from Tampa International Airport. The fire damaged the van, as shown in the picture below:

Stitten admitted to federal and state investigators that he had set the van on fire because he thought it belonged to a female acquaintance who failed to show up to a planned meeting at a room at the motel. 

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives Investigations, and Cedar Hammock Fire Rescue. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall.

Orlando, Florida – Shardae Jackson (40, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits. Jackson faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the plea agreement, Jackson submitted a false and fraudulent application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) for disaster assistance following Hurricane Ian in September 2022. In her application, Jackson falsely claimed that her residence had been damaged by Hurricane Ian and included a falsified utilities bill and lease agreement. In reality, Jackson had not lived at that residence since 2021, and a fire in 2021—not Hurricane Ian—had damaged the residence and rendered it uninhabitable. Based on Jackson’s misrepresentations, FEMA granted Jackson’s application and provided her with assistance funds and paid for her stay at two hotels in Orlando for 250 nights.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diane S. Hu.

Tampa, Florida – Benjamin Rubin (79, New Port Richey) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Charlene Honeywell to one year in federal prison for interstate transmission of threats to kill multiple federal officials. Rubin pleaded guilty on December 22, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to court documents, during the month of February 2025, Rubin began posting about his frustrations on social media. As his frustrations grew, the tenor of his postings became more violent, and he began threatening to injure and kill United States officials and political figures.

On February 20, 2025, Rubin posted that the head of a federal law enforcement agency “will be assassinated.” Two days later, Rubin posted “I shot my TV when [U.S. Cabinet Member] appeared in an ad on illegals. Next time I see her in person the shots will be for her.” 

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Wheeler, III.

Orlando, Florida – A federal jury has found Leonard Ronald Nile, Jr. (53, Melbourne) guilty of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Nile faces a minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison on each count. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 23, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to testimony presented at trial, Nile drove a co-conspirator from Melbourne to south Florida to assist that individual (a known drug distributor) with picking up almost 30 pounds of marijuana and 4 kilograms (nearly $60,000 worth) of cocaine which were destined to be distributed in and around Brevard County. DEA surveilled the men as they picked up the drugs. After attempting a traffic stop, Nile led troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol on a high-speed chase at speeds exceeding 140 mph. The chase ended when troopers successfully executed a precision immobilization technique (PIT maneuver).

After the vehicle was disabled, Nile fled on foot and was quickly apprehended by a police K9 and several law enforcement officers. Agents recovered the marijuana and the 4 kilograms of cocaine from the vehicle Niles was driving.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the West Melbourne Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorneys Jerry M. Harre and Matthew Del Mastro.

Jacksonville, Florida – Noel Daniel Simonca (48, Jacksonville) has been sentenced by United States District Judge Jordan Emery Pratt to 14 years in federal prison for using his cellphone and the internet to attempt to entice an 11-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. Simonca pleaded guilty on October 28, 2025. He was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and register as a sex offender. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents and information presented in open court, on December 10, 2024, an undercover FBI agent (UC) in Jacksonville was conducting an online undercover operation to identify adults who were seeking to contact and engage in sexual activity with children. Posing as a person with access to an 11-year-old child, UC posted a short message in a public chat room of a particular online social messaging app. A short time later, a person using the app name “mdesase” contacted UC using a text messaging feature of the app. App user “mdesase,” subsequently identified as Simonca, confirmed that he would “love to see [the 11-year-old child],” and indicated that he had a sexual preference for children aged “8-13.” On December 11, 2024, UC and app user “mdesase” discussed meeting to have a “play date” and to “trade [children].” Simonca sent UC two non-explicit photos of an actual minor child who has since been identified by the FBI. 

During more text conversations, UC and Simonca discussed meeting in person. Simonca and UC discussed in detail the sexual abuse that Simonca planned to perpetrate against the 11-year-old “child.” On January 10, 2025, Simonca texted that he was “available to help” teach the “child” about sex. The following week, Simonca texted that UC was “supposed to tell [the 11-year-old ‘child’], so she can prepare, it’s a photo shoot.” On January 19, 2025, Simonca drove to a prearranged location in the Jacksonville area where he planned to meet UC and the “child.” When he arrived, Simonca was arrested by FBI agents.

Further investigation also revealed that in December 2024, Simonca engaged in online conversation with another adult who was located outside of Florida and who had sent Simonca photos depicting the sexual abuse of an actual minor child. The FBI was able to identify and arrest this individual in February 2025.  

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

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

Fort Myers, Florida – John James Adducci (41, Fort Myers) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to 12 years in federal prison for possessing, accessing with intent to view, and receiving images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. Adducci pleaded guilty on December 1, 2025. Adducci was also sentenced to a life term of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, between February 2023 and June 2025, Adducci possessed and accessed with intent to view child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that he had searched for and downloaded from the internet. Adducci also accessed and searched the dark web for sites offering CSAM. On December 13, 2023, Adducci knowingly received CSAM from a website he had accessed on the dark web.

In June 2025, during the execution of a search warrant at Adducci’s residence, FBI agents seized Adducci’s cellphones, laptops, USB drives, and numerous external hard drives. Adducci admitted to agents that he resided alone, no one else had access to his electronic devices, and that he had accessed the dark web. FBI conducted a forensic analysis on the seized electronic devices, which revealed thousands of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. 

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

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

Orlando, Florida – James Hjelmeland (30, Canada) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, distributing, transporting, and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Hjelmeland pleaded guilty on November 25, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to court documents, on December 29, 2024, an undercover detective with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office posed as the guardian of a fictional 12-year-old child. Hjelmeland engaged in sexually explicit conversation with the undercover detective and made plans to travel from Canada to Orlando to have sex with the child. During the conversation, Hjelmeland distributed CSAM to the undercover detective. When Hjelmeland was arrested in Orlando, he possessed CSAM material on his cellphone that he had transported to the United States involving children under the age of 12. 

“The cooperation demonstrated by local, federal, and international agencies in this case affirms a commitment by our law enforcement partners to protect children from exploitation and harm,” stated U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “Because of their diligence and shared expertise, another child predator has been brought to justice.”

“Protecting our children is a fundamental responsibility of law enforcement. By taking these sexual predators off the streets, we are safeguarding the most vulnerable members of our society,” said Homeland Security investigations Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Hemker. “HSI is fully committed to working with our law enforcement partners to seek out those who would exploit children, bring them to justice, and ensure the continued safety of our children.”         

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, be United States Customs and Border Protection, and the Southern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Team. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson.

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

Orlando, FL — A Honduran national pleaded guilty today to conspiring with others as part of a years-long off-the-books payroll scheme that caused more than $38 million in losses to the U.S. government.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Mario Lisandro Flores Moradel operated an illegal, off-the-books cash payroll system for construction workers to avoid paying employment taxes to the IRS and to defraud workers’ compensation insurance companies. Through the scheme, Flores and his co-conspirators also facilitated the employment of illegal aliens impermissibly working in the United States.

From 2015 to 2022, Flores and his co-conspirators used a series of shell companies to run an unlicensed check cashing and cash courier service business. These businesses cashed approximately $89 million in checks from subcontractors in the construction industry, charging them a percentage of the dollar amount of the checks they cashed as a fee for this service. The scheme allowed construction contractors and subcontractors to pay their workers in cash without making required payroll taxes and without regard to whether the workers were legally authorized to work in the United States. Flores and others also caused the filing of false tax documents with the IRS to conceal the scheme. Of the total loss amount, Flores admitted to causing a tax loss to the United States of more than $9.4 million.

Flores pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting businesses. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of conspiracy. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Several of Flores’ co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme. Michael Mayorga and Francisco Alvarez pleaded guilty on May 22, 2025.  Iris Villafranca and Osman Zapata pleaded guilty on Oct. 9, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida and Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. ICE ERO Miami (Orlando sub-office), Florida Highway Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marshals Service, State Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement have assisted in arrest operations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Hu of the Middle District of Florida, Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty, and Trial Attorney Kavitha Bondada of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section are prosecuting the case.

A Honduran national pleaded guilty today to conspiring with others as part of a years-long off-the-books payroll scheme that caused more than $38 million in losses to the U.S. government.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Mario Lisandro Flores Moradel operated an illegal, off-the-books cash payroll system for construction workers to avoid paying employment taxes to the IRS and to defraud workers’ compensation insurance companies. Through the scheme, Flores and his co-conspirators also facilitated the employment of illegal aliens impermissibly working in the United States.

From 2015 to 2022, Flores and his co-conspirators used a series of shell companies to run an unlicensed check cashing and cash courier service business. These businesses cashed approximately $89 million in checks from subcontractors in the construction industry, charging them a percentage of the dollar amount of the checks they cashed as a fee for this service. The scheme allowed construction contractors and subcontractors to pay their workers in cash without making required payroll taxes and without regard to whether the workers were legally authorized to work in the United States. Flores and others also caused the filing of false tax documents with the IRS to conceal the scheme. Of the total loss amount, Flores admitted to causing a tax loss to the United States of more than $9.4 million.

Flores pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting businesses. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of conspiracy. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Several of Flores’ co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme. Michael Mayorga and Francisco Alvarez pleaded guilty on May 22, 2025.  Iris Villafranca and Osman Zapata pleaded guilty on Oct. 9, 2025.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. ICE ERO Miami (Orlando sub-office), Florida Highway Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marshals Service, State Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement have assisted in arrest operations.

Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorney Kavitha Bondada of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Hu of the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

Orlando, Florida – Justin Vancott-Harnish (29, St. Cloud) has been charged by federal indictment for trafficking of a minor. If convicted, Vancott-Harnish faces a minimum sentence of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, between February 28 and March 28, 2025, at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station – a location within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, while a U.S. Antarctic Program subcontract employee,   Vancott-Harnish solicited a minor victim to engage in a commercial sex act.

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 U.S. National Science Foundation – Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and the St. Cloud Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson for the Middle District of Florida and Department of Justice Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – Marcos Jimeniz-Gonzalez (45) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger to 30 months in federal prison for illegal reentry by a previously removed alien. Jimeniz-Gonzalez pleaded guilty on December 11, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court records, Jimeniz-Gonzalez was found in the United States on April 13, 2025, after being arrested by local authorities for driving under the influence and operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver license. Prior to being found, Jimeniz-Gonzalez had been previously deported on multiple occasions between 2008 and 2020 and had not received permission from immigration authorities to reenter the United States. Additionally, Jimeniz-Gonzalez has a prior conviction for illegal entry into the United States and two prior convictions for illegal reentry into the United States. Following his arrest, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office notified Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who checked ICE records and learned that Jimeniz-Gonzalez was a citizen of Mexico who had no legal authority to be in the United States. An additional check into the system established that Jimeniz-Gonzalez had entered the United States illegally on at least four prior occasions and had been deported.

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Removal Operations (ERO). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chuck Griffith.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. 

Fort Myers, Florida – Arturo Sanchez-Morales (54, Mexico) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to three years in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after a prior deportation. Sanchez-Morales pleaded guilty on January 9, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents and information presented at sentencing, Sanchez-Morales was illegally present in the United States for the third time, having previously been deported on one occasion and granted a voluntary return on another. On May 13, 2025, Sanchez-Morales was arrested by officers from the Cape Coral Police Department following a traffic stop. At the time of his arrest, Sanchez-Morales was in possession of a Mexican birth certificate bearing his name. That same day, after being transferred to the Lee County Jail, Sanchez-Morales was encountered by immigration officials who realized that his identifying information was associated with the alien file of a previously deported alien.

In July 2014, Sanchez-Morales was convicted in California Superior Court for committing incest and a lewd or lascivious act involving a child.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Winter.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. 

Jacksonville, Florida – Michael Deon Woulard (49, Gainesville) has pleaded guilty to robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. Woulard faces a minimum penalty of 14 years, up to two life terms plus 20 years, in federal prison. His sentencing date has not yet been set. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the plea agreement, on October 10, 2023, Woulard robbed a pawn shop in Jacksonville, stealing goods valued at approximately $45,945. On November 25, 2023, Woulard robbed a jewelry store in Jacksonville, during which he brandished a semi-automatic pistol at employees and stole jewelry valued at approximately $352,000.

On February 20, 2024, Woulard robbed a jewelry store in Ocala, during which he again brandished a semi-automatic pistol at employees and stole jewelry valued at approximately $364,000. Woulard was arrested on February 21, 2024, while in possession of numerous stolen items from the third robbery. During an interview with investigators from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Ocala Police Department, Woulard admitted to committing the jewelry store robberies.

Woulard’s co-defendant, Erica Jordan Patrick, previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the November 25, 2023, robbery by casing the store and identifying particular items and jewelry cases for Woulard to target. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David B. Mesrobian.

Tampa, FL – Cristian Daniel Diaz-Garcia (age 27), an illegal alien from Honduras, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday to three years and two months in federal prison for aggravated identity theft, false representation of a Social Security number, and making a false claim of United States citizenship for employment purposes. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Archer Western-de Moya Group Joint Venture II (Joint Venture) is enrolled in E-Verify, a web-based system through which employers electronically confirm the employment eligibility of their employees. Diaz-Garcia was an illegal alien from Honduras with no lawful status in the United States. On August 17, 2021, Diaz-Garcia applied for employment with the Joint Venture in Pinellas County and filled out an I-9 form for use in the E-Verify system. On that form, Diaz-Garcia falsely identified himself as a United States citizen and used another person’s means of identification to defeat the E-Verify system. 

After getting fired in 2022, Diaz-Garcia purchased additional means of identification of a different U.S. citizen, without that citizen’s knowledge. On February 1, 2023, Diaz-Garcia again applied for employment with the Joint Venture in Pinellas County and filled out an I-9 form for use in the E-Verify system. On that form, Diaz-Garcia falsely identified himself as this other United States citizen and used that person’s means of identification to defeat the E-Verify system.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration–Office of the Inspector General, the United States Border Patrol, the Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Wheeler, III, and Assistant United States Attorney Karyna Valdes.

Tampa, Florida – Eddie Ademir Villalta Hernandez (37, Los Angeles, California) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday to 10 years in federal prison for enticing or coercing a minor to engage in sexual activity. The court also ordered Villalta Hernandez to forfeit an iPhone, which was used in the commission of the offense, and to register as a sex offender. Villalta Hernandez pleaded guilty in October 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, between November 2022 and April 2024, Villalta Hernandez used a social media application to persuade, induce, and entice minors to send him images and videos of child exploitation material in exchange for monetary payments.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.

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

Tampa, FL – Sebastien Rollin (49, Quebec, Canada), a/k/a “Sticks” or “Stix,” has been charged by federal indictment with conspiracy to import protonitazene, distribution of protonitazene for importation into the United States, and international promotional money laundering. If convicted on all counts, Rollin faces a maximum penalty of 120 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Rollin that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, Rollin, a Canadian national residing in a suburb of Montreal, Canada, began arranging the sale of synthetic opioid pills disguised as oxycodone knowing that the pills would go to Tampa. Rollin sold more than 10,000 such pills on May 13, 2024, to an undercover officer. He later sold 25,000 pills to an undercover officer on July 9, 2024. Rollin accepted payment for these sales via cryptocurrency that was sent from an undercover cryptocurrency wallet in the Middle District of Florida to Canada.

In mid-July 2024, Rollin negotiated the sale of 300,000 synthetic opioid pills to the United States; however, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stopped the vehicle of an organization courier and seized the pills. That same day, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police executed search warrants at two clandestine laboratories in Quebec, Canada used for the manufacturing of synthetic opioids, resulting in the seizure of millions of synthetic opioid pills, recipes for synthetic drugs, and a firearm.

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

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Coast Guard, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The Spanish National Police provided critical assistance in locating and apprehending Rollin. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Government of Spain to secure the arrest and Feb. 20 extradition from Spain of Rollin. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region 20 (Tampa) comprises agents and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

Tampa, FL – Marlon Alexis Aguilar Reyes (age 44), a criminal alien from Guatemala who was living in Miami under an alias before his 2024 arrest, has been sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell to 24 years and 4 months in federal prison for conspiring to import more than 5 kilograms of cocaine into the United States. He pleaded guilty on July 23, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to court documents, Aguilar Reyes had an oversight role within an organization that received vessels of cocaine from South America off the coast of Guatemala, transported the cocaine to the northern border of Guatemala, then smuggled the cocaine into Mexico for ultimate importation into the United States. Members of the organization included a cartel member in Mexico, a corrupt law enforcement officer, and the former mayor of Tecun Uman, Guatemala. Throughout 2018, the investigation revealed that Aguilar Reyes was negotiating multimillion dollar cocaine deals in Mexico; receiving updates on the murder of a rival; and getting notified through a corrupt law enforcement officer about the presence of Guatemalan police vehicles in the vicinity of a drug smuggling operation.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Guatemalan Seccion de Investigaciones Sensitives – Subdireccion General de Analisis de Informacion Antinarcotica. The U.S. Marshals Service provided critical assistance in locating and apprehending Aguilar Reyes. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region 20 (Tampa) comprises agents and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

Fort Myers, FL – Osnyson Desrosiers (Atlanta, Georgia), formerly of Fort Myers, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kyle Dudek to two years in federal prison for his role in a firearm trafficking scheme. Desrosiers pleaded guilty on November 19, 2025, to conspiring to make a false statement to a firearms dealer and making false statements to a firearms dealer. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court records, in early-to-mid 2022, Desrosiers and his co-defendant, Derick Desir, collaborated to “straw purchase” several dozen Glock handguns from licensed firearms dealers in Florida. While making these firearm purchases, they falsely represented to each firearm dealer that they were the “actual buyer or transferee” of the firearms, even though they knew that the firearms they were purchasing were being unlawfully trafficked to a third party. Evidence uncovered by investigators revealed that these firearms were later smuggled into Canada, where several have since been recovered during various Canadian law enforcement investigations.

In November 2025, Desir was sentenced to 3 years and 10 months in federal prison for his role in the conspiracy.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Tampa, Florida– U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland has sentenced Jane Doe (69, Bradenton), a/k/a Rosario Alaniz, to 15 months in federal prison for passport fraud, Social Security fraud, wire fraud, and theft of government funds. The court also ordered restitution in the amount of $184,904.75. Doe pleaded guilty in December 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Doe fraudulently obtained a United States passport. Using this fraudulent identity, Doe received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from the Department of Agriculture, as well as benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) through disability insurance benefits. Doe failed to disclose employment and fraudulently secured payments when either no payment was due or in a greater amount than authorized. Doe has received government benefits of approximately $184,904.75. 

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne C. Nebesky.

Fort Myers, Florida – Esteban Garcia-Gutierrez (31, Arcadia) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to six years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, on April 17, 2025, a trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol conducted a routine traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Garcia-Gutierrez. During the traffic stop, the trooper observed Garcia-Gutierrez—a multi-time convicted felon—unlawfully possessing a loaded .45 caliber pistol, which was seized. Garcia-Gutierrez’s prior criminal history includes convictions and state prison sentences for aggravated battery and felony battery. As a convicted felon he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

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

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).         

Tampa, Florida – Lenard White (38), a/k/a “Len,” “Mike Williams,” and “Stick” and Sheldon Robinson (22), a/k/a “Poboy,” have each been sentenced by U.S. District Judge William Jung to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment, plus 100 years, for the 2023 murder of I.S. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

On October 29, 2025, a federal jury found both men guilty of all charges, including conspiracy to commit murder for hire, murder for hire, premeditated first degree murder, discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence which caused the death of I.S., discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, tampering with witnesses, and obstruction of justice.

According to evidence presented at trial, on February 6, 2023, I.S., a 17-year-old high school student and a member of her school’s tennis team and ROTC program, and her mother, L.P., reported to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office that I.S. had been sexually assaulted. The next day, Robinson came to their house and knocked on the door. When the door was opened, Robinson fired a barrage of gunshots at I.S. and L.P., killing I.S. The bullet that killed I.S. struck her in the back as she ran away from her front door for help. L.P. was struck several times but survived. L.P. collapsed on the ground and watched her daughter die.

The evidence showed the murder was orchestrated by White, the man who had sexually assaulted her, and who had left the state prior to her murder to give himself an alibi. His cousin, Robinson, committed the murder for $6,000.

The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, working alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) immediately began investigating the case. After more than 70 federal and state search warrants, investigators obtained a step-by-step blueprint for how Robinson killed I.S., including the individuals that he had recruited to help him carry it out. Six months after I.S.’s murder, and as the investigation was unfolding, detectives from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and ATF agents executed a second search warrant in Robinson’s home. Buried in a wooded area behind his home, investigators recovered the gun Robinson used to murder I.S. 

As the investigation continued, White and Robinson repeatedly attempted to hinder the investigation by disposing of evidence, tampering with witnesses, obstructing justice, and making false statements to law enforcement. The two also discussed plans of having another witness against them killed.

A third defendant, Keshawn Woods, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the murder of I.S. On January 13, 2026, Woods was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with substantial assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office for the Fifth Judicial Circuit. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Diego F. Novaes and Samantha Newman.

Tampa, Florida – Denis Napoleon Corea-Miranda (22) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber to one year and six months in federal prison for forcibly resisting, opposing, or impeding federal officers. Corea-Miranda pleaded guilty on December 2, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court records, on August 26, 2025, agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) attempted to arrest Corea-Miranda in connection with a final order of removal from the United States. While being questioned by agents, Corea-Miranda attempted to flee which led to an extended struggle between agents and Corea-Miranda. During the struggle, Corea-Miranda ended up on top of the agents and held them to the ground. An ICE agent suffered a dislocated shoulder during the attempt to arrest Corea-Miranda. Corea-Miranda ultimately fled on foot before later being arrested by deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Tampa, Florida –Taqiy Lewis (27, Lakeland) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon in connection with a shooting. Lewis faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. United States Attorney Gregory Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, on December 24, 2020, 70-year-old M.C. was outside her Lakeland home with her family, including young children. At approximately 5:30 p.m., Lewis and others engaged in a shootout just outside M.C.’s residence. M.C. was struck twice and killed. 13-year-old A.L. was also shot and wounded. More than two years later, on February 9, 2023, during an unrelated investigation, ATF agents and officers from the Lakeland Police Department recovered a Kahr CM9 9mm pistol while executing a search warrant. Forensic testing using the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (“NIBIN”) confirmed that this firearm was the one used to kill M.C. and injure A.L. Further investigation revealed that six casings collected from the crime scene, two spent projectiles recovered from a home, and a bullet recovered from M.C.’s body were all fired by Lewis and the Kahr CM9 pistol he possessed. At the time of the shooting, Lewis was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lakeland Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

Tampa, Florida – Jose Rodriguez (63) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday to 27 years in federal prison for robbery and use of a firearm during the commission of those robberies. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, on August 4, 2024, Rodriguez entered a pizza shop in Tampa, approached the employees, pointed a pistol at them, and demanded money. The three employees fled through the back of the store. 

A month later, on September 11, 2024, Rodriguez returned to the same shopping plaza. This time, he went inside a cellphone store, pointed a firearm at its employees and told them, “don’t move or I’ll shoot you.” Rodriguez ultimately made out with little money and fled. Detectives from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office immediately responded to the scene. Working alongside ATF agents, they canvassed the scene, collected surveillance footage from nearby businesses, and identified the vehicle used by Rodriguez during the robbery.

Two days later, investigators found Rodriguez, his car, and executed a federal search warrant at his home. Agents recovered the two-tone .45 caliber Kahr pistol Rodriguez had used to commit the robberies. A National Crime Information Center query revealed that Rodriguez had stolen the firearm from a terminally ill man in Pennsylvania. Rodriguez also robbed that man of his car, cash, and personal items. 

Rodriguez had previously been convicted of three different robberies, as well as rape. At the time he committed these offenses, Rodriguez was on parole out of the state of New Jersey for robbery.

This case was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

Orlando, Florida – Khayyam Arif Oglu Farajov (age 40) has been charged by indictment with five counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count. The indictment also notifies Farajov that the United States intends to forfeit two personal investment accounts, seized by the United States, which were involved in the money laundering and are alleged to contain the proceeds of the offenses. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, Farajov owned and operated a freight brokerage company called Talishco LLC. In May 2022, Farajov enrolled in the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) Freight Auction program. Through Freight Auction, Farajov bid on and was awarded hundreds of contracts to transport U.S. Mail across the country on behalf of the USPS. For the majority of these contracts, Farajov failed to transport the mail or hire anyone else to do so, making false excuses to the USPS about why his trucks had not arrived on schedule. Despite failing to deliver the loads, Farajov would then log back into Freight Auction, manually enter bogus delivery information, and get paid.

Farajov obtained more than $1 million from this scheme between June 2022 and January 2023. After he received the money, he funneled it through a series of bank accounts belonging to shell companies he owned. After reconsolidating the fraud proceeds into two personal investment brokerage accounts, he invested the fraud proceeds in the stock market for his personal enrichment.   

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 USPS Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan. Assistant United States Nicole Andrejko is handling the forfeiture.

Tampa, FL – Caleb Walsh (36, Apollo Beach) has been charged by federal indictment with bank fraud, wire fraud, and illegal monetary transactions. If convicted on all counts, Walsh faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Walsh that the United States intends to forfeit a Mercedes Benz G-Wagon, a hotel, and cryptocurrency, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, between March 2020 and March 2021, Walsh devised a scheme to defraud multiple federally-insured financial institutions and another lender by submitting false and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications in the names of companies that he controlled. Walsh misrepresented the number of employees, average monthly payroll costs, and falsely certified that the PPP funds would be used for permissible expenses. In furtherance of his scheme, Walsh also submitted false and fraudulent IRS tax forms showing his companies had purportedly paid millions of dollars in payroll as well as submitting altered and/or fictitious bank statements in the names of his companies. PPP loans were one of the sources of economic relief provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. 

Walsh used the fraudulently obtained PPP proceeds to illegally purchase a luxury vehicle, invest in a hotel in Nebraska, purchase cryptocurrency, and purchase private jet flights to Mexico for him and his family.

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General. It will be prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.

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

Tampa, Florida – Tyler Kuhn (30, Port Charlotte) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven to 24 years in federal prison for producing child sexual abuse material. Kuhn pleaded guilty in December 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, in October 2019, Kuhn engaged in an online conversation with another individual. During the conversation, Kuhn produced a video and image of child sexual abuse material involving himself and a toddler. Kuhn distributed this video and image over the internet, to the individual to whom he was speaking.

This case was investigated by the FBI – Tampa and Houston Field Offices, and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – Adeis Jonathan Francis (25, Jacksonville) has been charged by indictment with attempted enticement of a child to engage in sexual activity. If convicted, Francis faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment and other court documents, between February 17 and March 6, 2026, an FBI agent (UC), posing as a 13-year-old child, conducted an undercover operation in Jacksonville and Pensacola using an online social media application (“app”) to identify adults who were seeking to make online contact with and engage in sexual activity with children. During this period, UC and app user “Jay” exchanged several online messages on the app and by text messaging. After UC advised “Jay” that the “child” was 13 years old, “Jay,” who was subsequently identified as Francis, asked the “child” if “she” was ok talking with him, and requested the “child” to send him photos.

On March 5, 2026, Francis asked the “child” if she was a “virgin” and texted, “I can show you how to have sex ...” Francis also described by text message the sexual acts that he wanted to perform on the “child.” After more text conversations discussing his plans and desire to meet the “child” in person for sex, on March 6, 2026, Francis boarded a bus in Jacksonville and rode to the vicinity of the “child’s” purported residence, where he was arrested by FBI agents.       

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 in Jacksonville and Pensacola. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

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

Tampa, Florida – Shannon Nicole Samlalsingh (47, Temple Terrace) was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William F. Jung to one year and one day in federal prison for conspiracy to make false statements to a firearms dealer. The court also ordered Samlalsingh to forfeit the firearms purchased as a result of the offense. Samlalsingh pleaded guilty on June 20, 2025. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Samlalsingh, then a Hillsborough County high school teacher, bought seven firearms for a Trinidad-based transnational criminal organization. Samlalsingh falsely stated on Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives forms that those firearms were for her. In actuality, Samlalsingh gave the firearms to members of the transnational criminal organization. Those individuals then smuggled the firearms into Trinidad.

On April 21, 2022, Trinidad authorities seized a shipment from the United States containing two punching bags and other goods at Piarco International Airport. Concealed within the two punching bags were approximately eleven 9mm pistols, two .38 caliber special revolvers, a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun, three AR-15 barrel foregrips, 19 lower pistol grip assemblies, 11 forearm bolt assemblies, three AR-15-style barrels with forearm grips, 32 AR-15 magazines, one AR-15 drum magazine, 470 rounds of AR-15 ammunition, 34 9mm magazines, three 9mm drum magazines, 284 9mm rounds, fifteen .38 caliber rounds, 36 shells, six magazine couplers, and two shotgun chokes. Samlalsingh had purchased four of the seized firearms: a SAR-9 9mm pistol, a Ruger-9 9mm pistol, a Taurus G3 9mm pistol, and a Taurus G2C 9mm pistol.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, including HSI’s Attaché, Caribbean, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance provided by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (Transnational Organized Crime Unit and Special Investigations Unit), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, United States Customs and Border Protection, and the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall. 

Jacksonville, Florida – Shane Christopher Abrams (38, Deland) has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a 13-year-old child to produce and send him photos depicting her own sexual abuse. Abrams faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 25, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to court documents, on April 3, 2024, an undercover FBI agent posing as a 13-year-old child engaged in text conversation on an online social media application with a user named “Malicious_Malediction,” who was subsequently identified as Abrams. During this conversation, the “child” advised that “she” was 13 years old, and Abrams asked “her” inappropriate questions about “her” body. The next day, the conversation between Abrams and the “child” continued by text messaging using cellphones. Between April 4 and April 20, 2024, Abrams and the “child” exchanged numerous text messages. On multiple occasions during their text conversation, Abrams solicited the “child” to produce and send him photos of “her” genitalia, giving the “child” explicit instructions as to how to comply with his demands. As part of his efforts to entice the “child” to take and send him sexually explicit photos of “herself,” Abrams sent the “child” an explicit video and several photos. 

On May 20, 2024, Abrams was arrested by FBI agents in a parking lot near his workplace in South Daytona. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. 

Jacksonville, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Jesse Lee McKenzie (43, Jacksonville) to 28 months in federal prison for threatening to retaliate against a witness in a federal case. McKenzie pleaded guilty on October 28, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, an associate of McKenzie was indicted for distribution of methamphetamine, a federal offense. In July 2025, McKenzie made a post to his Facebook page in which he identified a witness in that drug trafficking case, both by name and by posting a photo of the witness. In the same post, McKenzie stated the witness was a “snitch” and threatened physical harm, including that McKenzie would “wire that snitch box up” in retaliation for the witness’s involvement in the drug trafficking case. McKenzie also solicited information about the witness’s whereabouts by stating he would “tip” in exchange for information about the witness’s location.

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

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

Tampa, Florida – A federal jury has found Shannon Pernell Brown (40, Tampa) guilty of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute it. Brown faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison under the Armed Career Criminal Act. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 3, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to evidence presented at trial, on August 31, 2024, Brown attempted to flee from officers from the Tampa Police Department on an electric bicycle after they attempted to stop him for a traffic violation. Brown subsequently lost control of the bicycle as he turned a corner and crashed. Officers detained him and located more than a pound of marijuana in multiple packages along with a digital scale in a backpack that he was wearing. Officers also recovered a loaded Glock handgun in a separate satchel that Brown was wearing across his chest.

Brown had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses, including trafficking in cocaine and two convictions for possession of cocaine with the intent to sell or deliver, each of which occurred on a different occasion. As a convicted felon, Brown is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.

Tampa, FL — Alexander Villatoro Moreno, age 53, also known as Quichi, pleaded guilty in federal court in Tampa, Florida, to conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida had previously returned a six-count indictment against multiple defendants for their roles in the conspiracy, which victimized Mexican H-2A workers who, between 2015 and 2017, had worked in the United States harvesting fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products.

“Exploiting our nation’s immigration laws to victimize people seeking legitimate employment is not only illegal but unconscionable,” said U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Gregory W. Kehoe. “The conspirators in this case deliberately deceived and trafficked individuals into the United States, then subjected them to deplorable conditions for profit. Diligent investigation and cooperation by our law enforcement partners assured that these criminals were brought to justice.”

According to court documents, Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants operated and managed Los Villatoros Harvesting (LVH), a farm labor contracting company, that functioned as a criminal enterprise compelling victims to work in Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina. Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants fraudulently recruited Mexican nationals to come into the United States on short-term, H-2A, agricultural visas and misled the United States to secure visas for the victims. Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants charged workers exorbitant recruitment fees to work for LVH and lied to the victims about how much they would be paid, the hours they would work, the working conditions and the reimbursement they would receive for paying recruitment fees and other expenses. The workers were then compelled to provide long hours of physically demanding agricultural labor, six to seven days a week, for far less pay than they were entitled to under the law.

In addition to the work conditions, Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants used various coercive means to compel the victims’ labor, including imposing debts on workers; confiscating the workers’ passports; subjecting workers to crowded, unsanitary and degrading living conditions; verbally abusing and humiliating the workers; threatening workers with arrest, jailtime and deportation; isolating workers by preventing them from interacting with anyone other than LVH employees; and threatening to physically harm the workers’ family members back in Mexico if the workers failed to comply with their demands.

When officials began investigating, Villatoro Moreno obstructed the federal investigation by helping to prepare false payroll information to conceal underpayments to the workers and distributing fake reimbursement receipts to the victims to make it appear that LVH was complying with the law by reimbursing the workers for their travel-related expenses.

Villatoro Moreno’s four co-defendants previously pleaded guilty in connection with their roles in the scheme. Bladimir Moreno, Alexander Villatoro Moreno’s brother, owned LVH and pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and conspiracy to commit forced labor. Efrain Cabrera Rodas and Christina Gamez, LVH supervisors, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act while Guadalupe Mendes Mendoza, another LVH supervisor, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct a federal investigation. In 2022, Bladimir Moreno was sentenced to 118 months in prison and ordered to pay over $175,000 in restitution to the victims while Rodas and Gamez were sentenced to 41 months and 37 months in prison, respectively. Mendoza was also sentenced in 2022 to serve eight months of home detention and a $5,500 fine to be paid over 24 months of supervised release.

The Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the case. The Task Force received assistance from the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Colorado Legal Services Migrant Farm Worker Division, Legal Aid Services of Oregon Farmworker Program and Indiana Legal Services Worker Rights and Protection Project.

The Government of Mexico, including the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), provided significant assistance in the extradition of Villatoro Moreno to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Villatoro Moreno.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilyssa Spergel for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case. Former Trial Attorney and current Assistant U.S. Attorney Maryan Zhuravitsky for the District of Maryland also prosecuted the case.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

Alexander Villatoro Moreno, age 53, also known as Quichi, pleaded guilty in federal court in Tampa, Florida, to conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida had previously returned a six-count indictment against multiple defendants for their roles in the conspiracy, which victimized Mexican H-2A workers who, between 2015 and 2017, had worked in the United States harvesting fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products.

According to court documents, Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants operated and managed Los Villatoros Harvesting (LVH), a farm labor contracting company, that functioned as a criminal enterprise compelling victims to work in Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina. Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants fraudulently recruited Mexican nationals to come into the United States on short-term, H-2A, agricultural visas and misled the United States to secure visas for the victims. Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants charged workers exorbitant recruitment fees to work for LVH and lied to the victims about how much they would be paid, the hours they would work, the working conditions and the reimbursement they would receive for paying recruitment fees and other expenses. The workers were then compelled to provide long hours of physically demanding agricultural labor, six to seven days a week, for far less pay than they were entitled to under the law.

In addition to the work conditions, Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants used various coercive means to compel the victims’ labor, including imposing debts on workers; confiscating the workers’ passports; subjecting workers to crowded, unsanitary and degrading living conditions; verbally abusing and humiliating the workers; threatening workers with arrest, jailtime and deportation; isolating workers by preventing them from interacting with anyone other than LVH employees; and threatening to physically harm the workers’ family members back in Mexico if the workers failed to comply with their demands.

When officials began investigating, Villatoro Moreno obstructed the federal investigation by helping to prepare false payroll information to conceal underpayments to the workers and distributing fake reimbursement receipts to the victims to make it appear that LVH was complying with the law by reimbursing the workers for their travel-related expenses.

Villatoro Moreno’s four co-defendants previously pleaded guilty in connection with their roles in the scheme. Bladimir Moreno, Alexander Villatoro Moreno’s brother, owned LVH and pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and conspiracy to commit forced labor. Efrain Cabrera Rodas and Christina Gamez, LVH supervisors, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act while Guadalupe Mendes Mendoza, another LVH supervisor, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct a federal investigation. In 2022, Bladimir Moreno was sentenced to 118 months in prison and ordered to pay over $175,000 in restitution to the victims while Rodas and Gamez were sentenced to 41 months and 37 months in prison, respectively. Mendoza was also sentenced in 2022 to serve eight months of home detention and a $5,500 fine to be paid over 24 months of supervised release.

The Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the case. The Task Force received assistance from the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Colorado Legal Services Migrant Farm Worker Division, Legal Aid Services of Oregon Farmworker Program and Indiana Legal Services Worker Rights and Protection Project.

The Government of Mexico, including the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), provided significant assistance in the extradition of Villatoro Moreno to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Villatoro Moreno.

Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilyssa Spergel for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case. Former Trial Attorney and current Assistant U.S. Attorney Maryan Zhuravitsky for the District of Maryland also prosecuted the case.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

Orlando, FL –A grand jury has returned a federal indictment charging Jason Morales (44, Chagrin Falls, Ohio) with six counts of bank fraud. If convicted, Morales faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on each count. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to the indictment, Morales concocted and executed a mortgage fraud scheme targeting a financial institution. To ensure that otherwise unqualified borrowers were approved for mortgage loans, Morales created fictitious and fraudulent paystubs and other employment documents in the name of a construction company and consulting company that his clients never worked for. The bogus income documents falsely indicated that his clients had worked at these companies and had monthly earnings. Additionally, Morales altered legitimate bank statements provided by the borrowers and created fictitious bank statements that he submitted to the financial institution falsely representing that the borrowers had sufficient assets to qualify for the mortgage loans. Morales submitted the fictitious documents he created to the financial institutions who relied on them when making underwriting decisions.

To further deceive the financial institution, Morales created websites for the construction and consulting companies listing his email and phone number so that when the lenders called to verbally verify employment Morales impersonated company executives and falsely verified employment. 

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.

Tampa, Florida – Jason Canals (39, Spring Hill) has been arrested and charged with eight counts of interstate transport of stolen property. If convicted on all counts, Canals faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Canals that the United States intends to forfeit the proceeds traceable to the offenses. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, Canals perpetrated multiple schemes to defraud wholesale produce companies. In one scheme, Canals, without permission, used a company’s name and email signature block to send communications to victim companies requesting produce. While the shipments were enroute, Canals diverted the produce to a new location and never paid the victim companies. In a separate scheme, Canals provided victim companies false documentation making the companies believe he had prepaid for the produce, when no such payment was ever made. In total, between the cost of the produce and its transportation, Canals’s schemes resulted in a loss of over $600,000 to the victim companies. 

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 United States Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Merrilyn E. Hoenemeyer.

Tampa, Florida –A federal jury has found Desiree Doreen Segari (41, Sarasota) guilty of interstate communication of a threat to injure. Segari faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 5, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

Segari was indicted on September 18, 2025.

According to evidence presented at trial, on August 17, 2025, Segari posted a video on TikTok calling for MAGA supporters to be shot on sight. Segari stated, “so if we all get our guns and use our second amendment right…and you see somebody with a MAGA hat, ‘pew pew’ that’s what we do, that’s the way, it’s the only way.” While saying “pew pew,” Segari used hand gestures mimicking the firing of a gun. She further stated, “Put them back in their basements, make them scared again to be racist, homophobic, and terrible just awful [expletive],” and “MAGA people deserve to be terrified and scared to walk in the streets because they should know that real Americans are gonna [mouths expletive] kill them.” When Segari posted the video, she included a caption: “#seemagapewpewmaga starting a new trend, hope it catches on. Please spread the word. Share this video. Repost it. Use the hashtag all over the internet. Let's go guys. It's time to fight back in a potentially effective manner.”

The next day, Segari posted another video on TikTok, in which she stated, “See MAGA pew pew MAGA, see MAGA pew pew MAGA, see MAGA pew pew MAGA so these [expletive] know we ain’t here to play” while again using hand gestures to mimic the firing of a gun. 

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

Tampa, Florida – Brandon Lewis Graham (44, Tampa) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington to 20 years in federal prison for distribution of a substance that contained cocaine and fentanyl that was used and resulted in death. Graham pleaded guilty on March 31, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, on March 30, 2022, a man and a woman bought a substance from Graham at a location in Riverview. They went to the woman’s home and used the substance, which they believed to be cocaine. The  next morning, the man found the woman in her bed. She was unresponsive and appeared to be deceased. Deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) responded to a 911 call and found the deceased victim. Investigators also found a clear plastic baggie under the victim’s bra. The baggie contained a substance that tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl. The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Department conducted an autopsy and determined that the cause of the victim’s death was intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, cocaine, and ethanol. 

Based on witness interviews, surveillance videos, and evidence from the victim’s cellphone, HCSO detectives determined that Graham, known to the victim as “Homie Boog,” sold the cocaine and fentanyl mixture to the victim. When Graham was arrested on August 3, 2022, he was found in possession of two plastic bags that contained fentanyl and three bags that contained methamphetamine. Graham admitted to selling narcotics to the victim at a gas station in Riverview and told detectives that he had narcotics in his apartment. A search of Graham’s apartment resulted in the recovery of two plastic bags containing fentanyl and cocaine. 

This case was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Guzman and Michael Sinacore.

Tampa, Florida – Tavaris Marvidis Johnson (43, Tampa) has been charged by indictment with attempted production and receipt of child sex abuse material and transfer of obscene material to a minor.  If convicted on all counts, Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, between August 2 and August 9, 2025, Johnson attempted to use, persuade, and induce a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. During the same time period, Johnson knowingly attempted to receive a visual depiction involving the sexual abuse of a minor. Between August 8 and August 9, 2025, Johnson knowingly transferred obscene material to an individual who he knew was under the age of 16 years. 

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

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Tampa Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Derry.

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