Middle District of Florida

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Bryan L. Brewer (44, Ponte Vedra) to five years in federal prison for wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. Brewer also was ordered to pay $8.9 million in restitution.

Brewer had pleaded guilty on August 1, 2019. 

According to court documents, Brewer engaged in two fraud schemes that resulted in him receiving more than $8 million. In one scheme, Brewer solicited an individual to invest in a company that manufactured paddleboards by the name of USBoardco (also known as WatersEdge). As part of the scheme, Brewer sent the victim copies of bank statements, tax returns, and other financial documents that had been falsified to inflate the sales, profits, income, and bank account balance for the company.  In reliance upon those and other misrepresentations, the victim invested over $1 million.

The second scheme related to some real estate located in Seminole County. In 2012, an investor loaned more than $4 million to assist Brewer in the purchase of the property. In return, the investor obtained a mortgage on the property. A couple of years later, Brewer defrauded a bank into lending his companies $7.75 million that involved Brewer forging documents and using a fake email account that he had created for his investor. This scheme consisted of two parts. First, Brewer forged a letter that transferred the mortgage from his investor to an entity that Brewer controlled.  Second, Brewer forged an estoppel letter from his investor that falsely promised that the investor would release his mortgage for $3.5 million. Brewer used a fake email account that he had established for the investor to send the forged estoppel letter and to pretend to be the investor in communications with the bank. Relying upon the forged letters and his other misrepresentations, the bank loaned one of Brewer’s companies $7.75 million. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Michael P. Ellard (58, Estero) to 15 months in federal prison, for illegally capturing Wood Turtles and transporting them across state lines into Florida for commercial gain. In doing so, Ellard violated the Lacey Act, which makes it unlawful for any person to knowingly transport or sell wildlife that has been taken, collected, or captured in violation of law. A restitution hearing has been set for March 2, 2020.

Ellard had pleaded guilty on July 24, 2019.    

The collection of Wood Turtles is illegal in West Virginia because it is a primary threat to the species’ viability in that state. According to court documents, Ellard was engaged in the business of buying and selling reptiles within Florida and throughout the United States. During three separate trips to the West Virginia area in March, April, and May 2016, Ellard illegally captured at least 140 Wood Turtles and transported them across state lines into Florida with the intent to sell them.

On May 19, 2016, during the execution of a federal search warrant at Ellard’s residence in Estero, U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents seized a total of 17 Wood Turtles. Ellard had transported these turtles from the West Virginia area to Florida.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey F. Michelland.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of a superseding indictment charging David Burkes (51, Safety Harbor) with conspiring to distribute a substance that contained a mixture of fentanyl, and acetyl fentanyl, causing the death of one individual, and the serious injury to another. If convicted, Burkes faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years, and up to life, in federal prison.

According to court documents and information presented in court, beginning on August 12, 2019, Burkes distributed fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl, to two individuals. The two individuals snorted the substance. A short time later, one of the individuals lost control of the vehicle the two were riding in, veered into a Walgreens parking lot, and overdosed. Medical personnel found the two individuals on the ground in the parking lot. They successfully revived one of the individuals, while the other died.

Between August 13, 2019, and August 15, 2019, after the fatal overdose, Burkes continued to distribute narcotics to undercover officers in Safety Harbor.

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 part of the Middle District of Florida’s anti-opioid strategy to combat opioid trafficking and abuse. This case was investigated by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Diego F. Novaes and Kaitlin O’Donnell.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has sentenced Mario Brooks (30, Plant City) to five years and three months in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Brooks to forfeit the firearm and ammunition.

Brooks had pleaded guilty on August 12, 2019.

According to court documents, on March 9, 2019, an officer from the Plant City Police Department located Brooks, who had violated the terms of his probation, at a residence in Plant City. When the officer arrived at the home, Brooks fled. The officer gave chase and yelled at Brooks to stop. The officer noticed that Brooks was holding a firearm in his right hand that appeared to be equipped with an extended magazine. Eventually, officers were able to catch Brooks and arrest him. Brooks later admitted that he had possessed a firearm—a semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine—and 35 rounds of ammunition.

Brooks, who had previously been convicted of several felonies, including possession of cocaine, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault involving the discharge of a firearm, felon in possession of a firearm, and robbery involving the possession of a firearm, is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Plant City Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David C. Waterman.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced Anthony David Diehlman (41, Ocala) to six years and six months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Diehlman had pleaded guilty on July 9, 2019.

According to court documents, on March 8, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Diehlman’s Ocala residence as part of an investigation into illegal drug distribution. Inside the home, agents recovered more than 100 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, four loaded firearms, ammunition, and a taser. Three of the firearms were locked in a safe, along with Diehlman’s lease for the residence, identification documents, and cash. Following his arrest, Diehlman made a call describing the exact location of a hidden AR-15 rifle.

Diehlman is a previously convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. He had posted photographs of himself with the recovered firearms on social media prior to the search warrant. 

This case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.

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

 

Ocala, Florida – U.S. Senior District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced Deandre Amaad Williams (29, Ocala) to 10 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. Williams had pleaded guilty on July 19, 2019.

According to court documents, between January 2012 and May 2019, Williams was a member of a conspiracy that distributed hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and heroin through a network of stash houses in Marion County. Large quantities of the heroin were also laced with fentanyl.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Ocala Police Department, the Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team (UDEST), the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.

Jacksonville, Florida – Changa Bush (41, New York) has pleaded guilty to possession of credit card manufacturing equipment. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison, plus an additional penalty for violating his parole. Bush is currently on parole out of New York for assault causing serious physical injury; he has been detained since his arrest on September 6, 2019. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court records, on April 12, 2019, a deputy from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office began following a stolen vehicle being driven by Bush. Bush eventually pulled the car into a gas station, parked, and the deputies made contact with him. During his subsequent arrest, law enforcement seized credit cards from Bush that were in the names of various individuals, along with counterfeit forms of identification matching the names on the credit cards. During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement recovered a magnetic stripe card writer and reader, two laptops, three thumb drives, a long-range wireless adapter, and nine cell phones. 

A subsequent forensic examination of the seized items by the United States Secret Service Financial Crimes Task Force located 37 credit card account numbers, software used to encode and decode the magnetic strips of credit cards, and evidence of the installation of printers designed for printing identification cards.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service (Jacksonville Field Office) and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge William Jung today sentenced Mark Edward Allen (61, St. Petersburg) to five years in federal prison for attempting to destroy United States government property with an improvised explosive device. Allen was arrested on June 1, 2019. He had pleaded guilty on September 23, 2019.

According to court documents, on May 6, 2019, Allen placed a hoax explosive device at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Bay Pines, Florida. Then, on May 29, 2019, he placed an actual improvised explosive device (IED) at the same VA Hospital. Law enforcement agencies responded to the VA Hospital, and a bomb squad determined that the device contained a 9-volt battery, electrical wires, an improvised initiator, explosive powder, and a switch. Bomb technicians ultimately rendered the device safe. Video surveillance showed that Allen had carefully placed the IED on a gate that controls vehicle and pedestrian access to the VA Hospital.

Approximately two days after Allen had placed the IED at the VA Hospital, an individual called law enforcement and reported that Allen had been making other IEDs in his St. Petersburg home. The individual provided one of the devices to the FBI, and approximately seven additional completed and partially completed IEDs were found during a search of Allen’s home. Each of the devices was capable of causing property damage, personal injury, and/or death when properly assembled and initiated.

“The FBI routinely asks the public that if they see something to say something. This investigation proves to us the message is being heard loud and clear.  We are grateful for the individual who came forward with the information leading us to Mr. Allen. Their action helped save lives,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division Michael F. McPherson.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, with assistance from the Tampa Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Police, the Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of Inspector General, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel George.

Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced Frederick M. Pohl, Jr. (41, Clermont) to 20 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a child for sex. Pohl had pleaded guilty to this offense on August 6, 2019.       

According to court records, Pohl engaged in a series of online chat communications to arrange a sexual encounter with an 8-year-old girl. Pohl believed he was chatting with the child, and her father, but was actually communicating with an undercover federal agent in Detroit. Pohl sent lewd photos of himself and agreed to meet with the 8-year-old child at an Orlando hotel. When Pohl arrived at the hotel, he was arrested by federal agents from Detroit and Orlando. Pohl was found to be in possession of condoms and a pink dress suitable for a young child to wear.

At the time of his arrest, Pohl had been working at an Orlando amusement park where he was responsible for securing the lap bars on rides for children and adults. He was immediately terminated from that position following his arrest. The amusement park was fully cooperative with law enforcement during their investigation and there were no known instances of misconduct while Pohl was working there.

“Thanks to HSI special agents in Detroit and Orlando and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, this child predator has been stopped and he will be held accountable for his crimes,” said HSI Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David J. Pezzutti.         

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.

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 – Senior United States District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced Willie Lee Lewis (48, Ocala) to 10 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Lewis had pleaded guilty on March 12, 2019.

According to the plea agreement, on November 28, 2018, a City of Ocala police officer attempted to stop Lewis for a tag violation. Rather than pulling over, Lewis led the officer on a low-speed chase to his home where he discarded a loaded pistol, cocaine, and marijuana from the window of his van. Police recovered these items and arrested Lewis, who subsequently placed a recorded telephone call from the county jail in which he described the firearm and drugs that he had tried to discard.

At the time of the offense, Lewis had 20 prior state felony convictions, including multiple drug sales and illegal firearms offenses. He is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.   

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the City of Ocala Police Department jointly investigated this case. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.

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

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Roberto Andrade-Caceres (47, Cali, Colombia), a/k/a “Yiyo,” to over 24 years and 4 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine while onboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

Andrade-Caceres was indicted on May 4, 2017, arrested in Colombia, and subsequently extradited to the United States. On May 2019, he pleaded guilty to the offense.

According to court records, since at least 2014, Andrade-Caceres was an organizer and leader of a Cali, Columbia based drug-trafficking organization (“DTO”) engaged in the maritime transportation of large quantities of cocaine from Colombia to Panama and Costa Rica using small go-fast style vessels. Andrade-Caceres directed, managed, and oversaw virtually all aspects of the maritime cocaine-smuggling operation, including organizing and supervising at least twelve maritime cocaine smuggling ventures, two of which were interdicted by the United States Coast Guard.

In 2015 and 2016, the U.S. Coast Guard interdicted two go-fast smuggling vessels dispatched from Colombia by the DTO. During those interdictions, the Coast Guard seized approximately 684 kilograms of cocaine. The crewmen aboard these vessels were arrested and prosecuted in the Middle District of Florida.

This case was investigated by the Panama Express Strike Force, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) comprised of agents and analysts from the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. The Office of International Affairs of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice provided significant support with the defendant’s extradition. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas DeRenzo.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the unsealing of an indictment charging 11 individuals with federal drug trafficking offenses. Ahmad Rashad Weston, a/k/a “Blood,” (42, St. Petersburg); Charleston Shellie Long, a/k/a “Shellie,” (38, St. Petersburg); Shyron Deonta Givens, a/k/a “Ron,” (42, St. Petersburg); Charlie James McDuffy, Jr. (32, Clearwater); Teddy Terrell Strachan (38, Pembroke Pines); Ceveghnta Billvon Guyden, a/k/a “Chop,” (41, St. Petersburg); Quincy Alfonzo Turner, a/k/a “Chico,” (42, St. Petersburg); Justice Deshonna McLaurin, a/k/a “Jussy,” (24, St. Petersburg); Willie Carl McLaurin, a/k/a “Baldy,” (53, St. Petersburg); Ja’Vonta Willie McLaurin, a/k/a “Tay Tay,” (26, St. Petersburg); and Willie Carl McLaurin, Jr. (30, St. Petersburg) are charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison. Weston and Turner, are also charged with distributing heroin and fentanyl. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

According to the indictment, between on an unknown date, but no later than August 2018, and continuing through November 26, 2019, the defendants conspired to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine.

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

These cases were investigated by a multi-agency task force through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. Agencies involved in this OCDETF operation include the Drug Enforcement Administration, the St. Petersburg Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Waterman.

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced Ronald Manns Seaman, Jr. (50, Tampa) to 30 years in federal prison for production of child pornography. Seaman had pleaded guilty on November 28, 2018.

According to court records and proceedings, Seaman produced sexually explicit images of a 7-year-old boy who was under his supervision. The investigation began when Seaman distributed child pornography over the internet to an undercover FBI agent. Further investigation revealed that Seaman ran an online trading site for child pornography with more than 400 members, who traded “extreme” child pornography. Seaman advertised on the site that he had 10,000 child pornography files to trade. Seaman’s computer was found to contain more than 500 images and 40 videos of child pornography—many of which depicted babies and toddlers—including seven explicit images that he had produced of the 7-year-old victim.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.

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 – A federal jury has found Felix Antequera Rivera, Jr. (33, Lakeland) guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 10, 2020.

Rivera was indicted on July 11, 2018.

According to evidence presented at trial, in the late evening of June 15, 2018, officers from the Lakeland Police Department were patrolling an apartment complex when they observed Rivera, who appeared to have a large object concealed at his waistband. When the officers approached Rivera, he turned, walked in the opposite direction, and attempted to enter a friend’s apartment. Rivera then tried to slip out of a backpack that he was wearing and attempted to flee. A prolonged struggle involving Rivera and four police officers ensued, during which Rivera reached for a firearm in his pants, struck a police officer in the head with handcuffs, and grabbed at the officers’ firearms and tasers. Officers eventually seized from Rivera a Sig Sauer pistol that was loaded with 11 rounds.

At the time of the incident, Rivera was a convicted felon on probation, with a long and violent criminal history, including armed robbery with a firearm, felony battery, and aggravated assault with a deadly This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lakeland Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Murray.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich has sentenced Thomas Ramon Castillo to two years in federal prison for filing two false personal income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service.

Castillo had pleaded guilty on August 27, 2019.

According to court documents and proceedings, in March 2016, Castillo knowingly prepared and filed a false Individual Income Tax Return Form 1040 with the IRS for tax year 2015. Castillo’s false Form 1040 included a fraudulently inflated income figure supported by fictitious 1099-MISC forms. Based upon that false filing, the Department of Treasury issued a check to Castillo for $231,590, which he deposited into his bank account. Likewise, Castillo filed a false 2016 Form 1040, wherein he again fraudulently inflated his income and falsely claimed a refund of approximately $272,000. The IRS did not process that form.

This case was investigated by the IRS-Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay G. Trezevant.

Orlando, Florida – A federal jury has found Jonathan Bohn (35, Orlando), a/k/a “Jonah,” guilty of distributing a controlled substance that resulted in death. He faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 18, 2020.

Bohn was indicted on June 12, 2019.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on December 15, 2017, Bohn sold a 45-year-old Orlando resident a controlled substance that contained cocaine laced with fentanyl and heroin. After ingesting the narcotic, the victim’s daughter found the victim dead in their residence the next day. The Orange County Medical Examiner’s office subsequently determined that the victim’s cause of death was fentanyl and cocaine intoxication. At trial, the medical examiner testified that the amount of fentanyl found in the victim’s blood indicated that the victim had consumed a lethal dose of fentanyl. 

“I would like to commend the efforts of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office narcotics unit, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for their hard work and dedication. This collaborative effort between the agencies aided in the successful prosecution in this case,” said Sheriff Mina. “This enforcement and interdiction sends a strong message to all of the drug dealers that they too can and will be investigated for any drug-induced homicides.”

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Substantial assistance was provided by the District Nine Office of the Medical Examiner located in Orlando, Florida. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean P. Shecter.

Jacksonville, Florida – Taniko Hampton (38, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to tampering with a consumer product. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the

plea agreement , on multiple occasions in 2017 and 2018, while working as a nurse in Jacksonville-area hospitals, Hampton extracted the painkiller hydromorphone (also known as Dilaudid) from syringes in the hospitals’ inventories, replaced the drug with saline, and then returned the syringes for use by future patients. A review of hospital records showed that Hampton was obtaining drugs purportedly for patient use, but then returning them supposedly unused, at 10 times the rate of her nursing peers. Further, in at least one instance, Hampton obtained a Dilaudid syringe for a patient who was not assigned to her, and who had not complained of pain, before returning the syringe purportedly unused.

When confronted by a supervisor, Hampton eventually admitted that she had been diverting drugs from patients for her personal use for months. She later told Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office detectives that she had been removing the Dilaudid from the syringes, replacing them with saline, and then returning the syringes to the hospital inventory. Hampton admitted that removing medicine from syringes and replacing it with saline could result in patients receiving injections that were not sterile and that lacked prescribed quantities of necessary medication, which could lead to increased risks of bodily injury and possibly death.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.

The Department of Justice announced the indictment of Romeo Xavier Langhorne, 30, of Roanoke, Virginia, who has been charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Langhorne was arrested in Roanoke, Virginia, on Nov. 15, 2019, pursuant to a criminal complaint, and he has been ordered detained pending trial.

According to an affidavit supporting the criminal complaint, Langhorne has been a follower of ISIS since 2014 and has recently publicly reaffirmed his support for ISIS.  Beginning in February 2019, Langhorne began communicating with an undercover employee (UCE) with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who was posing as someone working on behalf of ISIS. Langhorne told the UCE about his plans to create and disseminate an instructional video on making a deadly explosive – triacetone triperoxide, also known as “TATP” – and sought the UCE’s assistance in creating the video.  Langhorne told the UCE that, in order to ensure that the video was not removed from the internet by service providers, the video should include disclaimers advising that it was intended for educational purposes.  However, Langhorne informed the UCE that his true purpose in making and distributing the video was to arm ISIS adherents and others with knowledge of how to make TATP and use it for terrorism-related purposes in support of ISIS. 

The FBI produced a video in accordance with Langhorne’s instructions, but – unbeknownst to Langhorne – it featured an inert chemical formula for TATP that would not produce an explosion. In November 2019, the UCE provided versions of the TATP video to Langhorne, and Langhorne distributed the video by uploading it to a video-sharing website.

An indictment is merely a 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. If convicted, Langhorne faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. 

This case was investigated by the FBI, including agencies participating in the Northeast Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force.  Investigative support was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor and Trial Attorney D. Andrew Sigler of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

Jacksonville, FL  – The Department of Justice announced the

indictment of Romeo Xavier Langhorne, 30, of Roanoke, Virginia, who has been charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Langhorne was arrested in Roanoke, Virginia, on Nov. 15, 2019, pursuant to a criminal complaint, and he has been ordered detained pending trial. If convicted, Langhorne faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. 

According to an affidavit supporting the

criminal complaint , Langhorne has been a follower of ISIS since 2014 and has recently publicly reaffirmed his support for ISIS.  Beginning in February 2019, Langhorne began communicating with an undercover employee (UCE) with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who was posing as someone working on behalf of ISIS. Langhorne told the UCE about his plans to create and disseminate an instructional video on making a deadly explosive – triacetone triperoxide, also known as “TATP” – and sought the UCE’s assistance in creating the video.  Langhorne told the UCE that, in order to ensure that the video was not removed from the internet by service providers, the video should include disclaimers advising that it was intended for educational purposes.  However, Langhorne informed the UCE that his true purpose in making and distributing the video was to arm ISIS adherents and others with knowledge of how to make TATP and use it for terrorism-related purposes in support of ISIS. 

The FBI produced a video in accordance with Langhorne’s instructions, but – unbeknownst to Langhorne – it featured an inert chemical formula for TATP that would not produce an explosion. In November 2019, the UCE provided versions of the TATP video to Langhorne, and Langhorne distributed the video by uploading it to a video-sharing website.

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

This case was investigated by the FBI, including agencies participating in the Northeast Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force.  Investigative support was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor and Trial Attorney D. Andrew Sigler of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

 

 

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of a superseding indictment charging Alex Jared Zwiefelhofer (22, Wisconsin) and Craig Austin Lang (29, Arizona and North Carolina) with six federal offenses. In addition to the offenses of conspiracy to commit robbery affecting commerce and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, robbery interfering in commerce, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, which resulted in death, Zwiefelhofer and Lang are also charged with conspiring to kill, kidnap, or maim persons in a foreign country and a violation of the Neutrality Act. If convicted on all counts, Zwiefelhofer and Lang face a maximum sentence of life in federal prison or death. Zwiefelhofer’s arraignment on the superseding indictment is set for December 10, 2019, in Fort Myers. Lang is currently in custody, in Ukraine, pursuant to a provisional arrest request from the United States.

According to court documents, on April 10, 2018, two individuals, S.L., Jr. and D.L., were found dead in Estero, Florida from multiple gunshot wounds to the head and body. Further investigation revealed that the couple had traveled to Estero from Brooksville, Florida to complete the purchase of several firearms from an individual that had listed them for sale on a website known as Armslist. As a result of the investigation, Zwiefelhofer and Lang were identified as the individuals that were believed to have murdered the couple during the course of an armed robbery of the $3,000 that the couple had intended to use to purchase the firearms. 

The superseding indictment further alleges that Zwiefelhofer and Lang formed and pursued a plan to fight the Venezuelan government and committed the robbery of S.L., Jr. and D.L. to obtain money to fund their travel to Venezuela for that purpose. 

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jesus M. Casas and Josephine W. Thomas.

superseding indictment

 

Tampa, FL – The Department of Justice today announced that it has awarded more than $376 million in grant funding to enhance state, local and tribal law enforcement operations and reinforce public safety efforts in jurisdictions across the United States. $14,444,949 will support public safety activities in the Middle District of Florida. The awards were made by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs.

“Crime and violence hold families, friends and neighborhoods hostage, and they rip communities apart,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “These programs help restore the health and safety of crime-ravaged communities by supporting prevention activities, aiding in the apprehension and prosecution of perpetrators, facilitating appropriate sentencing and adjudication, and providing communities and their residents the means for recovery and healing.”

The awards announced today support an array of crime-fighting initiatives, including the quarter-billion dollar Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grants Program, which funds public safety efforts in 929 state, local and tribal jurisdictions. Funding also supports sex offender registration and notification, law enforcement-based victim services, the testing of sexual assault kits, and programs designed to address youth with sexual behavioral problems. Other awards will focus on wrongful convictions, intellectual property enforcement, innovative prosecution strategies and the safety and effectiveness of corrections systems.

“We are confident that our public safety and community partners will utilize these additional resources in the most effective manner possible,” said U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez. “Coupled with various lessons learned, innovative ideas, and a commitment to reduce crime at every turn, we intend to make our communities safer places to live, work and play.”

The following awards were made to organizations in the Middle District of Florida:

          Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program (Local)

Brevard County ($55,079)

Charlotte County ($25,580)

Citrus County ($27,792)

City of Apopka ($15,098)

City of Bradenton ($23,080)

City of Casselberry ($10,650)

City of Cape Coral ($15,915)

City of Cocoa ($22,166)

City of Daytona Beach ($61,305)

City of DeLand ($12,598)

City of Fort Myers ($58,733)

City of Jacksonville ($403,269)

City of Kissimmee ($31,446)

City of Lakeland ($24,979)

City of Largo ($28,032)

City of Leesburg ($14,689)

City of Melbourne ($49,405)

City of Ocala ($31,470)

City of Orlando ($167,472)

City of Ormond Beach ($15,435)

City of Palm Bay ($38,106)

City of Pinellas Park ($16,997)

City of Plant City ($13,103)

City of Sanford ($34,571)

City of Tampa ($143,984)

City of Titusville ($25,219)

City of Winter Haven ($14,809)

Clay County Board of Commissioners ($35,100)

Collier County ($69,407)

County of Volusia ($46,039)

Flagler County Sheriff’s Office ($16,108)

Hendry County ($11,708)

Hernando County ($32,239)

Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners ($144,104)

Lake County ($33,850)

Lee County Sheriff’s Office ($101,022)

Manatee County ($108,907)

Marion County Board of County Commissioners ($57,819)

Orange County Board of County Commissioners ($359,322)

Osceola County Board of County Commissioners ($58,925)

Pasco County ($100,324)

Pinellas County ($185,816)

Polk County ($93,064)

Putnam County ($18,440)

Sarasota County ($37,192)

Seminole County Sheriff’s Office ($42,721)

Winter Garden Police Department ($11,083)

 

Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program (State)

          Florida Department of Law Enforcement ($10,551,399)

 

BJA Innovative Prosecution Solutions for Combatting Violent Crime Program

          State Attorney’s Office, 4th Judicial Circuit ($360,000)

 

SMART Adam Walsh Act Implementation Grant Program

          Florida Department of Law Enforcement ($399,878)

          Flagler County Sheriff’s Office ($150,000)

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office ($39,500)

 

Information about the programs and awards announced today is available here. For more information about OJP awards, visit the OJP Awards Data webpage.

The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training and technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the filing of federal charges against 10 individuals in Operation Dead Ringer. The individuals are charged in 10 separate cases with cumulatively stealing more than $500,000 by collecting benefits from the Social Security Administration on behalf of beneficiaries who were actually deceased. The maximum penalty for stealing federal benefits is 10 years in federal prison per count.

Those charged include:      

Shayontay Johnson (32, Belleair) was charged with theft of government funds. According to her plea agreement, from February 2016 through July 2018, Johnson fraudulently collected more than $22,300 of her mother’s Social Security benefits following her mother’s death on February 6, 2016.

Robert Miller (53, Valrico) has been charged with theft of government funds. According to the indictment, from December 2009 through June 2019, Miller fraudulently collected approximately $75,000 of his mother’s Social Security benefits following her death in December 2009.

Santos Flores (62, Lakeland) has been charged with theft of government funds. According to the indictment, from August 2013 through June 2019, Flores fraudulently collected approximately $82,900 of his sister’s Social Security benefits after her death in August 2013.

Susan Hatfield (45, Brooksville) has been charged with theft of government funds. According to the indictment, from May 2013 through May 2019, Hatfield fraudulently collected approximately $61,000 of her father’s Social Security benefits after his death in May 2013.

Peggy Etheridge (56, Brooksville) has been charged with theft of government funds. According to the indictment, from January 2015 through June 2019, Etheridge fraudulently collected approximately $49,000 of her mother’s Social Security benefits after her mother had died in December 2014.

Dina Salem (64, Tampa) has been charged with theft of government funds. According to the indictment, from August 2013 through February 2017, Salem fraudulently collected approximately $59,500 of her former partner’s Social Security benefits after his death in August 2013.

Deborah Leonhardt (60, Sebastian) has been charged with theft of government funds. According to the indictment, from October 2013 through April 2019, Leonhardt fraudulently collected approximately $82,000 of her partner’s Social Security benefits after his death in October 2013.

Sondra Luke (45, Cocoa) has been charged with theft of government funds. According to the indictment, from August 2013 through March 2019, Luke fraudulently collected approximately $83,000 of her mother’s Social Security benefits after her death in August 2013.

Alex Keith (34, Ormond Beach) has been charged with theft of government funds. According to the indictment, from December 2014 though May 2019, Keith fraudulently collected approximately $50,800 of his mother’s Social Security benefits after her death in December 2014.

James Heide (37, Summerfield) has been charged with theft of government funds. According to the indictment, from November 2013 through July 2019, Heide fraudulently collected approximately $84,900 of his mother’s Social Security benefits after her death in November 2013.
 

Operation Dead Ringer, initiated in the Middle District of Florida, aggressively targets those individuals who steal Social Security benefits inadvertently paid to deceased beneficiaries.

“Theft of government program dollars will not be tolerated,” said United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez. “Those who steal Social Security benefits threaten the integrity of the program and divert vital resources away from those who have earned them and need them most.”

“We will continue to work closely with the Social Security Administration and other agencies to identify beneficiary deaths and pursue those who misuse those payments after someone dies,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “I want to thank the United States Attorney’s Office for its support of our investigations and its efforts to bring these individuals to justice and recover funds for Social Security.”

The cases are being investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from other federal and local law enforcement agencies. Special Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Huyler is coordinating the Operation. She, along with Assistant United States Attorney Michael Felicetta, will be prosecuting the above cases.

An information and an indictment are merely formal charges that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

Orlando, FL – Marek Harrison (56, Plant City) has pleaded guilty to bank fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, between September 2007 and December 2008, Harrison created and executed a mortgage fraud scheme involving Saratoga Resort Villas, a condominium conversion of a former hotel located in Kissimmee.  Harrison’s scheme to defraud financial institutions involved kickbacks of mortgage proceeds to buyers and co-conspirators, as well as misrepresentations regarding the source of down payment funds for the transactions. None of the incentives and kickbacks were disclosed to the mortgage lenders. Harrison also recruited otherwise unqualified buyers, and provided down payment money for the buyers. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.

 

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard today sentenced Nicole Johnson to 24 months in federal prison for aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return. Johnson had pleaded guilty on August 28, 2019. 

According to the plea agreement, Johnson was the owner and operator of Financial Asset Tax Service, which offered tax return preparation services. During the tax years 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017, Johnson prepared more than 1,900 returns for individuals in which she falsified the amounts of deductions and tax credits owed to the taxpayers. As a result, those taxpayers received undeserved tax refunds.  Johnson fraudulently claimed the General Business Credit and False Tax Credit for taxpayers who were not entitled to them, and she also inflated itemized deductions. As a result of the false returns prepared by Johnson, the IRS issued more than $1.3 million in undeserved refunds. Johnson was ordered to repay the IRS that amount in restitution.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David B. Mesrobian.

Tampa, Florida – A federal jury has found Richard Franklin Jensen, III (33, Atlanta) guilty of attempted enticement of a minor and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 4, 2020.

Jensen was indicted on February 20, 2019.

According to evidence presented at trial, between May 23 and June 1, 2015, Jensen communicated on a social media website, via email, and over text messages, with someone he believed to be a single mom looking for a man to sexually abuse her 12-year-old daughter. In reality, Jensen was talking to an undercover agent. During the conversations, Jensen told the “mom” that he was the guy that she had been looking for, who was interested in sexually abusing the child, and that he was willing to travel from Atlanta to the Tampa Bay area to teach the “child” about sex and the “art of pleasing a man.” In addition to providing graphic details about the sexual abuse he wanted to perform on the child, Jensen asked the “mom” to prepare the child for the sexual encounter by breaking the child’s hymen in advance of his visit to Tampa. Jensen planned to abuse the child over a period of time, stating that “it couldn’t be a one-time thing.” In his process of grooming the child, Jensen promised to buy “sexy big girl clothes and underwear,” complimented the child’s “sexy little body,” and wanted the “mom” to let the child watch pornography so the child could prepare for sex with Jensen.

Jensen also emailed and messaged the purported child, and graphically described the sexual abuse that he wished to engage in with the child. He sent multiple pictures of his genitalia to the “mom,” to share with the child.

This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lisa M. Thelwell and Francis D. Murray.

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

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul E. Byron has sentenced Eric Bales (31, Winter Park) to life imprisonment for the enticement of a minor to produce child pornography and 20 years’ imprisonment for the distribution of child sex abuse imagery, to be served consecutively. Bales had pleaded guilty on May 22, 2019.

According to testimony and court documents in August 2018, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police referred an internet-based case lead to Homeland Security Investigations in Orlando, who then executed a federal search warrant on Bales’s residence. HSI agents arrested Bales the same day. The investigation revealed that Bales was using an internet chat room to arrange a meeting with another minor the same morning that HSI had arrested him.

In 2009, Bales was the subject of a state child enticement investigation. He avoided prosecution but, in 2014, was arrested for lewd and lascivious battery on a 14-year-old child. Bales was convicted of willful child abuse and spent two and a half years in prison. After Bales was released from prison in October 2017, he immediately began viewing and collecting images and videos of children being sexually exploited. Bales collected and distributed the explicit imagery over internet using peer-to-peer applications. He also elicited the production of pornographic images from a 16-year-old girl, and shared those images via messaging applications with other minors.

“This serial child predator used social media to spread vile images across the digital spectrum,” said HSI Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David J. Pezzutti. “This investigation highlights HSI’s authority to work with international and local partners, ultimately making our communities a safer place.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Brandon Bayliss, on assignment from the Office of Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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 – Mordechai Boaziz (68, Fort Lauderdale) and Jonathan Marmol (41, Odessa) have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make false statements to financial institutions. Each faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to their plea agreements, beginning around the summer of 2006 and continuing through August 2008, Boaziz and Marmol conspired with others to execute a scheme to influence the credit decisions of financial institutions in connection with the sale of condominium units at The Preserve at Temple Terrace, a 392-unit condominium complex. Boaziz was converting The Preserve from an apartment complex into a condominium complex and hired Marmol to market the units.

In order to recruit and entice otherwise unqualified buyers to purchase units at The Preserve, the conspirators offered to pay the prospective buyers’ down payments (“cash-to-close”). The conspirators then intentionally concealed from the financial institutions the cash-to-close payments made on behalf of the buyers.

In particular, the HUD-1 Settlement Statements submitted to the financial institutions falsely stated that the buyers brought their own cash-to-close funds to purchase the condominium units, which influenced the financial institutions’ mortgage loan approval decisions. In reality, Boaziz funded the buyers’ cash-to-close and routed the payments through Marmol and others. As a result of the conspiracy, the financial institutions that financed the condominium unit purchases at The Preserve sustained a total loss of approximately $5 million.

This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency–Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor and Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung today sentenced Howard Joseph Vorder Bruegge, III (36, Tampa) to 11 years and 8 months in federal prison for possessing and distributing child pornography. 

Vorder Bruegge had pleaded guilty on March 29, 2019.

According to court documents, Vorder Bruegge, using the internet monikers “JoeBlow73” and “JoeBlowFL,” distributed child sex abuse videos on multiple occasions. He also collected child pornography on his cellphone, including sex abuse videos of babies and toddlers. His collection included more than 200 images and 47 videos depicting child sex abuse, including videos known by law enforcement to have been produced in the Tampa Bay area. Vorder Bruegge’s devices also contained conversations where he discussed a desire to sexually abuse his friend’s children.

Vorder Bruegge also used his phone to film and publically share voyeur videos on the internet and utilized peepholes in college campus bathrooms to film students while they were in restroom stalls. He then distributed those videos on websites that hosted voyeur content. Vorder Bruegge’s phone contained at least four videos capturing adult males through peepholes in public HCC restrooms.

“All child exploitation is sickening, but it is deeply disturbing when a person who held a position of trust is the criminal who magnified the harm to the child victims,” said HSI Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Cochran.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Murray.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Brian Ray Dunlap (67, St. Augustine) to 14 years and 7 months in federal prison for attempting to entice two young children to engage in sexual activity. Dunlap was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.

Dunlap had pleaded guilty on July 25, 2019.    

According to court documents, evidence, and testimony, on October 6, 2018, a detective with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, who was posing online as a custodial family member of two children ages 9 and 12, received an email message from Dunlap. Over the next three days, Dunlap and the undercover detective exchanged emails and text messages about Dunlap’s desire to meet the children to engage in sexual activity with them. Dunlap advised that he was an amateur photographer and that he wanted to “[t]ake their pictures naked” and perform oral sex on them. Dunlap provided the undercover detective with graphic details about the sexual acts that he wished to perform on the two children, and he offered to pay the undercover detective $200 for sex with the children. Dunlap told the undercover detective that finding someone that would permit him to have sex with their children was “a dream come true.” 

On October 9, 2018, Dunlap traveled to a prearranged location in St. Johns County to meet and have sex with the two children and was arrested.

This case was investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation 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 May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Christopher Brian Cosimano, a/k/a “Durty,” (31, Gibsonton) and Michael Dominick Mencher, a/k/a “Pumpkin,” (53, Tarpon Springs) to life in federal prison plus ten years, and life in prison plus five years, respectively, for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, and related firearms offenses. A federal jury found Cosimano and Mencher guilty on August 12, 2019.

Cosimano and Mencher were indicted, along with three co-defendants who later pleaded guilty, on May 22, 2018.

According to testimony and court documents, Cosimano and Mencher were members of the 69’ers Motorcycle Club, a criminal organization engaged in acts of violence and narcotics distribution.

In 2017, the 69’ers Motorcycle Club was entangled in an increasingly violent feud with the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. The feud escalated, culminating with the murder of Paul Anderson, President of the Cross Bayou Chapter of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, on December 21, 2017. On that date, Cosimano, Mencher, and their three co-defendants stalked Anderson for several miles down the Suncoast Parkway. Cosimano and Mencher rode their motorcycles with their faces covered and license plates obscured.

After following Anderson for miles, Cosimano and Mencher pulled alongside his truck and shot him repeatedly at the busy intersection of Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54, during rush hour. After the murder, the defendants took steps to cover up the crime, including removing identifying markings from and disassembling their motorcycles.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Tampa Police Department, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Petersburg Police Department, and the State Attorney’s Office for the Sixth Judicial Circuit. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carlton C. Gammons and Natalie Hirt Adams.

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

Tampa, FL – A federal jury has found Karen Latrice Houston (37, Lakeland) guilty of three counts of theft of government funds. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Houston was indicted on May 8, 2019.

According to evidence presented at trial, in September 2017, Houston filed a false application with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to obtain disaster relief benefits following Hurricane Irma. In the application, Houston falsely claimed that a home located in a Lakeland mobile home park was her primary residence, and that the home was damaged during Hurricane Irma. In fact, Houston had been evicted from the mobile home park in early 2017. In connection with her application for disaster aid, Houston misrepresented to a FEMA inspector that she still resided at the address that she had listed on her FEMA application. As a result of those misrepresentations, Houston obtained $21,875.57 in FEMA funds and benefits to which she was not entitled.

The FEMA funds and benefits Houston received were intended for critical needs, home repair, replacement of personal property, and shelter for persons displaced from their residence due to Hurricane Irma.  

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.

Tampa, Florida – A federal jury has found Leon Williams (30) and Reginald Jones, Jr. (25), both of Tampa, guilty of conspiring to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to that conspiracy. Each faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to evidence presented during the two-week trial, Williams and Jones are members of the Bird Gang, a violent street-level drug trafficking organization that has operated in Tampa Park for years and is responsible for multiple homicides and shootings. The Bird Gang principally sold drugs at two locations, the Tampa Park housing complex and a nearby boarding house known as the “Blue House,” which the Bird Gang had essentially taken over. On May 29, 2018, in the middle of the afternoon, Williams and Jones shot at people whom they believed had been communicating with law enforcement about the Bird Gang’s drug sales at the Blue House.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tampa Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is part of a year-long effort to dismantle the Bird Gang, so far resulting in charges against 30 individuals. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael M. Gordon.

This case is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation and was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

Orlando, Florida – A federal jury has found Rondre Antwan Powell (32, Orlando) guilty of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 19, 2020.

A grand jury had returned a superseding indictment on July 17, 2019.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on November 28, 2018, a deputy from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office conducted a stop of an SUV for traffic violations, and because the vehicle was suspected of being stolen. The driver and a passenger of the SUV fled on foot. A 9mm firearm, with an extended magazine holding over 20 rounds of ammunition, was left behind in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Law enforcement identified Powell as the passenger and arrested him six days later in Pasco County. When Powell was arrested, officers executed search warrants on a hotel room and on Powell’s cellphone that yielded additional evidence that it was Powell who had fled from the SUV, leaving behind the 9mm pistol and extended magazine. 

Powell has been convicted of numerous felonies and admitted during the trial that he was a felon. As a previously convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs Jr.

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

Tampa, Florida – A federal jury has found Derrick Coleman (41, New Port Richey) guilty of bank robbery. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Coleman was indicted on August 28, 2019.

According to testimony presented at trial, on June 30, 2018, Coleman visited a Chase Bank in Tarpon Springs and spoke to a teller about opening a new account. As the teller explained the process, Coleman placed a bag on the counter, told the teller that he had a gun, and demanded money from the teller. The teller complied and Coleman fled the bank with $5,000. The teller later identified Coleman in a photo lineup.

On that same day, Coleman told his then-girlfriend, who later testified during the trial, about the robbery. He told her that he had gotten $5,000 from the robbery. That detail of the robbery was never released to the public.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tarpon Springs Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charlie D. Connally.

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

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza today sentenced Ever Jose Diaz-Lara (30, Honduras) to 15 months in federal prison for illegal reentry after deportation. Diaz-Lara had pleaded guilty on September 6, 2019.

According to testimony and court documents, since 2009, Diaz-Lara has been arrested at least five times for violent domestic assaults. The Department of Homeland Security removed Diaz-Lara to Honduras in 2010, 2014, and 2015. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) most recently encountered Diaz-Lara following his July 17, 2019, domestic battery arrest in Orlando.

“Thanks to the hard work of our Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) team, this violent criminal illegal alien is out of our communities,” said Miami ERO Field Office Director Michael W. Meade. 

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO). It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Brandon Bayliss, on assignment from the Office of Principal Legal Advisor, ICE, in the Middle District of Florida.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge G. Kendall Sharp today sentenced Benjamin Green Robinson (32, Daytona Beach) to nine years and two months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. A federal jury found Robinson guilty on August 9, 2019.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, in January 2016, Robinson and three co-conspirators arranged for multiple shipments of cocaine to be sent through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from California. During the investigation, the FBI and the USPS seized three of the packages, each containing two kilograms of cocaine hidden inside tubs of protein powder. Law enforcement also identified five additional shipments that the conspirators had successfully shipped through the mail. In 2016, during the month of January, Robinson and his conspirators were responsible shipping 14 kilograms of cocaine through mail, estimated to be worth a total of $490,000.

Two of Robinson’s co-conspirators, Dondi Kentrail Freeney and Telvin Williams, previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy. They were sentenced to seven years and six months in federal prison and five years in federal prison, respectively. Legal proceedings against a fourth individual, Antonio Chandler, are ongoing. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Lake County Sherriff’s Office, and the Volusia Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the unsealing of an indictment charging David John Ridling (57, Vero Beach) with 10 counts of wire fraud, 4 counts of bank fraud, 9 counts of money laundering, and 2 counts of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, Ridling faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count, 30 years in federal prison for each bank fraud count, 10 years in federal prison for each money laundering count, and a mandatory penalty of 2 years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft counts.

According to the

indictment and information presented in court, Ridling, over the past three years, has attempted to defraud five financial institutions, one financial services provider, and one local Orlando business out of more than $50 million. Ridling’s scheme involved the use of false brokerage account statements, fabricated tax returns, and false financial statements to obtain loans and lines of credit. As part of his scheme, Ridling falsely claimed that certain individuals served as his account representatives at a financial brokerage company. He used email accounts for two of those representatives, purporting to be them, in an effort to convince lenders that he had millions of dollars in his two brokerage accounts. In fact, Ridling only had one account, which never had more than $2,000 in it. Ridling used some of the proceeds that he had obtained from his victims to pay amounts that he had owed to other victims to prolong his scheme.

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 Roger B. Handberg.

Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge James D. Whittemore sentenced Brian Alan Jones (37, Lady Lake) today to 30 years in federal prison for production of child pornography. Jones had pleaded guilty on May 23, 2019. 

According to court records, Jones produced sexually explicit images of a 6-year-old girl who was under his supervision. He took explicit photographs of the victim on his cellphone and sent them to an undercover officer posing as a pedophile.

Jones also admitted to sending another undercover officer sexually explicit videos depicting young children having sexual intercourse with adult men. Jones’s cellphone was later found to contain more than 100 images of the child victim and over 70 images of other child pornography or child erotica.

“The crimes committed by this child predator are beyond comprehension,” said HSI Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David J. Pezzutti. “HSI special agents, with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, have ensured this criminal will no longer be able to sexually abuse children and we hope this brings a small measure of closure to his victim.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.

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 – Darryl Cleon Forbes (26), a Jamaican citizen, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, between 2015 and 2017, Forbes participated in a fraudulent sweepstakes scheme, originating in Jamaica, which targeted victims throughout the United States, many of whom were elderly, and falsely informed them that they had won a significant cash prize in a sweepstakes contest. In order to carry out the scheme, Forbes and his co-conspirators called victims and posed as federal law enforcement agents. The conspirators advised the victims that in order to collect their prize, they first had to pay taxes and fees amounting to tens of thousands of dollars. Over the course of this conspiracy, Forbes and others collected between $2.5 and $3.5 million from their victims. 

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

Orlando, FL – Jesus Bolanos Rodriguez (26, Orlando) today pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after deportation. He faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, in January 2015, Bolanos Rodriguez, a native and citizen of Mexico, was convicted of illegal entry into the United States and was deported. He returned to the United States at some point thereafter, and, on September 22, 2019, he was arrested by the Apopka Police Department for leaving the scene of a crash involving death and physical injury. Bolanos Rodriguez was subsequently released on bond and taken into federal custody, at which point he was charged with illegal reentry after deportation.

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Brandon Bayliss, on assignment from the Office of Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Ocala, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul Byron today sentenced Eric Pedro Valdez (39, Atlanta) to 18 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. A federal jury had found Valdez guilty on August 2, 2019.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, between November 2015 and May 2016, Valdez conspired with others to distribute more than 70 kilograms of methamphetamine. On March 23, 2016, Valdez hand-delivered 4 kilograms of methamphetamine to two co-conspirators at a business in the Atlanta area. The drugs were intended for distribution in Sumter County.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.

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UPDATE

On October 18, 2021, a federal jury acquitted defendants Greg Carter and John Clark Walton of the charges alleged in the indictment described in the press release below.

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Jacksonville, FL – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of an indictment charging Scott Balotin (49, Saint Johns), Greg Carter (62, Fleming Island), Thomas Jones (50, Jacksonville), John Clark Walton (49, Jacksonville), David Stevens (40, Callahan), Sam Todd (40, Jacksonville Beach), Derwin Allen (50, Jacksonville), and Pablo Ortiz (51, Middleburg) with conspiracy. Various defendants are also charged with multiple counts of receiving and paying kickbacks and/or money laundering. The maximum penalty for the conspiracy count and each count of money laundering is 10 years in federal prison. The maximum penalty for each count of receiving and paying kickbacks is 5 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies the individuals that the United States intends to forfeit the proceeds traceable to the offense, as well as items and properties purchased with proceeds traceable to the offense, including a 2015 Cadillac Escalade, a 2015 Ford Thor Motor Coach, and two residences.

In a related case, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Qualla Miller (42, Orange Park), Earl Smalls (57, Jacksonville), and Mario Correa Jackson (35, Jacksonville) each with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and separate counts of soliciting and receiving kickbacks. In addition, Smalls and Jackson were each charged with paying kickbacks, and Miller and Smalls were each charged with money laundering. The maximum penalty for the conspiracy count and each count of receiving and paying kickbacks is 5 years in federal prison. The maximum penalty for each count of money laundering is 10 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies the individuals that the United States intends to forfeit the proceeds traceable to the offense.

According to the indictments, Balotin owned and operated Casepark, a marketing firm in Jacksonville that utilized sales representatives to market compounded medications, including creams for pain and scars, to health care benefit program beneficiaries. The creams had very high reimbursement rates, ranging from approximately $4,000 to $17,000 for a one-month supply. Casepark focused its promotional efforts on TRICARE beneficiaries, based upon an understanding and belief that TRICARE would pay claims for these compounded medications. The indictment alleges that a large number of the prescriptions generated for the recruited TRICARE beneficiaries were directed to Park and King Pharmacy, owned and operated by Greg Carter. Casepark received approximately 55 percent of the after-cost amount of each claim paid by a health care benefit program to Park and King Pharmacy for each prescription filled. Casepark, and Park and King, paid the sales representatives a percentage of the paid claims they received from the pharmacies.

To induce beneficiaries to provide their TRICARE information and obtain prescriptions for compounded creams from various doctors, patient recruiters (Jones, Walton, Stevens, Todd, Allen, Ortiz, Miller, Smalls, and Jackson) agreed to make, made, and caused to be made illegal kickbacks in the form of cash payments to the beneficiaries. Those prescriptions were filled at Park and King and other pharmacies and resulted in commission payments being made to Casepark and its sales representatives, including the defendants.

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

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the United States Marshals Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie Hackenberry.

 

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of a superseding indictment charging Romen Rafael Perez (47, Sarasota), Pedro Perez-Garcia (51, Sarasota), and Juan Miguel Martinez-Garcia (33, Sarasota) with conspiracy, making a false statement to a firearms dealer, delivery of firearms to a common carrier for shipment in foreign commerce without written notice, and smuggling goods from the United States. If convicted on all counts, each faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.

According to the

superseding indictment , during the course of the conspiracy, Perez, Perez-Garcia, and Martinez-Garcia purchased more than 80 firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers located in the Middle District of Florida. The defendants represented themselves to be the actual buyers of each firearm at the time of purchase, despite having preexisting plans to ship those firearms to the Dominican Republic. During shipment, the men hid the firearms among innocuous items, such as clothing and food, and failed to inform the common carrier that the packages contained firearms. On September 11, 2019, investigators intercepted one such package destined for Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Inside, they discovered and seized 12 Glock semi-automatic 9mm handguns and accompanying magazines, as well as speed loaders hidden within several packages of breakfast cereal.

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

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Thomas Rowland (51, Pennsylvania) to 25 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.  

Rowland had pleaded guilty on August 29, 2019.

According to court documents, in April and May 2019, Rowland engaged in conversations with an undercover (“UC”) agent on a “dark web” website. Over the course of several conversations, Rowland discussed plans to travel to Florida and videotape his rape of the UC’s fictional 13-year old daughter. Rowland was very specific in his requests, including asking for the “child’s” body measurements so that he could buy “sexy outfits” for her to wear during his sexual encounters with her.

Throughout their conversations, Rowland kept in touch with the UC and maintained his desire to fly to Florida to have sex with the “child.” Rowland also stated that he was bringing sexual devices to use on the “child.”

On June 21, 2019, Rowland arrived at the Orlando International Airport and was subsequently arrested. Inside Rowland’s luggage, law enforcement officers found sex toys and “sexy outfits,” along with other paraphernalia for use in sexual activity.  

“This child predator thought he was going to travel into our local communities to sexually abuse a child,” said HSI Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David J. Pezzutti. “Instead, he was met by HSI special agents and Brevard County Sheriff’s Office deputies and now he is being held accountable for his crimes.”

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sean P. Shecter and Ilianys Rivera Miranda. 

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

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Leslie Muniz to 36 months in federal prison for aiding and abetting the filing of false federal income tax returns. Muniz was also ordered to pay $1,615,143 in restitution to the United States.

Muniz had pleaded guilty on August 20, 2019.

According to court documents, between 2012 and 2016, Muniz owned and operated Royalty Tax Services, a tax preparation business located in Winter Park. During this time, in order to inflate her clients’ refunds, Muniz prepared, or caused her employees to prepare, hundreds of fraudulent tax returns for clients claiming false itemized deductions and fake Schedule C businesses and business losses. Muniz then used tax preparation numbers assigned to her employees to file the fraudulent tax returns with the IRS to avoid having the returns traced to her. When employees at Royalty Tax Services questioned Muniz about her tax practices or her use of their tax preparation numbers, she fired them. The total loss to the United States as a result of Muniz’s conduct was more than $1.6 million.

This case was investigated by IRS – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that a federal jury today found Dameon Kerk Allen (42, St. Petersburg) guilty of attempted enticement of a child to engage in sexual activity. Allen faces a minimum mandatory term of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 13, 2020.

Allen was indicted on August 20, 2019.

According to evidence presented at trial, Allen communicated online and over text messages with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old child. In reality, he was communicating with an undercover agent. In the conversations, Allen proposed and planned to meet up with the child to have sex, discussing in graphic detail the sex acts he would engage in when they met.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lisa Thelwell and Colin McDonell.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich today sentenced Antonio Marquis Roddy, a/k/a “Lil Head” (32, Apopka) to 25 years and 4 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, and using or carrying a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.

Roddy had pleaded guilty on September 12, 2018.

According to court documents, from at least May 2015 and continuing through July 20, 2017, co-defendant Marion Dwight, Jr. conspired with Roddy and others to commit multiple armed robberies and burglaries of several local drug dealers. To date, the FBI has identified at least 14 armed robberies and 4 armed burglaries that were committed by Dwight and his coconspirators. The conspirators discharged and otherwise brandished firearms during each of the robberies and burglaries.

In January 2016, Roddy and his coconspirators, Michael James Baker, a/k/a “Bake,” and Fredrick James Burney, Jr. a/k/a “Frido,” forced their way inside a residence in Kissimmee in search of narcotics and cash. While inside, they held three women and three children at gunpoint and stated that, if the victims complied, no one would die. Roddy and his coconspirators stole approximately $95,000 in cash from the home and divided the proceeds amongst themselves.

A few months later, in April 2016, Roddy and Burney attempted to rob a residence in Lakeland in search of narcotics and cash. The victim, however, returned to the home during the course of the attempted robbery and a shoot-out resulted. Roddy and Burney fled, but not before Burney stole a firearm from the residence. Roddy was shot in the knee and was treated at a nearby hospital.

Roddy was the last member of the Polk County-based criminal organization to be sentenced. Roddy’s coconspirators have been sentenced as noted below:

Name

Age, Residence

Federal Prison Sentence Imposed

Bradney Henry McGary

32, Lakeland

19 years and 2 months

Sherrod Raeshad Gordon,

a/k/a “Hott”

32, Tampa

29 years and 8 months

Marion Dwight, Jr.

a/k/a “Woe,”

a/k/a “Woe Money”

31, Lakeland

23 years

Michael James Baker,

a/k/a “Bake,”

a/k/a “Maserati”

35, Clearwater

19 years and 6 months

Fredrick James Burney, Jr.,

a/k/a “Frido”

a/k/a “Free”

28, Clearwater

30 years

Jevin Michael Stone

30, Lakeland

23 years and 5 months

Shamar Lajuan Thomas

a/k/a “Baby”

27, Clearwater

35 years

           This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Willie D. Hayden (33, Cape Coral) to 17 years in federal prison for distributing a controlled substance, possessing with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, and violating his supervised release. 

Hayden had pleaded guilty on May 8, 2019, and he admitted to violating the conditions of his supervised release on November 12, 2019.

According to court documents, on two separate occasions, in August and October 2018, while on supervised release, Hayden sold heroin to a confidential informant working with law enforcement. In November 2018, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hayden’s residence and seized 10.4 grams of heroin packaged in 29 separate baggies.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Trent Reichling.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced David Martin “Marty” Golloher to three years in federal prison for wire fraud, tax fraud, and bankruptcy fraud.           

Golloher had pleaded guilty on August 30, 2019.

According to court documents and evidence presented during the sentencing hearing, Golloher was the President and Chief Executive Officer of OATH Corporation, a bullet-manufacturing company based in Brevard County. In that capacity, Golloher recruited individuals to invest significant sums of money in OATH Corporation. He defrauded one investor of nearly $70,000 by embezzling funds intended for corporate use. Golloher defrauded another individual of more than $40,000 by convincing him to purchase the rights to an “exclusive distributorship” that did not actually exist.

In addition, for six quarters in 2015 and 2016, Golloher collected payroll taxes on behalf of OATH Corporation employees, but failed to pay over that tax to the Internal Revenue Service. Golloher also failed to pay over OATH Corporation’s payroll tax obligations, resulting in a total tax loss of more than $458,000.

Eventually, Golloher filed for bankruptcy on behalf of OATH Corporation.  During the course of the bankruptcy proceeding, Golloher knowingly made a false declaration, understating the amount of compensation and personal expenses he had received from OATH Corporation. Golloher admitted that he did so with the intent to deceive OATH Corporation’s creditors, the bankruptcy trustee, and the bankruptcy judge.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Orlando Office of the United States Trustee Program. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. L. Chang.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Rubens Casseus to two years in federal prison for aiding or assisting in the preparation of false documents under Internal Revenue laws. The court also ordered Casseus to pay $59,322 in restitution to the IRS.

Casseus had pleaded guilty on August 8, 2019.

According to court documents, Casseus operated Three Brothers Tax Multiservices, Inc. in Naples, where he routinely prepared income tax returns for his clients. Between January 2014 and February 2018, Casseus, on behalf of his clients, aided in the preparation and presentation of false and fraudulent tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service. Many of these tax returns contained fraudulent information, including representing that the taxpayers were entitled to claim head of household filing status, a false or fictitious dependent, and deductions and credits that the taxpayers were not entitled to claim. Casseus knew that the taxpayers were not entitled to such claims. Casseus also used the identifying information of children to increase tax refunds for some of his clients. The false statements Casseus included in the tax returns inflated the tax refunds, thereby defrauding the government of tax revenue in the amount of $59,322 for tax years 2013 through 2017.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.