Middle District of Florida

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has found Michael Holmes (51, Jacksonville) guilty of possessing multiple firearms as a convicted felon and possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison for the firearms offense, and up to 20 years’ imprisonment for each of the two drug counts. Holmes elected to waive his right to a jury trial and the case proceeded directly before Judge Corrigan. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, on December 29, 2013, detectives from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office questioned Holmes, on the front porch of his home, about complaints related to drug sales occurring at the property. After detecting the smell of marijuana wafting from the front door and Holmes admitting to smoking marijuana, the detectives obtained a warrant to search the home. The detectives recovered 12 firearms, more than 1,100 rounds of ammunition, 20 grams of crack cocaine, 29 grams of powder cocaine, more than 49 grams of marijuana, three digital scales, a bulletproof vest, and approximately $3,600 in cash. Prior to this incident, Holmes had three prior drug felony convictions and was therefore 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 is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cherie Krigsman and Michael J. Coolican.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy.  United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Regina Lombardo, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, are coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline Strategy on reducing violent crime in communities.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell sentenced Theresa A. Aley (52, Cape Coral) on October 30, 2015, to three years of probation, including a 60-day period of house arrest, for making a false statement regarding federal workers’ compensation benefits.  The court also ordered her to pay $83,465 in restitution to the federal government, which amount was paid in full on November 10, 2015. Aley pleaded guilty on June 16, 2015.

According to court documents, in April 1998, Aley, while employed as a Customer Survey Program Manager at Bolling Air Force Base in Maryland, reported that she had fallen in the ladies’ restroom and had injured her lower spine. As a result, she was listed as completely disabled by July 1999.  Following that alleged injury, Aley made application for and was approved to receive federal employee’s compensation benefits.

Each year, Aley was required to submit a form to the Department of Labor indicating that she was not self-employed or involved in any business enterprise, and that she did not perform any volunteer work.  Following her submission of this form in April 2014, an investigation revealed that her statement was false.  Specifically, videotaped surveillance, interviews, and business records amassed during the investigation revealed that Aley, along with her husband, was involved in and worked for Aley Enterprises, a magazine distribution business in Cape Coral.  Aley presented herself as the owner of Aley Enterprises. She was listed on the business checking account and endorsed most of the checks deposited into that account. She also handled most of the business operations, including routinely interacting with customers and managing customer accounts.  Records show that money was transferred from the business checking account to Aley’s personal savings account. In addition, on multiple occasions, Aley was observed at the business climbing into the bed of a pickup truck; removing plastic wrapping from pallets of boxes; lifting, carrying, and loading boxes into the back of vehicles; moving pallets around the warehouse; and delivering magazines to several businesses in the Cape Coral area.

This case was investigated by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josie Thomas.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John E. Steele today sentenced David Erdman (51, Fort Myers) to eight years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervision, for possessing and distributing child pornography. He pleaded guilty on August 14, 2015.

According to court documents, during an FBI investigation into individuals who were using peer-to-peer software to share child pornography files, an agent connected with Erdman’s computer and downloaded child pornography files. On February 20, 2014, a federal search warrant was executed at Erdman’s residence. A forensic analysis of his laptop revealed an extensive collection of images and videos depicting child pornography. During an interview with agents, Erdman admitted to searching for child pornography since approximately 2000.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Chief Assistant United States Attorney Jesus M. Casas.

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 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 – Senior United States District Judge Henry Lee Adams today sentenced John Thomas Humphreys (46, Texas) to four years and six months in federal prison for manufacturing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes and for false representation of a Social Security number. As part of the sentence, the Court also ordered Humphreys to pay restitution to the businesses that he had defrauded.

According to the plea agreement, on February 2, 2015, the Green Cove Springs Police Department received information that two individuals, later identified as Humphreys and Joe Eugene Loving, were manufacturing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes in their hotel room at the Astoria Hotel in Clay County. The two men had active arrest warrants for parole violations in Texas and were subsequently arrested at the hotel by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies found Loving in possession of a counterfeit $100 bill following his arrest.

During an interview with law enforcement, Humphreys and Loving stated that they had been involved in a drug deal in Texas in December 2014 and had been on the run ever since. They estimated printing and passing at least $10,000 in counterfeit currency. In addition, they printed counterfeit checks using the identities of others.

During a subsequent search of the hotel room, agents located a box of personal identification information and financial documents belonging to other individuals, a printer/scanner/copier with counterfeit checks lying on top of it, counterfeit currency, and various computer media that had been used to manufacture the counterfeit currency.

On September 11, 2015, Loving pleaded guilty to manufacturing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes, false representation of a Social Security number, and aggravated identity theft. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 1, 2015.

A third individual, Paul Corbin Pennington, Jr., was also charged in this case for passing counterfeit currency. Pennington, a maintenance worker at the Astoria Hotel, loaned Loving and Humphreys his computer. Loving and Humphreys then used the computer to print counterfeit checks. Pennington confessed to law enforcement that he had passed counterfeit currency in Clay County. On October 13, 2015, Pennington was sentenced to 141 days in federal prison and was ordered to pay restitution to the businesses that he had defrauded.

This case was investigated by the Green Cove Springs Police Department, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Secret Service - Jacksonville Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Stephen Paul Cotton (43, Palm Coast) to 23 months in federal prison for failing to register as sex offender after traveling from Florida to North Carolina. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender and to serve a five-year term of supervised release.  Cotton has been in the custody since his arrest in Suwanee, Georgia on April 11, 2015.      

According to court documents, in January 1999, Cotton was convicted of committing a lewd and lascivious act on a child in Manatee County.  Subsequent to his conviction, and between 2004 and 2012, he registered as a sex offender with Florida authorities as required. However, between July 2, 2012, and April 11, 2015, Cotton traveled from Florida to Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia, but failed to register as a sex offender as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The Adam Walsh Act provides for the use of federal law enforcement resources, including the United States Marshals Service, to assist state and local authorities in locating and apprehending non-compliant sex offenders. This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service, the Suwanee (Georgia) Police Department, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. 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 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 – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment charging Kyle Adam Kirby (age 35, Live Oak) with possession of child pornography.  He faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervised release.  Kirby was arrested on October 28, 2015, at the Live Oak Police Department.  His trial is scheduled to begin on January 4, 2016; Kirby is being detained pending trial.

According to court documents, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Kirby’s residence as the result of an online child pornography investigation. That same morning, the Live Oak police chief authorized the agents to inspect and search the computer located inside Kirby’s patrol car.  A forensic examination of the patrol car computer used by Kirby revealed that it contained at least 87 thumbnail images in a “Downloads” folder that either depicted minor children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including one involving a toddler, or that had titles indicative of child pornography. In addition, the Internet browser history on the computer contained search terms commonly used by individuals who search for child pornography online. 

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

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by 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 – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced today that Robert Lamar Starling (31, Lake City) has pleaded guilty to transporting child pornography over the Internet. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervision. Starling has been detained since his arrest on May 1, 2014.    

According to court documents, beginning in September 2013, FBI agents executed a series of search warrants on several email accounts around the country and determined, among other things, that a particular user in Lake City, Florida had uploaded images of child pornography to the Internet, using an account on a photo sharing site. Further investigation traced the account back to a residence in Lake City, where Starling resided.

On May 1, 2014, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at the residence. Starling was not at the residence, but was located later that morning driving his golf cart at the Suwannee Music Park & Campground in Live Oak. During an interview at his campsite, Starling stated that he had produced pornographic images of several prepubescent children. Subsequent analyses of Starling’s laptop computer revealed that it contained more than 600 videos depicting child pornography.

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

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

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Alecia Kay Dotson (46, Lakeland) has pleaded guilty to attempted child enticement. She faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison.

According to court documents, on June 28, 2015, officers from the Lakeland Police Department responded to a call from the mother of an 11-year-old boy. The mother had viewed her son’s text messages, saw sexual texts, and confronted her son. The child advised that the text messages were from Dotson, his teacher at Highlands Grove Elementary School. Law enforcement officers took over the child’s cellphone and continued communicating with Dotson. During her previous communications with the child, and again with law enforcement posing as the child, Dotson made graphic sexual comments and discussed performing specific sexual acts with the child. Dotson made arrangements to meet the child at the movies where she planned to engage in sex acts with him in her car. The boy told the officers he was nervous and scared of Dotson.

On June 30, 2015, when Dotson arrived at the Lakeland movie theater to meet the child, she was arrested. Officers located a pink .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol located inside her vehicle’s glove compartment. During her interview with law enforcement, Dotson explained that she had started out in a “caring” relationship with the child and was like a “mother” figure to him. She stated that the relationship had progressed to a “crush” and then to “romance.”

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Lakeland Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda C. Kaiser.

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

Orlando, FL – United States District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Michael Carvalho to five years and five months in federal prison for theft of government property and aggravated identity theft. He was also ordered to pay a money judgment in the amount of $2,223,083.44, representing the amount of illicit proceeds gained from the theft, and forfeit the contents of three JPMorgan Chase accounts and real properties located at 2615 S. Goldenrod Road in Orlando and 2045 Shadow Drive in Geneva, Florida.

According to the plea agreement, from approximately October 2011 through September 2013, Carvalho passed or attempted to pass more than 441 federal tax refund checks in excess of $2.9 million at six banks in the Middle District of Florida. The checks were fraudulently obtained and/or contained falsely made or forged endorsements or signatures. Along with others, Carvalho deposited these instruments on 180 different days, over a two-year period. The loss suffered by the government was $2,223,083.44.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn P. Napier.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron today sentenced Brian Newton (58, New Smyrna Beach) and Victoria Snow (55, Clearwater) for their role in defrauding more than 60 victims out of over $7.2 million.  Newton was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison, and Snow was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months’ imprisonment.  They were both ordered to pay more than $7.2 million in restitution. A federal jury convicted Newton and Snow on July 20, 2015.

According to evidence presented at trial, Newton and Snow worked on behalf of Dataforce International, Inc.  Beginning in 2003, Dataforce had a contract to “factor” its invoices at Amerifactors Financial Group.  “Factoring” is a financial transaction by which a business sells its accounts receivables, such as invoices, to a third party (called a factor) at a discount.  Accounts receivable are created when a business performs services or sells goods to a client.  The factor provides financing to the seller of the invoice in the form of an advance.  Once an invoice has been factored by a business, the business will typically arrange to have the client pay the third party factor directly.

In 2003, Newton and a business partner established a factor by the name of Prestige Funding.  To fund its factoring, Prestige Funding solicited investors.  In total, the company raised more than $8 million from over 60 investors to be used to factor invoices.

As part of their scheme, Newton and Snow submitted a series of invoices for factoring to Amerifactors that were inflated and that did not reflect work that had been performed by Dataforce.  In addition, the two engaged in “double factoring,” which involved submitting the same Dataforce invoices for factoring to both Amerifactors and Prestige Funding.  By executing this scheme, Newton and Snow were able to defraud Amerifactors, Prestige Funding, and the investors of Prestige Funding out of more than $7.2 million.  Of that amount, Newton diverted over $3 million into his personal bank account.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

Orlando, FL – United States District Judge Paul G. Byron today sentenced Ashley Anders Bishop (42) to 23 years and 4 months in federal prison, and a life term of supervised release for possessing and receiving child pornography.

A federal jury convicted Bishop on August 19, 2015. In reaching their decision, the jury made a special finding that certain exhibits depicted children under the age of 12.   

According to the testimony presented at trial, on October 6, 2000, in Orange County, Bishop was convicted of attempting to commit lascivious molestation on a child under the age of 12 and was sentenced to a 15-year prison term. After his release, Bishop, a registered sex offender, was arrested on two different occasions, and each time had a cellphone in his possession. Both phones were searched pursuant to state search warrants and found to contain child pornography.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Orange County Department of Corrections. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ilianys Rivera Miranda.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces today the return of three indictments charging nine Jacksonville residents with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The indictments in each case allege that these individuals engaged in a pattern of fraud by redeeming SNAP benefits through unauthorized Electronic Benefits Transfers (EBT). Two individuals have also been charged with selling cocaine in exchange for SNAP benefits. The maximum penalty for each count of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and distribution of cocaine is 20 years in federal prison.

According to the indictment, between May 2012 and May 2015, Lawaun Dontai Carswell (35) and Shawntei Walker (36) stole more than $747,000 in SNAP funds. They also allegedly sold cocaine in exchange for SNAP benefits.      

Between October 2014 and May 2015, La’Shell Dorianne Carswell (37) and Tommy Carswell (47) allegedly stole SNAP funds in excess of $714,000. La’Shell Carswell is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Tommy Carswell is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.

Lakeya Sheeona Creech (29), Leroy Robinson, II (35), Tyrome Dionne Robinson (42), Tremain Mormon (43), and Robert Savage (26) allegedly stole more than $1.1 million between June 2013 and June 2015. Creech is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The indictment charges the four other individuals with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.

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

These cases were investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General; the United States Secret Service; the Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Inspector General; the Internal Revenue Service; the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office; the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; the Florida Department Of Children and Families, Office of Public Benefits Integrity; and the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Public Assistance Fraud. They are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay Taylor.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Michael Eugene Read (60) to 10 years in federal prison for possessing and distributing child pornography. He pleaded guilty on July 28, 2015.

According to court documents, on October 27, 2014, an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted an online investigation into individuals who were using peer-to-peer software to share child pornography files. The agent connected with Read’s computer and downloaded four videos depicting child pornography.

On January 30, 2015, agents executed a search warrant at Read’s residence. Subsequent forensic analyses of his external hard drive and computer media revealed a collection of more than 25,000 images depicting child pornography. During an interview with agents, Read admitted to searching for and downloading hundreds of images and videos of child pornography from the Internet over the past several years. He estimated that he had approximately 500 GB of child pornography stored on his hard drive.

“Every investigation against a child predator is disturbing, but this case involved one of the largest amounts of child pornography we have seen in the Fort Myers region, making it an especially important investigation,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Christopher Shawn Warnock (43, Jacksonville) to seven years and six months in federal prison for receiving child pornography over the Internet. Warnock was also ordered to serve a 15-year term of supervision, and to register as a sex offender, upon his release from prison. He has been in custody since his arrest on December 17, 2014.

According to court documents, on October 30, 2014, an agent with the FBI in Newark, New Jersey began an undercover online investigation to identify individuals who were using the Internet to share images and videos depicting child pornography. The agent made online contact with Warnock and was able to download 24 videos of child pornography from his computer. Further investigation traced the computer to Warnock’s residence in Jacksonville.

On December 17, 2014, law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Warnock’s residence and seized his computer. Warnock told the agents that he searches online for child pornography using certain key terms, and that he enjoys watching others having sex with children. Forensic analyses of Warnock’s computer revealed that it contained at least 13 videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children. Logs of online conversations, in which Warnock had indicated his desire to exchange videos of child pornography with other Internet users, were also recovered.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Newark and Jacksonville, 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 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.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Jamar James (25, Ft. Myers) to four years and five months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He pleaded guilty on July 28, 2015.

According to court documents, on January 9, 2014, James contacted a confidential informant (CI) and stated that he had a handgun for the CI to purchase. He instructed the CI to meet him at the same location where he had previously facilitated the sale of a firearm between the CI and an associate. Upon arrival at the location, the CI paid James $200.  James then loaded a Hi-Point .38 caliber pistol with six rounds of ammunition and handed it to the CI.

James was previously convicted of multiple felony offenses in Lee County, including uttering a forged instrument and grand theft, and possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon. He is therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Fort Myers Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.

This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy.  United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Regina Lombardo, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline strategy to reduce violence in our communities.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Lori Ann Dilworth to two years and one month in federal prison for conspiracy to submit false claims to the IRS and aggravated identity theft. She also was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and to pay $52,105 in restitution to the IRS. Dilworth pleaded guilty on August 4, 2015.

According to court documents, Dilworth worked at the Orange County Jail as a contract employee in the inmate records section. She stole the personal identification information of 36 inmates from the jail and provided that information to Shantrell Sharae Stephenson and other co-conspirators to use to file false tax returns. Another conspirator, Richard Damarick Mitchell, served as an intermediary between Dilworth and Stephenson. In total, more than $100,000 in fraudulent tax returns were filed with the IRS as part of the conspiracy.

Mitchell and Stephenson were also prosecuted for their roles in this conspiracy. On October 26, 2015, Mitchell was sentenced to three years and six months in federal prison for conspiracy to submit false claims to the IRS and aggravated identity theft. On August 26, 2015, Stephenson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, five counts of submitting false claims to the IRS, one count of theft of government property, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Her sentencing hearing has been set for December 14, 2015.

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found Carl Joseph Thomas Pisa (24, Casselberry) guilty of possessing destructive devices. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has been set for January 20, 2016.

According to court documents, in December 2014, an undercover agent (UC) contacted Pisa in response to an online ad for a military simulator offered for sale.  Pisa agreed to sell him the simulator. Between December 2014 and February 2015, Pisa met with the UC on several occasions to sell the UC explosives. On February 6, 2015, Pisa sold the UC 12 improvised explosive devices in a parking lot in Winter Park.  During that meeting, the UC asked Pisa if the explosives could kill somebody, to which Pisa responded, “yes.”  In describing the bombs, Pisa explained how ball bearings would blast out from the device in a perfect cone upon initiation. The devices were sent to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives laboratory for examination, where they were identified as explosive bombs and destructive devices. It was also determined that they were not properly registered to Pisa in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys James D. Mandolfo and Kara M. Wick.

It is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Regina Lombardo, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline strategy to reduce violent crime and improve the quality of life where law enforcement efforts are focused.

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Staff Sergeant Thomas Allen Vaughn (33, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida) has been arrested and charged by criminal complaint for enticement of a minor for sex.

According to the complaint, between October 23, 2015, and October 28, 2105, Vaughn communicated by email and text message with and individual he believed was a 14-year-old female “child,” but who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer.  During the communications, Vaughn solicited “naughty” pictures from the “child,” informed the “child” that his hobbies included kissing, foreplay, oral, teasing, and sex, and told the child about his genitalia. Subsequently, Vaughn made plans to meet the “child” at an agreed upon location, where he was arrested.

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

This case was investigated by the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda C. Kaiser.

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

Orlando, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon, II has sentenced Tammie Lynn Cline (33, Leominster, MA) to two years and six months in federal prison for her role in the operation of a boiler room.  She also was ordered to pay more than $1.2 million in restitution to her victims. Cline pleaded guilty on July 17, 2015.

According to court documents, Cline and her codefendant, Mark Gardner (28, Osteen, FL), operated a boiler room in Central Florida.  Along with the telemarketers who worked at their call center, they would make unsolicited calls to owners of timeshare properties located throughout the United States.  During those calls, they claimed that they worked for Universal Timeshare Sales Associates (UTSA) out of Beaverton, Oregon, that UTSA had a purchaser who was interested in buying a timeshare, and that the timeshare owner just needed to pay a fee between $1,600 and $2,200 for the sale to proceed.

In order to convince timeshare owners to pay the fee, Gardner, Cline, and their telemarketers would sometimes claim that an interested purchaser was present in the showroom ready to buy a timeshare, that a buyer had already deposited money into an escrow account for the sale, or that the sale would take place in about 90 days.  Those representations were false.  The timeshares were not sold as had been promised, and members of the conspiracy would deny or ignore requests for refunds, and would dispute chargebacks with the credit card companies.

In total, victims lost more than $1.2 million due to operation of the telemarketing call center.

In May 2013, the Federal Trade Commission and the Florida Attorney General’s Office filed a civil action against Gardner, Cline, and others in federal court.  In June 2014, the district court entered a permanent injunction against them related to certain telemarketing practices.

Gardner previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and money laundering.  His sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 3, 2015.

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Brian J. Davis yesterday sentenced Robert Earl Rice (48, Neptune Beach) to seven years and six months in federal prison for transporting and possessing child pornography, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Rice pleaded guilty on June 24, 2015.

According to court records, Rice used his email address to trade and receive videos of child pornography. He admitted to viewing and collecting child pornography from 2012 until April 2014, and he also admitted to using search terms to find child pornography on the Internet.

“Crimes against our children are deplorable and HSI special agents will not rest until these criminals are brought to justice,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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 – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury has found Sandra Milena Nieves (41) and Eileen Santos (50), both of Orlando, guilty of conspiring to pass and possess counterfeit currency. The jury also convicted Nieves on substantive counts of passing and possessing counterfeit currency and Santos on a substantive count of possessing counterfeit currency. Nieves and Santos each face a maximum penalty of 45 and 25 years in federal prison, respectively. They were indicted on June 2, 2015. Their sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 21, 2016.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, between December 2011 and January 2012, Nieves, Santos, along with co-conspirators Jorge Ortiz-Pulgarin, Ramon Rodriguez, Carlos Fuentes, and others, traveled from central Florida up the east coast of the United States with approximately $40,000 in counterfeit currency. The group stopped at more than 30 locations to make small purchases. They used counterfeit $100 bills and received genuine U.S. currency as change. During the road trip, in December 2011, conspirators attempted to pass a counterfeit bill at a mall in Melbourne, Florida. The serial number on the bill matched the number of other counterfeit bills that were subsequently seized from co-conspirators.

In January 2012, Jorge Ortiz-Pulgarin was arrested with $6,500 in counterfeit currency. Shortly thereafter, another member of the conspiracy, Fabian Ortiz, was arrested with more than $200,000 in counterfeit currency.  Ortiz-Pulgarin and Ortiz were each federally charged, convicted, and sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy. Ramon Rodriguez and Carlos Fuentes have pleaded guilty for their roles in this conspiracy and are scheduled to be sentenced on November 5, 2015.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Embry J. Kidd and Shawn P. Napier.

Jacksonville, Florida. – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Paul Reynolds Friel, Jr. (47, Orange Park) pleaded guilty today to concealing material facts during an interview with a government agent. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. His co-defendant, Marisol Del Carmen Rodriguez Chavarria (40, Orange Park), also pleaded guilty today, to possessing a visa that had been obtained by means of a false statement. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The sentencing dates have not yet been set.

According to court documents, Rodriguez entered the United States from Nicaragua on December 10, 2010, on an immigrant visa issued by the State Department. Her visa was granted based on the false representation that she intended to permanently reside with her American spouse, Luis Aguilar, at his residence. Court records indicate that Friel knew Rodriguez from previous trips to Nicaragua and that he had made the reservations and paid for her airfare to the United States. In March 2011, Rodriguez divorced her spouse and moved into an apartment with Friel. Thereafter, she and Friel lived together in a romantic relationship. In March 2012, they were married and later had a child together.

Friel was an immigration officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. In December 2011, during a background investigation for a national security clearance, Friel failed to disclose his relationship with Rodriguez, a foreign national.

Rodriguez’s former spouse, Luis Aguilar, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud, and is awaiting sentencing.        

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, and the Jacksonville office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dale Campion.

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment charging LaJoyce Caldwell Houston (49) and Eric Houston (54) with conspiracy, theft of government property, and money laundering conspiracy.  LaJoyce Houston is also charged with obtaining information from a protected computer with the intent to defraud and aggravated identity theft.  If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison for the conspiracy count, up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the theft of government property counts, and up to 20 years’ imprisonment for the money laundering conspiracy count.  LaJoyce Houston also faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for the computer intrusion count and 2 years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft count, to be served consecutive to any term of imprisonment imposed for the theft of government property and computer intrusion counts.  The indictment notifies the couple that the United States intends to seek a forfeiture money judgment in an amount to be determined, but at least $239,116.91, which is traceable to the proceeds of the offenses.

According to the indictment, LaJoyce Houston was a sworn law enforcement officer with the Tampa Police Department (TPD).  As part of her authorized duties, she had access to local, state, and federal law enforcement databases, including the State of Florida’s Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID), but her use was restricted to the performance of her authorized duties.  Her husband, TPD homicide detective Eric Houston, also had access to the databases for the performance of his authorized duties.

The indictment alleges that beginning in approximately 2010, the Houstons conspired to, among other things, access the personally identifiable information (PII) of individuals using a variety of sources, including law enforcement databases, and transmit it to Rita Girven and others, whom they knew were using that information to commit crimes, including the filing of false federal income tax returns, the receipt of fraudulently obtained tax refunds, establishing and using bank accounts in others’ names, and identity theft. Girven was a TPD informant and a friend of the couple.

The conspirators directed that the fraudulently obtained tax refunds be deposited onto reloadable debit cards or deposited directly into bank accounts opened and maintained in the names of the conspirators and others, including identities that had been stolen. The conspirators then used the debit cards and bank accounts to conduct financial transactions, including making purchases, paying off lines of credit, purchasing money orders, and withdrawing cash from ATMs.

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.

Rita Girven was charged separately with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the filing of fraudulent federal income taxes.  She pleaded guilty on March 16, 2015, and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 20, 2015.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mandy Riedel and Megan Kistler.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces today that Kyle Adam Kirby (35, Live Oak) has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervision. Kirby was arrested today, without incident, at the Live Oak Police Department. His detention hearing is scheduled for October 30, 2015.

According to the criminal complaint, on October 22, 2015, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Kirby’s residence, as the result of an undercover online child pornography investigation. No computers were recovered from the home. That same morning, the Live Oak police chief authorized the agents to inspect and search the computer located inside Kirby’s patrol car. A forensic examination of the patrol car computer used by Kirby revealed that it contained at least 87 thumbnail images in a “Downloads” folder that either depicted children engaged in sexually explicit conduct or that had titles indicative of child pornography.

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

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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.

Ocala, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Wm. Terrell Hodges has sentenced Jenifer E. Hoffman (39, Clermont) to nine years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and filing a false tax return.  She was also ordered to pay more than $10.7 million in restitution. Hoffman pleaded guilty on June 29, 2015.

According to court documents, Hoffman and her two conspirators, John C. Boschert (43, Apopka) and Bryan T. Zuzga (39, Coldwater, Michigan), defrauded over $10 million from more than 100 victims through investments offered in connection with a company called Assured Capital Consultants.  As part of their solicitations, the conspirators represented to investors that money would be placed in a Performing Private Placement Investment, and that Boschert had connections to the trading program being used.  Investors were told that their investments would be safe and that none of their money would leave the attorney escrow account that belonged to Zuzga, who was represented as being an attorney licensed in Florida.  Investors were further advised that their funds would be used as collateral for a line of credit, which would then be used in trading.

None of those representations were true.  Zuzga was not an attorney licensed in Florida or any other state, and the funds were not deposited into any escrow account controlled by him.  Instead, the three operated a scheme in which money from later investors was paid to earlier investors.  The three also used some of the money from the scheme for themselves, including purchasing residences for Hoffman and Zuzga.

In a prior civil proceeding, the United States forfeited two residences belonging to Hoffman and Zuzga, which had been purchased with proceeds from the scheme. The government obtained more than $850,000 from the sale of the two properties, and the proceeds from those sales were distributed to the victims of the scheme. 

Boschert and Zuzga previously pleaded guilty for their roles in this scheme. On June 23, 2015, Boschert was sentenced to nine years in federal prison.  Zuzga was sentenced on September 24, 2015, to six years in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Roger B. Handberg, James Mandolfo, and Nicole M. Andrejko.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Ralph Darel Lipsey (28, Miramar) has pleaded guilty to manufacturing and passing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. Lipsey also has agreed to forfeit the monetary proceeds he obtained as a result of the crime, as well as the computer media he used to manufacture counterfeit notes. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, in January 2015, Lipsey and his co-defendants, Marcos Rogelio Blake and Leon White, passed or attempted to pass counterfeit Federal Reserve notes at multiple businesses in Nassau County. Law enforcement officers subsequently issued an alert for the three individuals. On January 17, 2015, a deputy from the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle with the three men inside. Blake, who was driving the vehicle, was detained due to a suspended license. During a search, the deputy found genuine and counterfeit bills on Blake. An inventory search of the vehicle yielded additional counterfeit notes and a lock box. The lock box contained computer media and supplies used to manufacture counterfeit bills.

On September 30, 2015, Marcos Rogelio Blake (24, New York) pleaded guilty to manufacturing and passing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes, and possessing counterfeit business checks. His sentencing date has not yet been set. Leon White is scheduled for trial in December 2015.

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

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found Thomas S. Jackson (58, Longwood) guilty of one count of conspiracy and three counts of bribery of an agent of a local government receiving federal funds. He faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison for the conspiracy count and up to 10 years’ imprisonment for each bribery count. His sentencing hearing has been set for January 11, 2016.

According to the evidence introduced at trial, from 1997 to May 28, 2010, Jackson was the Chief of Police of the Longwood Police Department (LPD). Between October 2007, and Jackson’s retirement on May 28, 2010, Samer Majzoub (54, Heathrow, FL), a convicted felon, paid Jackson more than $30,000 in bribes. In return, Jackson appointed Majzoub as an officer with the LPD. He also gave Majzoub the supervisory titles of commander, lieutenant, and sergeant. Jackson provided Majzoub with badges and credentials that represented Majzoub as an officer of LPD, and also assisted Majzoub in possessing firearms and ammunition. As a previously convicted felon, Majzoub was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

Majzoub has been charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy and three counts of bribery of an agent of a local government receiving federal funds. He has not been arrested and is a fugitive.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Roger B. Handberg and James D. Mandolfo.

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Camila Correa (25, Windermere) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import a controlled substance, conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance, and witness tampering. She faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

            Camila Correa is the fifth Orlando defendant to plead guilty to drug trafficking and related charges concerning the importation and distribution of methylone and ethylone from China, into the Middle District of Florida. These Florida prosecutions are part of an international investigation headed by the Department of Justice’s Special Operations Division entitled Project Synergy. 

            According to court documents and evidence presented in this case, from no later than January 2014, through their arrests on March 18, 2015, Thiago Correa (“T. Correa”), Camila Correa (“C. Correa”), Travis Simmons, and others conspired to import and distribute no less than 25 kilograms of ethylone and methylone, also called “Molly” or “Mol,” from China, into Orlando, Melbourne, Titusville, Windermere, Orange and Brevard Counties. Additional controlled substances involved in this case are referred to as a-PVP and PVP. T. Correa was a leader and organizer in the conspiracy, in that he ordered the drugs from China, paid for and directed others to pay for the drugs, coordinated shipments, recruited and directed others to the drugs, and distributed and directed others to distribute the drugs. He also possessed and carried firearms during meetings wherein at least one other person was recruited to participate in the conspiracy. C. Correa recruited at least one other person to participate in the conspiracy, provided detailed directions regarding the receipt and transportation of several packages of ethylone, communicated messages to and from co-conspirators, and threatened and intimidated a witness believed to be providing information to federal authorities regarding the groups’ criminal activities. As part of his role in the conspiracy, Simmons transported ethylone, communicated messages, and recruited others to participate in the conspiracy. During the meeting to recruit others into the conspiracy, he also possessed firearms. 

            In late 2014, Eduardo Da Silva and Mirielson Macedo Pereira worked together to import over a kilogram of ethylone from China to Orlando. Da Silva had previously attempted to import additional ethylone from China and was found with money, drugs, and other evidence upon his arrest. 

Below is a chart indicating the status of the defendants’ court cases:

Defendant:

Potential Maximum Sentence:

Sentencing Court:

Sentence / Sentencing Date:

Thiago Correa

Life

U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell

December 14, 2015

Camila Correa

60 Years

U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell

January 11, 2016

Travis Simmons

40 Years

U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell

84 months in federal prison

Eduardo Da Silva

40 Years

U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza

December 3, 2015

Mirielson Macedo Pereira

40 Years

U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza

December 3, 2015

 

            “This conspiracy shows how massive quantities of synthetic drugs can enter our communities,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “HSI special agents and our law enforcement partners, like the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, will continue to work together toward keeping dangerous and deadly substances from harming our citizens.”

            This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Bishop Ravenel.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Darius Jondi Edwards (35, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to manufacturing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. A sentencing date has not yet been set.   

According to the plea agreement, in November and December 2014, Edwards used computer media to manufacture counterfeit Federal Reserve notes in denominations of $10, $20, and $100, then provided them to his co-defendant, Timothy Deante Burroughs. During the same period, Burroughs and Edwards entered various businesses in Jacksonville and passed counterfeit $100 bills. On December 1, 2014, Burroughs entered a Publix and passed counterfeit bills. Upon being confronted by store employees, he fled the store on foot. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office soon located Burroughs at a nearby motel and detained him. A search of the motel room resulted in the recovery of additional counterfeit $100 bills and led law enforcement to another motel in the immediate vicinity.

At the second location, law enforcement encountered Edwards in front of a motel room. During a search of Edwards’s room, officers located sheets of uncut counterfeit $100, $20, $10, $1 bills, along with several bleached genuine $10 bills printed as counterfeit $100 notes. They also recovered multiple computers and printers being used by Edwards to manufacture counterfeit currency.

On October 20, 2015, Burroughs (32, Jacksonville) was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for passing counterfeit notes.

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

Tampa, FL – United States District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich today sentenced Mark Joseph Unrein (62, New Port Richey) to 12 years and 7 months in federal prison for using a computer and cell phone to attempt to entice a child for sex, and for possession of child pornography. He was found guilty by a jury on July 24, 2015.

According to court documents, Unrein communicated online with an undercover officer who was posing as the mother of a 12-year-old girl. Unrein discussed engaging in sexual acts with the child and traveled late at night on May 9, 2014, to a location in order to meet the “child” for sex. Upon arriving at the location, Unrein crept around the house, peered into windows, and finally approached the door, where he was arrested. Law enforcement subsequently located the computer that Unrein had used to communicate with the undercover officer. A forensic examination of that computer showed that Unrein possessed multiple images of child pornography, including pictures of children in 29 separate identified series. A number of the victims were from the United States, Germany, Norway, Canada, and other places. Unrein was also found to possess images of babies and toddlers being sexually abused, as well as children that were bound and being forced to engage in sexual acts.   

“This sentencing emphasizes the gravity of this crime,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “This should serve as a shocking reminder to parents that the Internet can be dangerous and online activity of children should be appropriately monitored.”

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda C. Kaiser.

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

Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Dennis Michael Wilkerson (40, Lake Mary) to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for attempting to persuade, induce, and entice a minor to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Wilkerson was convicted by a federal jury on April 16, 2015.

According to evidence presented during the trial, on October 22, 2014, an FBI Task Force Officer, working in an undercover capacity, posted an advertisement on Craigslist.  Wilkerson responded by e-mail, inquiring about sexual activity with a 12-year-old “girl.”  After a series of communications with the undercover officer, Wilkerson agreed to pay $50 to receive oral sex from the “girl.” A few days later, Wilkerson traveled to Seminole County to meet with the minor. He was subsequently arrested. Agents recovered $53 from Wilkerson’s pocket after his arrest. He acknowledged that the money was to be used as payment for sex.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ilianys Rivera Miranda.

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

 

 

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Mychi Michelle Jones (30, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to manufacturing and possessing counterfeit business checks. She faces a maximum penalty of up to 25 years in federal prison for the manufacturing charge and up to 10 years’ imprisonment on the possession charge. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, between 2013 and October 2014, Jones manufactured more than 100 counterfeit business checks. Working with others, she obtained compromised bank account numbers and payee names and used that information to print counterfeit business checks. In an effort to make the checks look authentic, Jones used the names of various Jacksonville-area businesses as the purported issuers.

In October 2014, as part of a joint investigation with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, agents from the United States Secret Service executed a federal search warrant at Jones’s room at the Emerson Inn hotel in Jacksonville. Agents located, among other items, a computer, a printer, blank check stock, and a large number of counterfeit checks in various stages of completion. A forensic examination of the seized computer subsequently established that it had been used by Jones to manufacture counterfeit business checks.

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

 

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Andrew A. Rooks (58, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to two separate conspiracies to commit mail and wire fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count, plus a fine of twice the amount of the fraud loss. The plea agreement provides for restitution in the approximate amount of $2,187,000 to two victims, Sea Star Line, LLC and TrailerBridge, Inc. The agreement also provides for the entry of a personal money judgment against Rooks in the amount of approximately $2,187,000, which represents the proceeds of the fraud. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, from 2001 until July 2011, Rooks worked for Sea Star Line, LLC, in its Jacksonville office. Sea Star transports goods by vessel in interstate and foreign commerce and has operations at the Port of Jacksonville. Rooks last served as the assistant vice president of operations. Beginning no later than November 2005, Rooks authorized the payment of phony invoices submitted on behalf of co-conspirator Keith Beavers. The invoices were for container and equipment decals that were never provided to Sea Star. The total payments Sea Star made to Beavers exceeded $1 million. During the same period, Rooks also carried on a second conspiracy. He authorized the payment of phony invoices to two companies controlled by co-conspirator Russell Cody. The invoices, totally more than $1 million, were for inspection and transportation services of Sea Star’s containers and equipment. They were false because those services were never provided by Tiburon Transportation Services or Lancer Logistics, which were front companies that Cody controlled. Instead, Beavers and Cody made kickback payments to Rooks, and to a company Rooks controlled.

After Rooks was terminated by Sea Star, he got a job with another Jacksonville company, TrailerBridge, Inc., and continued the scheme. TrailerBridge paid approximately $107,000 as a result of phony invoices.

Beavers and Cody previously pleaded guilty to their role in the conspiracies and are scheduled for sentencing on February 1, 2016.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dale Campion.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Ricardo Lamont Irvine (42, Evansville, Indiana) has been indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with failing to register as a sex offender after traveling from Indiana to Florida. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison.  Irvine was arrested in Jacksonville on September 22, 2015.      

According to the indictment, on or about November 4, 1996, Irvine was convicted of child molestation in Evansville, Indiana. Subsequent to his conviction, and between June 8, 2015, and September 14, 2015, Irvine traveled from Indiana to Florida but failed to register as a sex offender as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The Adam Walsh Act provides for the use of federal law enforcement resources, including the United States Marshals Service, to assist state and local authorities in locating and apprehending non-compliant sex offenders.

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

This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

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

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Ynessa Brown and Thelonius Robertson with 10 counts of wire fraud, 1 count of conspiring to commit tax fraud, and 5 counts of aggravated identity theft.  Brown is also charged with 2 counts of filing false tax returns.  If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud, and up to 5 years’ imprisonment for each count of filing a false tax return and the conspiracy charge, to be followed by 2 years’ imprisonment on the identity theft counts.  The indictment also notifies Brown and Robertson that the United States is seeking a money judgment in the amount of $767,398, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.   

According to the indictment, from January 2012 through June 2013, Brown and Robertson possessed and used stolen identities, including those of deceased persons, to electronically file false and fraudulent tax returns.  They then directed the refunds from those fraudulent filings to debit cards, many in other people’s names. The debit cards were sent directly to Brown and Robertson, as well as to their friends and family, and to vacant addresses.  Brown and Robertson spent the fraudulently obtained tax refund monies at various retail locations and also obtained cash via ATM withdrawals.  In addition, Brown filed fraudulent tax returns in her name for 2011 and 2012, claiming more than $18,000 in refunds to which she was not entitled.

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

This case was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley C. Howard-Allen.

Orlando, FL - United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley III announces that the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit today upheld a 210-year sentence of imprisonment for Matthew Graziotti—a former elementary-school teacher, summer-camp director, and youth pastor—for producing, distributing, and possessing child pornography.

According to court documents, Graziotti had distributed images and videos depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of children to an undercover FBI agent.  During the execution of a search warrant, agents had located an enormous collection of photographs and videos showing the rape and exploitation of thousands of children.  One computer folder, titled, “personally known,” had contained sexually explicit photographs and videos of 29 children whom Graziotti personally had sexually abused when they were under the age of 12 and had been entrusted to him in his various positions of authority. Graziotti had stored those sexually explicit photographs and videos in subfolders bearing each child-victim’s name. He had produced these images from 2010 through 2014.

Graziotti argued that his 210-year sentence is unreasonable because it is several times greater than his remaining life expectancy and therefore is, by definition, greater than necessary to serve any legitimate sentencing purpose. The Court of Appeals stated that the sentence is not unreasonable simply because it is physically impossible for Graziotti to serve it, observing that child-sex offenses are among the most “egregious and despicable of societal and criminal offenses.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted in the district court by Assistant United States Attorney Karen L. Gable. The appeal was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Susan H. Rothstein-Youakim and Assistant United States Attorney Linda Julin McNamara, Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division.

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

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Frank Gonzalez-Santiago (52, Polk County) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal government funds. He faces up to five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, in 2005, the Department of Defense contracted with a private company to operate the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (“G-RAP”) to help in the recruitment and enlistment of members of the armed services. Under this program, G-RAP Recruitment Assistants (“RAs”) were paid to identify and solicit individuals to join the armed services, and were paid only after one of their recruits joined the armed services. Program rules prohibited professional military recruiters from being paid for any part of a recruitment that a G-RAP RA had initiated. During the course of the conspiracy, Gonzalez-Santiago was a professional Army National Guard recruiter. He conspired with G-RAP RAs who falsely claimed to have recruited enlistees when, in reality, Gonzalez-Santiago had recruited them into the military. The conspirators did so in order to share their G-RAP payments with recruiters such as Gonzalez-Santiago.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Army-Criminal Investigation Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found James Dale Little (43, Jacksonville) guilty of transporting and possessing child pornography. Little faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 26, 2016. He was indicted on March 26, 2015.

According to evidence presented at trial, from December 21, 2012, through January 26, 2013, Little obtained images depicting child pornography using an email account.  He also sent an image of child pornography by email on January 26, 2013. 

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly S. Karase and Gregory T. Nolan.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – Senior United States District Judge Henry Lee Adams has sentenced Timothy Deante Burroughs (32, Jacksonville) to 21 months in federal prison for passing counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes. As part of the sentence, the Court also ordered Burroughs to pay restitution to the various businesses that he had defrauded.

According to court documents, in November and December 2014, Burroughs entered various businesses in Jacksonville and passed counterfeit $100 Federal Reserve Notes (FRN). On December 1, 2014, he entered a Publix and passed counterfeit FRN. Upon being confronted by Publix employees, Burroughs fled the store on foot. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) soon located Burroughs at a nearby Motel 6 hotel room and detained him. A search of the room resulted in the recovery of additional counterfeit $100 FRN.

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

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of a third superseding indictment charging Samuel Lee Lynch (29, Tampa), Christopher Marquis Fruster (20, Tampa), Reo Thomas Nance (31, Lakeland), and Brittany Jenae Hall (26, Tampa) with conspiracy, armed robbery, and firearms offenses in connection with five Tampa Bay area armed robberies occurring between March 15, 2015, and April 24, 2015. In addition, Hall has been charged with obstruction of justice for providing false testimony before a federal grand jury.   

Lynch faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted on any one of the six charges related to the robberies. If convicted on all counts, Fruster, Nance, and Hall each face a mandatory minimum penalty of 35, 32, and 10 years’ imprisonment, respectively. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit two firearms and $93,519, which is alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses.

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Temple Terrace Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.

Tampa, Florida– United States District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. has sentenced Kavin Carter (40, Lake City) to 16 years’ imprisonment for sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud, or coercion. He was also ordered him to pay a $10,000 fine. Carter pleaded guilty on November 24, 2014.

According to the plea agreement, in October 2012, law enforcement officers received information related to human trafficking activities in Lakeland and Lake City. They identified Michael Gallon as a “pimp” who was operating in Florida and the southeastern United States. Gallon recruited adult and minor females to join his “dance team.” He then transported the girls to bachelor parties and house parties that he had arranged. The females danced and performed acts of prostitution at these parties.

Gallon partnered with Carter, who co-hosted parties at his home. Gallon transported the girls, almost every weekend, to Carter’s residence in Lake City. Carter and Gallon set up “VIP” rooms at the parties, and they encouraged the females to engage in commercial sex acts. They charged the women to use these “VIP” rooms and kept most of the money the women had earned. Law enforcement has identified at least 12 minor-aged victims of Gallon’s offenses, and most of these girls engaged in commercial sex acts at Carter’s home.

Michael Gallon (50, Lakeland) previously pleaded guilty for his role in this case. On May 29, 2014, he was sentenced to 33 years and 9 months’ imprisonment for sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud, or coercion and a concurrent term of 20 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography.

“We cannot undo the horrific crimes against the young victims, but this sentence will ensure this criminal cannot cause additional harm,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “The hard work of HSI special agents and the Lakeland Police Department have brought this predator to justice and made our local communities a safer place.”

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Lakeland Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacie B. Harris.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment charging Susan R. Thompson (58, Jacksonville) with two counts of making false statements to a federal officer. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison on each count.

According to the indictment, while working for the Army Corps of Engineers, Thompson placed a printed image of the Confederate battle flag on the desk of an African-American coworker. Thompson then lied on two occasions to an inspector from the Federal Protective Service by stating that she had not placed the image on her coworker’s desk.

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

This case was investigated by U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.

Tampa, Florida - United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Gary Hughes (35, San Diego, CA) and Jason Martin (36, Orange County, CA) with one count of mortgage fraud conspiracy involving bank fraud, and other related substantive charges. Hughes and Martin each face a maximum penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment for each count. The indictment also notifies the individuals that the United States is seeking a forfeiture money judgment for the proceeds of the charged mortgage fraud conspiracy.

According to the indictment and court proceedings, in 2005, entities controlled by co-conspirators entered into a contract to purchase The Arbors, an apartment complex in Hillsborough County, Florida. The new owners of The Arbors then engaged in a plan to convert the complex from rental apartments to condominium units.

Hughes and Martin’s co-conspirator, Brendan Bolger, aided the developers in the sale of numerous condominium units at The Arbors through his company, Capital Management Guarantee, LLC. In order to induce buyers to purchase units at The Arbors, Bolger created an addendum to the purchase contract that offered buyers various incentives, such as rental supplements, money to defray maintenance costs, and a design credit to upgrade the unit’s amenities. When the buyers cancelled the design credit within 10 days of signing the addendum, Bolger paid a kickback for the amount of the design credit to the buyer from Capital Management’s bank account. In this manner, Bolger and other co-conspirators failed to disclose to buyers’ mortgage lenders material facts about the financing of the sale of The Arbors condominium units. Bolger and others referred prospective buyers to Hughes and Martin to obtain financing for their unit purchases.

Hughes’s and Martin’s roles in the conspiracy as mortgage brokers consisted of originating mortgages for The Arbors units through Envision Lending and Set 2 Go Loans. The loan applications Martin and Hughes submitted contained material misrepresentations, including false occupancy and inflated borrower income and asset information. These loan applications were submitted to FDIC insured institutions and other mortgage lenders. Additionally, through their company, HUMAR Investments, Hughes and Martin provided the borrowers cash to close without disclosing the payments to the lenders.

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

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

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Charles Eugene Mears (56, Orange Park) to seven years and six months in federal prison for receiving child pornography over the Internet. He was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and pay $3,000 in restitution to one of the victims.

According to court documents, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent in Jacksonville began an undercover investigation to identify individuals in northeast Florida that were trading images and videos of child pornography over the Internet. The agent identified a computer that was hosting images of child pornography using a file sharing program, and was able to download several of the files. Further investigation traced the host computer to Mears’s residence.

Agents subsequently executed a federal search warrant at Mears’s residence and seized several computers and other electronic media. Forensic analyses of Mears’s laptop revealed that it contained at least 211 videos depicting child pornography, including at least one video depicting the sexual abuse of a toddler.      

This case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Clay County 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 United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of a 31-count indictment charging Tampa residents Yannier Arias (29) and Jose Ojeda Vera (25) with conspiracy to commit credit card fraud and identity theft. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison for each conspiracy charge and up to 10 years’ imprisonment for each credit card fraud charge, to be followed by two years in federal prison for the identity theft charges. They were indicted on August 27, 2015.

According to the indictment, Arias and Vera obtained and used counterfeit and unauthorized credit cards that had been encoded with stolen credit card account information. In many cases, the stolen information had been obtained by “skimming” victims’ credit cards at local gas stations. The fraudulent credit cards were embossed and encoded with names and account numbers belonging to individuals who were often unaware that they had been victimized. Many learned that their information had been stolen when they were notified by law enforcement. Arias and Vera allegedly used these stolen identities and credit cards to purchase merchandise from local stores.

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

This case was investigated by the Financial Crimes Task Force, which includes the United States Secret Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley C. Howard-Allen.

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich has sentenced Jeremy Wayne Sumpter (31, Garland, TX) to 12 months and one day in federal prison for knowingly aiming a laser at an aircraft. He pleaded guilty on March 24, 2015.

According to court documents, on February 14, 2014, aviation officers with the Tampa Police Department (TPD) were flying in a Bell 407 helicopter during aerial patrol when they observed a green light illuminate the cockpit. The officers observed the laser hit the helicopter four times.  They were soon able to locate the suspect who had been standing in the middle of the roadway. As the officers turned the aircraft toward the suspect, he began to run into his residence.

TPD officers made contact with Sumpter at his front door, and observed a broken laser pointer on his coffee table. Sumpter admitted that he had been outside with a laser pointer and that there had been a helicopter in the area where he had been pointing the laser. He also stated that he had destroyed that laser because he thought he was in trouble. Several other lasers were discovered in the residence.

On Feb. 14, 2012, President Barack Obama signed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act, which modernizes the nation's aviation system. This Act establishes a new criminal offense for aiming the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, or at the flight path of such an aircraft. The statute was enacted in response to a growing number of incidents of pilots being distracted or even temporarily blinded by laser beams.

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shauna S. Hale.

Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich has sentenced Alexis Rodriguez (38, Kissimmee) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for distributing more than 100 grams of heroin. He pleaded guilty on June 29, 2015.

According to court documents, in March 2013, DEA agents began investigating Rodriguez as a supply source for cocaine and heroin. On April 4, 2013, a confidential source (CS) traveled to Tampa to meet with Rodriguez. During the meeting, Rodriguez gave the CS approximately 10 grams of a brown powder substance on consignment and requested payment at a later date. The substance tested positive for the presence of heroin.

The CS called Rodriguez three days later and informed him that he had the money for the heroin, and then made arraignments to deliver the money that morning. During that meeting, the CS provided Rodriguez with $950 for the heroin he had previously supplied. The CS informed Rodriguez that his associates were interested in purchasing additional quantities of heroin from Rodriguez, and arrangements were made for another meeting later that day. During that meeting, Rodriguez provided the CS with a plastic bag containing approximately 113 grams of a brown powder substance that also tested positive for heroin.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shauna S. Hale.

Tampa, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara today sentenced Cory Quintana, aka Corey Quintana, (24, Lakeland) to three years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The Court also ordered him to forfeit a Taurus .38-caliber revolver and 18 rounds of ammunition. He pleaded guilty on July 24, 2015.

According to court documents, approximately three months after his release from state prison with felony convictions for aggravated battery and aggravated assault, Quintana’s probation officer found him in possession of a firearm in violation of his probation order.  Because of his prior felony convictions, Quintana also was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office joint Task Force, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Jones.

A Cuban national who had been wanted since 2013 on charges relating to a multi-million dollar health care fraud scheme was arrested on Friday, Oct. 9, 2015, when he arrived in Miami on a flight from Cuba.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III of the Middle District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Paul Wysopal of the FBI’s Tampa Division and Special Agent in Charge Shimon Richmond of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office made the announcement.

Ubert Guillermo Rodriguez, aka Ubert Guillermo Rodriguez Sigler, 47, of Cuba, was charged by indictment, returned on July 31, 2013, with 14 counts of health care fraud.  The indictment was unsealed today following his initial appearance in the Southern District of Florida.

According to the indictment, Rodriguez was the president and owner of G.R. Services Equipment & Supplies Inc. (G.R. Services), a Largo, Florida, company that purported to provide durable medical equipment to Medicare beneficiaries.  The indictment alleges that, between May and July 2013, Rodriguez caused G.R. Services to submit to Medicare approximately $2,579,695 in false and fraudulent claims seeking reimbursement for durable medical equipment that was not prescribed by doctors and not provided to beneficiaries.  For example, according to the indictment, G.R. Services sought thousands of dollars in reimbursement for wound therapy electrical pumps and sterile collagen dressings purportedly provided in 2013 to Medicare beneficiaries who had died in 2010.

Federal law enforcement agents previously seized from the bank account for G.R. Services approximately $243,339 in proceeds from the health care fraud scheme.

The charges and allegations contained in an indictment are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by HHS-OIG and the FBI and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Florida.  This case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Christopher J. Hunter of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged over 2,300 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for over $7 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Team, go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

Guillermo Rodriguez Indictment

Tampa, FL - United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit today affirmed the conviction of Courtnee Brantley of Tampa for misprision of a felony, a crime she committed in the immediate aftermath of her boyfriend Dontae Morris’s murder of Tampa police officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab.

In January 2013, a federal jury in Tampa found Brantley guilty of misprision of a federal felony: Morris’s possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. (A person commits misprision when she knows that someone committed a felony, she fails to notify the authorities about it, and she takes affirmative steps to conceal the felony.) The jury found that Brantley had known that Morris was a convicted felon and that he had possessed the gun that night, that she had not reported the crime to authorities, and that she had taken affirmative steps to conceal Morris’s possession of the firearm from authorities. The evidence at trial showed that Brantley had left the scene immediately after the shootings, had almost immediately begun texting with Morris and pledging her loyalty to him, and had parked her car—backed up against some bushes to conceal the car’s missing license plate—several hundred feet from where she was staying. The district court sentenced her to a year and a day of imprisonment, but allowed her to remain free on bond until the appeal was decided.

On appeal, Brantley argued that she was the victim of selective prosecution, that her prosecution violated her Fifth Amendment rights, and that the evidence was insufficient to support the jury’s guilty verdict. The Court of Appeals rejected all of those arguments. The Court ruled that Brantley had not shown that the decision to prosecute her was based on race or any other arbitrary reason, and the Court further recognized that her prosecution legitimately “publicized the fact that those who conceal evidence about the capital murder of a police officer will be prosecuted and that fact, without question, could have a deterrent effect on others.” The Court also rejected her Fifth Amendment challenge, explaining that “she was not prosecuted for her silence. Rather, she was prosecuted because she knowingly participated in affirmative acts of concealment of Morris’s crime—i.e., (1) hiding herself and the car and (2) calling and texting Morris in an effort to conceal his crime.” Finally, the Court held that the evidence—including Brantley’s text messages and cellphone calls with Morris immediately following the shootings and her decision to conceal the car and herself— provided “sufficient evidence of [her] affirmative acts of concealment to support the jury’s guilty verdict.”

This case was prosecuted in the district court by Assistant United States Attorney Jim Preston. The appeal was handled by Assistant United States Attorney David Rhodes, Chief of the Appellate Division, and Assistant United States Attorney Yvette Rhodes.    

Link to 11th Circuit Opinion