Middle District of Florida

Today, Attorney General William P. Barr announced the launch of Project Guardian, a new initiative designed to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws across the country. Specifically, Project Guardian focuses on investigating, prosecuting, and preventing gun crimes.

Reducing gun violence and enforcing federal firearms laws have always been among the Department’s highest priorities. In order to develop a new and robust effort to promote and ensure public safety, the Department reviewed and adapted some of the successes of past strategies to curb gun violence. Project Guardian draws on the Department’s earlier achievements, such as the “Triggerlock” program, and it serves as a complementary effort to the success of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In addition, the initiative emphasizes the importance of using all modern technologies available to law enforcement to promote gun crime intelligence.

“Gun crime remains a pervasive problem in too many communities across America. Today, the Department of Justice is redoubling its commitment to tackling this issue through the launch of Project Guardian,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Building on the success of past programs like Triggerlock, Project Guardian will strengthen our efforts to reduce gun violence by allowing the federal government and our state and local partners to better target offenders who use guns in crimes and those who try to buy guns illegally.”

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute those who violate our nation’s gun laws,” stated U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez. “For years, the Middle District has applied a holistic approach to reducing violent crime and improving the quality of life in neighborhoods. With Project Guardian, we will continue to coordinate resources among various stakeholders and create a comprehensive strategy that prevents illegal access to firearms, deters the use of guns in resolving conflicts, and provides additional support to our communities.”

 “ATF has a long history of strong partnerships in the law enforcement community,” said Acting Director Regina Lombardo. “Make no mistake, the women and men of ATF remain steadfast to our core mission of getting crime guns off of our streets. ATF and U.S. Attorneys nationwide will leverage these partnerships even further through enhanced community outreach initiatives and coordination with local, state, and tribal law enforcement and prosecutors to cut the pipeline of crime guns from those violent individuals who seek to terrorize our communities. Project Guardian will enhance ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence, to include identifying, investigating and prosecuting those involved in the straw purchases of firearms, lying on federal firearms transaction forms, and those subject to the mental health prohibition of possessing firearms.”

Project Guardian’s implementation is based on five principles:

1. Coordinated Prosecution. Federal prosecutors and law enforcement will coordinate with state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecutors to consider potential federal prosecution for new cases involving a defendant who: a) was arrested in possession of a firearm; b) is believed to have used a firearm in committing a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime prosecutable in federal court; or c) is suspected of actively committing violent crime(s) in the community on behalf of a criminal organization.
    
2. Enforcing the Background Check System. United States Attorneys, in consultation with the Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in their district, will create new, or review existing, guidelines for intake and prosecution of federal cases involving false statements (including lie-and-try, lie-and-buy, and straw purchasers) made during the acquisition or attempted acquisition of firearms from Federal Firearms Licensees.
    
   Particular emphasis is placed on individuals convicted of violent felonies or misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence, individuals subject to protective orders, and individuals who are fugitives where the underlying offense is a felony or misdemeanor crime of domestic violence; individuals suspected of involvement in criminal organizations or of providing firearms to criminal organizations; and individuals involved in repeat denials.
    
3. Improved Information Sharing. On a regular basis, and as often as practicable given current technical limitations, ATF will provide to state law enforcement fusion centers a report listing individuals for whom the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) has issued denials, including the basis for the denial, so that state and local law enforcement can take appropriate steps under their laws.
    
4. Coordinated Response to Mental Health Denials. Each United States Attorney will ensure that whenever there is federal case information regarding individuals who are prohibited from possessing a firearm under the mental health prohibition, such information continues to be entered timely and accurately into the United States Attorneys’ Offices’ case-management system for prompt submission to NICS. ATF should engage in additional outreach to state and local law enforcement on how to use this denial information to better assure public safety. 
    
   Additionally, United States Attorneys will consult with relevant district stakeholders to assess feasibility of adopting disruption of early engagement programs to address mental-health-prohibited individuals who attempt to acquire a firearm. United States Attorneys should consider, when appropriate, recommending court-ordered mental health treatment for any sentences issued to individuals prohibited based on mental health.
    
5. Crime Gun Intelligence Coordination. Federal, state, local, and tribal prosecutors and law enforcement will work together to ensure effective use of the ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Centers (CGICs), and all related resources, to maximize the use of modern intelligence tools and technology. These tools can greatly enhance the speed and effectiveness in identifying trigger-pullers and finding their guns, but the success depends in large part on state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners sharing ballistic evidence and firearm recovery data with the ATF.

Federal law enforcement represents only about 15% of all law enforcement resources nationwide. Therefore, partnerships with state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the communities they serve are critical to addressing gun crime. The Department recognizes that sharing information with our state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners at every level will enhance public safety, and provide a greater depth of resources available to address gun crime on a national level.  

For more information on Project Guardian, see the Attorney General’s memorandum at: https://www.justice.gov/ag/project-guardian-memo-2019/download.

Ocala, Florida – A federal jury has found Kevin Gene Hart (31, Ocala) guilty of conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, 1 kilogram or more of heroin, and 400 grams or more of fentanyl. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for January 28, 2020. 

Hart was indicted on March 27, 2019.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, between January 2012 and May 2019, Hart conspired with others to distribute 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. On April 10, 2019, after learning of his federal indictment, Hart fled from federal agents in a high-speed vehicle chase. He was apprehended by agents in Marion County on May 24, 2019, as he attempted to flee through a local business.

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

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of an indictment charging Miller Wilson, Jr. (49, Sparr), his daughter Myoshi Wilson (25, Citra), and his ex-wife Erica Wilson (42, Ocala), with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. Miller Wilson, Jr. is also charged with eight counts of solicitation and receipt of health care kickbacks, and Erica and Myoshi Wilson are each charged with one count of making false statements. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison for the conspiracy count. Erica and Myoshi Wilson each face up to 5 years’ imprisonment for the false statement count. In addition, Miller Wilson, Jr. faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each count of soliciting and receiving health care kickbacks. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States is seeking a money judgment in the amount of $382,462, which represents the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.

According to the

indictment , Miller Wilson, Jr. was an employee at the Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) Clinic located in The Villages. As part of his employment, he provided transportation arrangements for veterans needing medical treatment. From 2014 through 2016, Miller Wilson, Jr. obtained cash kickbacks from the transportation vendors in exchange for awarding them health care contracts from the VA. Thereafter, from 2016-2017, Miller Wilson, Jr. conspired with Erica and Myoshi Wilson to open and manage two different transportation companies to provide these services to veterans. Miller Wilson, Jr. used his official position at the VA to funnel health care contracts to the companies that he had formed with Erica and Myoshi Wilson. During a 17-month period, the two companies billed the federal government $305,673.

In 2019, Myoshi and Erica Wilson made false statements to a federal agent in to conceal their wrongdoing.

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

This case is being investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.

Tampa, Florida – A federal jury has found Danyel Megal Black (39, Bradenton) guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon and possessing cocaine. Black faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is pending.

Black was indicted on August 27, 2019.

According to testimony presented at trial, on February 19, 2019, Black was serving a term of probation from a state court sentence. Black’s probation officer had scheduled a home compliance visit and search for that day. The probation officer did not inform Black of the search, and on that day, a team of law enforcement officers arrived at Black’s apartment to perform the search. Black arrived at his residence over half an hour late and let the officers into the apartment, which he shared with his girlfriend and their two small children.

During the search, the officers found nearly half an ounce of cocaine in a plastic bag, along with a razor, in Black’s nightstand next to his bed. That same drawer contained several small baggies of individually wrapped cocaine. Officers also discovered a loaded 9mm magazine in the bedroom linen closet. In the kitchen, they found an orange pot and scale, both containing cocaine residue. Inside a dresser drawer in Black’s two-year-old son’s room, officers discovered a stolen, loaded gun. In addition, they found two cellphones and $1,865 in Black’s car.

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

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Florida Department of Corrections-Sarasota Circuit Office, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sarasota Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Charlie D. Connally and Michael Sinacore.

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.

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the arrest of Nicholas Allen Groves (35, Ocala) on a criminal complaint charging him with possession of a firearm affecting commerce by a convicted felon. If convicted, Groves faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. 

According to the

criminal complaint , Groves has a 2012 felony conviction in Maryland for assault-first Degree. That incident involved Groves threatening another person with a firearm. Because of this felony conviction, Groves is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. 

On November 6, 2019, federal agents executed a search warrant on an Ocala residence where Groves lived alone. Inside the residence, agents recovered at least 25 firearms (including AR-15 and AK-47 rifles), hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and personal identification documents belonging to Groves. Among the recovered ammunition, agents located three military-style 40mm smoke and parachute rounds.

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

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the City of Ocala Police Department. It will be 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.

Jacksonville, Florida – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Jessica Ann Smothers (35, Fernandina Beach) with disaster assistance fraud involving Hurricane Irma. If convicted, Smothers faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison, plus payment of restitution to the United States. Smothers was arrested on November 4, 2019. She has been detained pending her January 6, 2020 trial.  

According to the indictment, Smothers made a fraudulent application for assistance from FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program from Hurricane Irma, in which she falsely represented that she was in need of rental assistance due to storm damage to her primary residence.

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

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Fernandina Beach Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

The Department of Justice announced today that Fagron Holding USA LLC (Fagron) has agreed to pay $22.05 million to resolve allegations concerning the establishment of false and inflated Average Wholesale Prices (AWPs) by its wholly owned subsidiary Freedom Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Freedom) for active pharmaceutical ingredients used in compound prescriptions.  Freedom’s pricing scheme caused pharmacies that purchased Freedom’s compound ingredients to submit false prescription claims to the Defense Health Agency, which administers the TRICARE Program for the Department of Defense and the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers Compensation Programs (federal healthcare programs).

“We will not allow the systematic abuse of federal healthcare programs through pricing schemes designed to enrich a few at the expense of federal taxpayers,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division.  “Our commitment to protect these programs extends not only to the pursuit of those that submit fraudulent claims but also those who cause others to submit such claims.”

Compounding pharmacies purchase ingredients or chemicals from ingredient suppliers such as Freedom to prepare and fill compound prescriptions for patients who require a specially made prescription that is not generally available in the marketplace.  Freedom knew that compound prescription reimbursement under these federal programs was based in part on the AWPs it reported to various price listing agencies for its ingredients.  Freedom knowingly inflated the AWPs for its ingredients in order to increase the reimbursement that its pharmacy customers received from federal healthcare programs for using Freedom’s ingredients.  For example, Freedom established an AWP for the ingredient Fluticasone Propionate at $3,500 per gram even though it typically sold the Fluticasone Propionate for approximately $160 per gram.    

Freedom promoted its high AWPs and the resulting profit potential from the reimbursement of compound prescriptions as an inducement to pharmacies to purchase its ingredients.  Freedom’s fraudulent pricing scheme for its ingredients enabled its pharmacy customers to bill federal healthcare programs thousands of dollars per prescription for some compound formulations. 

“We have no tolerance for the abuse of federal healthcare programs, especially where it impacts the healthcare program for our veterans and their families,” said U.S. Attorney John Bash of the Western District of Texas.

“Deception and avarice have no place in our healthcare system,” said U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez of the Middle District of Florida. “Taxpayers expect that the programs they fund be administered according to the law and utilized for the purposes that they were intended. We will continue to guard against abuse of healthcare programs to ensure that patients receive the care they deserve.”

The settlement also resolves allegations that Fagron’s wholly owned pharmacy subsidiary, Pharmacy Services Inc. (PSI) and its pharmacy affiliates, submitted fraudulent compound prescription claims to federal healthcare programs, used sham insurance programs to manipulate pricing, paid kickbacks to physicians for bogus consulting agreements, and illegally waived copays.  It also addresses allegations against another Fagron subsidiary, B&B Pharmaceuticals Inc. (B&B), for setting an inflated AWP for Gabapentin. 

The settlement resolves allegations contained in two separate actions filed against Freedom, PSI, and B&B under the whistleblower or qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  Under the False Claims Act, private parties may sue on behalf of the government for false claims for government funds and to receive a share of any recovery.   The whistleblowers will receive a combined total of $3,749,000 plus accrued interest from the proceeds of the settlement.  The two lawsuits are captioned United States ex rel. Hueseman v. PSI et al., (WDTX) and United States ex rel. Sten v. Midwest Compounders, et al., (NDIA). 

The case was handled by the Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Texas and the Middle District of Florida, with investigative support from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Service, Department of Labor, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. 

The Department of Justice announced today that Fagron Holding USA LLC (Fagron) has agreed to pay $22.05 million to resolve allegations concerning the establishment of false and inflated Average Wholesale Prices (AWPs) by its wholly owned subsidiary Freedom Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Freedom) for active pharmaceutical ingredients used in compound prescriptions.  Freedom’s pricing scheme caused pharmacies that purchased Freedom’s compound ingredients to submit false prescription claims to the Defense Health Agency, which administers the TRICARE Program for the Department of Defense and the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers Compensation Programs (federal healthcare programs).

“We will not allow the systematic abuse of federal healthcare programs through pricing schemes designed to enrich a few at the expense of federal taxpayers,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division.  “Our commitment to protect these programs extends not only to the pursuit of those that submit fraudulent claims but also those who cause others to submit such claims.”

Compounding pharmacies purchase ingredients or chemicals from ingredient suppliers such as Freedom to prepare and fill compound prescriptions for patients who require a specially made prescription that is not generally available in the marketplace.  Freedom knew that compound prescription reimbursement under these federal programs was based in part on the AWPs it reported to various price listing agencies for its ingredients.  Freedom knowingly inflated the AWPs for its ingredients in order to increase the reimbursement that its pharmacy customers received from federal healthcare programs for using Freedom’s ingredients.  For example, Freedom established an AWP for the ingredient Fluticasone Propionate at $3,500 per gram even though it typically sold the Fluticasone Propionate for approximately $160 per gram.    

Freedom promoted its high AWPs and the resulting profit potential from the reimbursement of compound prescriptions as an inducement to pharmacies to purchase its ingredients.  Freedom’s fraudulent pricing scheme for its ingredients enabled its pharmacy customers to bill federal healthcare programs thousands of dollars per prescription for some compound formulations. 

“We have no tolerance for the abuse of federal healthcare programs, especially where it impacts the healthcare program for our veterans and their families,” said U.S. Attorney John Bash of the Western District of Texas.

“Deception and avarice have no place in our healthcare system,” said U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez of the Middle District of Florida. “Taxpayers expect that the programs they fund be administered according to the law and utilized for the purposes that they were intended. We will continue to guard against abuse of healthcare programs to ensure that patients receive the care they deserve.”

The settlement also resolves allegations that Fagron’s wholly owned pharmacy subsidiary, Pharmacy Services Inc. (PSI) and its pharmacy affiliates, submitted fraudulent compound prescription claims to federal healthcare programs, used sham insurance programs to manipulate pricing, paid kickbacks to physicians for bogus consulting agreements, and illegally waived copays.  It also addresses allegations against another Fagron subsidiary, B&B Pharmaceuticals Inc. (B&B), for setting an inflated AWP for Gabapentin. 

The settlement resolves allegations contained in two separate actions filed against Freedom, PSI, and B&B under the whistleblower or qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  Under the False Claims Act, private parties may sue on behalf of the government for false claims for government funds and to receive a share of any recovery.   The whistleblowers will receive a combined total of $3,749,000 plus accrued interest from the proceeds of the settlement.  The two lawsuits are captioned United States ex rel. Hueseman v. PSI et al., (WDTX) and United States ex rel. Sten v. Midwest Compounders, et al., (NDIA). 

The case was handled by the Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Texas and the Middle District of Florida, with investigative support from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Service, Department of Labor, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. 

Tampa, Florida – Michel Verona Saavedra (20) and Yoandy Del Prado (26), both of Hialeah, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic in access devices and to possessing device-making equipment. Each faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreements and facts presented during the plea hearing, in the early morning hours of December 6, 2017, Del Prado and Saavedra had credit card skimming devices in their possession when deputies from the Sarasota County Sherriff’s Office stopped their car near a then-closed Sunoco gas station on Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota. The deputies located two skimming devices in the rear of the car, along with a laptop computer. In addition, following Saavedra’s arrest, deputies found five counterfeit credit cards, with altered data information, in his possession. A subsequent investigation revealed that similar skimming devices were hidden inside of gas pumps at three gas stations in the immediate area, including the closed Sunoco station. Evidence of the scheme was also found on the laptop recovered from the car.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Sarasota County Sherriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James S. Moody today sentenced Myron William Ernst (61, Orlando) to 10 years in federal prison for bank robbery. 

Ernst had pleaded guilty on May 6, 2019.

According to

court documents , between October and November 2018, Ernst committed seven bank robberies and two attempted bank robberies in Florida and Alabama. During each incident, Ernst presented bank employees with a threatening note demanding money.

“This serial bank robber was brought to justice by the strong, investigative efforts of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force. Crimes like this get solved because of the ongoing cooperation and communication with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division, Michael F. McPherson.

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

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Jacques Orsini-Martinez, a/k/a “Papi” (43, Puerto Rico), Juan Orsini-Martinez a/k/a “Tio Cano” (44, Atlanta), Jose Manuel Robles Negron a/k/a “Chelo” (25, Puerto Rico), Pedro Javier Hernandez Sosa a/k/a “Javi Carolina” (29, Puerto Rico), Jose Antonio Chinea Santos, (34, Puerto Rico), Raymond Jose De La Cruz, a/k/a “Sanky” (42, Clearwater), Briss Malone Warren (41, New Port Richey), and Luis Daniel Agosto-Morales (27, Tampa) with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. If convicted, each faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit any assets that are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.

According to the indictment, from at least September 2018 through August 2019, the individuals conspired to distribute cocaine throughout the Middle District of Florida.

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

This case is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Tampa Police Department and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Baeza and Diego F. Novaes.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Duane Allen Sikes (66, Jacksonville) to 10 years in federal prison for mail fraud, embezzlement of credit union funds, and filing a false federal income tax return. In addition, Sikes was ordered to pay restitution to VyStar Credit Union in the amount of $178,161, to CUMIS Insurance Society, Inc. in the amount of $5,284,800, and to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $1,009,175. The court also ordered Sikes to forfeit two pieces of real property, which are traceable to proceeds of the offenses, and entered a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $3,663,200, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.

Sikes had pleaded guilty on March 15, 2019.

According to court documents, over a 10-year period, Sikes, a mailroom employee of Vystar Credit Union, embezzled funds intended for Vystar’s postage costs. Sikes used the funds to purchase U.S. Postal Service stamps, which he sold to a third-party vendor. Sikes then used the proceeds from the stamp sales for his own benefit. According to evidence introduced at sentencing, this included grooming and enticing young boys to engage in sexual acts for money.

Upon discovery of the crime, Vystar Credit Union alerted the authorities and assisted with the investigation. The embezzlement did not impact account holders’ accounts but rather internal Vystar accounts.

Additionally, Sykes failed to report the funds he had embezzled on his federal income tax returns for the years 2007 through 2017, resulting in a total tax loss to the government of $1,009,175.

“IRS Special Agents tend to focus on crimes entirely motivated by greed,” stated Assistant Special in Charge Ronald A. Loecker of IRS Criminal Investigation.  “That was the case when we teamed with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to investigate Mr. Sikes for embezzlement and tax fraud. Little did we know at the time that his fraudulent pursuits and ill-gotten gains supported a much more sinister plot. We hope that today’s sentence brings some sense of closure to the victims.”

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Bonnie Glober and Kelly S. Karase.

Tampa, Florida – Today, following a three week trial, a federal jury found Jordan Rodriguez (Bradenton, 26), Andrew Thompson, a/k/a “Nico,” (Bradenton, 25), and Alfonzo Churchwell (Bradenton, 32) guilty of multiple charges, including racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy, murder conspiracy, drug and firearms offenses, and four murders. See the summary chart below for a list of charges and related penalties.

In July 2019, seven individuals were charged in a 20-count superseding indictment. Four defendants pleaded guilty to a variety of charges prior to trial. Each of the three defendants that proceeded to trial were accused of committing at least one murder. The evidence in the case showed that the defendants were engaged in a violent and deadly rivalry with others in Oneco, a community in Bradenton, and that the defendants worked together to traffic in controlled substances and to control and protect their drug business with violence and murder.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and the State Attorney’s Office (Twelfth Judicial Circuit). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Natalie Hirt Adams and Christopher F. Murray.

 

 

Charge

Name

Maximum Penalties

Count One

RICO Conspiracy

Jordan Rodriguez

Andrew Thompson

Alfonzo Churchwell

Maximum term of life imprisonment, a fine not to exceed $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 5 years, and a $100 special assessment.

Count Two

Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

Jordan Rodriguez

Andrew Thompson

Alfonzo Churchwell

Maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a fine not to exceed $1 million, a term of supervised release of up to 5 years, and a $100 special assessment.

Count Three

Conspiracy to Commit Murder in Aid of Racketeering (relating to the murder of Julio Tellez)

Jordan Rodriguez

A maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a fine not to exceed $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 3 years, and a $100 special assessment.

Count Four

Murder in Aid of Racketeering, or Aiding and Abetting the Same (relating to the murder of Julio Tellez)

Jordan Rodriguez

A mandatory term of life imprisonment, a fine not to exceed $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 5 years, and a $100 special assessment.

 

 

Count Five

Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence, resulting in the murder of Julio Tellez, or Aiding and Abetting the Same

Jordan Rodriguez

A mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, up to life (said term to run consecutive to any other term of imprisonment), a fine not to exceed $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 5 years, and a $100 special assessment. 

Count Eight

Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances Involving Heroin, Cocaine, And Crack Cocaine

 

Andrew Thompson

Maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a fine not to exceed $1 million, a term of supervised release of up to 5 years, and a $100 special assessment.

Count Ten

Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to Drug Trafficking Crimes and a Crime of Violence, resulting in the murder of Earnestine Gardner

Alfonzo Churchwell

A mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, up to life (said term to run consecutive to any other term of imprisonment), a fine not to exceed $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 5 years, and a $100 special assessment.

Count Eleven

Felon In Possession Of Ammunition

Alfonzo Churchwell

Maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a fine not to exceed $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 3 years, and a $100 special assessment.

Count Twelve

Accessory After the Fact

Jordan Rodriguez

Maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years, a fine not to exceed $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 3 years, and a $100 special assessment.

Count Thirteen

Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Methamphetamine 

Andrew Thompson

 

Maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a fine not to exceed $1 million, a term of supervised release of up to 5 years, and a $100 special assessment.

Count Fourteen

Murder in Aid of Racketeering (relating to the murder of LaShawna Stevenson-Weeks)

Andrew Thompson

 

A mandatory term of life imprisonment, a fine not to exceed $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 5 years, and a $100 special assessment.

 

Count Fifteen

Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to Drug Trafficking Crimes and a Crime of Violence, resulting in the murder of Lashawna Stevenson-Weeks

Andrew Thompson

A mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, up to life (said term to run consecutive to any other term of imprisonment), a fine not to exceed $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 5 years, and a $100 special assessment.

Count Sixteen

Murder in Aid of Racketeering (relating to the murder of Berry Joseph, a/k/a “B-1”)

Andrew Thompson

A mandatory term of life imprisonment, a fine not to exceed $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 5 years, and a $100 special assessment. 

 

Count Seventeen

Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to Drug Trafficking Crimes and a Crime of Violence resulting in the murder of Berry Joseph, a/k/a “B-1”

Andrew Thompson

A mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, up to life (said term to run consecutive to any other term of imprisonment), a fine not to exceed $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 5 years, and a $100 special assessment.

Count Eighteen

Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition While Subject to a Domestic Violence Restraining Order

Andrew Thompson

Maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a fine not to exceed $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 3 years, and a $100 special assessment.

Count Nineteen

Accessory After the Fact

Jordan Rodriguez

Maximum term of imprisonment of 15 year, a fine not to exceed $250,000, a term of supervised release of up to 3 years, and a $100 special assessment. 

 

Count Twenty

Using or Maintaining a Drug Premises

Jordan Rodriguez

Andrew Thompson

Alfonzo Churchwell 

Maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a fine not to exceed $500,000, a term of supervised release of up to 5 years, and a $100 special assessment.

 

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven today sentenced Kyle Dale Ritsema (36, Land O’Lakes) to 35 years in federal prison for producing, distributing, and possessing child pornography.

Ritsema had pleaded guilty on December 21, 2018.

According to court documents, in 2014, Ritsema, a former teacher and Assistant Principal at Cypress Creek Middle High School in Pasco County, enticed a 14-year-old child on the mobile application “Grindr.” Ritsema had sex with the child on at least five occasions over the course of one year and produced pornographic images of the child. Ritsema shared the images with others, including another employee of Pasco County Schools. A subsequent investigation revealed that Ritsema had targeted many other minors, including former students, and enticed them for sex, and on several occasions sexually abused them. Ritsema’s conversations also revealed that he is HIV positive and that, on multiple occasions, he did not disclose his HIV status despite having unprotected sex with unknowing children and adults.

Beginning in March 2017, and continuing until his arrest in this case, Ritsema had been an Assistant Principal at Cypress Creek Middle High School. Before holding that position, he was the Assistant Principal at Pine View Middle School (appointed in July 2015), an Assistant Principal Administrative Intern at River Ridge Middle School (appointed in January 2015), and a math teacher and math coach at Paul R. Smith Middle School, Gulf Highland Elementary School, and Seven Springs Middle School (beginning in 2006).

“Our communities are safer today with this deviant child sexual predator behind bars, thanks to our HSI special agents, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Middle District Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero. “This criminal’s former position of trust makes this case all the more egregious and we hope today’s sentencing can bring a small measure of closure to the innocent victims and their families.”

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Murray.

Any person who had unprotected sexual contact with Ritsema, or any person who was, or knows of someone who may have been, a possible child victim, is urged to contact HSI at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or http://www.ice.gov/webform/hsi-tip-form.

Fort Myers, FL – A federal jury has found Augustin Dalusma guilty of 12 counts of filing false claims against the Internal Revenue Service and three counts of making or subscribing to false tax returns. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison for each count of filing a false claim and up to three years’ imprisonment for each count of making a false tax return. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 27, 2020.

Dalusma was indicted on September 26, 2018.

According to evidence presented at trial, between 2012 and 2015, Dalusma, a tax preparer, falsified information in tax returns for 630 of his clients, fraudulently qualifying them for thousands of dollars in tax refunds that they were not lawfully entitled to collect. In total, the false claims filed on behalf of his clients exceeded $4 million over the four-year period. Dalusma also falsified his own tax returns from 2012 through 2014, significantly underreporting his own income to evade more than $30,000 in taxes for each of those years.     

This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth and Trial Attorney Eyitayo St. Matthew-Daniel of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.

Tampa, Florida –Timothy CathCart (33, Pasco County) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing detectable amounts of fentanyl and norfentanyl, the use of which resulted in serious bodily injury to three individuals. CathCart faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 20 years, and up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the

plea agreement , CathCart was part of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that conspired to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the Middle District of Florida. In January 2019, CathCart was arrested for a traffic violation in Pasco County. Moments before his arrest, CathCart concealed approximately seven grams of fentanyl, which he had mixed with seven grams of gabapentin and methamphetamine. CathCart then smuggled the controlled substances into the Pasco County Jail.

Between January 24 and January 25, 2019, CathCart distributed the fentanyl that he had smuggled into the jail to three inmates. All three inmates lost consciousness, overdosed, and suffered serious bodily injury. Deputies from Pasco County and emergency personnel successfully revived all three victims.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard today sentenced Richard Earl Carroll (55, Hilliard) to 10 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. 

Carroll had pleaded guilty on July 26, 2019.

According to court documents, multiple witnesses identified Carroll as a methamphetamine supplier in Nassau County. During the execution of two separate search warrants at Carroll’s home, state and federal law enforcement officers seized methamphetamine, assorted prescription pills (including hydrocodone and Xanax), marijuana plants and baggies containing marijuana, and 24 firearms. During a post-arrest interview, Carroll admitted to obtaining more than 500 grams of methamphetamine from a source to sell to his customers. He also admitted that, at times, he traded the drugs to his customers for firearms.

Carroll’s sentencing follows a series of related state and federal drug prosecutions involving the distribution of methamphetamine, including Billy Crayton Skinner (43, Hilliard) – sentenced to 37 months in federal prison on September 9, 2019; and Thomas A. Crews (45, Hilliard) – sentenced to 29 months in federal prison in 2017.  

This case was investigated by the Nassau County Sherriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.

Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez for the Middle District of Florida announces the return of an indictment today of four individuals, including two Chinese nationals, an active-duty United States Navy officer, and his wife, on charges relating to a conspiracy to unlawfully smuggle military-style inflatable boats, with Evinrude MFE military outboard motors, to the People’s Republic of China.  The Navy officer and two other defendants have also been charged with conspiring to violate firearms law, and the Navy officer has been charged with an additional firearms-related offense and with making false official statements.

The four defendants charged in the indictment are:

Fan Yang, 34, a naturalized citizen of the United States and Lieutenant in the United States Navy residing in Jacksonville, Florida; Yang Yang, 33, wife of Fan Yang, and a naturalized citizen of the United States residing in Jacksonville, Florida; Ge Songtao, 49, a citizen and resident of the People’s Republic of China; and Zheng Yan, 27, a citizen and resident of the People’s Republic of China.

The defendants were arrested on Oct. 17, 2019, and are currently detained.

All four defendants have been charged with conspiring to submit false export information and to fraudulently attempt to export articles from the United States.  Additionally, Yang Yang, Ge Songtao, and Zheng Yan have been charged with causing the submission of false and misleading information into the U.S. Automated Export System, and fraudulently attempting to export seven vessels and eight engines.  If convicted for conspiracy or for the submission of false export information, the charged defendants each face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.  If convicted on the attempted-smuggling charge, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

Fan Yang, Yang Yang, and Ge Songtao are charged with other offenses as well.  All three have been charged with conspiring to violate laws prohibiting an alien admitted under a nonimmigrant visa from possessing a firearm and prohibiting the transfer of a firearm to a nonresident.  Fan Yang has also been charged with making a false statement to a firearms dealer, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment, and with making false official statements in his application for a security clearance, which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment. 

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

This case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security; and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Coolican and Heather Schmidt, Senior Trial Attorney, Counterintelligence and Export Section, U.S. Department of Justice.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of an

indictment today of four individuals, including two Chinese nationals, an active-duty United States Navy officer, and his wife, on charges relating to a conspiracy to unlawfully smuggle military-style inflatable boats, with Evinrude MFE military outboard motors, to the People’s Republic of China. The Navy officer and two other defendants have also been charged with conspiring to violate firearms law, and the Navy officer has been charged with an additional firearms-related offense and with making false official statements. The four defendants charged in the indictment are:

Fan Yang, 34, a naturalized citizen of the United States and Lieutenant in the United States Navy residing in Jacksonville, Florida;

Yang Yang, 33, wife of Fan Yang, and a naturalized citizen of the United States residing in Jacksonville, Florida;

Ge Songtao, 49, a citizen and resident of the People’s Republic of China; and  

Zheng Yan, 27, a citizen and resident of the People’s Republic of China.

The defendants were arrested on October 17, 2019, and are currently detained.

All four defendants have been charged with conspiring to submit false export information and to fraudulently attempt to export articles from the United States. Additionally, Yang Yang, Ge Songtao, and Zheng Yan have been charged with causing the submission of false and misleading information into the U.S. Automated Export System, and fraudulently attempting to export seven vessels and eight engines. If convicted for conspiracy or for the submission of false export information, the charged defendants each face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. The attempted smuggling charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

Fan Yang, Yang Yang, and Ge Songtao are charged with other offenses as well. All three have been charged with conspiring to violate laws prohibiting an alien admitted under a nonimmigrant visa from possessing a firearm and prohibiting the transfer of a firearm to a nonresident. Fan Yang has also been charged with making a false statement to a firearms dealer, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment, and with making false official statements in his application for a security clearance, which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment. 

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security; and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Coolican and Heather Schmidt, Senior Trial Attorney, Counterintelligence and Export Section, U.S. Department of Justice.

Jacksonville, Florida – Chad Ponce (38, Jacksonville) today pleaded guilty to killing an endangered species. Ponce faces a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison and a $50,000 fine. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Sawfishes are a family of rays characterized by a long, narrow, flattened rostrum, or nose extension, lined with sharp teeth, arranged in a way that resembles a saw. They are among the largest fish, with some species reaching lengths of up to 17 feet. The fish are found in meaningful numbers only in the southeastern United States, primarily the southwest coast of Florida (smalltooth), and in Australia (largetooth). At one time, both species were found worldwide, throughout tropical and subtropical regions in coastal marine and estuarial waters, as well as freshwater rivers and lakes. In Florida, the smalltooth sawfish is dependent on estuarial mangrove waters on the southern and southwest borders of the state. It is there that they breed and give birth. The sawfish has been recognized as an endangered species since May 1, 2003. 

Sawfish are generally harmless to humans, although they can inflict serious injury with their saws if threatened. The rostrum of the sawfish is used by the animal to locate and disable its prey, and is believed to carry sensory cells that assist it in orienting itself to time and location. The smalltooth sawfish cannot survive without its rostrum. On July 18, 2018, Ponce was seen removing the rostrum from a live 12-foot smalltooth sawfish with a power saw aboard his fishing vessel off the coast of Ponte Vedra, Florida. 

This case was investigated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Florida Wildlife Commission. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay Taylor.

Tampa, Florida – Erika Paola Intriago (44, Tampa) today pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with a fraud scheme involving her posing as an immigration attorney to victims in Chicago and Tampa. Intriago faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, Intriago portrayed herself as an immigration attorney and personal representative offering immigration-related services. She advertised her services on social media, targeting immigrants and immigrant families from Spanish-speaking countries. In fact, Intriago was not a licensed attorney in any state.

Victims retained and paid Intriago to represent them in immigration-related matters before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and other agencies. To prove that she was acting on the victims’ behalf, Intriago sent fraudulent letters, emails, receipts, documents, and communications to her victims, fraudulently representing that these records were legitimate communications sent from agencies of the United States, including the Department of Homeland Security and USCIS. In actuality, Intriago had either never filed the necessary immigration paperwork, had abandoned the immigration process, or the applications had already been denied without Intriago informing the victims. Intriago also threatened and intimidated victims who complained about her conduct by telling them that she would report their immigration status to U.S. immigration authorities, which Intriago claimed would result in the victims being deported.

Any person who was, or knows of someone who may have been, a possible victim is urged to contact the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or www.ice.gov/webform/hsi-tip-form.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Murray.

Tampa, FL – United States District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Dion Gregory Fisher (33, formerly of Seminole) to 30 years in federal prison for conspiring to manufacture and distribute fentanyl and fentanyl analogue, and money laundering. Fisher was also ordered to forfeit several high-end vehicles, including an Aston Martin and Audi R8, and a forfeiture money order of nearly $800,000 was entered against him. A federal jury had found Fisher guilty on June 5, 2019.

According to testimony and evidence presented during the seven-day trial, Fisher and others, including co-defendant Christopher McKinney, manufactured and distributed hundreds of thousands of counterfeit oxycodone 30 mg pills that were made with fentanyl that Fisher had ordered from China. Fisher also ordered pill presses from China, some of which were seized by Homeland Security. He also purchased binding and cutting agents used in the manufacturing process.

Another co-defendant, Samuel Huffman, used the pill presses and materials supplied by Fisher to press fentanyl pills out of his automotive business in Pinellas Park. Huffman pleaded guilty to the fentanyl conspiracy on October 9, 2018, testified against Fisher at trial, and was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison on June 24, 2019.

Fisher also stored fentanyl and fentanyl analogue in a work bay in Clearwater. In January and February 2018, large quantities of fentanyl and fentanyl analogue were seized from these locations, as well as from Fisher’s residence in Seminole, and McKinney’s residence and work bay. More than three kilograms of fentanyl and fentanyl analogue were admitted into evidence during the trial. On July 2, 2018, Christopher McKinney pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and manufacture fentanyl and fentanyl analogue. McKinney forfeited $1.4 million in cash, two residences, and several high-end vehicles/motorcycle. McKinney testified against Fisher at trial, and was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison on June 28, 2019. 

Fisher and McKinney sold hundreds of thousands of counterfeit oxycodone pills, mostly via the U.S. Mail, to Phil Morose in Boston. Morose then distributed the pills. Morose was charged with conspiring to distribute and manufacture fentanyl and fentanyl analogue. He pleaded guilty to these charges and was sentenced on July 8, 2019, to 10 years in federal prison. He is also currently facing money laundering charges in Boston.

In addition, Fisher laundered the proceeds from his fentanyl pill sales with Konrad Guzewicz, who owned and operated automotive and tire-and-rim companies in Pinellas County. Fisher purchased several high-end luxury vehicles, including an Aston Martin, a Bentley, a Maserati, a BMW, and an Audi R8, using fentanyl proceeds. Guzewicz also laundered fentanyl cash proceeds for Fisher. On four occasions, Fisher provided Guzewicz with $35,000 in cash that he had obtained from selling fentanyl pills, and Guzewicz, in turn, wrote Fisher a check for $30,000 from his business and personal accounts. Guzewicz pleaded guilty to money laundering charges on June 28, 2018, testified against Fisher at trial, and was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison on July 2, 2019.

This case was investigated by the Middle District of Florida Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit, a Department of Justice program created to help combat the devastating opioid crisis that is ravaging families and communities across America and to prosecute individuals that are contributing to the opioid epidemic. The investigative agencies included the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Pinellas Park Police Department, the Tarpon Springs Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and IRS – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelley Howard-Allen, Maria Guzman, and Greg Pizzo.

Jacksonville, Florida – A federal jury has found Jason Ryan Fain (38, Jacksonville) guilty of possessing videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of young children. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison followed by a potential life term of supervised release. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the testimony and evidence presented at trial, on January 9, 2017, an officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) responded to a citizen complaint at a Jacksonville residence where Fain resided. The officer recovered a USB thumb drive belonging to Fain. A subsequent search of the thumb drive revealed 3,614 images and 7 videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children, together with “selfie”-type photos depicting Fain. On October 27, 2017, Fain was arrested in Youngstown by investigators from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. During an interview, Fain admitted that the thumb drive belonged to him and that it contained “hundreds” of pornographic images of children that he had obtained from the internet. 

A forensic analysis conducted by the FBI confirmed that Fain’s thumb drive had accessed a particular file-sharing network on the internet. The device also contained a document that advocated the legalization of child pornography possession.              

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

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

Orlando, Florida – Daniel Joseph Zirk (23, Spring Hill) has been arrested and charged by a federal criminal complaint with attempted bank robbery and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Zirk made his initial appearance in federal court today and was detained. 

Zirk’s alleged co-conspirators, John Armstrong, Jr. (30, North Fort Myers) and Tanya Legg (43, North Fort Myers) were arrested on October 7, 2019, on related charges. On October 16, 2019, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Armstrong with Hobbs Act robbery, attempted bank robbery, bank robbery, three counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The indictment charges Legg with aiding and abetting a bank robbery, aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted, Zirk, Legg, and Armstrong each face up to life in federal prison.  

According to allegation in the

complaint against Zirk and indictment against Armstrong and Legg, on June 14, 2019, Armstrong used a firearm to rob a 7-11 store in North Fort Myers. During the robbery, Armstrong struck one of the store employees in the face with his firearm, causing a laceration to the bottom corner of her left eye.

On September 25, 2019, Armstrong and Zirk attempted to commit an armed robbery of a PNC Bank in Davenport. Zirk had carjacked a vehicle earlier that morning, holding the victim at gunpoint. Armstrong and Zirk later used the stolen vehicle as a getaway vehicle following the attempted PNC Bank robbery. 

On September 26, 2019, Armstrong, Zirk, and Legg robbed a BB&T Bank in Altamonte Springs. Armstrong and Zirk used firearms to force bank employees to open the bank’s safe and then stole approximately $22,000 in cash. Legg assisted in purchasing items used to complete the BB&T robbery and then served as the getaway driver. Zirk and Armstrong wore ghost masks at each of the banks.

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

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Altamonte Springs Police Department, the Fort Myers Police Department, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Punta Gorda Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt.

Tampa, Florida – Thomas Walker (74, Clearwater) has pleaded guilty to trafficking in counterfeit sports jerseys. Walker faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. His sentencing date is not yet scheduled.

According to the plea agreement and facts presented at the plea hearing, Walker owned and operated a business called “Tim’s Sports Cards Plus,” which he operated from a booth at the Oldsmar Flea Market. Among the items sold were numerous sports jerseys bearing the counterfeit trademarks of purported sports organizations, including the National Football League (NFL), the National Hockey League (NHL), and Major League Baseball (MLB).

On January 27, 2017, federal law enforcement agents went to Walker’s booth at the Oldsmar Flea Market, spoke with him, and seized 699 jerseys that were for sale and bearing counterfeit NFL marks. The agents also went to Walker’s home and seized over 1,500 additional counterfeit jerseys from all three purported sports leagues. During an interview with agents, Walker admitted that he had purchased the counterfeit jerseys from a supplier located in China.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced Solease Asiman Babb (32, Lakeland) to 30 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court ordered Babb to forfeit the firearm and ammunition, and to serve a three-year term of supervised release following his release from prison. Babb had pleaded guilty on July 24, 2019.

According to court documents, officers from the Lakeland Police Department executed a search warrant at Babb’s home. Inside, detectives found a stolen, semi-automatic firearm, nine rounds of ammunition, and various controlled substances, including cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and MDMA. In addition, the officers found several cellphones, digital scales, clear plastic bags, and a vacuum sealer. Babb admitted that the firearm and ammunition belonged to him. Babb, who had previously been convicted of a felony, is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

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

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.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Erold Martin Panopio (25, Jacksonville) to 19 years and 7 months in federal prison for attempted enticement of two minors to engage in sexual conduct. Panopio had pleaded guilty on April 24, 2019.

According to court documents, in October 2018, law enforcement learned of online communications of a sexual nature between Panopio and a 15-year-old girl. A forensic analysis of the girl’s phone revealed that Panopio had filmed himself engaging in sexual acts with two 15-year-old girls earlier that month. A Homeland Security Investigations agent assumed the identity of one of the girls and began communicating with Panopio. Panopio told the undercover agent, posing as the child, all of the sexual acts that he wanted to engage in with the child and a “friend” of the child who was 13 years old. Panopio traveled from his home in Jacksonville to Clay County, where he intended to meet the 15-year-old and 13-year-old girls for sex, and was subsequently arrested. During an interview with law enforcement, Panopio admitted that he had traveled for the purpose of meeting the children to have sex with them. He also acknowledged having sex with the 15-year-old on a prior occasion.

A search of Panopio’s phone revealed chats from July and August 2018 with another 15-year-old girl with whom he had previously engaged in sexual conduct. In those chats, Panopio repeatedly demanded nude photographs, threatened to appear at the child’s house, and threatened to tell the child’s parents if the child would not have sex with him again or send nude photographs of herself.

“This predator used social media applications to groom minor girls and magnify their abuse,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero. “But now, thanks to our HSI special agents and law enforcement partners at the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, he will be held accountable for his crimes.”

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

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

The former CEO of a Missouri hospital pleaded guilty today for his role in a pass-through billing scheme in which the hospital was used to submit fraudulent claims for toxicology and blood testing, resulting in multiple insurance companies and the Missouri Medicaid program paying over $100 million in claims.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez of the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Garrison of the Western District of Missouri, Special Agent in Charge Rachel Rojas of the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Timothy R. Langan Jr., of the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Thomas W. South of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Office of the Inspector General (OPM-OIG), Special Agent in Charge Rafiq Ahmad of the U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG) and Special Agent in Charge Basil P. Demczak of the Amtrak Office of Inspector General (Amtrak-OIG) made the announcement.

David Lane Byrns, 62, of Lighthouse Point, Florida, the former CEO of Putnam County Memorial Hospital (Putnam), of Unionville, Missouri, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge James R. Klindt of the Middle District of Florida to a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud.  The information was filed in the Western District of Missouri and the case was transferred to the Middle District of Florida by consent for the entry of Byrns’ plea.  As part of his guilty plea, Byrns agreed to a forfeiture judgment of $5,100,000.  Sentencing before U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan of the Middle District of Florida has not yet been scheduled.

According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea, in 2016, Byrns and another individual took control of Putnam, a rural hospital in Missouri, through a management agreement with the hospital’s board, and Byrns was installed as the hospital’s CEO.  Byrns and others, including a laboratory owner, then arranged for urine drug tests (UDTs) and blood tests to be performed on a massive scale at diagnostic testing laboratories outside Missouri, on behalf of individuals who were not Putnam patients and who otherwise had no connection to Putnam.  To obtain samples for testing, Byrns and his co-conspirators entered into arrangements with marketers, who solicited samples from substance abuse treatment centers, sober living homes, physicians’ offices and other sources throughout the United States, in exchange for a portion of the insurance reimbursements.  Many of the tests conducted were medically unnecessary.  Byrns and his co-conspirators billed the tests to private insurers and to the Missouri Medicaid program using Putnam’s billing credentials, in order to take advantage of Putnam’s favorable reimbursement rates under its in-network contracts with the insurers, while failing to identify the fact that most testing had not taken place at Putnam, Byrns admitted.

During a 15-month period, Byrns and his co-conspirators caused private insurers and the Missouri Medicaid Program to reimburse Putnam approximately $114 million for the laboratory tests, most of which was shared among Byrns and his co-conspirators, including the laboratories, marketers and billing companies involved in the scheme, Byrns admitted.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office, the Jefferson City, Missouri Resident Agency of the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office, OPM-OIG, DOL-OIG and Amtrak OIG.  Trial Attorneys Gary A. Winters and James V. Hayes of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tysen Duva of the Middle District of Florida and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucinda Woolery of the Western District of Missouri are prosecuting the case.

The Department wishes to acknowledge the assistance of the Missouri State Auditor’s Office and the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. 

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force.  Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for nearly $19 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

WASHINGTON – The former CEO of a Missouri hospital pleaded guilty today for his role in a pass-through billing scheme in which the hospital was used to submit fraudulent claims for toxicology and blood testing, resulting in multiple insurance companies and the Missouri Medicaid program paying over $100 million in claims.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez of the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Garrison of the Western District of Missouri, Special Agent in Charge Rachel Rojas of the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Timothy R. Langan Jr., of the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office, Deputy Assistant Inspector General Thomas W. South of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management-Office of Inspector General (OPM-OIG), Special Agent in Charge Rafiq Ahmad of the U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG) and Special Agent in Charge Basil P. Demczak of the Amtrak Office of Inspector General (Amtrak-OIG) made the announcement.

David Lane Byrns, 62, of Lighthouse Point, Florida, the former CEO of Putnam County Memorial Hospital (Putnam), of Unionville, Missouri, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge James R. Klindt of the Middle District of Florida to a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud.  The information was filed in the Western District of Missouri and the case was transferred to the Middle District of Florida by consent for the entry of Byrns’ plea.  As part of his guilty plea, Byrns agreed to a forfeiture judgment of $5,100,000.  Sentencing before U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan of the Middle District of Florida has not yet been scheduled.

According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea, in 2016, Byrns and another individual took control of Putnam, a rural hospital in Missouri, through a management agreement with the hospital’s board, and Byrns was installed as the hospital’s CEO.  Byrns and others, including a laboratory owner, then arranged for urine drug tests (UDTs) and blood tests to be performed on a massive scale at diagnostic testing laboratories outside Missouri, on behalf of individuals who were not Putnam patients and who otherwise had no connection to Putnam.  To obtain samples for testing, Byrns and his co-conspirators entered into arrangements with marketers, who solicited samples from substance abuse treatment centers, sober living homes, physicians’ offices and other sources throughout the United States, in exchange for a portion of the insurance reimbursements.  Many of the tests conducted were medically unnecessary.  Byrns and his co-conspirators billed the tests to private insurers and to the Missouri Medicaid program using Putnam’s billing credentials, in order to take advantage of Putnam’s favorable reimbursement rates under its in-network contracts with the insurers, while failing to identify the fact that most testing had not taken place at Putnam, Byrns admitted.

During a 15-month period, Byrns and his co-conspirators caused private insurers and the Missouri Medicaid Program to reimburse Putnam approximately $114 million for the laboratory tests, most of which was shared among Byrns and his co-conspirators, including the laboratories, marketers and billing companies involved in the scheme, Byrns admitted.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office, the Jefferson City, Missouri Resident Agency of the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office, OPM-OIG, DOL-OIG and Amtrak OIG.  Trial Attorneys Gary A. Winters and James V. Hayes of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tysen Duva of the Middle District of Florida and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucinda Woolery of the Western District of Missouri are prosecuting the case.

The Department wishes to acknowledge the assistance of the Missouri State Auditor’s Office and the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. 

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force.  Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for nearly $19 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

Jacksonville, Florida – Rhiannon Rader (34, Fern Park) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, hydrocodone, and alprazolam (also known as Xanax). She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, as an employee in a Jacksonville Beach physician’s office, Rader had access to her employer’s prescription pad. Without her employer’s knowledge, Rader sold fraudulent prescriptions for controlled substances, including oxycodone, hydrocodone, and Xanax to drug dealers. She also filled fraudulent prescriptions for drugs in her own name.

Pharmacy records show that between March and September 2016, in Duval and Nassau Counties, 44 different pharmacies filled approximately 116 fraudulent prescriptions for 46 individuals who were not actually patients of Rader’s employer.  Records from multiple pharmacies show that on certain occasions, when pharmacy employees called the physician’s office to confirm whether such prescriptions were genuine, Rader falsely confirmed that the prescriptions were legitimate.

As part of her guilty plea, Rader admitted that her actions resulted in the illegal distribution of nearly 7,000 doses of controlled substances.

Rader is the eighth member of this drug distribution ring to plead guilty in federal court. Christopher John Bates (27, Nassau County), Christopher Lee Calhoun Jr. (24, Fernandina Beach), Christopher Oquendo Martinez (27, Baldwin, Georgia), Otis Kirkland (32, Jacksonville), Reginald Ray (33, Jacksonville), LaRhonda Lukes (31, Jacksonville), and Jon’quill Holmes (30, Jacksonville) have previously pleaded guilty for their involvement in this case.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced William Hennessey (37, Spring Hill) to 51 months in federal prison for distributing Schedule II controlled substances after burglarizing a pharmacy. The court also ordered Hennessey to pay $36,000 in restitution to the pharmacy. 

Hennessey had pleaded guilty on July 31, 2019.

According to court documents, on March 23, 2019, Hennessey broke into Suntrust Pharmacy in Port Richey and stole a large safe filled with thousands of highly-addictive Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone, morphine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and dextroamphetamine. Four days later, law enforcement agents located two plastic containers filled with the stolen oxycodone pills in Hennessey’s car. They also found a glove matching the one found at the pharmacy, at Hennessey’s house. Hennessey had distributed the remaining drugs, which were later recovered by law enforcement, to others.

Hennessey also stole more than $12,000 in cash from the pharmacy. He bought a motorcycle and other items with the stolen money. Hennessey later admitted that he had stolen the safe, cash, and the controlled substances from the pharmacy and had distributed some of the drugs to others.

This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office and the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley Howard-Allen.

This case was investigated by the Middle District of Florida Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit -- one of twelve Department of Justice pilot programs created to help combat the devastating opioid crisis that is ravaging families and communities across America and to prosecute individuals that are contributing to the opioid epidemic.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Daniel Butler (30, Miami) to 54 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Butler had pleaded guilty on May 16, 2019.

According to court documents, Butler and others fraudulently obtained access to at least 477 credit card accounts and linked those accounts to the Apple Pay app on their iPhones. Then, using their iPhones, Butler and his coconspirators made purchases using their victims’ credit card accounts without having to present actual credit cards to retailers. The group made more than $1.5 million in fraudulent purchases.

Butler’s sentencing follows the pleas of his three co-conspirators. In December 2018, Johnny Max Wesley (24, Miami) was sentenced to four years in federal prison. Rachel Bishop (27, Miami) and Laurent Pierre Louis (31, Miami) are scheduled to be sentenced in December 2019.

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

 

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced Gerard Graves (27, Clearwater) to seven years in federal prison for unlawful possession of firearms in a school zone.

Graves had pleaded guilty on July 19, 2019.

According to court documents, on May 27, 2015, the Drug Enforcement Administration learned through a confidential informant (CI) that Graves, a convicted felon, was attempting to sell a shotgun. The CI, under DEA supervision, spoke with Graves and arranged a time and place to purchase the firearm. Graves arrived at the agreed upon location in Clearwater and sold a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition to the CI. On July 9, 2019, Graves contacted the CI and said he had another firearm for sale. The CI, under DEA supervision, met with Graves the next day at another location in Clearwater where Graves sold the CI a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol and ammunition. Both firearm sales occurred within 1,000 feet of a school.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael C. Sinacore.

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.

Jacksonville, FL – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Richard Leroy Douglas (25, Jacksonville) to 41 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

Douglas had pleaded guilty on July 9, 2019.

According to court documents, on October 1, 2018, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was conducting a YouTube query of firearm-related music videos in the Jacksonville area and found a video titled “Hulio Da Don “KOBK” (Official Music Video).” According to the YouTube webpage, the video was published on September 14, 2018. The KOBK music video depicted several individuals possessing, holding, and pointing numerous suspected firearms of varying types and calibers. Agents identified Douglas as one of the individuals in the KOBK music video who had possessed a Zastava, 7.62x39-mm pistol with a double black taped magazine.

On September 27, 2018, detectives from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) had executed a narcotics-related search warrant at a residence. During the search of the residence, JSO officers located five firearms, one of which was a Zastava, 7.62x39-mm pistol. That pistol matched the unique characteristic of the Zastava, 7.62x39-mm pistol that Douglas had possessed in the KOBK music video. The residence also matched the KOBK music video shoot location.

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

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 today sentenced Nicholas Marinkovic (29, Pasco County) to three years and four months in federal prison for stalking. Marinkovic had pleaded guilty on May 20, 2019.

According to court documents, between March and December 2018, Marinkovic repeatedly harassed and threatened multiple victims, including via numerous interstate telephone calls and hundreds of text messages. In those communications, Marinkovic repeatedly threatened, for example, to kill one of the victims and her child.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Colin McDonell.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Dylan Ray Langley (25, Fort Myers) to two years and six months in federal prison for using of the U.S. Mail to threaten to injure an officer of the United States.

Langley had pleaded guilty on June 19, 2019.

According to court documents, while serving a state prison sentence for armed robbery, Langley mailed a letter to an Assistant United States Attorney. In his letter, Langley threatened to kill the prosecutor as revenge for his having prosecuted Langley’s “brother.” He also made serious threats against the prosecutor’s family.  When interviewed by federal agents, Langley admitted that he had sent the letter and intended to carry out his threats. He explained that the letter’s mention of a “brother” did not refer to any biological brother, but rather a fellow gang member. Langley changed his story after an agent told him that if a state prisoner commits, and is convicted of, a federal crime, the prisoner must serve his state sentence and then the federal sentence. During a second interview with agents, Langley claimed that he never intended to carry out the threat and mistakenly had believed that threatening a federal official would result in him being moved from state custody into federal custody.

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Florida Department of Corrections. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Jordan Frederic Schemmel (38, Ormond Beach) to nine years and two months in federal prison for distributing depictions of child sexual abuse over the internet. Schemmel had pleaded guilty on May 22, 2019. Schemmel was also sentenced to a 10-year term of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender upon his release.    

According to court documents, on September 5, 2018, Schemmel, using the username “Profsunrise15,” responded to a message on an internet bulletin board frequented by individuals with a sexual interest in children and incest. The message had been posted by an undercover FBI agent. Schemmel began an online conversation with the agent using a popular social messaging application. After some conversation about his sexual interest in children between the ages of 9 and 13, Schemmel sent a video to the agent that depicted a young child being sexually assaulted by an adult male, and later sent a photo depicting similar criminal conduct with a child. During this time, Schemmel was a teacher at Terry Parker High School in Jacksonville. 

On October 19, 2018, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Schemmel’s residence in Jacksonville. During an interview, Schemmel stated that he was interested in incest and bestiality, that he had sent the child-pornographic video using the app, and that he had tried unsuccessfully to stop viewing child pornography after receiving sexual gratification from it. Forensic examination of Schemmel’s smartphone and a USB thumb drive seized from his residence revealed that he had collected 102 images and 28 videos depicting child pornography, several of which depicted the sadistic sexual abuse of young children.   

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. 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.   

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan today sentenced Richard Anthony Moffett (31, Jacksonville) to 25 years in federal prison for using force, fraud, and coercion to cause multiple victims to engage in prostitution. The court will make a determination as to the amount of restitution Moffett owes to each of his five victims at a later date. Moffett had pleaded guilty on June 7, 2019.

According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, in the middle of 2016, Moffett relocated from Ohio to Florida. He resided in various hotels in Jacksonville, where he met his first two victims, K.W. and K.D.  Moffett began forcing K.W. to engage in prostitution, keeping all of her money, supplying her with drugs, and regularly beating her. Sometime in December 2016, Moffett began selling heroin to D.D., a third victim. D.D. began working for Moffett, providing commercial sex to others, and gave all of the money she made to Moffett. Moffett exploited D.D.’s heroin addiction to coerce her into engaging in commercial sex acts. A few months later, Moffett came to believe that D.D. had stolen $50 from him. Moffett pointed a pistol at D.D., who attempted to flee from the hotel room. K.W., who was present at the time, grabbed D.D. by the hair, and Moffett twice stomped D.D. on the head.  D.D. ultimately escaped.

Around February 2017, Moffett met his fourth victim, S.B., when she began purchasing heroin from him. Moffett invited S.B. and K.D. to travel with him to Ohio, purportedly to meet his two newly-born children. Once in Ohio, Moffett informed S.B. and K.D. that they would need to engage in prostitution in order to make enough money to return to Florida. S.B. and K.D., lacking financial and transportation resources, did so. In March 2017, Moffett transported S.B. and K.D. back to Florida. After returning to Florida, K.D. told Moffett, as a ruse, that she had a commercial sex “date” coming to the hotel, and Moffett left the hotel. K.D. then phoned a friend who came to pick her up. Moffett attempted to coerce K.D. to return to him by calling her multiple times and leaving threatening messages.

Meanwhile, Moffett continued to force K.W. and S.B. to engage in commercial sex acts out of various hotels in Jacksonville. In April 2017, Moffett coerced a fifth victim, S.A., into working for him. S.A. had previously purchased heroin from Moffett and contacted him after she became homeless. Moffett took S.A. in, and, the next day, informed her she would need to engage in prostitution to pay her way. During the time that K.W., S.B., and S.A. were working under Moffett’s control, Moffett would withhold heroin from them so that they would get “dope sick” as a means of coercing them to engage in commercial sex “dates” at his direction. When S.B. informed Moffett that she wanted to leave, Moffett gave her a bill totaling approximately $3,000 that he claimed S.B. needed to pay him for drugs, food, and shelter, before she could leave. Moffett then forced the S.B. to have sex with him and locked her in a bathroom for an entire day as punishment. Ultimately, S.B. and S.A. were able to escape from Moffett when S.A. was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for a prostitution offense. S.A., who was so terrified of Moffett that she attempted to hide underneath the floor mat of the JSO patrol vehicle in which she was detained, informed detectives that Moffett was her “pimp.” During this time, S.B. was able to escape. Moffett continued to exploit K.W. until he was arrested by JSO in November 2017.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the State Attorney’s Office, Fourth Judicial Circuit. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor and Special Assistant United States Attorney Erin Wolfson.

WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.

“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”

“We are grateful for these additional resources to prevent school violence,” said U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez. “We are confident that our partners will utilize them to the best of their ability in keeping our schools and students safe from harm.”

The grants award more than $4.1 million in funding to prevent violence in schools in Middle District of Florida. President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:

• Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
• Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
• Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
• Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
• Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
• Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
• Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
   

About the Office of Justice Programs:

The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, 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 justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:

The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday today sentenced Ikechukwu Derek Amadi (38, Mississauga, Ontario) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. The court also entered an order of forfeiture against Amadi for $10,632,546.36, representing the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct, and ordered him to pay restitution to his victims in the amount of $4,360,740.97.

Amadi had pleaded guilty on July 25, 2019, following his extradition to the United States from Canada.

According to court documents and evidence presented at the trials of his convicted coconspirators, Amadi, a dual citizen of Nigeria and Canada, worked with an international criminal organization based in Nigeria that defrauded dozens of victims across the United States and then laundered the funds through a complex network of bank accounts. The organization, known as the Black Axe Group, or Neo Black Movement of Africa, coordinated fraud and money laundering activity throughout the globe via cells or “zones” in Nigeria, Canada, the United States, and elsewhere.

The fraud schemes took several forms. Conspirators posed as suitors on dating websites, where they befriended widowed or divorced elderly women and then convinced their victims to wire money, often consisting of the victim’s entire retirement savings and cash taken out from home equity, to bank accounts in the United States as part of a purported investment opportunity. The conspirators also defrauded title companies with fake cashier’s checks in phony real estate transactions, leaving the companies on the hook for the losses once the checks bounced. And they targeted businesses using email spoofing and hacking schemes, as well as law firms that they solicited online to perform legal work and then provided fake cashier’s checks for deposit into the firms’ trust accounts.

Victims were instructed to wire their money into numerous funnel accounts held by conspirators in the United States, known as “money mules,” and the funds were then quickly moved to other accounts in the United States and around the world before the victims could discover the fraud. From 2012 to 2015, Amadi was accountable for at least $16.4 million in fraud proceeds that were traceable to the different schemes. Amadi himself recruited more than a dozen individuals in the United States to act as money mules for him and oversaw their activities. He then instructed those individuals to wire most of the victims’ funds overseas, including to Hong Kong, China, Canada and Nigeria, to promote the conspiracy and to conceal the source of the funds.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from various federal and local law enforcement partners throughout the country, including the Toronto Police Service in Ontario, Canada and the Toronto Strategic Partnership. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Scruggs.

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that a federal jury today found Elizabeth Kuc (47, North Fort Myers) guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including cocaine base, fentanyl, and heroin, and two counts of distributing controlled substances. Kuc faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison for the conspiracy charge and up to 20 years’ imprisonment for each count of distributing controlled substances. Her sentencing hearing has been set for January 13, 2020. 

According to court documents and evidence at trial, Kuc, who was known by various other names, including “Auntie,” was a dealer working for a large drug distribution ring operating for years in the Suncoast Estates neighborhood of North Fort Myers.  The organization was headed and supplied by Tony Wilson, Jr. (also known as “Big Homie” and “Caine”) and occupied several houses and trailer homes in Suncoast Estates. Inside those residences, dealers worked side-by-side to distribute drugs to customers. During the investigation, law enforcement conducted dozens of undercover drug purchases from dealers at the drug houses. Agents also executed multiple search warrants resulting in the seizure of tens of thousands of dollars, multiple firearms, and large quantities of crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. The evidence showed that the organization often generated more than $10,000 per day in sales. Kuc’s residence in Suncoast Estates was often used to manufacture and store the crack cocaine before it was distributed among the nearby houses.

Seventeen others previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the drug ring: 

Name Charge(s) Case Status

Tony Wilson, Jr.

(31, Lehigh Acres)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; distribution of controlled substances; and firearms offenses

Pleaded guilty, faces up to life in federal prison.

Monique Moore

(47, North Fort Myers)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Pleaded guilty, faces up to life in federal prison.

Patrick Graham

(25, Labelle)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Pleaded guilty, faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

Michael Perez

(38, North Fort Myers)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Pleaded guilty, faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

James Estrella

(50, North Fort Myers)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Pleaded guilty, faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

Danielle Hallmon

(32, Pine Island)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Pleaded guilty, faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

Dorothy Rochford

(27, North Fort Myers)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Pleaded guilty, faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

Darniel Williams

(24, Labelle)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Pleaded guilty, faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

Kenneth Tippins

(48, North Fort Myers)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Pleaded guilty, faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

Eileen Smith

(22, Labelle)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Pleaded guilty, faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

Malik Timbers

(26, St. Petersburg)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Pleaded guilty, faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

Christopher Connor

(30, Labelle)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Pleaded guilty, faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

William Thomas

(26, Labelle)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances

Pleaded guilty, faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

Tyrome Wright

(46, North Fort Myers)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances

Pleaded guilty, faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

Jeffrey Beard, II

(29, Labelle)

Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances

Pleaded guilty, faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

Michelle Gladys

(49, North Fort Myers)

Distribution of a controlled substance

Sentenced to 33 months in federal prison.

Samantha Badger

(23, North Fort Myers)

Distribution of a controlled substance

Sentenced to 15 months in federal prison.

 

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

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard today sentenced Jamaal Abu Talib Hameen (59, Jacksonville) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. A jury had found Hameen guilty on March 1, 2019.

According to evidence presented at trial and at the sentencing hearing, on February 7, 2018, Hameen was found to be in possession of a loaded .380 caliber pistol, when officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrested him for trespassing at a local motel. At the time, Hameen had numerous prior felony convictions, including for aggravated assault, sale or delivery of cocaine, and sale or delivery of heroin. As a previously convicted felon, Hameen was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David B. Mesrobian and Frank Talbot.

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.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced James Bernard Kennedy (46, Jacksonville) to seven years and four months in federal prison for distributing cocaine base (also known as crack cocaine).

Kennedy had pleaded guilty on June 26, 2019.

According to court documents, Kennedy sold crack cocaine to a confidential informant on one occasion and to an undercover federal agent an additional four times.

In 2013, Kennedy was prosecuted and convicted by the State of Florida for conspiracy to traffic cocaine.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.

Jacksonville, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger has sentenced Lepoleon Spikes (47, Jacksonville) to 21 months in federal prison for wire fraud involving fraudulently obtained FEMA benefits. Spikes was immediately remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. The court also ordered Spikes to pay $57,689.19 in restitution to the United States.

According to court documents, in February 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG) received an allegation that Spikes had provided false information to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in order to receive disaster assistance. Upon receipt of the allegation, DHS-OIG determined that Spikes had submitted applications to receive disaster assistance from FEMA involving Tropical Storm Debby, Hurricane Matthew, and Hurricane Irma. A review by DHS-OIG determined that, in each of the applications submitted to FEMA for disaster assistance, Spikes falsely claimed that his primary residence in Jacksonville was damaged due to a storm. Spikes claimed that, due to the storm damage, he had to relocate and was in need of disaster assistance. Based on his applications for disaster assistance, Spikes fraudulently obtained $57,689.19 from FEMA.

This case is part of the United States Attorney’s Disaster Fraud Task Force, which was announced in September 2017. This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

Members of the public who suspect fraud, waste, abuse, or allegations of mismanagement involving disaster relief operations, or believe they have been the victim of fraud from a person or organization soliciting relief funds on behalf of disaster victims, should contact the National Disaster Fraud Hotline toll free at (866) 720-5721. A live operator 24 hours a day, 7 days a week staffs the telephone line. You can also fax information to the Center at (225) 334-4707, or email it to [email protected]. You may also visit www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Samuel Lopez-Lopez (29, Atlanta) to 24 months in federal prison for illegally re-entering the United States after previously being deported. Lopez-Lopez had pleaded guilty on July 2, 2019. 

According to the facts described in court, on February 18, 2019, Lopez-Lopez was convicted of battery on a law enforcement officer and grand theft in Columbia County. The charges arose out of an incident at a hotel in Lake City that had occurred on December 28, 2018. After Lopez-Lopez was booked on the charges, immigration agents ran his fingerprints and found that he was a citizen of Honduras who was illegally present in the United States. Lopez-Lopez also had been previously deported from the United States three times.

Lopez-Lopez had previous convictions for domestic battery, use of a controlled substance, transportation of a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance. After Lopez-Lopez serves his prison sentence, he will be deported from the United States.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced Sebastian Denton Zayas (30, Orlando) to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. 

Denton had pleaded guilty on July 22, 2019.

According to court documents and statements made during today’s sentencing hearing, in May 2019, Denton possessed with the intent to distribute approximately 170 kilograms of cocaine, which was delivered to him by mail. In addition, in June 2019, Denton received another mail delivery of three packages that contained approximately 190 kilograms of cocaine. 

“This investigation is a great example ATF’s broad investigative expertise,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Daryl McCrary. “While working with our partners at DEA, this case severely impacted drug trafficking in our continued efforts to protect the public.”

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. L. Chang.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Sabrina Nicole Hoffa (40, Jacksonville) to eight years and four months in federal prison and Jeffrey Allen Mays (38, Jacksonville) to six years and three months in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. The court also ordered Hoffa and Mays to forfeit $1,265 in U.S. currency, which was proceeds of the offense. 

Hoffa and Mays had pleaded guilty on July 11, 2019.

According to court documents, in March 2019, an undercover detective from the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office began purchasing methamphetamine from Hoffa. After two transactions, Hoffa asked the detective to travel to her residence in Jacksonville to conduct future purchases. Hoffa also advised the detective that he should transport the drugs in a locked safe so that law enforcement could not open it without a court order.

The detective, working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made two additional purchases of methamphetamine from Hoffa at her residence. During one transaction, Hoffa told the detective that she had sold 17 ounces of methamphetamine the previous day for $550 per ounce. During the final transaction, Hoffa and Mays, working together, sold two ounces of methamphetamine to the undercover detective. The Drug Enforcement Administration later determined that the methamphetamine was 98% pure.

On March 27, 2019, Hoffa was arrested in Baker County after she showed up to sell two ounces of methamphetamine to a confidential source who was working with the Baker County Sheriff’s Office. The following day, ATF executed a search warrant at Hoffa and Mays’s home in Jacksonville. Mays was inside of the residence at the time and was arrested. He had two keys to two safes in his possession. Upon searching the safes, ATF located 16.8 grams of 99% pure methamphetamine, MDMA pills, diazepam pills, and other controlled substances.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, and the Baker County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Carlos Humberto Moreno-Hernandez (49, Honduras) to 41 months in federal prison for illegally re-entering the United States after previously being deported. Moreno-Hernandez had pleaded guilty on July 19, 2019.

According to evidence presented in court, on May 17, 2019, deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrested Moreno-Hernandez on a state criminal charge of operating a motor vehicle without a valid license. Agents soon discovered that Moreno-Hernandez had previously been deported from the United States on six occasions. Moreno-Hernandez also had three prior felony illegal re-entry convictions, four prior drug-related convictions, and six prior DUI convictions.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (Orlando) and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt.

Tampa, Florida – John Armstrong Jr. (30, North Fort Myers) has been arrested and charged by a federal criminal complaint with Hobbs Act robbery and attempted bank robbery. In addition, Tanya Legg (43, North Fort Myers) has been arrested and charged by a separate federal criminal complaint with bank robbery. If convicted, Armstrong and Legg each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. Both individuals made their initial appearances in federal court today, in Fort Myers, and have been detained.

According to the criminal complaints, on September 26, 2019, Armstrong, an unidentified associate, and Legg allegedly robbed a BB&T Bank in Altamonte Springs. Armstrong and the unidentified associate used firearms to force bank employees to open the bank’s safe. They then stole approximately $22,000 in cash. Legg assisted in purchasing items used to complete the BB&T robbery and then served as the getaway driver.   

According the complaint against Armstrong, on June 14, 2019, Armstrong used a firearm to rob a 7-11 convenience store in North Fort Myers. During this robbery, Armstrong struck one of the store employees in the face with his firearm, causing a laceration to the bottom corner of her left eye. On September 25, 2019, Armstrong and an unidentified associate attempted to commit an armed robbery of a PNC Bank in Davenport. Earlier that morning, Armstrong or an associate carjacked a vehicle, and held the victim at gunpoint, after which they used the stolen vehicle as a getaway vehicle for the attempted PNC Bank robbery. 

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

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Altamonte Springs Police Department, the Fort Myers Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the Punta Gorda Police Department, and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Joseph Dominic Konegan (56, Fleming Island) to four years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. Konegan was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and pay restitution to the victims. He has been detained since his arrest on April 2, 2019.

Konegan had pleaded guilty on May 21, 2019. 

According to court documents, in August 2018, detectives from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) received two cyber-tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reporting the uploading of child sexual abuse material on the internet. On October 24, 2018, CCSO detectives and Homeland Security Investigation agents executed a warrant at Konegan’s residence. A forensic review of two computers used by Konegan yielded more than 1,650 images of child pornography. Konegan admitted to agents that he had viewed images of child pornography, including files depicting infants. 

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

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