Middle District of Florida
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Career Offender Sentenced to 10 Years for Narcotics Sales and Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida– Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon II today sentenced Michael Bernard Lawson (38, Sarasota) to 10 years in federal prison for distributing cocaine base (“crack cocaine”) and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Lawson to forfeit the firearms.
Lawson had pleaded guilty on November 27, 2019.
According to court documents and information presented during the sentencing hearing, on May 23, 2018, Lawson began serving a two-year term of community control after serving five years in state prison for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm. In April 2019, Lawson sold crack cocaine to a confidential informant and undercover law enforcement officer on four occasions over a 16-day period. Lawson also sold the undercover officer two firearms during two of the drug transactions. One of those firearms was a short-barreled shotgun.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sarasota Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charlie D. Connally.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
Tampa Man Sentenced to 28 Years After Committing Five Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced Eric Lee Robinson, Jr. (29, Tampa) to 28 years in federal prison for conducting a string of armed robberies of convenience stores and a restaurant over a three-week period in Tampa. On March 7, 2019, Robinson had pleaded guilty to four counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
According to court documents and information presented during the sentencing hearing, Robinson robbed a Circle-K store on May 23, 2018; attempted to rob a Hungry Howie’s pizza store on June 4, 2018; robbed a 7-Eleven convenience store and a Sunoco gas station on June 4, 2018; robbed a Sunoco gas station on June 5, 2018; and robbed a 7-Eleven convenience store on June 15, 2018. During each of the robberies, Robinson burst into the business wearing a ski mask, gloves, and head-to-toe black clothing. He also brandished a gun, threatened to hurt or kill the store employees, and demanded that the employees give him the money from the safes and cash registers. Across the five armed robberies, Robinson stole a total of $881 and multiple batches of lottery tickets. He was arrested a few hours after the June 15, 2018, robbery of the 7-Eleven convenience store.
During each of the robberies, Robinson was joined inside the business by a co-conspirator, and was often aided by a waiting getaway driver. One of Robinson’s alleged co-conspirators, Ishmell Upshaw, has been charged and is set for trial in January 2021.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael M. Gordon.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Jury Convicts Cocoa Man of Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – A federal jury has found Jerimiah Swanson (22, Cocoa) guilty of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl. Swanson faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, and up to 40 years, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 9, 2021.
Swanson had been indicted on March 18, 2020.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, beginning no later than November 2019 and continuing through February 2020, Swanson and a co-defendant agreed to sell heroin that turned out to be the more potent opioid, fentanyl. A confidential informant working for the Drug Enforcement Administration made six recorded purchases, totaling over 150 grams of fentanyl, outside Swanson’s home in Cocoa. In February 2020, law enforcement executed a search of Swanson’s home and recovered baggies, digital scales covered with fentanyl and cocaine, and firearms from Swanson’s bedroom.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Titusville Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs Jr.
Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Photos of Himself as He Sexually Abused an 11-Year-Old ChildRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Columbus Donavan Jeffrey (43, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to two counts of producing images depicting himself as he sexually abused a child. Jeffrey faces an aggregate mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, and up to 60 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release. Jeffrey was arrested on October 3, 2019, and remains in custody. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
According to court documents, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received information from a company that hosts an online social messaging application (app). Specifically, on May 3, 2019, a user named “hideme1977,” subsequently identified as Jeffrey, had uploaded several pornographic images using this app. These photos were taken by Jeffrey showing him sexually abusing an 11-year-old child. On October 3, 2019, detectives from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) and other officers executed a search warrant at Jeffrey’s residence in Jacksonville. When interviewed, Jeffrey admitted that he had used the “hideme1977” username on the app. He also identified himself and the child as depicted in one of the photos that Jeffrey had uploaded to the app on May 3, 2019. JSO detectives were able to locate the child shown in the photos. During an interview, the child disclosed that Jeffrey had sexually abused the child on at least three separate occasions and had taken pictures of this sexual abuse during two of these incidents.
A forensic examination of Jeffrey’s cellphone revealed that it contained 635 images and 57 videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors, including other photos taken by Jeffrey in which he is shown sexually abusing the same child on several occasions in Jeffrey’s residence.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys D. Rodney Brown and Kelly S. Karase.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Three Family Members Sentenced in Connection with Defrauding Veterans Health Care in the VillagesRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Miller Wilson, Jr. (50, Sparr), his daughter, Myoshi Wilson (26, Citra), and his ex-wife, Erica Wilson (43, Ocala) were sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge James D. Whittemore for their roles in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care benefits. Each had previously pleaded guilty.
Miller Wilson, Jr. was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and solicitation and receipt of a health care kickback.
Erica Wilson was sentenced to 5 years’ probation for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.
Myoshi Wilson was re-sentenced to 6 months’ imprisonment, followed by 30 months of supervised release, including 6 months’ home confinement, for a violation of probation. Myoshi Wilson had previously been sentenced to 5 years’ probation for making false statements to law enforcement. She was arrested on a violation of that probationary sentence on November 4, 2020.
According to court documents, Miller Wilson, Jr. was an employee at the Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) Clinic located in The Villages. As part of his employment, he provided transportation arrangements for veterans needing medical treatment. From 2014 through 2016, Miller Wilson, Jr. obtained cash kickbacks from the transportation vendors in exchange for awarding them health care contracts from the VA. Thereafter, from 2016-2017, Miller Wilson, Jr. conspired with Erica and Myoshi Wilson to open and manage two different transportation companies to conduct similar schemes. Miller Wilson, Jr. used his official position at the VA to funnel health care contracts to the companies that he had formed with Erica and Myoshi Wilson. During a 17-month period, the two companies billed the federal government $305,673. Myoshi Wilson admitted to making false statements to a federal agent in 2019, to conceal the conspiracy.
“VA employees are public servants with a solemn duty to care for our nation’s veterans,” said David Spilker, Special Agent in Charge of the VA OIG’s Southeast Field Office. “The sentencing of these three defendants demonstrates the VA OIG’s commitment to holding accountable anyone who abuses their position to enrich themselves. The VA OIG thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its strong partnership in sending a clear message that VA employees will be held to the highest ethical standards, which preserves the public trust in VA.”
This case was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.
Orlando Pair Sentenced for Straw Purchasing RiflesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Jesmarilys Montesinos (22, Orlando) to one year in federal prison for making false statements relating to firearms purchases. On October 8, 2020, her co-defendant, Steven Usma (22, Orlando), was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison for aiding and abetting the making of false statements relating to firearms purchases. Both had pleaded guilty earlier this year.
According to court documents, in February 2018, Usma and Montesinos traveled together from Orlando to Fort Myers to attend a gun show. At the gun show, Montesinos purchased 12 rifles for Usma, at Usma’s request, after Usma had failed a background check when he attempted to buy firearms. At the time, Usma was prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms under Florida state law. In connection with her firearms purchases, Montesinos twice falsely certified that she was buying the rifles for herself, when she knew she was actually purchasing the firearms for Usma.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.
International Fugitive Sentenced in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza has sentenced Nelson Pablo Yester-Garrido a/k/a Nelson “Tony” Yester (63, Cuba) to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute a large amount of high-grade marijuana in the Middle District of Florida. Yester-Garrido had pleaded guilty on August 11, 2020.
According to court documents, from the late 1980s through early 1997, Yester-Garrido was part of a group involved in importing kilogram amounts of cocaine and other narcotics into the United States, including by negotiating the purchase of a Russian diesel submarine for Colombian drug suppliers. Around 1997, Yester-Garrido fled to South Africa to escape prosecution related to charges filed in the Southern District of Florida (which have since been dismissed).
Between December 2014 and continuing through February 25, 2015, Yester-Garrido conspired with Andrew Cassara, Juan Almeida, and others, both known and unknown, to possess with the intent to distribute a large amount of marijuana in the Middle District of Florida. Yester-Garrido’s specific role in the drug trafficking conspiracy was to assist, from South Africa, in trying to collect a $250,000 debt that was owed to co-conspirators by a Dominican drug-trafficking group. Almeida and Cassara had traveled to South Africa in December 2014 to meet with Yester-Garrido and seek his assistance with the drug debt after $250,000 worth of high-grade marijuana was stolen from co-conspirators. Cassara testified during the sentencing hearing that he had made $25 million dollars from trafficking in marijuana and that he had supplied firearms to assist in the collection of the drug debt.
In January 2015, the DEA began investigating the conspiracy, and in January 2017, an indictment was returned in the Middle District of Florida charging three of Yester-Garrido’s co-conspirators, Almeida, Cassara, and Wade Jones, Jr. (Each of three was adjudicated guilty and sentenced in 2018.)
In October 2017, Yester-Garrido himself was indicted on drug and gun charges. In November 2017, based upon a provisional arrest warrant requested by the U.S. government, Italian authorities apprehended Yester-Garrido at the Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy. In July 2019, the Italian judicial authorities and the Ministry of Justice granted the request for Yester Garrido’s extradition to the United States.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the South African Police Service Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Italian prosecutorial and law enforcement authorities provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s extradition from Italy. The U.S. Marshals Service also provided critical assistance in the extradition to the Middle District of Florida. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs, Jr.
Two Tampa Men Indicted for Ten Armed Robberies and A ShootingRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Jeffrey L. Davis (22, Tampa) and Tyee Spike II (18, Tampa) with participating in ten armed robberies that occurred in Tampa, Fishhawk, and Riverview between October 13 and October 19, 2020. Davis and Spike are jointly charged with nine counts of committing robbery, nine counts of using a firearm in furtherance of robbery, and one count of possessing a firearm and ammunition after being convicted of a felony. Spike is charged with an additional robbery, and with discharging his weapon during that robbery. If convicted on all counts, Davis faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 63 years, and up to life, in federal prison. Spike faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 88 years, and up to life, in federal prison.
Davis made his first appearance in federal court today. Spike is still in state custody.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Natalie Hirt Adams.
Regional Drug Distributor and His Assistant Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute DrugsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced Adan Barajas Maldonado (35, Mexico) to 25 years in prison for conspiring to distribute controlled substances and for possessing a gun to further his drug trafficking enterprise. Maldonado had pleaded guilty on October 30, 2019.
United States District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell has sentenced Edwar Rodriguez (32, New York), one of Maldonado’s assistants, to 11 years and 3 months in prison for his role in the same drug distribution conspiracy. Rodriguez had pleaded guilty on August 27, 2020.
According to information presented in court, Maldonado and his co-defendant, Juan Carlos Arias Castillo, who are affiliated with a Mexican drug cartel, operated a regional drug trafficking organization (DTO) based in Spring Hill, Florida. Each week, over multiple years, they distributed more than 20 kilograms of highly pure methamphetamine, as well as smaller amounts of other drugs, to their network of kilogram-level dealers. The dealers, in turn, sold the drugs to lower-level suppliers.
Maldonado and Castillo lived together and operated their DTO from a non-descript suburban home and employed several couriers/assistants, including Rodriguez, who picked up drugs in Texas, after they had been smuggled into the country from Mexico. They then drove the drugs to Florida, delivered them to Maldonado and Castillo’s biggest customers, collected payments, wired drug profits to Mexico, and recruited others to wire money as well to evade law enforcement.
On April 23, 2019, law enforcement officers surveilling Maldonado and Castillo’s residence observed them appearing to receive a drug delivery. They then executed a search warrant on the home. Inside they found, among other items, 29.5 pounds (over 13 kilograms) of liquid pure methamphetamine, 380 grams of powdered methamphetamine, 145 grams of cocaine, two guns, ammunition, a drug ledger, and evidence revealing how the drugs were smuggled over the border in car tires.
Castillo has pleaded guilty for his role in the conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 8, 2020. Two other defendants, Christian and Victor Santiago Rondon, have pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced in January 2021. One of Maldonado and Castillo’s biggest customers, Jorge Ramirez, has pleaded guilty and is due to be sentenced in February 2021.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael M. Gordon.
Lehigh Acres Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Selling A Variety of DrugsRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti has sentenced Nestly Jean a/k/a “Baby Zoe” (28, Lehigh Acres) to seven years in federal prison for distributing controlled substances. He had pleaded guilty on January 14, 2020. Jean is a documented member of the “Zoe Pound” street gang by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
According to court documents, in the spring of 2019, law enforcement purchased crack cocaine, powder cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl from Jean over the course of four undercover deals, each occurring at a residence in the Palmona Park neighborhood of North Fort Myers. During one of the transactions, Jean cooked powder cocaine into crack cocaine in front of law enforcement before selling it to them. Although Jean sold his drugs in Palmona Park, law enforcement determined that he lived in Lehigh Acres. On May 9, 2019, during a search of Jean’s home, Jean was found to be in possession of more than $18,000 in cash, an AK-47 firearm, and a large stash of drugs.
This case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael V. Leeman.
Alleged Drug Kingpin from Nebraska Arrested After Having Assumed Another’s Identity for More Than 35 YearsRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Howard D. Farley, Jr. (72, Weirsdale) with passport fraud. Farley was arrested on December 2, 2020. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
According to the complaint, in or around February 2020, Farley submitted a passport application using the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of an individual who had died as an infant in 1955. When applying for this passport, Farley failed to disclose his true identity.
In 1985, Farley, along with 73 others, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Nebraska and charged with a narcotics conspiracy. Farley was alleged to be the “drug kingpin” of the Southern Line, a railroad line that was used by the drug dealers to distribute narcotics throughout the United States. Records show that Farley was the only defendant not apprehended in the case, and that he instead assumed the identity of the deceased individual in 1985, and remained a fugitive for more than 35 years.
On December 2, 2020, Farley was arrested at his home on a federal warrant for this complaint under the name “John Doe.” A fingerprint comparison confirmed that he was Howard D. Farley, Jr., the same person wanted in Nebraska since 1985. At the time of his arrest, Farley was attempting to board his private aircraft in the hangar at his home, which he flew using a fraudulent pilot’s license in the name of deceased individual. During the execution of a search warrant, authorities recovered a firearm from inside Farley’s home. Farley was convicted in 1970 of burglary in Nebraska state court.
A criminal complaint is only an allegation and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Transportation - Office of Inspector General, the Social Security - Administration Office of the Inspector General, and with support from the Ocala Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Department of Homeland Security, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Marion County Sheriff's Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.
Lee County Man Sentenced to Jail for Communicating A False Distress Message to the U.S. Coast GuardRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti today sentenced Justin Patrick Obert (32, Fort Myers) to three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for communicating a false distress message to the Coast Guard. The court also ordered Obert to pay $13,414.78 to the Coast Guard for costs associated with their search and rescue response.
Obert had pleaded guilty on August 21, 2020.
According to court documents, on the evening of September 9, 2019, Obert drunkenly discharged two red distress flares from a vessel near Fort Myers Beach, triggering an emergency search and rescue operation by the United States Coast Guard, Fort Myers Beach Fire Rescue, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. Ultimately, an intoxicated Obert was determined to be the person who had discharged the emergency flares, which he did when no emergency assistance was actually needed, causing the unnecessary diversion of search and rescue personnel from multiple agencies.
“Hoax calls put the public at risk,” said Capt. Matt Thompson, Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg Commander. “Mariners on the water rely and count on Coast Guard assets and personnel to be ready and able to respond when they are in distress. Hoax calls can redirect critical rescue capabilities and put lives at risk in the dangerous maritime domain.”
This case was investigated by the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.
Pain Clinic Owner Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday has sentenced Tom Wynne (65, Pinellas Park) to 33 months in federal prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release, for one count of conspiracy to commit tax evasion, one count of tax evasion, and seven counts of money laundering. The court also ordered Wynne to forfeit two real properties, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense. In addition, he was ordered to repay the Internal Revenue Service $359,209, and pay a fine of $150,000.
Wynne had pleaded guilty on February 4, 2020.
According to court documents, Wynne owned and operated Pain and Wellness Clinic (“PWC”), a pain management clinic in Pinellas County. He hired medical doctors to prescribe for patients large quantities of Schedule II controlled substances, like oxycodone and hydromorphone, outside the usual course of professional practice. Wynne used the illegal proceeds generated from PWC to purchase real property in the Tampa Bay area.
For each tax year, beginning in 2014 and continuing through tax year 2017, Wynne underreported PWC’s gross receipts on his tax filings. He also conspired and agreed with PWC physicians to defraud the IRS by creating and preparing, among other false and fraudulent tax-related documents, false and fraudulent IRS Forms 1099 to pay the clinic’s two doctors.
“Abuse of prescription painkillers is truly a modern-day plague on society, and any health care provider who would support that activity violates their oath to do no harm,” stated Special in Charge Brian Payne of Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. “Moreover, most of us were taught at a young age that lying makes whatever wrong we did even worse. As if procuring and distributing prescription painkillers were not bad enough, Mr. Wynne brazenly took his crimes a step further when he tried to cover up his ill-gotten gains by lying on his taxes.”
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration—Tampa District Office, the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation, and the Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit. The Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit was created by the Department of Justice to help combat the devastating opioid crisis. The Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit focuses specifically on opioid-related health care fraud, using data to identify and prosecute individuals contributing to the prescription opioid epidemic. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Pizzo and Kelley Howard-Allen. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to Twenty Years for Distributing Fentanyl That Resulted in Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Larry Bouknight (34, Jacksonville) to 20 years in federal prison for distributing a controlled substance that resulted in death.
Bouknight had pleaded guilty on July 14, 2020.
According to court documents, on September 6, 2018, Bouknight sold a Jacksonville woman and her friend a controlled substance that they believed to be heroin, but actually contained fentanyl. After the friend had ingested the narcotic, a relative found her dead in her home later that day. The Jacksonville Medical Examiner’s office subsequently determined that the victim’s cause of death was fentanyl toxicity.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in coordination with the State Attorney’s Office for the 4th Judicial Circuit and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie Hackenberry.
Mexican National Sentenced for Social Security Fraud, Identity Theft and Involvement in Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton has sentenced Jose Martin Sanchez, a/k/a Jorge Sanchez (49, Winter Garden), a Mexican national, to a total of eight years in federal prison for using a telephone to facilitate a drug felony, false representation of a Social Security number (SSN), and aggravated identity theft. After completing his sentence, he is expected to be removed to Mexico.
Sanchez had pleaded guilty to the charges on September 4, 2020.
According to his plea agreement, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office deputies encountered Sanchez at about 2:30 a.m. on October 8, 2019, while they were conducting surveillance on a residence that was related to an ongoing methamphetamine trafficking investigation. Drug Enforcement Administration agents later questioned Sanchez about his identity and the events of those early morning hours, and Sanchez admitted that he had agreed, over the telephone, to pick up approximately seven ounces of “crystal” methamphetamine at a gas station and deliver an ounce to the residence in Rockledge. Sanchez also admitted that he had been using his brother’s name for years and said that he was a citizen of Mexico and did not have a SSN. Agents from the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General later confirmed that Sanchez had used his brother’s identity to obtain a Florida drivers license as early as 2008 and used his brother’s valid SSN to renew that license on March 6, 2017. Agents also found that Sanchez had been convicted of drug trafficking in California and Washington, had served prison sentences related to those convictions, and had served a term of supervised release in Florida, all in his brother’s name.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Social Security Administration – Office of Investigations of the Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs, Jr.
Home Health Agency and Former Owners to Pay $5.8 Million to Settle False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Doctor’s Choice Home Care, Inc. and its former executives, Timothy Beach and Stuart Christensen, have agreed to pay $5.15 million to resolve allegations that the home health agency provided improper financial inducements to referring physicians through sham medical director agreements and bonuses to physicians’ spouses who were Doctor’s Choice employees, the Department of Justice announced today. Doctor’s Choice will pay $3,856,000 to settle these allegations and Beach and Christensen will each pay $647,000. Doctor’s Choice will pay an additional $675,000 to resolve separate allegations that employees pressured clinical personnel to increase the number of home visits for Medicare patients to avoid the Medicare Low Utilization Payment Adjustment that would have decreased the reimbursement Doctor’s Choice received from Medicare in the absence of these unnecessary services.
Doctor’s Choice is a home health agency based in Sarasota, Florida, with branches throughout the state. Timothy Beach and Stuart Christensen founded Doctor’s Choice and formerly served as its top executives.
“The Department of Justice will continue to hold companies and individuals accountable for the payment of illegal remuneration in any form,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “Improper inducements have no place in our federal healthcare system, which relies on healthcare providers making decisions based on the healthcare needs of their patients rather than their personal financial interests.”
“Here in the Middle District of Florida we are committed to ensuring that financial motivations do not corrupt medical decision making, whether in home health care or other areas of medicine,” said U.S. Attorney Chapa Lopez. “Through enforcement of statutes prohibiting illegal kickbacks or improper financial arrangements with referring physicians, this Office will continue to ensure that medical decisions are not compromised.”
“Operating an illegal referral scheme and providing medically unnecessary services places patients at risk and jeopardizes millions of taxpayer dollars,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division Michael McPherson. “This settlement highlights the FBI’s commitment to protect the integrity of the federally funded healthcare system.”
The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits the offering or payment of remuneration to induce or reward referrals for services paid for by federal healthcare programs. The Stark Law forbids certain medical providers, including home health agencies, from submitting claims to Medicare for services provided to patients who were referred by a physician with whom the provider has a prohibited financial relationship, unless that relationship falls within an applicable exception.
This settlement resolves allegations that Doctor’s Choice, Beach, and Christensen violated the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law by entering into sham medical director agreements with physicians as a means of providing remuneration for referrals, and also violated the Stark Law by providing bonuses to employees based on referrals to Doctor’s Choice by the employees’ physician spouses. In addition, the agreement resolves allegations that Doctor’s Choice provided unnecessary services to Medicare patients in order to increase the number of skilled service visits provided during a home health episode to avoid the Low Utilization Payment Adjustment which otherwise would have decreased Doctor’s Choice Medicare reimbursement. This adjustment is triggered when a home health patient has a treatment episode consisting of less than five skilled service visits and results in the provider receiving a standardized per visit payment rather than the higher payment for a full home health episode.
The allegations resolved in this settlement were originally brought in two lawsuits filed under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act; one case was filed by Corina Herbold and the second case was filed by Sara Billings, Misty Sykes, and Marina Eschoyez-Quiroga, all of whom are former employees of Doctor’s Choice. The Act permits private parties to sue on behalf of the government for false claims for government funds and to receive a share of any recovery. Ms. Billings, Ms. Sykes, and Ms. Eschoyez-Quiroga will jointly receive a share of approximately $145,000 arising from the Government’s recovery for the Low Utilization Payment Adjustment allegations. Ms. Herbold’s share has not yet been determined.
The government’s intervention in these matters illustrates its emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort by the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Harden in the Middle District of Florida.
The cases are captioned United States ex rel. Herbold v. Doctor’s Choice Home Care Inc., et al., No. 8:15- cv-01044 (M.D. Fla.) and United States ex rel. Billings, Sykes, and Eschoyez-Quiroga v. Doctor’s Choice Home Care Inc., No. 8:16-cv-3112 (M.D. Fla.).
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.
Tampa Bay Area Medical Biller Indicted on Health Care Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft ChargesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Joshua Maywalt (40, Tampa) with 4 counts of health care fraud and 4 counts of aggravated identity theft. Maywalt faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each of the health care fraud counts, and up to 2 years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity count. The indictment also notifies Maywalt that the United States intends to forfeit $2.2 million dollars and real property located at 5346 Northdale Boulevard, Tampa, Florida, alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.
According to the indictment, Maywalt was a medical biller at a local company that provided credentialing and medical billing services for its medical provider clients. In that capacity, Maywalt was able to access and utilize the company’s financial, medical provider, and patient information. Maywalt was assigned to a Tampa Bay-area physician’s account (“Physician #1”) and was responsible for submitting claims to Florida Medicaid HMOs for services rendered by Physician #1 to Medicaid recipients.
The indictment alleges that Maywalt abused his role as a medical biller by wrongfully accessing and utilizing the company’s patient information and Physician #1’s name and identification number to submit false and fraudulent claims to a Florida Medicaid HMO for the medical services purportedly rendered by Physician #1, which were not actually rendered. Maywalt also altered the “pay to” information associated with the Florida Medicaid HMOs’ payment processor so that the payments for the non-rendered medical services were sent to bank accounts under Maywalt’s control.
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. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit – Office of the Florida Attorney General, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Guzman and Suzanne Nebesky.
South Florida Man Pleads Guilty in Credit Card Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Henry William Carabeo Boned (28, Miami) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Boned faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and payment of restitution to victims of his crime. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, in the early part of 2019, Boned and his co-defendants, Duani Garcia and Raiquel Monteagudo Torres used credit or debit cards re-encoded with stolen account numbers to purchase, among other things, phone cards and gift cards at Walmarts throughout the Clay County, Florida area. In February 2019, deputies with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) detained Boned and Torres at the self-checkout area of a Walmart while both individuals were in the process of attempting to complete a fraudulent transaction. Deputies detained Garcia as he walked out of the store. During a search of the three individuals, deputies located 40 gift and credit cards that had been re-encoded with stolen credit card information. Further investigation resulted in the seizure of computer media associated with the three individuals. A forensic examination of the computer media located an additional 253 stolen credit card account numbers.
On March 16, 2020, United States District Judge Brian J. Davis sentenced Garcia, to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison and payment of restitution to the victims. Co-defendant, Torres is a fugitive from law enforcement.
This case was investigated by United States Secret Service - Jacksonville Field Office and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
Postal Carrier Pleads Guilty to Stealing More Than 230 Pieces of MailRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Terrell Andre Mosely (40, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to theft of mail by a postal employee. Mosely faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and payment of restitution to victims of his crime. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, in August 2019, the United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) began investigating customer complaints regarding stolen mail involving a postal route in Jacksonville, Florida. During follow up investigation, the USPS-OIG linked a stolen Target gift card to a phone number associated with Mosely. They also determined that Mosely worked on the postal route experiencing mail theft. USPS-OIG agents made contact with Mosely and spoke to him about his connection to the stolen Target gift card. Mosely confessed to stealing gift cards, including the Target gift card, from the mail. During a subsequent search of Mosely’s personal belongings and his car, agents recovered more than 230 pieces of stolen mail.
The United States Postal Service - Office of Inspector General investigated this case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
Multi-Convicted Felon Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison on Federal Firearms CasesRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II today sentenced Christopher Maurice McCallum, Jr. (28, Ocala) to 8 years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In addition, McCallum received a consecutive 2-year prison term on a related violation of supervision in another firearm case.
According to the plea agreement, on May 25, 2020, City of Ocala police officers responded to a shooting in a local neighborhood. The officers soon observed McCallum driving an automobile that was attempting to flee the area. McCallum was apprehended after a short pursuit, once he abandoned the automobile and tried to run on foot. In the driver-side floorboard of the automobile, officers recovered a stolen rifle loaded with ammunition. McCallum, a multi-convicted felon already on supervision for a federal weapons offense, is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under the law.
On June 6, 2020, officers again arrested McCallum on several outstanding federal warrants relating to this conduct. At the time of his arrest, McCallum had barricaded himself inside a rented apartment. A subsequent search of the apartment revealed two more loaded firearms—a stolen handgun and another rifle—along with illegal drugs and paraphernalia. This new criminal activity violated McCallum’s federal supervision from a 2014 conviction for the same charge—possession of a firearm affecting commerce by a convicted felon.
“A key component of ATF’s mission is reducing violent crime”, said ATF Special Agent in Charge Craig W. Saier, “ATF continues to aggressively pursue offenders related to firearms offenses and violent crime, and will continue to protect and serve our communities.
This case was investigated by the City of Ocala Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
Molotov Cocktails Earn an Ocala Man Nearly Five Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II today sentenced Tommy Lee Holt (27, Ocala) to four years and seven months in federal prison for possession of an unregistered destructive device. Following his prison term, Holt is ordered to serve three years of supervised release.
According to the plea agreement, on November 5, 2019, Holt manufactured eight “Molotov cocktails” using glass bottles filled with gasoline. All qualified as destructive devices and were subject to registration requirements under federal law. After illegally manufacturing the devices, Holt took them to a Marion County branch of the State of Florida’s Department of Children and Families. Once there, Holt lit the wicks on the destructive devices and unsuccessfully attempted to start a fire by throwing one at the building. When apprehended by police, Holt had a lighter clenched in his right hand and his clothing wreaked of gasoline.
“ATF’s primary focus is protecting the public from crimes involving firearms including the unlawful possession of unregistered destructive devices”, said ATF Special Agent in Charge Craig W. Saier.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the City of Ocala Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
Leader of Lee County Drug Distribution Ring Sentenced to Fourteen Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States District Judge John L. Badalamenti has sentenced Alphonda Baker, Sr. (45, Cape Coral) to 14 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute heroin and fentanyl and possessing multiple firearms as a convicted felon. Baker had pleaded guilty on February 5, 2020. Three of Baker’s associates were previously sentenced to federal prison for the conspiracy: Travis Lee Watkins (13 years); Tafawah Horrobin (10 years); and Michael Horrobin (4 years, 9 months).
According to court documents, Baker headed a drug organization that distributed significant amounts of heroin and fentanyl in Lee County, Florida. The investigation leading to Baker began in 2018, when law enforcement successfully purchased heroin laced with fentanyl from Horrobin, in Cape Coral, on multiple occasions. Law enforcement learned that Horrobin resided in Cape Coral but frequently visited a house in Lehigh Acres, where Watkins and Horrobin lived. Investigators eventually determined that the Lehigh Acres residence was rented by the leader of the organization, Baker, to serve as a “safe house” where large quantities of drugs intended for distribution could be stockpiled.
On August 16, 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Cape Coral Police Department executed search warrants at Horrobin’s Cape Coral residence, the Lehigh Acres safe house, and Baker’s Cape Coral residence. Inside Horrobin’s residence, law enforcement seized various items used to facilitate the distribution of drugs, an illegally possessed firearm, and cash. Inside the Lehigh Acres safe house, law enforcement seized approximately one kilogram of a fentanyl/heroin mixture, approximately 400 grams of cocaine, smaller amounts of crack cocaine and methamphetamine, and four firearms. Eight firearms were seized from inside Baker’s Cape Coral residence.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Cape Coral Police Department, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael V. Leeman.
Kissimmee Man Pleads Guilty to 13 Counts of Fentanyl and Heroin Distribution and Conspiracy in Case Involving Fentanyl Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Irving Cepeda-Chico (39, Kissimmee) today pleaded guilty to 1 count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl and 12 counts of distribution of heroin and fentanyl. Cepeda-Chico faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, Cepeda-Chico was involved in obtaining and distributing heroin and fentanyl-laced heroin in Orlando and elsewhere in central and northern Florida. Audio and video recordings showed Cepeda-Chico selling thousands of dollars of fentanyl-laced heroin on multiple occasions. Court-authorized wiretap recordings captured Cepeda-Chico discussing distribution plans, discussing the quality of his product with a Mexican supplier, offloading bad fentanyl and heroin on another distributor, and arranging to pay his supplier through money orders. The investigation specified 14 instances, in December 2018 through August 2019, where Cepeda-Chico either possessed with intent to distribute or distributed a total of over 1.3 kilograms of heroin, nearly 500 grams which were laced with fentanyl. In addition, Cepeda-Chico distributed fentanyl-laced heroin to an individual, M.D., who died in a fatal overdose on July 19, 2019. The United States will be seeking to hold Cepeda-Chico responsible for that death at his sentencing hearing.
Cepeda-Chico’s conspirators – Jeremy Zamot (23, Tampa) ; Kristen Ortiz (24, Orlando); Rachel Torres (25, Orlando); Christian Millan (36, Panama City); and Claribel Rivas (32, Panama City) — have all pleaded guilty to their roles in this conspiracy. They are scheduled to be sentenced on January 21 and January 22, 2021.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Orange County Sherriff’s Office, the Osceola County Sherriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Lakeland Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Central Florida High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), and District 9 and 25 Medical Examiner Offices. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.
Jacksonville Radiology Practice Agrees to Pay $1.4 Million to Resolve Health Care Fraud AllegationsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces today that Mori, Bean and Brooks, P.A. (MBB), a radiology practice in the Jacksonville, Florida area, has agreed to pay the United States $1.4 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for radiological images that were ineligible for reimbursement.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to protect public funds and our healthcare beneficiaries,” said United States Attorney Chapa Lopez. “We will aggressively pursue healthcare providers who violate Medicare regulations and hold accountable providers who knowingly submit fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid.”
The settlement resolves allegations that from April 27, 2012, through February 5, 2019, MBB billed healthcare programs for radiological images that were interpreted outside the United States. Medicare requires that for tele-radiology services to be eligible for reimbursement, they must be performed within the United States. The agreement also resolves allegations that the practice group billed for radiology services that were initially performed overseas but were re-interpreted by another radiologist in the U.S. and billed to the second, domestic radiologist as if the latter doctor had performed the original read.
“Knowingly submitting false claims for financial gain is unacceptable,” said Special Agent in Charge Omar Perez Aybar of the U.S. Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “Medicare only pays for services provided in accordance with Medicare rules. Today’s settlement should serve as a warning that anyone attempting to defraud taxpayer-funded health care programs will be vigorously pursued. ”
While MBB continued to bill Medicare and Medicaid for reads performed outside the country until after the United States informed it of the ongoing investigation, after being informed of the investigation MBB successfully reduced the amount owed to the government through diligent and effective cooperation.
This case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shea Gibbons and Sean Keefe for the Middle District of Florida. It was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General.
The settlement concludes a lawsuit originally filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida by Thomas Heyck, a radiologist who formerly worked for Mori, Bean and Brooks. Heyck sued under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act permitting a private citizen to sue on behalf of the United States for false claims and to share in the recovery. The case is captioned U.S. ex rel. Thomas Heyck v. Mori, Bean and Brooks, P.A, No. 3:18-cv-590-J-39PDB. The Act also allows the United States to intervene and prosecute the action. Heyck will receive 19% of the proceeds from the settlement.
Jacksonville Felon Pleads Guilty After Throwing A Gun While Fleeing from the PoliceRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Bruce Lanier Jefferson (46, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Because of Jefferson’s criminal history, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, and up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, on April 14, 2020, Jefferson was driving a Chevrolet Cobalt at high rate of speed in the Brentwood neighborhood of Jacksonville. A patrol officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) observed Jefferson’s erratic driving and attempted to pull him over. Jefferson positioned the car diagonally, as if he were going to drive on the sidewalk, exited the vehicle, and fled on foot. While fleeing, Jefferson threw a Taurus 9mm caliber pistol onto the sidewalk, then fell down. Jefferson attempted to regain his footing, at which point the JSO officer tased Jefferson and detained him. Other JSO patrol officers arrived on scene shortly thereafter, one of whom recovered Jefferson’s firearm from the sidewalk. The firearm had been equipped with an extended magazine and was loaded with 27 rounds of ammunition. Jefferson admitted to officers that he knew that he was a felon and that the Taurus 9mm caliber pistol belonged to him. The firearm had been reported stolen in 2019.
A subsequent search of Jefferson revealed that he was in possession of drugs, including suspected fentanyl. Before possessing the pistol, Jefferson had been convicted of ten felonies, including drug distribution offenses on three separate occasions. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
Duval Man Sentenced to 80 Years for Producing Photographs of His Sexual Assault of an Infant and Eighteen-Month-Old ChildRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Harlon David Prater (Jacksonville, 28) to 80 years in federal prison for producing photographs of his ongoing sexual assaults of an infant and 18-month-old child, and for distributing child sexual abuse material. The court also ordered Prater to a life term of supervised release and to pay restitution.
Prater had pleaded guilty on January 17, 2020.
According to court documents, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) began investigating reports of an individual sharing child sexual abuse material on social media and file-sharing applications. JSO determined that some of the files contained data indicating that the files were created at a residence in Duval County, Florida.
JSO detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence, where they encountered Prater. During an interview, Prater admitted to viewing and sharing child pornography. He also admitted that he had used his cellular telephone to produce files of child pornography depicting his sexual abuse of two different child victims. A forensic review of Prater’s cellular telephone revealed more than 900 images and more than 50 videos depicting the child exploitation of children. JSO forensics unit discovered photographs on Prater’s smart phone depicting Prater’s rape of an infant and also of an 18-month-old baby. Prater sent self-produced videos and images of child sexual abuse material to others using a social media application.
“These heinous crimes against children must come to an end,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “The sentencing in this case represents how committed HSI and our partners are about removing dangerous predators from our streets.”
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit
www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States District Judge John L. Badalamenti has sentenced Isaac D. Harvin (27, Fort Myers) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Harvin had pleaded guilty on February 14, 2020.
According to court documents, on April 2, 2019, Fort Myers Police Department officers initiated a traffic stop of Harvin’s vehicle after it was confirmed that he was driving without a valid driver’s license. When Harvin exited the driver door, officers smelled the scent of burnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and located a loaded handgun in the driver side inner kick-panel closest to where the driver’s right knee would be. Harvin was the vehicle’s only occupant. As a previously convicted felon, Harvin is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Fort Myers Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Trent Reichling.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Arkansas Man Arrested for Attempting to Induce the Molestation of A 9-Year-Old and Producing A Child Sex Abuse Video Using A Social Messaging AppRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Cody Dillon Hogan (25, Leachville, Arkansas) has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Jacksonville for attempting to induce the molestation of a 9-year-old child and the production of a child sex abuse video using a popular social messaging app. If convicted, Hogan faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, and up to 30 years, in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervised release. Hogan was arrested at his residence in Leachville, Arkansas on November 9, 2020, and was subsequently detained pending trial in Jacksonville, which is scheduled for January 4, 2021.
According to court documents and testimony, over a period of several weeks, an undercover FBI agent in Jacksonville, posing as the parent of a 9-year-old child, engaged in online conversations with Hogan using an online social messaging app. During these conversations, Hogan repeatedly solicited the “parent” to produce a pornographic video of the 9-year-old child and sent the undercover agent a $50 gift card as payment. Hogan also gave the “parent” detailed instructions as to how he wanted the “child” to be molested for the requested video.
On November 9, 2020, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Hogan’s residence in Arkansas. When interviewed, Hogan admitted that he had had online conversations with the mother of the 9-year-old child about producing and sending him a pornographic video of the child. He also admitted to having sexually explicit conversations online with three additional minor children and convincing two of them to produce and send him pornographic images and videos. A forensic review of Hogan’s iPhone revealed that it contained at least 20-30 videos of prepubescent minor females, 4-8 years old, engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal 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 Jonesboro, Arkansas, and the Jonesboro Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit
www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Ocala Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Cory Lamar Cohen, Jr. (22, Ocala) today pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Cohen had been indicted on August 19, 2020.
According to facts presented in court, on January 29, 2020, Cohen was the front seat passenger in a vehicle stopped by the Ocala Police Department for a traffic infraction. After a police canine alerted to the odor of illegal drugs in the car, a search revealed a black backpack on the floorboard that contained a loaded semi-automatic pistol, a second magazine loaded with ammunition, a glass jar containing a large amount of marijuana, five white opioid tablets, a digital scale, and Cohen’s State of Florida identification card. A subsequent laboratory analysis showed Cohen’s DNA profile at numerous locations on the recovered firearm. Cohen, a multi-convicted felon, is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ocala Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
Lawyer Sentenced for His Role in Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Joseph S. Anile, II (56, Sarasota) to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, money laundering, and filing a false income tax return. As part of the sentence, the court also entered a money judgment of $3,283,467, the proceeds of the fraud. Anile was also ordered to forfeit his interest in multiple pieces of real property, including a luxury residence in Sarasota, high-end vehicles, currency, gold coins, and silver bars, which are traceable to proceeds of the fraud.
Anile had pleaded guilty on September 26, 2019.
According to court documents, from November 2011 through April 18, 2019, Anile conspired with others to commit wire fraud and mail fraud. Through false and fraudulent representations and material omissions, the conspirators persuaded at least 700 victims to invest more than $72 million in a foreign exchange market (“FOREX”) fraud known as Oasis International Group. Anile, a licensed attorney, created offshore entities, secured broker-dealer licenses, drafted promissory notes and disclosures, monitored incoming wire transactions, directed outgoing wire transactions and interacted with victim-investors to help carry out the scheme. The conspirators also developed and administered a “back office” operation—a secure website that falsely and fraudulently depicted account balances and earnings—to convince victim-investors that their principal balances were safe and that their investments were performing.
In fact, the conspirators used only a portion of the victim-investors’ funds for FOREX trading, which resulted in catastrophic losses that were concealed. They used the balance of the victim-investors’ funds to make payments toward expenses associated with perpetuating the scheme, and to purchase million-dollar residential properties, high-end vehicles, gold, silver and other liquid assets, to fund a lavish lifestyle for the conspirators, their family members and friends, and for their personal enrichment. Anile used fraud proceeds to purchase other assets, including a Ferrari California T convertible. Anile did not report the victim-investors’ funds he received on his federal income tax returns.
“Make no mistake, white collar criminals absolutely destroy lives. Joseph Anile disgracefully conspired to orchestrate a scheme that ultimately did just that,” stated Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne of IRS Criminal Investigation. “Oasis International not only fraudulently depleted the life savings of its investors, many of them seniors, but also caused their victims and families untold mental anguish, emotional distress, and broken trust. These offenses are most heinous, and we are proud to stand with our law enforcement partners to bring these crooks to task.”
OFR Commissioner Russell C. Weigel, III, said “I thank OFR’s investigators and our partners in law enforcement for their efforts in this case. Criminals who perpetrate these types of financial schemes will be brought to justice, and I appreciate the valuable work of OFR’s team, the FBI, and the IRS in bringing this case to resolution.”
“It’s tough to hear the stories of financial hardship this scheme created. Rest assured, the FBI and its law enforcement partners will never cease to bring to justice heartless fraudsters like Joseph Anile who swindle hard-earned money from honest Americans,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division Michael F. McPherson.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Florida Office of Financial Regulation. A related civil action was brought by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which resulted in, among other actions, the appointment of a receiver.
The criminal case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachelle DesVaux Bedke. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.
Lake County Man Pleads Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Douglas V. Oakes has pleaded guilty to tax evasion. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Oakes tried to evade and defeat the payment of federal income taxes that he owed for tax years 2002 to 2005. In August 2015, after the IRS initiated collection actions, Oakes submitted a signed statement to the IRS in which he represented that he was not employed or self-employed, earned no income, and did not have a financial interest in any business entities. In fact, at that time, Oakes was working for Dealerindustry.com, LLC (“DI”) d/b/a Automotive Capital Corporation, a company in which he had a significant financial interest and from which he was earning approximately $400,000 per year. To conceal from the IRS his financial interest in DI, Oakes registered his daughters and others as DI’s managing members with the Florida Department of State, removed his name from DI’s website and bank account, and removed his profile from the website LinkedIn.
In addition, in September 2015, Oakes submitted a sham rent agreement to the IRS representing that he and his wife were renting their 4,321 sq. ft. lakefront home in Orlando from DI for $1 per month. In November 2015, Oakes further attempted to conceal his assets from the IRS by purchasing a new beachfront home in Merritt Island for $1 million in the name of a nominee.
In July 2017, following the death of his daughter, Oakes and another individual caused posthumous tax returns to be prepared for Oakes’s deceased daughter in which DI’s income from 2010 through 2015 was falsely claimed to be entirely his deceased daughter’s income. In fact, between 2010 and 2015, Oakes earned approximately $2.2 million in income from DI, including payments that Oakes caused to be made from DI’s business bank account for credit card payments, luxury car payments, and the rent for his lakefront home.
The total tax loss to the United States in this case was $1,112,651.
This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Chauncey A. Bratt and Jennifer M. Harrington.
Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Images Using Social Media AppRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Earl Frederic Owens (32, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to distributing child sex abuse images over the internet. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years, and up to 20 years, in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervised release. Additionally, Owens will be required to register as a sex offender and to forfeit several computer devices seized from his residence. Owens has been in custody since his arrest on November 19, 2019.
According to court documents, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cyber Crimes Center received a report from Kik, a social messaging application (“app”), that several different user accounts had uploaded and distributed images depicting the sexual exploitation of children to an online chat platform using the Kik app. Further investigation revealed that these materials were distributed from an apartment in Jacksonville where Owens lived.
On November 19, 2019, HSI agents executed a search warrant at Owens’s apartment. During an interview, Owens admitted that he uses the Kik app to chat with strangers about his “urges,” he has an interest in “pedophilia,” and that he traded child sex abuse materials with others online through group chats and private messages using the Kik app. A forensic examination of Owens’s laptop computer revealed that he had collected at least 2,149 images depicting young children being sexually abused.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Jacksonville, and the HSI Child Exploitation Investigations Unit – Cyber Crime Center in Fairfax, Virginia. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Federal Jury Convicts Lady Lake Man of Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – A federal jury has found Terry George Zimmerman (73, Lady Lake) guilty of possession of child pornography. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 23, 2021.
Zimmerman was originally indicted on December 11, 2019. A superseding indictment followed on February 26, 2020.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, the Lady Lake Police Department executed a search warrant at Zimmerman’s residence and seized several electronic devices containing materials involving the sexual exploitation of young children. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations recovered more than 2,395 images and 309 video files depicting children who were being sexually assaulted and exploited from two computers and twelve USB drives that Zimmerman had kept in his living room and bedroom.
Zimmerman had previously been convicted of this same child sexual exploitation offense on June 19, 1995, in New York. As a result, he faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years for this latest conviction.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lady Lake Police Department, and the Ocala Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael P. Felicetta and Tyrie K. Boyer.
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.
DNA Found on Firearm Lands Convicted Felon Back in PrisonRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, FL – United States District Judge John L. Badalamenti has sentenced Charles Arthur Herzberger (26, North Fort Myers) to three years and one month in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Herzberger had pleaded guilty on December 20, 2019.
According to court documents, officers from the Fort Myers Police Department observed Herzberger driving without wearing a seatbelt. As the officers attempted to maneuver their patrol vehicle into position to conduct a traffic stop, Herzberger quickly pulled into a parking space at a convenience store, exited the vehicle, and sprinted from the car. After a brief foot pursuit, Herzberger was apprehended. Officers searched the vehicle and located a loaded 9mm handgun under the driver’s seat. DNA analysis performed by a Florida Department of Law Enforcement analyst revealed that Herzberger’s DNA profile matched the DNA extracted from the firearm. As a previously convicted felon, Herzberger is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Fort Myers Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
Local Law School Graduate Who Twice Failed Bar Exam and Set up Two Fake Law Firms Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Senior U.S. District Judge James Moody, Jr. today sentenced Roberta A. Guedes (41, Tampa) to four years and six months in federal prison for mail fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a fraudulent scheme wherein Guedes posed and practiced law as a licensed attorney. The court also ordered Guedes to pay $14,318 in restitution to her victims.
Guedes had pleaded guilty on December 17, 2019.
According to court documents, in 2014, Guedes graduated from Stetson University College of Law, but twice failed the Florida Bar exam. Guedes has never been licensed to practice law in Florida nor in any other state. Despite this, in the fall of 2014, Guedes incorporated two fake law firms—Ferguson and McKenzie LLC, and Immigration and Litigation Law Office, Inc. Guedes marketed her legal services and rented office space at the Rivergate Tower in downtown Tampa. She took on multiple client-victims, misrepresenting herself as an attorney. Guedes charged her client-victims fees for services, which ranged from representation in immigration proceedings to family law matters. At times, Guedes impersonated a law school classmate and licensed attorney who had no involvement in Guedes’s sham law firms. As part of her fraudulent scheme, Guedes filed court pleadings and immigration petitions using her former classmate’s name and Florida Bar number, and she also made several personal appearances in federal immigration court (Orlando) and in Hillsborough County court posing as a licensed attorney.
Following the initiation of a Florida Bar investigation into her conduct, Guedes falsified and filed a third party affidavit in an attempt to undermine and discredit that investigation.
Guedes furthered her fraudulent scheme by using other victims’ personal identity information. For example, Guedes used one victim’s Social Security number, birthdate, and other identifying information to form corporations and to open bank accounts, credit cards, and other lines of credit for personal expenses and business-related expenses for her sham law firms.
“For years, Guedes engaged in a brazen pattern of fraud and deceit upon our legal and financial institutions,” said HSI Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Hector X. Colon. “Thanks to HSI and USCIS special agents and the Largo Police Department, she will be held accountable for her crimes.”
“The defendant’s illegal actions abused the trust placed in her by clients,” said USCIS Tampa District Director Michael Borgen. “USCIS is dedicated to identifying and exposing immigration fraud schemes, and we are proud to have partnered with ICE and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to shut down this illegal and deceptive practice.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, with assistance from the Largo Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Murray.
Jacksonville Armed Drug Dealer Sentenced to Ten Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Douglas Lanier Hogan (31, Jacksonville) to 10 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on two separate occasions. Hogan had pleaded guilty on August 12, 2020.
According to court documents, in July 2019, a cooperating defendant and a confidential informant, who were working at the direction of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, began purchasing crack cocaine from Hogan and his co-defendant, Terrence Eugene Watts, at a motel in Jacksonville. During at least one of these purchases, both Hogan and Watts were armed with pistols. In early August 2019, Hogan, a convicted felon, sold a .357 caliber pistol to the cooperating defendant. In late August 2019, Hogan again sold crack cocaine to the cooperating defendant and confidential informant from a residence in Jacksonville. In September 2019, Hogan sold crack cocaine to the confidential informant from another residence. During that transaction, Hogan possessed a pistol with an extended magazine, which he had offered to sell for $500. In October 2019, Hogan was arrested at one of the residences, inside of which were controlled substances and a drug scale. Hogan later admitted that he had sold drugs and that he had been to prison before and knew he could not possess firearms.
Terrence Eugene Watts previously pleaded guilty for his role in this case. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 11, 2021.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Fort Myers Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years for Possessing Child Sex Abuse Images and VideosRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti has sentenced Jeffrey Alan Dinkel (73, Fort Myers) to six years and six months in federal prison for possessing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.
Dinkel had pleaded guilty on May 20, 2019.
According to court documents, Dinkel had purchased a membership to several child pornography websites. During the execution of a search warrant at his residence, agents recovered his computer and floppy disks containing images and videos depicting children being sexually abused. Dinkel admitted to the agents that he had joined numerous websites that hosted images and videos of children being forced to perform sexual acts.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. 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.
Former Lawyer and CPA Charged with Tax Crimes in Addition to Defrauding Elderly InvestorsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of a superseding indictment charging Phillip Roy Wasserman (63, Sarasota) and Kenneth Murray Rossman (62, Bradenton) with filing false income tax returns, in addition to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, and substantive counts of wire fraud and mail fraud. The superseding indictment also charges Wasserman with tax evasion. If convicted, Wasserman and Rossman each face a maximum penalty of 20 years on each of the conspiracy, mail fraud, and wire fraud counts, and up to 3 years’ imprisonment on each count of filing a false income tax return. In addition, Wasserman faces a maximum of 5 years’ imprisonment for the tax evasion count. The superseding indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States is seeking a money judgment of at least $6.3 million, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.
According to the
superseding indictment , Wasserman, a former lawyer and licensed insurance agent, and Rossman, a Florida certified public accountant and licensed insurance agent, made false and fraudulent misrepresentations and concealed material information in order to convince elderly victim-investors to put their money into Wasserman’s new insurance venture, “FastLife.” Some victims were persuaded to liquidate traditional investments, such as annuities, and/or to borrow funds against existing life insurance policies to generate cash to invest in the venture. These victims were not told about surrender fees and other costs associated with the liquidations, and Rossman prepared income tax returns for victim-investors in a manner designed to conceal negative personal tax consequences that resulted from the liquidations from both the victim-investors and the Internal Revenue Service. Wasserman paid Rossman a percentage of the victim-investors’ money as compensation for his role in the conspiracy. Wasserman also used the victim-investors’ funds to make payments both to earlier victim-investors in the FastLife venture and to victim-investors in his earlier hedge fund and real estate fund ventures. Wasserman spent a significant amount of the victim-investors’ money to finance a lavish lifestyle that included luxury residences, high-end vehicles, jet skis, jewelry, entertainment, gambling, retail shopping, home improvements, personal insurance, and many other expenses, for his personal benefit and the benefit of his family members.The superseding indictment also alleges that Wasserman took numerous steps to evade payment of more than $900,000 in taxes and filed false individual and corporate income tax returns. It also alleges that Rossman filed false income tax returns for himself and for victim-investors.
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 Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and the Florida Office of Financial Regulation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachelle DesVaux Bedke and Colin P. McDonell.
Melbourne Man Sentenced for Collier County Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Richard Paul Cote (53, Melbourne) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for committing two bank robberies in Collier County. The court also ordered Cote to pay $5,134 in restitution to the victim banks.
Cote had pleaded guilty on February 10, 2020.
According to court documents, on June 11, 2019, Cote robbed the Bank of America located at 12965 Collier Boulevard in Naples. One week later, Cote robbed the Lake Michigan Credit Union located at 8635 Collier Boulevard in Naples. During each robbery, Cote gave notes to tellers demanding money. The victim tellers complied with the notes and provided money to Cote. Cote left behind a small folio on the teller counter of the Lake Michigan Credit Union, which ultimately led to his identification and arrest by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey F. Michelland.
Sex Crime Fugitive Sentenced for Passport Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Kenneth Mark Pohlmann (65, Longwood) to three years and two months in federal prison for passport fraud and identity theft. This sentence will be served consecutively to Pohlmann’s Florida state sentence for lewd act upon a child and lewd act in the presence of a child. Pohlmann was found guilty of passport fraud and identity theft after a bench trial on August 18, 2020.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial and sentencing, Pohlmann applied for a passport in his brother’s name in May 2000 in order to flee the United States after having failed to appear for an Orange County jury trial in June 2000 on child molestation charges. In 2006, Pohlmann renewed the false passport using his brother’s name at the U.S. Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica.
In 2007, Pohlmann was arrested for cocaine trafficking in Italy using his brother’s name. In 2016, the U.S. Department of State discovered Pohlmann’s fraud as a result of another renewal application.
It is unclear when Pohlmann returned to the United States, but on January 2, 2018, more than 17 years after Pohlmann failed to appear for his Orange County jury trial, special agents with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), working with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, tracked down Pohlmann at his mother’s home in Longwood, Florida. Pohlmann was then arrested on the pending child molestation charges and was later convicted of those charges.
After Pohlmann was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months for lewd act upon a child and lewd act in the presence of a child in Orange County, he was transferred to federal court to face the federal charges for passport fraud and identity theft that led to his capture.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, with assistance from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs Jr.
Poinciana Woman Indicted for Making False Statements to the Social Security AdministrationRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of an indictment charging Isis Baldwin (38, Poinciana) with three counts of making a false statement to a federal agency. If convicted, Baldwin faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison on each count.
According to the indictment, Baldwin made false statements to the Social Security Administration (SSA) in relation to her daughter’s receipt of Supplemental Security Income. Specifically, Baldwin made material misrepresentations regarding her daughter’s living arrangements during an interview with an SSA employee. Baldwin subsequently submitted a statement to SSA in which she falsely represented that her daughter had moved to a different address. Baldwin also provided a falsified lease agreement in support of her false claim regarding her daughter’s new living arrangements.
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 Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General. It will be prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Huyler.
Miami Man Sentenced to Twenty Years in Prison for Plotting to Kill Federal Judge and Federal ProsecutorRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom has sentenced Matthew Alexander King (23, Miami) to 20 years in federal prison for retaliation against a federal judge and solicitation to commit murder.
King had pleaded guilty to these charges on February 10, 2020.
According to court documents, King conspired to kill a U.S. District Judge and a federal prosecutor in Miami who previously handled a 2018 case where King was found guilty of murder-for-hire. In the previous case, King was prosecuted by an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida for hiring a hit-man to kill several family members of his estranged wife. Following a conviction in that case, the federal judge sentenced King to 97 months in federal prison.
Unhappy with the outcome, King then attempted to hire another hitman to kill the judge, the prosecutor, and six others. King also offered money to the hitman to murder the FBI agent who had investigated his case, a witness who had cooperated with authorities, his defense counsel, and the same three family members of his estranged wife whom he initially tried to have killed. Unbeknownst to King, the person he attempted to hire for the murders was actually an FBI undercover agent posing as a hitman. King unwittingly shared his plans with the agent while being secretly recorded on video.
Judge Bloom ordered King’s sentence to run consecutive to the previous 97 months’ sentence that he is currently serving.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S Marshals Service. In light of the fact that one of the alleged victims was a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, this prosecution was transferred to the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.
Jacksonville Woman Charged with FEMA Benefit Fraud Involving Hurricane IrmaRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of an indictment charging Roshell Marvita Hoover (37, Jacksonville) with disaster assistance fraud involving Hurricane Irma. If convicted, Hoover faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison, plus payment of restitution to the United States. Hoover was arrested on November 9, 2020.
According to the indictment, between September 2017 and July 2018, Hoover falsified records when submitting her application for disaster assistance to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Individuals and Households Program for Hurricane Irma. In her application to FEMA, Hoover falsely claimed that due to storm damage caused by Hurricane Irma, she could no longer live at her primary residence in Jacksonville and requested rental assistance (money) to purportedly help pay for rent at a new residence. In support of her disaster assistance application Hoover submitted falsified records to FEMA, including rental property documents and rental payment receipts.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
Former Employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs Pleads Guilty to the Misuse of Government FundsRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Edwin Torres Arenas (49, Oviedo) has pleaded guilty to seven counts of stealing government funds. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, over the course of two years, Torres Arenas misused vehicles rented through the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Short Term Rental Program (STR) on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and, in so doing, caused a loss of $58,114.12 to the VA. In or about October 2017, Torres Arenas began renting STR vehicles for his personal use, in violation of the STR program policy, and converted rentals associated with seven government contract bids to his own use. Torres Arenas also loaned STR rentals to his family members and provided them with the fuel cards assigned to their respective STR vehicles. Torres Arenas and his family incurred toll fees and utilized the fuel cards to fuel their respective STR rentals, the costs of which were charged to the VA.
Torres Arenas also caused a car accident with one of the STR rentals. The damage from this accident resulted in the total loss of that STR vehicle, the cost of which was also charged to the VA.
“VA employees are public servants who owe a solemn duty to the veterans they serve,” said David Spilker, Special Agent in Charge of VA OIG’s Southeast Field Office. “Today’s guilty pleas by the defendant demonstrate VA OIG’s commitment to holding accountable anyone who abuses the public trust. VA OIG thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office and GSA OIG for their strong partnership in this important matter.”
"GSA OIG is committed to preserving the integrity of GSA programs such as the GSA Fleet Short-Term Rental Program, which is intended to supply federal agencies with easy, one stop access to vehicles and equipment," stated Floyd Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of GSA OIG's Southeast and Caribbean Field Office. "We will continue to work with our investigative partners in pursuing those individuals who fraudulently exploit GSA programs for personal benefit and financial gain."
This case was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General and the General Services Administration – Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Daniels.Felon with Firearm Who Fled from Ocala Police Sentenced to More Than Four Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Kayden James Billings (22, Oxford) to four years and six months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Billings had pleaded guilty on August 14, 2020.
According to court records, in February 2020, Billings was released from state prison following three separate convictions. On April 11, 2020, a female companion drove Billings to an Ocala gas station. She ran inside to ask the clerk to summon police because Billings had been battering her and threatening her with a firearm. Two officers from the Ocala Police Department quickly responded and Billings fled from the gas station on foot. As he ran across Pine Avenue, Billings discarded a loaded .45 caliber handgun, along with his driver license. Billings surrendered after the pursuing officer caught up with him and threatened to deploy a Taser. The firearm, which had been previously reported stolen in Marion County, was identified by the victim as the same one Billings had used to threaten and batter her.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Ocala Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.
This is another case as part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
Felon with Firearm Who Fled from Citrus County Deputies Sentenced to 4 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Eric Lee Sputa (33, Homosassa) to four years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Sputa had pleaded guilty on August 14, 2020.
According to court documents, on May 26, 2020, a detective with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office observed Sputa on a motorcycle, with no license plate, driving at a high rate of speed. Sputa evaded the detective by speeding away and refusing to stop. Approximately one hour later, Sputa was spotted again and attempted to flee a second time. Sputa fled down a dead end street and was blocked by the pursuing detective. Sputa tried to pass the detective, and in doing so, crashed his motorcycle into a fence and the detective’s patrol car, thereby disabling the motorcycle.
At the time of the incident, Sputa possessed 1.5 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded .25 caliber pistol. Sputa has multiple felony convictions, the most recent occurring in 2019. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. Sputa admitted to fleeing because he did not want to go back to jail.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.
This is another case prosecuted as part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
Felon Who Stole and Resold Firearm Sentenced to 40 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced James Matthew Johnson (32, Summerfield) to 40 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Johnson had pleaded guilty on August 10, 2020.
According to court records, Johnson was a suspect in a case involving a firearm stolen from a vehicle on May 7, 2020. On May 18, 2020, deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Johnson’s home and recovered heroin and other firearms belonging to the occupants. Johnson, who is a convicted felon, admitted to stealing and reselling the firearm to another person to pay for drugs. Upon further investigation, deputies recovered the firearm—a Taurus model G3 9mm pistol—that Johnson had illegally transferred.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.
This is another case prosecuted as part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Connection with Firearms Theft ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Jamarius Tillie (28, Jacksonville) to five years and eight months in federal prison for aiding and abetting the theft of firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers and conspiring to steal firearms from such dealers. Tillie had pleaded guilty on January 17, 2020.
According to court documents, from about June 2017 through on or about August 2017, members of Tillie’s theft ring stole more than 10 firearms from at least 4 licensed firearms dealers in Jacksonville. While Tillie and others distracted the sales staff in these stores, another member of the ring would sneak behind counters and steal firearms. Tillie kept some guns for himself, but sold the majority of them to a local drug dealer. In exchange for assisting Tillie, members of the theft ring were sometimes paid with crack cocaine.
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 Michael J. Coolican.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Father, Son, and Daughter Sentenced to Prison in Firearms Straw Purchasing SchemeRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti has sentenced Jesus Robin Suarez (48, Naples), Kevin Robin Suarez (25, Naples), and Andrea Joselin Suarez (28, Naples) to federal prison for their roles in a firearms straw purchasing conspiracy. Jesus Suarez was sentenced to six years and six months in prison. His son, Kevin Suarez, was sentenced to three years and one month imprisonment. Jesus Suarez’s daughter, Andrea Suarez, was sentenced to four years and three months’ in federal prison. All three had pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiring to falsify records relating to firearms purchases.
According to court documents, Jesus Suarez directed his adult children to recruit their friends and acquaintances to make straw purchases of AK-47 rifles from Naples and Fort Myers-area licensed gun stores. In exchange for cash from the Suarez family, the straw purchasers fraudulently certified to the gun stores that they were buying the firearms for themselves, when in truth they were actually buying the guns for Jesus Suarez and his children. According to evidence presented at the sentencing hearings, these straw-purchased firearms were thereafter unlawfully exported by Jesus Suarez to his native Bolivia.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.
Two Pinellas County Men Sentenced in Timeshare ScamRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber has sentenced Ronald Carapellucci (51, Clearwater) to six years in federal prison and Manuel Parrado (47, St. Petersburg) to two years and six months in federal prison for their participation in a property-sale fraud scheme. Carapellucci and Manuel had pleaded guilty in July 2020.
According to court records, from 2015 through at least 2018, Carapellucci and Parrado conspired with others to take money from victims throughout the United States who wanted to sell their timeshare or other properties. Carapellucci, Parrado, and other conspirators placed telephone calls to these victims impersonating attorneys and real estate professionals. They misled the timeshare owners to believe that the conspirators had identified buyers for the victims’ timeshares and other properties. The conspirators further advised the victims that the timeshare and property sales could be consummated if the victims made one or more advanced payments to the conspirators for various fees purportedly associated with the sales, such as closing costs, courier services, title searches, transfer fees, and legal fees. Once the victims agreed to pay the bogus fees, the conspirators directed the victims to send funds via wire transfers to one of the conspirators. That conspirator then withdrew the fraud proceeds and shared them with the others, based upon each conspirator’s role in the fraudulent transaction. The conspirators often repeatedly re-contacted their victims and fraudulently advised them that additional fees were needed in order to complete the sales, and they continued to dupe the victims into sending bogus advance fees until the victims either ran out of money or became aware of the scam.
Several related defendants have pleaded guilty to charges related to this property-sale fraud scheme:
Name
Charge
Sentence
Gary Kinard
Wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft
7 years and 11 months in prison
Martin Steele
Wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft
7 years and 5 months in prison
Mark Boring
Wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft
7 years in prison
Richard Bell
Money laundering conspiracy
3 years and 4 months in prison
Jeffrey Grospitch
Wire fraud conspiracy
2 years and 3 months in prison
David Bell
Money laundering conspiracy
2 years and 3 months in prison
Joseph Willett
Money laundering conspiracy
2 years and 3 months in prison
Donald Seimo
Money laundering conspiracy
18 months in prison
Kevin McGarry
Money laundering conspiracy
18 months in prison
Bryan English
Money laundering conspiracy
12 months in prison
Phillip Torres
Money laundering conspiracy
Five years’ probation
Michael Levan
Money laundering conspiracy
Five years’ probation
Troy Cater
Money laundering conspiracy
Five years’ probation
Paul Wagner
Money laundering conspiracy
Sentence pending
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the St. Petersburg Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel K. Jones.