Middle District of Florida

Tampa, Florida – Carmelo Nolasco-Carbajal (42, Mexico) was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara to three years and one month in federal prison for illegal reentry by an aggravated felon. Nolasco-Carbajal pleaded guilty on December 19, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Nolasco-Carbajal is a citizen and national of Mexico. In February 2025, Nolasco-Carbajal was found by immigration authorities after an arrest for possession of cocaine in Hillsborough County, for which he was later convicted. Prior to being found, Nolasco-Carbajal had been removed from the United States on three prior occasions and had not received permission to reenter the United States. Nolasco-Carbajal had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses, including aggravated battery with serious bodily injury, aggravated assault, and illegal reentry. 

This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.

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

Tampa, FL – Rosbin Leonardo Duarte-Elvir (43, Honduras) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge William F. Jung to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison and a $5 million forfeiture for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States. Duarte-Elvir pleaded guilty on December 11, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the plea agreement and other court documents, beginning on an unknown date and continuing through 2024, Duarte-Elvir routinely owned and invested in cocaine shipments that were bound for the United States. With the help of a security supervisor and other corrupt airport employees, conspirators loaded commercial aircraft with cocaine disguised in boxes of fruit at Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali, Colombia and intended for Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport in San Andrés Island, Colombia. With the assistance of no fewer than 20 corrupt Colombian police officers, the conspirators exported the cocaine out of the San Andrés Island airport, then smuggled the narcotics by boat to either Nicaragua or Honduras, then to Mexico and the United States via land routes.

Historically, Duarte-Elvir and his co-conspirators owned and successfully trafficked thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to the United States. Their last drug trafficking endeavor was in May 2024. After the conspirators’ drug trafficking route was temporarily disrupted due to a seizure at the San Andrés Island airport in 2023, Duarte-Elvir and other leaders in his transnational criminal organization (TCO) decided it was time to re-open their illicit air route. On May 7, 2024, Duarte-Elvir’s couriers tried importing 540 kilograms of cocaine into the Cali airport, but Colombian law enforcement officers seized the load of cocaine. Had the importation been successful, this load of cocaine would eventually be bound for the United States.

(Photo of drug seizure)

Throughout his years owning and trafficking cocaine in Colombia, Duarte-Elvir and his TCO earned substantial profits. Duarte-Elvir used the proceeds of drug trafficking to furnish a lavish lifestyle, to include a large estate outside of Cali, Colombia.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service. Valuable assistance was provided by the Colombian National Police’s Dirreccion de Antinarcotics (DIRAN) and the Colombian Equipo de Trabajo Investigativo Control Aeronaves (ETICA). The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá worked with Colombian authorities to secure the arrest and March 2025 extradition from Colombia of Duarte-Elvir. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Pardo. Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne C. Nebesky is handling the forfeiture.

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

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

Tampa, Florida– Allin IP DX LLC, a laboratory located in Sarasota, Florida, has agreed to pay $980,000 to resolve allegations that the company violated the Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act by unlawfully paying a marketing service for referrals of Medicare beneficiaries. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

The United States contends that, between January 2 and June 15, 2023, Allin paid remuneration to independent marketers in exchange for the referral of lab specimens to Allin in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute resulting in the submission of false claims to the Medicare program in violation of the False Claims Act. Allin voluntarily self-disclosed this conduct to the United States and cooperated with the government’s investigation by providing the United States with a detailed disclosure statement and other supplemental information to assist the United States in its investigation.

The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and other federally funded healthcare programs. It seeks to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.        

“This settlement is a reflection of our commitment to protect our healthcare programs and deter those who violate federal laws at the expense of our taxpayers,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “Laboratory testing is important to our beneficiaries, and we will hold providers accountable to safeguard our programs and ensure the provision of appropriate lab services to patients.”

“Medicare beneficiaries rely on the integrity of the Medicare program,” said Special Agent in Charge Isaac M. Bledsoe of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Today’s resolution demonstrates our continued commitment to holding providers accountable and ensuring that medical decisions are driven by patient needs, not illegal incentives.”

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General. It was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Sean Keefe.

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

Orlando, Florida – Craig Stevens (34, Daytona Beach) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. to four years and six months in federal prison for conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $19,762.38, the proceeds Stevens obtained from the scheme. Stevens pleaded guilty on October 23, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Stevens was employed as a personal care assistant for an elderly victim at an assisted living facility in Palm Coast. Stevens obtained and shared the victim’s personal identifiable information with his co-defendants, Jataiya Johnson and Aaron Harden. Between December 2019 and February 2020, the group used the victim’s personal information to access the victim’s bank accounts and apply for credit cards and loans under the victim’s name. They then used the bank accounts and credit cards to make fraudulent personal purchases and transactions.

Jataiya Johnson and Aaron Harden have pleaded guilty to their roles in this case. They are awaiting sentencing. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diane S. Hu. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole M. Andrejko.

Ocala, Florida – Clayton Lee Harris (22, Ocklawaha) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber to 10 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. He pleaded guilty on November 13, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court records, on July 26, 2025, an undercover officer portrayed a 14-year-old female on an online dating website. Harris contacted the undercover officer and, after learning the minor’s age, asked to meet for a sexual encounter. When Harris arrived at the meeting location, he was apprehended by law enforcement.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

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

Ocala, Florida – Kevin Eugene Leeks, Jr. (34, Leesburg) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber to 3 years and 10 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He pleaded guilty on October 31, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court records, Leeks has been a convicted felon since 2013. His prior felony convictions include robbery with a deadly weapon. On July 13, 2019, a deputy from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by Leeks. During the stop, Leeks instructed a passenger to throw Leeks’s loaded pistol out of the car window. The deputy recovered the firearm and arrested Leeks. As a convicted felon, Leeks is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

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

Ocala, Florida – Gregory Coleman III (29, Leesburg) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber to five years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He pleaded guilty on July 21, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court records, Coleman has been convicted of four state felonies—aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting a law enforcement officer with violence, fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, and possession of cocaine. Following these convictions, on November 4, 2023, Coleman sold a firearm to a confidential source who was working in cooperation with federal agents. Coleman told the source he had more firearms but wanted to keep them for himself. As a convicted felon, Coleman is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Eustis Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

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

Tampa, Florida– Kimani Brennen Fletcher (26, Covington, GA) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti to 27 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The court also ordered Fletcher to pay $40,800 in restitution and in forfeiture. Fletcher pleaded guilty in December 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, between April 15 and April 22, 2024, co-conspirators of Fletcher placed telephone calls to victims in which they falsely and fraudulently identified themselves as members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The victims were told they had outstanding warrants and needed to pay money to avoid arrest. Fletcher posed as a bail bondsman and picked up money from victims in the Middle District of Florida. Once Fletcher received the fraud proceeds, he provided the funds to his co-conspirators. In total, Fletcher obtained approximately $40,800 in fraud proceeds.       

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.

Tampa, Florida – Carlos Enrique Diaz Roque (29, Brooksville) has pleaded guilty to obstruction of official proceeding. Diaz Roque faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the plea agreement, Diaz Roque, a licensed notary, agreed to prepare an immigration document for Client-1. Diaz Roque, however, has never been a licensed attorney.

On February 3, 2025, Diaz Roque filed a motion to administratively close Client-1’s pending Orlando Immigration Court case. That same day, Diaz Roque also filed a document that was supposedly the Department of Homeland Security’s brief opposing Client-1’s motion. That brief said that the Department of Homeland Security “requests that the Court don’t deny the respondent’s motion to administratively close proceedings in the above-captioned case.” Diaz Roque signed the document in the name of the attorney for the Department of Homeland Security.  In fact, as Diaz Roque well knew, the Department of Homeland Security’s attorney did not prepare, sign, file or authorize filing the brief with the Orlando Immigration Court in Client-1’s case.

On June 30, 2025, Client-1 testified under oath in Orlando Immigration Court that he hired Diaz-Roque to prepare the motion for administrative closure. Client-1 denied ever seeing the opposition to it. On November 18, 2025, Diaz Roque admitted to two Homeland Security Investigations agents that he falsely signed the Department of Homeland Security’s brief and filed it.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall.

Jacksonville, Florida – Jonathan Simeon Gholston (35, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to conspiring to receive kickbacks in return for the referral of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries for the provision of HIV prophylactic medications. He faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the plea agreement, Gholston owned and operated a marketing company that entered into an agreement with a Jacksonville pharmacy to market HIV post-exposure prophylactic medications that would be provided by the pharmacy. HIV post-exposure prophylactic medications are medicines that must be taken very soon after a possible exposure to HIV to prevent the virus from taking hold in the body.

The marketing company’s representatives set up tents and tables in Jacksonville, generally in low-income areas and usually near store fronts, and offered to provide free, government-sponsored cellphones to anyone who stopped and agreed to provide their personal information to obtain the phones. As a result of the marketing company’s agreement with the pharmacy, while obtaining the personal information necessary for the person to receive the free cellphone, the marketers also obtained health insurance information, including whether the person was covered by Medicare or Medicaid. The persons who were signed up by the marketers believed that they were agreeing only to receive a free cellphone and did not request or agree to receive HIV medications.

The agreement between the marketing company and the pharmacy provided that pharmacy would pay the marketing company $200 for every person who was referred for the provision of HIV medications but that the pharmacy would pay this amount only if a claim submitted on behalf of the person was paid by Medicare or Medicaid. The marketing company in turn paid its marketers a set amount, usually $50, for every person they referred, but it paid this amount only if the claim for that person was paid by Medicare or Medicaid. Payments to marketers of a set amount based on whether a claim is paid are illegal kickbacks under federal law.

The information gathered by the marketers was sent to the pharmacy, which used the information to generate prescriptions for HIV prophylactic medications that were authorized by a nurse practitioner. The nurse practitioner had never seen, spoken with, or performed any manner of evaluation, examination, or test on the persons for whom the prescriptions were issued. The pharmacy filled the prescriptions, submitted claims to Medicare or Medicaid for the medications, and was reimbursed approximately $4,000 per month for each person for whom a claim was paid.

During the investigation, law enforcement agents interviewed numerous individuals who had received HIV medications without their request or consent. For some of these, taking the medications could have seriously endangered their health, given pre-existing medical conditions from which they suffered.

The actions of Gholston and his co‑conspirators caused the submission of approximately 20,316 fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid, resulting in reimbursements from Medicare totaling approximately $11,681,479 and reimbursements from Medicaid totaling approximately $12,536,267. Accordingly, the total loss to these programs was approximately $24,217,746. From this amount, Gholston received a total of approximately $2,273,000, which he has agreed to forfeit to the government.

This case was investigated by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Harrington.

Orlando, Florida – A federal jury has found James Bernard Grover (Deltona, 63) guilty of coercing and enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. Grover faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 28, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Grover was the founder and executive director of the Special Needs Advocacy Program, or “SNAP,” a nonprofit organization based in Sanford, Florida. Through SNAP, Grover met an autistic minor and coerced and enticed the minor victim to engage in sexual activity.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sanford Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Diane S. Hu and Robert D. Sowell.

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

Tampa, Florida – Mohamad Jihad Fakih (Tampa, 27) has been sentenced by U.S. Senior District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington to four and a half years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and attempting to export a stolen motor vehicle. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $378,886.96, the proceeds of the conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  Fakih was found guilty on August 21, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Fakih conspired with others to commit wire fraud by obtaining fraudulent loans from automotive financing companies. Because of Fakih’s role as a car dealer and wholesaler, he had access to a dealership website through which automobile financing applications could be submitted. To facilitate the scheme, Fakih and his coconspirator would identify straw purchasers and submit falsified loan applications to the victim companies on their behalf, misrepresenting that a vehicle was being purchased by the straw purchaser. In reality, there was no vehicle for sale.

After the financing loans were approved, the loan amounts would be disbursed to Fakih as the seller of the vehicle, and his coconspirator and straw purchasers would receive a cut from the proceeds. It was also part of Fakih’s scheme to file false insurance claims for the vehicles, reporting them as stolen. In other instances, Fakih attempted to export vehicles for which he had fraudulently obtained financing and for which the financing company held a lien. In total, Fakih repeated this scheme for at least six vehicles in the amount of at least $372,000.

Additionally, Fakih engaged in more straightforward theft, attempting to export stolen cars overseas. Fakih, using one of the straw purchasers, procured a stolen Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV. He arranged for the Cullinan to be shipped in a container out of the Port of Savannah, the manifest for which had been falsified so as not to alert law enforcement as to its true contents. U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized the container and assessed that the stolen Cullinan’s MSRP was approximately $460,000.

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

Tampa, FL – Heidi Richards (52, Brandon) has been sentenced to 22 months in federal prison after a jury found her guilty of conspiring to traffic in illicit Microsoft certificate of authenticity (COA) labels. The Court also ordered Richards to pay a $50,000 fine. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Richards, doing business as Trinity Software Distribution, paid co-conspirators millions of dollars for thousands of genuine, standalone Microsoft COA labels at prices significantly lower than the retail price of the associated software. Richards and her employees harvested product key codes from the labels, then sold them in bulk to her customers. Federal law prohibits the trafficking of standalone COA labels separate from the software programs they were intended to accompany.

COA labels authenticate Microsoft software, assist customers in identifying genuine software, and bear security features intended to dissuade counterfeit duplication. There is an illicit, secondary market for COA labels because they bear product key codes used to activate Microsoft software. COA labels are not to be sold separately from the license and hardware that they are intended to accompany, and they hold no independent commercial value.

Homeland Security Investigations (Kansas City Field Office) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Risha Asokan of the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Jared Hosid of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) prosecuted the case.

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds. 

Fort Myers, Florida – Kristin Cara Kunstler (43, Amarillo, TX) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kyle C. Dudek to five years and one month in federal prison for theft of government money and aggravated identity theft. Kunstler pleaded guilty on October 23, 2025. As part of her sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $2,797,083, the proceeds of the theft of government money. United States Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, on January 2, 2025, Kunstler knowingly stole money belonging to the United States Treasury by depositing a U.S. Treasury check belonging to the victim. Kunstler identified herself using the victim’s name and opened a bank account in the name of the victim at a bank branch located in Naples, FL. Kunstler used the victim’s name, date of birth, and driver license number to open the account without the victim’s knowledge or consent, then deposited a U.S. Treasury check in the amount of $2,797,083 made payable to the victim. Kunstler was the sole signer on the bank account. 

By February 19, 2025, Kunstler had withdrawn at least $1.5 million from the bank account. She used the money for her own use and the use of another.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava. Assistant United States Attorney James A. Muench is handling the forfeiture.

Fort Myers, Florida – Jose Manuel Caraballo-Torres (39, Fort Myers) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. The sentencing is set for May 22, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, on September 27, 2025, Caraballo-Torres was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for speeding by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. Based on an odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle and the lack of a medical marijuana card, the deputy removed the passengers, one by one, and conducted a pat down for the deputy’s safety. During the pat down of Caraballo-Torres, the deputy located a loaded Ruger LCP .380 caliber pistol on Caraballo-Torres’s person. This firearm had been reported stolen out of Orlando. As a previously convicted felon, Caraballo-Torres is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick L. Darcey.

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

Fort Myers, Florida – Frederick Charles Kutchinsky (54, North Fort Myers) has pleaded guilty to possessing multiple firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. The sentencing is set for May 29, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, on January 24, 2025, deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Warrants Unit (FWU) responded to Kutchinsky’s home in North Fort Myers to serve an active felony arrest warrant from Georgia. While in the process of getting Kutchinsky to come outside, FWU deputies observed multiple firearms in plain view through the residence windows, one of which was a .50 caliber rifle. Kutchinsky exited the home and was taken into custody.

FWU deputies obtained and executed a search warrant and located more than 50 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition inside the residence as well as a work bench with firearms parts and tools for modifying firearms.

As a previously convicted felon, Kutchinsky is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick L. Darcey.

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

Ocala, FL – Mario Cesar Dos Santos, Jr. (50, Massachusetts) has been charged by indictment and arrested for the fraudulent use of government seals. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Dos Santos is the president of an organization called Chaplain Emergency Management Agency Inc. (CEMA), which he falsely claimed was a government agency endorsed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In doing so, Dos Santos fraudulently used the seals of FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Neither Dos Santos nor CEMA have authorization to use the seals of DHS, FEMA, or FBI, nor are they otherwise affiliated with DHS, FEMA, FBI, or any other department or agency of the federal government.

As outlined in the court documents, Dos Santos has organized multiple CEMA chaplaincy training courses throughout the country. At these trainings, Dos Santos provided participants with identification cards, law enforcement badges, and course completion certificates containing the seals of various departments and agencies of the United States. As shown in the redacted images below, the identification cards contain one of CEMA’s logos, which consists of the DHS seal, modified to state, “U.S. Department of Homeland Chaplain.” The back of the identification cards contain the DHS/FEMA seal with no alterations. The certificates contain the FBI seal and a slightly different version of the CEMA logo—an older version of the FEMA seal, modified to state, “U.S. Department of Homeland Chaplain.”

Dos Santos also offered various CEMA merchandise for sale, including polo shirts, bumper stickers, jackets, badges, and badge holders—all bearing either the DHS or FEMA seal. During an undercover operation conducted at a training held on September 27, 2025, a confidential informant purchased merchandise items, pictured below:

CEMA’s website and social media accounts all display the CEMA logo (an altered version of the DHS seal) and falsely identify CEMA as a government organization or federal agency.

Dos Santos is a Brazilian national who came to the United States in 2016. He has overstayed his visa and is undergoing deportation proceedings. In connection with his immigration case, Dos Santos submitted multiple fraudulent documents, including a “Certificate of Ordination” and a diploma from the “University of Berkley” in Michigan, which does not exist.

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 Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with material support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, and the Federal Air Marshal Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos.

Jacksonville, Florida – Jerry Alexander Cobb (38, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to using his cellphone and the internet to attempt to entice a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. Cobb faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. His sentencing hearing has been set for May 27, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, between July 18 and August 1, 2025, an FBI agent (UC) in Jacksonville was conducting an undercover operation on an online social media application (app) to identify adults who were seeking to make contact with and engage in sexual activity with children. During this operation, UC and app user “Jerry,” later identified as Cobb, exchanged several private online text messages on the app. After UC advised “Jerry” that “she” was only 13 years old, “Jerry” texted, “[w]e can be friends” and repeatedly asked for the location of the “child’s” residence, whether the “child” could “sneak out at night,” and if “she” was a “virgin.”

On July 30, 2025, “Jerry” texted the “child” that they should meet and texted, “[y]ou want to just get a hotel room?” “Jerry” suggested that they engage in sexual activity in the hotel room and promised that he would bring and use a condom. On July 31, 2025, Cobb texted the “child,” “[y]es I’m serious that we can [have] sex.” The next day, Cobb and the “child” made plans to meet for sexual activity later that day in Jacksonville.

That evening, Cobb traveled to the location where he intended to meet the purported 13-year-old “child” for sex. Upon arrival, Cobb was arrested by FBI agents. 

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

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

Fort Myers, Florida – Elvis Reniery Callejas Flores (43, Honduras) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kyle C. Dudek to two years in federal prison for aggravated identity theft. Callejas Flores pleaded guilty on September 4, 2025. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was contacted by the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) about Callejas Flores, a Honduran national living in Florida. INTERPOL provided a copy of latent fingerprints from Callejas Flores and information that he was using the assumed identities of two different United States citizens. 

On February 24, 2025, HSI agents encountered Callejas Flores at a construction site in Cape Coral. Callejas Flores provided agents with a Florida driver license as identification using the name of a victim. Further, Callejas Flores falsely claimed that he had been born in New York.

On April 10, 2025, HSI agents executed a search warrant at Callejas Flores’s home. During the search, agents located items that identified the true name of Callejas Flores. They also located the New York birth certificate in the name of the victim that Callejas Flores had used without lawful authority. A latent fingerprint comparison of the prints provided by INTERPOL and fingerprints taken by law enforcement on two prior encounters with Callejas Flores, when he used two different names, confirmed that the fingerprints belonged to the same individual.

“Safeguarding personal information in today’s modern world is becoming increasingly difficult, yet paramount to prevent fraud and the victimization of unwitting citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “The cooperation and diligent investigation by INTERPOL and Homeland Security Investigations in this case proved successful in revealing the true identity of a bad actor and bringing him to justice.” 

“Identity theft is a serious crime that undermines the integrity of our nation’s identification systems and victimizes innocent citizens,” said Homeland Security Investigations Ft. Myers Resident Agent in Charge John Yancey. “HSI, alongside our partners, remains committed to protecting the public by investigating and prosecuting those who use stolen identities to conceal their true identity and evade the law. This conviction demonstrates our dedication to holding offenders accountable and safeguarding the security of our communities.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.

Jacksonville, Florida – Miguel Solis-Morales (42, Mexico) has been charged by indictment with illegal reentry into the United States by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Solis-Morales faces up to 20 years in federal prison and subsequent deportation and removal from the United States. Solis-Morales made his initial appearance in federal court in Jacksonville on February 26, 2026, and ordered detained pending a detention hearing on March 4 ,2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Solis-Morales was convicted of sexual battery on September 10, 2009, in Jacksonville. He was then ordered to be designated as a sexual predator under Florida law. On May 21, 2025, he was removed from the United States by immigration authorities. On February 16, 2026, Solis-Morales was found to be voluntarily back in the United States and was arrested. Records checks confirmed that he had not applied to U.S. immigration authorities for permission to lawfully reenter the United States after his removal.

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 Homeland Security Investigations and the Florida Highway Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

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

Tampa. Florida – Mario Mercier Hernandez (61, New Port Richey) has been sentenced by United States District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle to the statutory maximum of 10 years in federal prison for the interstate transportation of stolen property. Mercier pleaded guilty on July 25, 2025. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, beginning around 2019, Mercier embarked on a string of thefts of avionics equipment from more than forty airports across the United States, including airports in Florida, Tennessee, New Jersey, Maryland, and South Carolina. Mercier, using his knowledge and skill as an FAA-certified pilot, entered each airport, broke into airplanes, and stole valuable electronics equipment from the planes. In total, Mercier stole more than $1.1 million worth of avionics electronics from his victims. Mercier’s thefts continued until May 23, 2024, when he was arrested while stealing equipment from aircraft at the Caldwell Executive Airport in Caldwell, Idaho.

Mercier owned and operated JWG International and JWG Aviation in the Middle District of Florida. These companies purported to provide aid to impoverished children in Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine. Mercier used these companies to sell the stolen avionics equipment on various websites to unsuspecting purchasers around the United States.

Previously, in 1993, Mercier was convicted in the Eastern District of Texas for a series of avionics burglaries across Texas, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Vermont. In 2007, Mercier was also convicted of transportation of stolen property in the Middle District of Florida, relating to a similar scheme to steal and resell avionics equipment.

“This investigation spanned multiple states and involved numerous agencies,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “Clearly, it demonstrates the ability and resolve of our law enforcement partners to extend their reach and bring criminals to justice.”

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear and unequivocal message that those who engage in extensive, far-reaching schemes to steal, transport, and resell avionics equipment will face serious consequences,” said Greg Thompson, Special Agent-in-Charge, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Mid-Atlantic Region. “Together with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, we will relentlessly pursue those who seek to exploit our transportation systems and ensure they are brought to justice.”  

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Department of Transportation - Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS), St. Mary's Sheriff's Office (Lexington Park, Maryland), Canyon County Sheriff's Office and Caldwell Police Department (Caldwell, Idaho), Wilkes County Sheriff's Office (Wilkesboro, North Carolina), McClain County Sheriff's Office (Purcell, Oklahoma), Concord Police Department (Concord, North Carolina), Baxter County Sheriff’s Office (Mountain Home, Arkansas), Moore County Sheriff's Office (Carthage, North Carolina), Hillsborough Township Police Department (Hillsborough, New Jersey), Charleston County Aviation Authority Police Department (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina), Statesville Police Department (Statesville, North Carolina), Dorchester County Sheriff's Office (Summerville, South Carolina), Asheboro Police Department (Asheboro, North Carolina), Oconee County Sheriff's Office (Walhalla, South Carolina), Nashau Police Department (Nashau, New Hampshire), Citrus County Sherriff's Office (Inverness, Florida), Greenwood County Sheriff's Office (Greenwood, South Carolina), Lane County Sheriff's Office (Eugene, Oregon), Ontario County Sheriff's Office (Canandaigua, New York), Stow Police Department (Stow, Massachusetts), Burke County Sheriff's Office (Morganton, North Carolina), Iredell County Sheriff's Office (Mooresville, North Carolina), Charles County Sheriff's Office (Waldorf, Maryland), Thomasville Police Department (Thomasville, Georgia), Clarksville Police Department (Clarksville, Tennessee), Macon County Sheriff's Office (Franklin, North Carolina), Lincoln County Sheriff's Office (Lincolnton, North Carolina), McMinn County Sheriff's Office (Athens, Tennessee), Robertson County Sheriff's Office (Springfield, Tennessee), Lumberton Police Department (Lumberton, New Jersey), Bedminster Police Department (Bedminster, New Jersey), Spanish Fork Police Department (Spanish Fork, Utah), and Vancouver Police Department (Vancouver, Washington). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey Schmidt. 

Tampa, Florida – Jacob Paul Arjona (32, Bakersfield, CA) has been sentenced to 24 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. This sentence is to be served concurrently with Arjona’s sentence in a separate federal methamphetamine trafficking and kidnapping case, in which he was sentenced in August 2025 to 17 years and 7 months’ imprisonment. Arjona has been in custody since February 25, 2025, he pleaded guilty on November 19, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Arjona recruited Hernan Cruz-Moreno and Agustin Ortiz-Sanchez to transport more than 120 pounds of methamphetamine to Tampa in their luggage on a flight from Los Angeles, California to Tampa International Airport (TIA) on May 3, 2023, while Arjona traveled to Florida separately to oversee the distribution of the methamphetamine. 

After Cruz-Moreno and Ortiz-Sanchez were stopped and arrested at TIA and their luggage was seized, special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) had packaging from the seized methamphetamine tested and received a positive match on fingerprint testing for Arjona. Airline records showed that Arjona had traveled to Tampa later and flew out of Orlando on May 3, 2023.

Cruz-Moreno previously pleaded guilty to trafficking charges and was sentenced in April 2024 to 7 years and 3 months’ imprisonment. Ortiz-Sanchez fled after he was released on bond and remains a fugitive from justice.

Airline records also connected Arjona to similar ventures in other jurisdictions involving marijuana and methamphetamine. In addition, airline and baggage records the HSI agents had gathered while investigating this case helped the Drug Enforcement Administration connect Arjona to an unrelated October 2023 drug and kidnapping case in Holiday, Florida. Arjona pleaded guilty in that case in December 2024.

“The coordination and cooperation by our law enforcement partners were effective in disrupting the trafficking of methamphetamine from coast to coast,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “We will continue to work together to prevent the flow of dangerous drugs into our communities across the Middle District of Florida.”

“Illicit narcotics like methamphetamine pose a grave threat that destroys lives, tears apart families, and undermines the safety and well-being of neighborhoods across the country,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tampa acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Calvo. HSI, alongside our partners at Tampa International Airport Police Department, are dedicated to stopping these criminals from importing the devastating effects of illegal drugs into our communities.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Tampa International Airport Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs, Jr.

Tampa, Florida – Matthew Edward Zoladz (36, Palmetto) has been charged by federal indictment with a violation of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act and a violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. If convicted on all counts, Zoladz faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, on December 8, 2022, Zoladz illegally dumped the body of Victim 1 into ocean waters.

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

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

Jacksonville, FL – Eugene Campbell IV (35, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in connection with two Jacksonville restaurant robberies. Campbell faces a minimum penalty of 20 years, up to two life terms plus 20 years, in federal prison. His sentencing date has not yet been set. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the plea agreement, on August 4, 2025, Campbell entered a pizza restaurant in Jacksonville, discharged a sawed-off rifle into the ceiling, and demanded money from the employees at gunpoint. He escaped with approximately $500. The next day, Campbell entered another pizza restaurant in Jacksonville, discharged his firearm into the wall, demanded money from the employees at gunpoint, and escaped with approximately $700. Law enforcement conducted ballistics analyses of the shell casings recovered at both scenes, which showed that the rounds had been fired from the same gun that had also been used during another incident in St. Johns County.

Investigators connected the robberies to Campbell by interviewing Campbell’s associates and reviewing surveillance footage obtained from the victims and neighboring businesses. Officers from Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrested Campbell on August 6, 2025, he subsequently admitted to the robberies.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David B. Mesrobian.

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

Tampa, Florida – Joel Thomas Lust (51, New Port Richey) has been charged by federal indictment with possessing child sex abuse material. If convicted, Lust faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, between March 2023 and May 2024, Lust possessed and accessed with intent to view a matter which contained a visual depiction involving the sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12.

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

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

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

Orlando, Florida – Christopher Alexander Delgado (34, Apopka) has been arrested on a criminal complaint charging him with wire fraud and money laundering. If convicted on all counts, Delgado faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to the complaint, Delgado was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Goliath Ventures, formerly known as Gen-Z Venture Firm. From January 2023 through January 2026, Delgado operated Goliath as a “Ponzi scheme,” which is a form of investment fraud that involves the payment of purported returns to existing investors from funds contributed by new investors. Delgado’s scheme involved soliciting victims to invest substantial sums of money under false and fraudulent promises of monthly returns generated through cryptocurrency “liquidity pools.” Victims were induced to give money to Goliath through personal referrals, professional marketing materials, luxury events, charitable sponsorships, and some monthly payments of purported returns, all of which were designed to establish Goliath’s bona fides with investors. Based on these false and fraudulent representations, Goliath obtained at least $328 million from victim investors.

Although Goliath represented that it would place the victim investors’ funds in cryptocurrency liquidity pools, in reality, the funds were primarily used to pay purported returns to earlier investors, to return principal to investors who requested it, and for Goliath’s extravagant business gatherings, holiday parties, and luxury travel accommodations. With victim investors’ funds, Delgado purchased four residential properties each worth between $1.15 million and $8.5 million. 

Victims identified by law enforcement will directly receive notice of their rights pursuant to the Crime Victims’ Rights Act. If you believe you are a victim and have not otherwise received notice, please email [email protected]. You can also visit https://justice.gov/usao-mdfl/goliath_ventures for more information on how to self-identify yourself to law enforcement.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Richard Varadan, Noah P. Dorman, and Hannah Nowalk Watson.

Orlando, Florida– A federal jury has found Montrey Roseberry (20, Orlando) guilty of three counts of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, three counts of production of child sexual abuse material, and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Roseberry faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 28, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, from at least July 14, 2023, through at least April 2024, Roseberry operated a scheme to extort, intimidate, and threaten children into producing CSAM. Roseberry, while impersonating a woman, coerced young victims he identified on social media into producing images and videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct. After obtaining the CSAM, Roseberry used the images and videos to extort the victims into producing increasingly perverse content involving, sadomasochism, coprophilia, bestiality, and the sexual abuse of other children.

If the child victims did not comply, Roseberry threatened to disseminate prior images and videos they had sent him that were sexual in nature to the child victims’ family members, friends, and classmates. In some cases, Roseberry threatened the child victims with death. As part of the scheme, and to further scare and extort the victims into complying with his demands, Roseberry sent the child victims photographs of their homes and names of their schools, friends, and family members.  As a result of this scheme, Roseberry obtained CSAM of over 50 victims. 

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Noah P. Dorman and Kaley Austin-Aronson.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – James Toney (20, Jacksonville) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Harvey Schlesinger to 16 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute marijuana, committing a drive-by shooting in furtherance of a major drug offense, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

Judge Schlesinger also sentenced Javon Davis (27, Jacksonville) to 7 years in federal prison and Christian Guyton (23, Jacksonville) to 8 years and 4 months in federal prison, both for conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute marijuana.

According to court documents, Toney, Davis, and Guyton served as armed distributors for a Jacksonville-based drug trafficking organization (DTO), operated and led by Nathaniel Hatcher, III. Hatcher’s DTO trafficked bulk marijuana from Northern California to Jacksonville by smuggling the drug on commercial airlines, shipping it through the mail, and transporting it by vehicle across state lines. Once the marijuana arrived in Jacksonville, Hatcher and the other DTO members transported the marijuana to various short-term rental homes throughout Jacksonville where they stored, packaged, and distributed the marijuana. Hatcher and other members of the DTO carried and possessed firearms at these residences to protect themselves, their drugs, and their drug proceeds during drug sales. In addition to trafficking, transporting, smuggling, and selling marijuana, Toney was also responsible for carrying out violence on behalf of the DTO. Hatcher had assistance from a former correctional officer, Desmond Maxwell, to unlawfully buy firearms on behalf of Hatcher and members of the DTO. 

On September 18, 2023, Hatcher, Toney, and other DTO members arranged a bulk marijuana transaction with subjects whom they had met that evening in Jacksonville. The drug transaction, which occurred at a gas station along Old St. Augustine Road, failed. The other subjects never provided the promised marijuana, and instead, stole approximately $45,000 from Hatcher and Toney. After the failed drug transaction, Hatcher contacted a former police officer who illegally accessed law enforcement databases to provide Hatcher with the names and addresses of the subjects who had stolen the money. For nearly a month, Toney, Davis, Guyton, and other DTO members tracked, surveilled, and cyber-stalked the other subjects and their family members. In text messages, they plotted retaliation for the robbery, including committing acts of violence.

On October 15, 2023, Briyhon Johnson and Toney traveled to the Jacksonville International Airport to break into a rental car lot. They stole two cars with the intention of using one of the stolen cars in the planned retaliation.

Two days later, on October 17, 2023, Toney traveled to the Duval County courthouse for a scheduled court date in an unrelated pending criminal matter. Toney and other DTO members knew that one of the subjects from the September 18 failed drug transaction also had court that day for a separate criminal matter. After court concluded, Hatcher and other DTO members surveilled this subject as he exited the Duval County courthouse, accompanied by a female subject, and entered his vehicle.

Toney traveled to meet with Johnson, who provided Toney with a firearm. Johnson, Toney, Hatcher, and Tavarius Blue were operating multiple vehicles, including a stolen sedan and an SUV. They followed the subject’s vehicle from downtown Jacksonville to I-95, traveling southbound toward St. Johns County. Darion Jerido was driving a separate sedan, acting as the lookout for the others and keeping pace with the subject’s car. Johnson was driving the stolen sedan, with Toney traveling in the passenger seat. Blue was driving the SUV, with Hatcher traveling in passenger seat. At approximately 11:20 a.m., during the pursuit along I-95 South, the stolen sedan and the SUV boxed the subject’s sedan into the left lane of traffic. Toney and Hatcher discharged dozens of rounds of 7.62 caliber ammunition at the subject’s sedan. According to witness interviews, Johnson and Toney were both wearing masks. Following the shooting, the red sedan and the gray SUV fled the scene.

Officers with the St. Johns County Sheriffs’ Office and emergency medical personnel arrived on scene. The male subject from the courthouse sustained one gunshot wound but survived and was air-lifted to a trauma unit. The front passenger of his vehicle, the female subject from the courthouse, suffered injuries from broken glass. The sedan sustained gunshots to the passenger side, the rear, the front and hood, the front windshield, the interior, and the engine block. On scene, deputies recovered approximately 25 spent 7.62 caliber shell casings. According to ballistics analysis, two different firearms were used during the shooting.

Status of Hatcher DTO Co-conspirators

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.

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

Tampa, Florida – Shem Wayne Alexander (36, Port of Spain, Trinidad) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti to four years and nine months in federal prison for conspiracy to smuggle firearms from the United States to Trinidad and Tobago. The court also ordered Alexander to forfeit firearms seized during the offense. Alexander previously pleaded guilty. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the plea agreement and court records, between April 2019 and April 2022, Alexander and his co-conspirators unlawfully exported firearms, firearms components (including upper/lower receivers and gun parts kits), and related items from Florida to Trinidad and Tobago. Alexander is a national of Trinidad and Tobago. In total, more than 200 firearms were smuggled from the United States into Trinidad and Tobago.

On April 21, 2021, members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and Customs and Excise Division at the Piarco International Airport in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, seized a shipment containing two punching bags.

X-ray photo of one of the punching bags showing the firearms and firearm components concealed inside.

One of the punching bags cut open.

Trinidad and Tobago Police Service revealing the hidden firearms components.

Concealed firearms, firearms components, and ammunition retrieved from the punching bags.

Alexander and his co-conspirators had sent the shipment from the United States to Trinidad and Tobago describing the contents of said shipment as “household items.” In reality, concealed within the two punching bags were approximately eleven 9mm pistols, two .38 caliber special revolvers, a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun, three AR-15 barrel foregrips, 19 lower pistol grip assemblies, 11 forearm bolt assemblies, three AR-15-style barrels with forearm grips, 32 AR-15 magazines, one AR-15 drum magazine, 470 rounds of AR-15 ammunition, 34 9mm magazines, three 9mm drum magazines, 284 9mm rounds, fifteen .38 caliber rounds, 36 shells, six magazine couplers, and two shotgun chokes.  Alexander and his co-conspirators arranged this shipment without written notice to the shipper as to the contents of the shipment.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, including HSI’s Attaché, Caribbean, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance provided by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (Transnational Organized Crime Unit and Special Investigations Unit), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the United States Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Jamaica Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the Jamaica Constabulary Force provided critical support in the extradition of Alexander. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall. 

Fort Myers, Florida – A federal jury has found Alejandro Marquetti-Blanco (34, Bradenton) guilty of distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Marquetti-Blanco faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing date has not yet been set. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. 

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Marquetti-Blanco distributed one pound of methamphetamine to a co-conspirator. Another co-conspirator later sold the methamphetamine to an undercover DEA Special Agent in Port Charlotte.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Morgan and Benjamin Winter.

A four-count indictment was unsealed in the Middle District of Florida charging 11 defendants – all alleged Sex Money Murder-24K (SMM-24K) gang members and associates – with crimes including racketeering (RICO) conspiracy, attempted and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and drug conspiracy crimes. The gang was active inside and outside of the prison system in the State of Florida.

According to court documents and statements in court, SMM-24K members and associates allegedly engaged in extreme violence to retaliate against fellow members for perceived violations of gang rules. For example, SMM-24K members conspired to kill one fellow member for lying about not knowing the location of family members of a rival gang member, resulting in the stabbing and attempted murder of the SMM-24K member in the DeSoto Correctional Institution. SMM-24K conspired to kill a different SMM member, who they accused of lying to and stealing from the gang, by stabbing him around the neck. SMM-24K members also profited from trafficking large amounts of deadly drugs inside Florida Department of Corrections Institutions, by using associates to smuggle the drugs, including methamphetamine, into the prisons.

“As alleged, the Sex Money Murder 24K gang, a derivative of the nationally known Bloods gang and a subset of the Sex Money Murder gang, brutally enforced its purported rules, stabbing and attempting to kill three of their own members and one rival who crossed their leaders, and engaged in a sophisticated drug trafficking operation to move large quantities of dangerous drugs into Florida Department of Corrections facilities throughout the State,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We will not rest until every criminal organization like SMM that wreaks havoc in our prison systems is dismantled. Thank you to every federal, state, and local law enforcement agency that came together to dismantle this gang.”

“The crimes alleged in this indictment demonstrate the callousness and determination of the SMM-24K gang to perpetuate heinous acts in Florida’s prison system,” stated U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “Even from behind bars, this gang sought to expand their criminal enterprise through violence and illegal activities. Thanks to the diligent investigation and cooperation by our federal, state, and local partners, a major drug trafficking operation was disrupted, and its members will be forced to account for their crimes.”

“The FBI’s goal in crushing violent crime is to surge resources and partnerships, to build cases that cut into the capabilities of violent criminal networks, like Sex, Money, Murder 24K.” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office. “When we maximize impact, we disrupt the violence, and ultimately ensure our communities are safer.”

According to court documents, SMM-24K created a “hit list” that included identifying and location information of their victims and intended targets, and the accusations against each. As alleged in the indictment, on January 17, 2023, defendant Tyrone Conaway, 37, formerly of Fort Lauderdale, FL, directed multiple SMM-24K members at the DeSoto Correctional Institution to murder an SMM-24K member who allegedly had lied to and stolen from the gang.  Less than two weeks later, that SMM-24K member was stabbed inside the correctional facility. On February 23, 2023, defendant Terry Tillman, 38, Orlando, FL, attempted to kill a different SMM member by stabbing that person around the neck while defendant Charlie Martin, 28, Deland, FL, acted as a lookout. Information about both victims was included on the “hit list.”  In April 2023, defendants Hernando Thompson, 40, and Alvin James, 30, Orlando, FL exchanged text messages coordinating the murder of a rival gang member. That rival gang member was attacked, and his face was slashed in Apalachee East Correctional Institution. Less than a month later, that same rival gang member was repeatedly stabbed by two inmates on May 24, 2023, after having been moved to Liberty Correctional Institution.

According to court documents and statements made in court, SMM-24K is a subset of the Bloods gang, which originated in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. The SMM subset has spread from the Bronx and New York to areas across the East Coast, including Florida, where it operates inside and outside prisons and jails. The indictment alleges an extensive criminal enterprise in which SMM-24K members, including inmates within the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC), orchestrated numerous crimes, including conspiracies to commit murder and drug trafficking within FDOC facilities.

If convicted, the defendants face penalties including up to life in prison life in prison for racketeering conspiracy and drug conspiracy; and up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case, with valuable assistance from the Florida Department of Corrections, the Florida Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Trial Attorney Christopher Matthews of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Ruddy and Robert Sowell for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Orlando, FL - A four-count indictment was unsealed in the Middle District of Florida charging 11 defendants – all alleged Sex Money Murder-24K (SMM-24K) gang members and associates – with crimes including racketeering (RICO) conspiracy, attempted and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and drug conspiracy crimes. The gang was active inside and outside of the prison system in the State of Florida.

According to court documents and statements in court, SMM-24K members and associates allegedly engaged in extreme violence to retaliate against fellow members for perceived violations of gang rules. For example, SMM-24K members conspired to kill one fellow member for lying about not knowing the location of family members of a rival gang member, resulting in the stabbing and attempted murder of the SMM-24K member in the DeSoto Correctional Institution. SMM-24K conspired to kill a different SMM member, who they accused of lying to and stealing from the gang, by stabbing him around the neck. SMM-24K members also profited from trafficking large amounts of deadly drugs inside Florida Department of Corrections Institutions, by using associates to smuggle the drugs, including methamphetamine, into the prisons.

“The crimes alleged in this indictment demonstrate the callousness and determination of the SMM-24K gang to perpetuate heinous acts in Florida’s prison system,” stated U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “Even from behind bars, this gang sought to expand their criminal enterprise through violence and illegal activities. Thanks to the diligent investigation and cooperation by our federal, state, and local partners, a major drug trafficking operation was disrupted, and its members will be forced to account for their crimes.”

“The FBI’s goal in crushing violent crime is to surge resources and partnerships, to build cases that cut into the capabilities of violent criminal networks, like Sex, Money, Murder 24K.” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office. “When we maximize impact, we disrupt the violence, and ultimately ensure our communities are safer.”

According to court documents, SMM-24K created a “hit list” that included identifying and location information of their victims and intended targets, and the accusations against each. As alleged in the indictment, on January 17, 2023, defendant Tyrone Conaway, 37, formerly of Fort Lauderdale, FL, directed multiple SMM-24K members at the DeSoto Correctional Institution to murder an SMM-24K member who allegedly had lied to and stolen from the gang.  Less than two weeks later, that SMM-24K member was stabbed inside the correctional facility. On February 23, 2023, defendant Terry Tillman, 38, Orlando, FL, attempted to kill a different SMM member by stabbing that person around the neck while defendant Charlie Martin, 28, Deland, FL, acted as a lookout. Information about both victims was included on the “hit list.” In April 2023, defendants Hernando Thompson, 40, Orlando, FL and Alvin James, 30, Orlando, FL exchanged text messages coordinating the murder of a rival gang member. That rival gang member was attacked, and his face was slashed in Apalachee East Correctional Institution. Less than a month later, that same rival gang member was repeatedly stabbed by two inmates on May 24, 2023, after having been moved to Liberty Correctional Institution.

According to court documents and statements made in court, SMM-24K is a subset of the Bloods gang, which originated in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. The SMM subset has spread from the Bronx and New York to areas across the East Coast, including Florida, where it operates inside and outside prisons and jails. The indictment alleges an extensive criminal enterprise in which SMM-24K members, including inmates within the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC), orchestrated numerous crimes, including conspiracies to commit murder and drug trafficking within FDOC facilities.

If convicted, the defendants face penalties including up to life in prison life in prison for racketeering conspiracy and drug conspiracy; and up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case, with valuable assistance from the Florida Department of Corrections, the Florida Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Ruddy and Robert Sowell for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Christopher Matthews of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Tampa, Florida – Angel Rivera (49, Tampa) has been charged by indictment with coercion and enticement and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, production of child sexual abuse material, and transfer of obscene material to a minor. If convicted on all counts, Rivera faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, between October 15 and November 22, 2025, Rivera knowingly persuaded, induced, enticed, coerced and attempted to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce an individual under the age of 18 to engage in sexual activity. On October 16, 2025, Rivera attempted to transfer obscene material to an individual who he believed to be under the age of 16. On October 19 and October 22, 2025, Rivera allegedly employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct.

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

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

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

Jacksonville, Florida – Survalarie Harris has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger to 18 months in federal prison for aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return. The court also entered an order of restitution in the amount of $1,824,279, the amount of tax loss to the United States. Harris entered a guilty plea in August 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Harris worked as a tax return preparer at her business Tax Genie Tax Service in Jacksonville. In preparing tax returns for others, Harris knowingly reported false information, including false claims of having a business, to decrease the amount of money taxpayers would owe to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and to increase the amount of money taxpayers would receive as tax refunds from the IRS. Agents with IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) determined that Harris falsified tax returns in a similar manner multiple times, specifically by creating fictitious business expenses. Despite a lack of documentation from taxpayers, Harris included these fictitious expenses on the tax returns, indicating a net loss for a non-existent business. This lowered the taxpayers’ adjusted gross income, allowing the taxpayer to apply for an Earned Income Credit, a refundable tax credit based primarily on income and filing status.

On March 22, 2022, Harris prepared a 2021 tax return for an undercover IRS-CI agent who posed as a customer. During their conversation, Harris told the undercover agent that the agent was going to owe money on her tax return. Harris asked the undercover agent if she did any work on the side, to which the undercover agent stated she sometimes braided hair. Harris told the undercover agent that she could help the undercover agent receive a refund for an additional fee. Moments later, Harris told the undercover agent that she was receiving a refund of $2,950, minus the additional fee. Harris, however, did not ask for it, and the undercover agent did not provide any documentation or information associated with business losses or income. Despite the lack of documentation, Harris prepared the undercover agent’s tax return, which indicated a net loss for a non-existent business. Harris understood that the non-existent business net loss would lower the undercover agent’s adjusted gross income so that the undercover agent would qualify for an Earned Income Credit.

Throughout IRS-CI’s investigation, agents learned that Harris had been preparing falsified tax returns on behalf of taxpayers since at least 2018. Agents estimated that Harris prepared more than 900 falsified tax returns between the 2020 and 2022 tax years. The tax loss to the United States from Harris’s fraudulent conduct was at least $1,824,279.

“Deliberately submitting false, fraudulent, or misleading information to the IRS is a crime,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “We will work with the IRS to vigorously investigate and prosecute those who deliberately seek to defraud our tax system.”

“Most tax preparers play by the rules—but those who don’t will be held accountable,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. “Creating bogus businesses to steal refunds isn’t a shortcut—it’s a felony. IRS Special Agents will relentlessly pursue fraudsters and make sure justice is served.”

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.

Orlando, Florida – Paul Alexander Askew (46, Jacksonville) has been charged by a federal indictment with conspiracy to influence major international sports competition by doping. If convicted, Askew faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Askew that the United States intends to forfeit assets alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the Indictment, from on or about July 10, 2023, and continuing through on or about January 31, 2024, Askew conspired with others to influence major international sports competitions by providing performance enhancing drugs to an athlete. The major international sports competitions the conspiracy sought to influence included the 2023 Ed Murphey Classic, the 2023 Xiamen Diamond League, the 2023 Prefontaine Classic, the 2024 American Outdoor Track and Field Championship, the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, the 2024 United States Olympics Trials, and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

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

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick M. Flanigan.

Tampa, FL - Jermaine Dawes (33, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to two robberies, conspiracy to commit those robberies, and brandishing a firearm during both robberies. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the robbery offenses and a minimum sentence of 7 years, up to life imprisonment, consecutive to any other sentence imposed for the firearm offenses. His sentencing date has not yet been set. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

Dawes’s three co-defendants, Ronald Brown, E’Barous Harris, and Tra-Vontae Watson, each previously pleaded guilty. Their sentencing hearings are pending.

According to court documents and proceedings, in July 2024, Dawes conspired with others to rob two convenience stores in Tampa. Two firearms were used in, and brandished, during both robberies. Law enforcement located the defendants a few days after the robberies at a hotel in Tampa. Surveillance footage from the hotel revealed Dawes getting in and out of the driver’s seat of the vehicle used in the robberies while one of his co-defendants entered the vehicle with a firearm. Search warrants for multiple hotel rooms associated with the defendants were executed and a rifle consistent with one of the firearms used during the robberies was located.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman.

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

Tampa, Florida – Kenthen Lavardo Swain (26, The Bahamas) was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara to two years in federal prison for illegal reentry by an aggravated felon. Swain previously pled guilty on November 19, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Swain is a citizen and national of The Bahamas. On or about May 26, 2025, Swain was found by immigration authorities in the Manatee County Jail following an arrest for battery on a law enforcement officer. Prior to being found, Swain had been removed from the United States on three prior occasions and had not received permission to reenter the United States. Swain has previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses, including for possessing controlled substances with intent to sell. 

This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – Nathaniel Hatcher III (30, Jacksonville) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Harvey Schlesinger to 35 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to commit money laundering, committing a drive-by shooting in furtherance of a major drug offense, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The court also entered an order for forfeiture in the amount of $2.2 million, the proceeds of the drug trafficking conspiracy. Hatcher entered a guilty plea in September 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Hatcher operated and led a Jacksonville-based drug trafficking organization (DTO). For eight years, Hatcher’s DTO trafficked bulk amounts of marijuana from Northern California to Jacksonville by smuggling the drug on commercial airlines, shipping it through the U.S. mail system, and transporting it by vehicle across state lines. Once the marijuana arrived in Jacksonville, Hatcher and other DTO members transported the marijuana to various short-term rental homes throughout Jacksonville. Hatcher and members of the DTO rented these homes to store, package, and distribute marijuana. Hatcher and other members of the DTO carried and possessed firearms at these residences to protect themselves, their drugs, and their drug proceeds during drug sales.

In addition to trafficking, transporting, smuggling, and selling marijuana, Hatcher was also responsible for carrying out violence on behalf of the DTO. Hatcher used the assistance of former corrections officer Desmond Maxwell to unlawfully buy firearms on behalf of Hatcher and members of the DTO. 

Hatcher, with the assistance of Yaquasia Delcarmen, would collect drug proceeds from the DTO’s members. Hatcher and Delcarmen would then launder the proceeds back into bank accounts controlled by Hatcher. During the conspiracy, Hatcher and others used sham business accounts that were formed for the purpose of laundering illicit proceeds. Hatcher and Delcarmen laundered over $2 million and spent the drug proceeds on lavish lifestyle items.

On September 18, 2023, Hatcher, James Toney, and other DTO members arranged a bulk marijuana transaction with subjects whom they had met that evening in Jacksonville. The drug transaction, which occurred at a gas station along Old St. Augustine Road, failed. The other subjects never provided the promised marijuana, and instead, stole approximately $45,000 in cash from Hatcher and Toney. After the failed drug transaction, Hatcher contacted a former police officer, who illegally accessed law enforcement databases to provide Hatcher with the names and home addresses of the subjects who stole the money. For nearly a month, Hatcher and other DTO members tracked, surveilled, and cyber-stalked the other subjects and their family members. In text messages, Hatcher and others discussed and plotted retaliation for the robbery, including committing acts of violence.

On October 15, 2023, Briyhon Johnson and Toney traveled to the Jacksonville International Airport to break into a rental car lot. Johnson and Toney stole two cars from the rental car lot with the intention of using one of the stolen cars in the planned retaliation. The theft had been coordinated by Johnson and Toney through text messages.

Two days later, on October 17, 2023, Toney traveled to the Duval County courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida, for a scheduled court date in an unrelated pending criminal matter. Toney and other DTO members knew from reading the public court docket that one of the subjects from the September 18 drug deal also had court that day at the Duval County courthouse for a separate criminal matter. After court concluded, Hatcher and other DTO members surveilled this subject as he exited the Duval County courthouse, accompanied by a female subject, and entered his Mercedes sedan.

Toney traveled to meet with Johnson, who provided Toney with a firearm. Johnson, Toney, Hatcher, and Tavarius Blue were operating multiple vehicles, including a stolen red Dodge Charger sedan and a gray Audi SUV, and followed the Mercedes sedan from downtown Jacksonville to I-95, traveling southbound toward St. Johns County. Darion Jerido was driving a separate sedan, acting as the lookout for the others and to keep pace with the Mercedes sedan. Johnson was driving the red Dodge Charger, with Toney traveling in the passenger seat. Blue was driving the gray Audi SUV, with Hatcher traveling in passenger seat. At approximately 11:20 a.m., during the pursuit along I-95 South, the red Dodge Charger and the gray Audi SUV boxed the Mercedes sedan into the left lane of traffic. Then, Toney from the Dodge Charger and Hatcher from the Audi SUV discharged dozens of rounds of 7.62 caliber ammunition at the Mercedes sedan. According to witness interviews, Johnson and Toney were both wearing masks. Following the shooting, the red Dodge Charger and the Audi SUV fled the scene.

Officers with the St. Johns County Sheriffs’ Office and emergency medical personnel arrived on scene within minutes. The driver of the Mercedes sedan, who was the male subject from the courthouse, sustained one gunshot wound but survived and was air-lifted to a trauma unit. The front passenger of the Mercedes, the female subject from the courthouse, did not sustain any gunshot wounds but did suffer injuries from broken glass. Emergency personnel also transported her to a nearby hospital. The Mercedes sedan sustained gunshots to the passenger side, the rear, the front and hood, the front windshield, the interior, and the engine block. On scene, deputies recovered approximately 25 spent 7.62 caliber shell casings. According to ballistics analysis, two different firearms were used during the shooting.

Following Hatcher’s arrest in February 2024, Delcarmen continued the drug trafficking activities on Hatcher’s behalf and at Hatcher’s direction. Hatcher tampered with multiple witnesses and co-conspirators, directing them to flee from, or lie to, law enforcement. Hatcher also directed co-conspirators to destroy evidence.

Status of Hatcher DTO Co-conspirators

Name

Status

“Hatcher and his drug crew planned and executed a brazen drive-by shooting in broad daylight on I-95, putting dozens of law-abiding Americans in danger of losing their lives,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.  “Now, he will spend decades in federal prison where he can no longer terrorize the Jacksonville community thanks to the combined efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement partners who investigated and prosecuted this case.”

“The tenacious work by our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in this case ensured that the members of this drug trafficking organization were brought to justice,” stated U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “We will continue to leverage our resources, whenever necessary, to protect our communities from violence and harm.” 

“This case demonstrates the unwavering commitment of HSI to protect our communities from the dangers posed by drug trafficking and violent crime,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Hemker. “The dismantlement of this violent drug trafficking organization and the sentencing of these defendants will have a lasting impact on the safety of our community.”

“The judge delivered a punishment that matches the danger this defendant posed to communities,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. “The message is simple: profit from poison, and you pay for it. IRS CI and our partners will follow the money across jurisdictions to shut down traffickers and every coconspirator who launders their profits.”

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.

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

WASHINGTON — Nathaniel Hatcher III, 30, of Jacksonville, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Harvey Schlesinger for the Middle District of Florida to 35 years in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to commit money laundering, committing a drive-by shooting in furtherance of a major drug offense, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The court also entered a $2.2 million order for forfeiture, the proceeds of the drug trafficking conspiracy. Hatcher pleaded guilty in September 2025.

“Hatcher and his drug crew planned and executed a brazen drive-by shooting in broad daylight on I-95, putting dozens of law-abiding Americans in danger of losing their lives,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Now, he will spend decades in federal prison where he can no longer terrorize the Jacksonville community thanks to the combined efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement partners who investigated and prosecuted this case.”

“The tenacious work by our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in this case ensured that the members of this drug trafficking organization were brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to leverage our resources, whenever necessary, to protect our communities from violence and harm.”

“This case demonstrates the unwavering commitment of HSI to protect our communities from the dangers posed by drug trafficking and violent crime,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Hemker of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville. “The dismantlement of this violent drug trafficking organization and the sentencing of these defendants will have a lasting impact on the safety of our community.”

“The judge delivered a punishment that matches the danger this defendant posed to communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS CI) Florida Field Office. “The message is simple: profit from poison, and you pay for it. IRS CI and our partners will follow the money across jurisdictions to shut down traffickers and every coconspirator who launders their profits.”

According to court documents, Hatcher operated and led a Jacksonville-based drug trafficking organization (DTO). For eight years, Hatcher’s DTO trafficked bulk amounts of marijuana from Northern California to Jacksonville by smuggling the drug on commercial airlines, shipping it through the U.S. mail system, and transporting it by vehicle across state lines. Once the marijuana arrived in Jacksonville, Hatcher and other DTO members transported the marijuana to various short-term rental homes throughout Jacksonville. Hatcher and members of the DTO rented these homes to store, package, and distribute marijuana. Hatcher and other members of the DTO carried and possessed firearms at these residences to protect themselves, their drugs, and their drug proceeds during drug sales.

In addition to trafficking, transporting, smuggling, and selling marijuana, Hatcher was also responsible for carrying out violence on behalf of the DTO. Hatcher used the assistance of former corrections officer Desmond Maxwell to unlawfully buy firearms on behalf of Hatcher and members of the DTO. 

Hatcher, with the assistance of Yaquasia Delcarmen, would collect drug proceeds from the DTO’s members. Hatcher and Delcarmen would then launder the proceeds back into bank accounts controlled by Hatcher. During the conspiracy, Hatcher and others used sham business accounts that were formed for the purpose of laundering illicit proceeds. Hatcher and Delcarmen laundered over $2 million and spent the drug proceeds on lavish lifestyle items.

On Sept. 18, 2023, Hatcher, James Toney, and other DTO members arranged a bulk marijuana transaction with subjects whom they had met that evening in Jacksonville. The drug transaction failed; the other subjects never provided the promised marijuana, and instead, stole approximately $45,000 in cash from Hatcher and Toney. After the failed drug transaction, Hatcher contacted a former police officer, who illegally accessed law enforcement databases to provide Hatcher with the names and home addresses of the subjects who stole the money. For nearly a month, Hatcher and other DTO members tracked, surveilled, and cyber-stalked the other subjects and their family members. In text messages, Hatcher and others discussed and plotted retaliation for the robbery, including committing acts of violence.

On Oct. 15, 2023, Briyhon Johnson and Toney traveled to the Jacksonville International Airport to break into a rental car lot. Johnson and Toney stole two cars from the rental car lot with the intention of using one of the stolen cars in the planned retaliation. The theft had been coordinated by Johnson and Toney through text messages.

On Oct.17, 2023, Toney traveled to the Duval County courthouse in Jacksonville for a scheduled court date in an unrelated pending criminal matter. Toney and other DTO members knew from reading the public court docket that one of the subjects from the September 18 drug deal also had court that day at the Duval County courthouse for a separate criminal matter. After court concluded, Hatcher and other DTO members surveilled this subject as he exited the Duval County courthouse, accompanied by a female subject, and entered his Mercedes sedan.

Toney traveled to meet with Johnson, who provided Toney with a firearm. Johnson, Toney, Hatcher, and Tavarius Blue were operating multiple vehicles, including a stolen red Dodge Charger sedan and a gray Audi SUV, and followed the Mercedes sedan from downtown Jacksonville to I-95, traveling southbound toward St. Johns County. Darion Jerido was driving a separate sedan, acting as the lookout for the others and to keep pace with the Mercedes sedan. Johnson was driving the red Dodge Charger, with Toney traveling in the passenger seat. Blue was driving the gray Audi SUV, with Hatcher traveling in passenger seat. At approximately 11:20 a.m., during the pursuit along I-95 South, the red Dodge Charger and the gray Audi SUV boxed the Mercedes sedan into the left lane of traffic. Then, Toney from the Dodge Charger and Hatcher from the Audi SUV discharged dozens of rounds of 7.62 caliber ammunition at the Mercedes sedan. According to witness interviews, Johnson and Toney were both wearing masks. Following the shooting, the red Dodge Charger and the Audi SUV fled the scene.

Officers with the St. Johns County Sheriffs’ Office and emergency medical personnel arrived on scene within minutes. The driver of the Mercedes sedan, who was the male subject from the courthouse, sustained one gunshot wound but survived and was air-lifted to a trauma unit. The front passenger of the Mercedes, the female subject from the courthouse, did not sustain any gunshot wounds but did suffer injuries from broken glass. Emergency personnel also transported her to a nearby hospital. The Mercedes sedan sustained gunshots to the passenger side, the rear, the front and hood, the front windshield, the interior, and the engine block. On scene, deputies recovered approximately 25 spent 7.62 caliber shell casings. According to ballistics analysis, two different firearms were used during the shooting.

Following Hatcher’s arrest in February 2024, Delcarmen continued the drug trafficking activities on Hatcher’s behalf and at Hatcher’s direction. Hatcher tampered with multiple witnesses and co-conspirators, directing them to flee from, or lie to, law enforcement. Hatcher also directed co-conspirators to destroy evidence.

HSI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisibeth Adams for the Middle District of Florida is prosecuting the case.

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

Fort Myers, Florida – Walter James Marshall (31, Fort Myers) has pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Marshall faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement

According to court documents, on June 12, 2025, Marshall was stopped by the Fort Myers Police Department for driving on a suspended license. During a search of his vehicle, officers recovered a loaded SCCY pistol under the driver’s seat. DNA swabs taken from the pistol and from Marshall linked him to the firearm. As a previously convicted felon, Marshall is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Fort Myers Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick L. Darcey.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – Erwin Phillips Burley (37, Jacksonville) has been charged by federal indictment with two counts of sex trafficking by means of force, fraud, and coercion, two counts of enticement to engage in prostitution, and seven counts of interstate transportation of a person with the intent that the person engage in prostitution. If convicted, Burley faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years, up to life, in prison for each of the forcible sex trafficking counts, up to 20 years’ imprisonment for each of the enticement counts, and up to 10 years in prison for each of the transportation counts. Burley would also be required to serve at least 5 years on federal supervised release following any term of imprisonment and register as a sex offender. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court records, Burley was convicted in 2018 of enticement to engage in prostitution and sentenced to 96 months in federal prison, followed by supervised release. He was released to a halfway house in early 2024.

According to the indictment, beginning in February 2024, and continuing through at least May 2025, Burley recruited two victims to engage in commercial sex acts, while knowing that means of force, fraud, and coercion would be used to cause the victims to engage in commercial sex acts. Burley also enticed each of the victims to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution. The indictment also alleges that Burley transported one of the victims between Florida and other states, including Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas on multiple dates in 2024 with the intent that the victim engage in prostitution.

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s (Fourth Judicial Circuit), the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Sandy Springs (Georgia) Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor.

Tampa, FL – Timothy Smith has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday to six years and six months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aiding and assisting in the filing of false and fraudulent tax returns. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $274,000, the proceeds of the criminal conduct, and ordered Smith to pay restitution in the amount of $1,637,829.64.64 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Smith entered a guilty plea on September 26, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, beginning in January 2023 and continuing through February 2024, Smith engaged in a scheme to defraud the IRS. Smith prepared or assisted in the preparation of 97 false and fraudulent tax returns for 92 taxpayers, including himself, for tax years 2022 and 2023. The tax returns contained falsified Schedules A, C, and 1, as well as fraudulent Forms W-2G. The returns contained fabricated figures for gambling winnings and losses, and federal tax withholding amounts (based on the fake gambling winnings). The false tax returns requested substantial refunds from the IRS that the taxpayers were not legally entitled to receive.

The total intended tax loss from the tax returns Smith prepared was $17,612.039. The actual loss totaled $1,637,829.64, which the IRS paid out to taxpayers either as tax refunds or credits applied to prior debts. Smith personally profited $274,000 in the form of payments from his taxpayer-clients.

This is the fourth individual to be sentenced as part of this scheme. All sentences are reflected below.

Name

Term of Imprisonment

Restitution to IRS

Forfeiture

“These defendants orchestrated a deliberate scheme to steal from American taxpayers,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. “Their calculated, malicious conduct showed complete disregard for the rule of law. These sentences affirm a core principle: those who abuse our tax system for personal gain will be held accountable. IRS Special Agents continue to safeguard the integrity of the tax system and deliver justice for American taxpayers.”

These cases were investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. They were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ross Roberts and Jennifer Peresie. The forfeitures are being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys James Muench and Suzanne Nebesky.

Tampa, FL - Rafael Jimenez (31, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of possession and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. He faces a minimum of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. Jimenez’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 23, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court records, on March 8, 2025, Jimenez entered a gas station in Tampa and brandished a firearm while demanding money from the cash register. Shortly after making this demand, Jimenez fired a shot in the direction of the clerk, striking the ground directly behind the clerk.

Jimenez stole cigarettes and more than $600 from the store. He was apprehended after surveillance footage from days earlier showed physical similarities between Jimenez and the robber, including a distinctive tattoo. Evidence found in Jimenez’s trash included a ski mask, gloves, and cigarettes of the same brand the robber had used. Surveillance video showed a vehicle like Jimenez’s traveling near the scene of the robbery before and after it had occurred.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky is handling the forfeiture.

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

Tampa, Florida – Kevin Charles Luke (62, Tampa) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Moody, Jr. to 24 months in federal prison for the disclosure of classified information relating to the national defense of the United States. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

Luke pleaded guilty on October 7, 2025. In his plea agreement, he admitted to abusing a position of public trust.

According to court documents, Luke served in both active duty and reserve components of the United States Army from 1981 until his retirement with the rank of Colonel on June 30, 2018. Following his retirement, Luke was employed as a civilian employee at United States Central Command (CENTCOM). During his time in the Army and as a civilian employee, Luke held a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance. On multiple occasions, including as recently as February 2019, Luke acknowledged his responsibility to protect classified information by signing a Standard Form 312 Nondisclosure Agreement.

In October 2024, Luke sent a woman a text message from his personal cellphone that stated, “sent to my boss earlier, gives you a peek at what I do for a living.” Following that message, he sent a photograph of a computer screen displaying a classified email message that he had authored and sent using a government email address intended for classified email communications. The photograph of the classified email also revealed targets of a planned U.S. military operation as well as the future date of the operation, the means of executing the operation, and the goal of the operation. The email contained classified markings at the Secret level that Luke himself had added. The unauthorized release of the information contained within the photograph could be expected to cause serious damage to the national security of the United States.

This case was investigated by the United States Air Force—Office of Special Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey Schmidt and Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.

Tampa, Florida – Markis Maxwell (41, Palmetto) was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland today to seven years in federal prison for possession of a firearm or ammunition as a convicted felon. The sentence will run consecutive to the state prison sentence that Maxwell is currently serving for the sale of controlled substances and fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer. The court also ordered Maxwell to forfeit the firearm and ammunition used in the commission of the offense. Maxwell pleaded guilty on October 24, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court records, on June 16, 2023, deputies from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call and learned that Maxwell was armed with a handgun during a verbal argument with his significant other. Maxwell was subsequently arrested on outstanding arrest warrants for unrelated offenses involving the sales of cocaine and fentanyl. Deputies located a loaded handgun hidden inside a bag in the bedroom closet. Subsequent analysis supported Maxwell as a contributor to DNA swabs taken from the handgun. Prior to possessing the firearm and ammunition, Maxwell had been convicted of multiple felony offenses. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.

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

Fort Myers, FL – Miranda Lee Pryor (39, Orange Park) was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to 10 years and 5 months in federal prison for her role in a May 2025 armed carjacking in Lehigh Acres. Pryor pleaded guilty on October 29, 2025, to carjacking, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Her co-defendant, Rebecca Lea Stacey (36, West Palm Beach) was previously sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison in connection with the same case. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.  

According to court records, on the afternoon of May 11, 2025, Stacey and Pryor carjacked a man waiting in his vehicle outside a store in Lehigh Acres. During the carjacking, Pryor brandished a firearm as the pair stole the victim’s vehicle and sped away from the scene. Later that afternoon, after law enforcement located the vehicle on I-75, Stacey (driving the vehicle) led police on a high-speed chase on the interstate through Collier County, eventually losing control and crashing the vehicle.  Stacey and Pryor were quickly apprehended by law enforcement following the accident. During the chase, Pryor (the front-seat passenger) tossed the firearm used in the carjacking out the window of the stolen car, which was later recovered on the side of the highway. 

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

Tampa, FL – A federal jury has found Celso Navarro Diaz (65, Colombia) guilty of conspiring to traffic more than five kilograms of cocaine on vessels subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and conspiring to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States. Navarro Diaz faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison for each count. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 22, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Navarro Diaz was the head of an organization in Colombia that transported cocaine and marijuana from the Pacific coast of Colombia to Costa Rica. Over a two-year period, Panamanian, Colombian, and U.S. Coast Guard authorities interdicted four of his organization’s vessels. The investigation revealed that Navarro Diaz discussed the smuggling operations in heavily coded language and talked about the seizures in coded language after three of the events. The cocaine was intended to be smuggled from Costa Rica through Central America and Mexico prior to importation into the United States. Navarro Diaz was previously convicted of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and pleaded guilty to that offense in 2010 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Colombian National Police. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá worked with the Government of Colombia to secure the arrest and September 2024 extradition from Colombia of Navarro Diaz. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.

Jacksonville, Florida – Christopher Allen Hawkins (40, Green Cove Springs) was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard to 16 years and 8 months in federal prison for transporting a 15-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. He pleaded guilty on August 18, 2025. Hawkins was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. Hawkins was arrested on May 30, 2025.

According to court documents, during the early morning hours of May 30, 2025, GCSPD officers encountered a 15-year-old child skateboarding alone down a street in Green Cove Springs after the town curfew. Concerned for her safety, the officers approached the child and spoke with her. The child stated that she was visiting from North Carolina and had been staying with “Chris,” who was subsequently identified as Hawkins, in a tent behind a house in Green Cove Springs.

The GCSPD officers made contact with Hawkins a short time later. During an interview, Hawkins advised that he had met the child on the Snapchat app and had been in a relationship with her for several months. He also knew that the child was 15 years old. Hawkins said that he had originally traveled to North Carolina to do handyman work for the child’s parent. While staying at the child’s home in North Carolina, Hawkins engaged in sexual activity with her on several occasions. Approximately two weeks later, Hawkins returned to Florida.

In May 2025, Hawkins purchased bus tickets from North Carolina to Jacksonville for him and the child, with the intent to engage in sexual activity with the child after they arrived in Florida. Hawkins and the child boarded a bus and travelled to Jacksonville together on May 25, 2025. From Jacksonville, Hawkins and the child traveled to Green Cove Springs to stay together in Hawkins’s tent. Thereafter, Hawkins engaged in sexual activity with the child until he was arrested on May 30, 2025.

“This investigation started because of the great proactive work conducted by our Patrol Officers. This enabled our Detectives to conduct a rigorous investigation and quickly make an arrest,” stated Chief Shawn Hines of the Green Cove Springs Police Department. “Due to the unwavering dedication from our Officers and Detectives, the Green Cove Springs Police Department was able to arrest Christopher Hawkins for the crimes he had committed within our City. We were able to rescue a child from ongoing sexual exploitation. The safety of our children and our community remains our highest priority. As Chief of Police for the City of Green Cove Springs, I want our residents to know that we take our responsibility to protect this community seriously. We will continue to work diligently and collaboratively to investigate crimes thoroughly, hold offenders accountable, and ensure that victims and their families receive justice and support.”

This case was investigated by the Green Cove Springs Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Jacksonville. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Teresa Brady (70, Jacksonville) to 27 months in federal prison, and Ruby George (82, Jacksonville) to one year and one day in federal prison followed by six months of home confinement, both in connection with their guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, aiding and abetting wire fraud, and aiding and abetting mail fraud. Brady also pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering.  As part of their sentences, the court ordered the forfeiture of the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct, which cumulatively totaled $2,600,235.99.  Further, the court ordered Brady and George to pay the same amount in restitution to the victim of their offenses, Duval Teachers United (DTU). United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Brady and George were the President and Executive Vice President of DTU, a labor union that represents Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) teachers, paraprofessionals, and office personnel.  DTU has approximately 6,500 members and represents approximately 80% of eligible DCPS employees.  DTU’s annual revenue is approximately $5 million, which is comprised of funds paid by dues-paying members.

From 2013 to 2022, Brady and George engaged in a conspiracy to steal more than $1.2 million apiece from DTU by selling back to DTU leave time that they had not accrued or earned, and by paying themselves unauthorized bonuses and fake reimbursements. They concealed their scheme by providing false information to DTU’s auditor, and by signing each other’s checks when distributing the unaccrued and unearned payments, hiding those distributions from the DTU Secretary/Treasurer and its board of directors.  Brady and George also hid their embezzlement from the State of Florida’s Public Employee Relations Commission (PERC), in legally required annual financial statement filings, some of which were mailed to PERC.

“This sentencing demonstrates that individuals who abuse positions of trust for personal gain will be held accountable,” said FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley. “Brady and George engaged in a prolonged scheme that harmed the members and integrity of the organization she was entrusted to lead. The FBI is committed to working with our partners to detect and disrupt complex financial fraud crimes.”

“Individuals who exploit their authority for personal gain and betray the trust placed in them will face justice,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. “This case sends a clear message: IRS Criminal Investigation stands firm with our federal partners in relentlessly pursuing those who engage in fraud and corruption, no matter how long the scheme lasts. Our mission is to protect the integrity of our institutions and ensure justice for the victims.”         

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J. Coolican and Kelly S. Milliron, and former Assistant United States Attorney A. Tysen Duva. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Harrington and Julie Simonsen handled the forfeiture and restitution matters.

Fort Myers, Florida – Leon Mark Jewett (70, Lehigh Acres) was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to five years in federal prison for possessing and accessing with intent to view images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. He pleaded guilty on October 6, 2025. Jewett was also sentenced to a life term of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, from April through December 2024, Jewett possessed and accessed with intent to view child sex abuse material that he searched for and downloaded from the internet. 

In December 2024, Jewett brought his laptops into a store in Port Charlotte for repair. During the repair of one of his laptops, the store technician observed child sex abuse material on Jewett’s laptop. Law enforcement was contacted.

Pursuant to a search warrant, the FBI seized and conducted a forensic analysis on two of Jewett’s laptops, which revealed images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It is being 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.