Middle District of Florida

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. today sentenced Jonathan Daniel Adleta (26, Glenpool, Oklahoma) to life in federal prison for conspiring to transport and transporting a minor in interstate commerce, with intent to engage in sexual activity. 

Jonathan Adleta was found guilty by a federal jury on September 12, 2013.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Jonathan Adleta conspired with his ex-wife, Sarah Adleta, to transport a three year-old child, with the intent of sexually abusing the child. On December 23, 2012, Sarah Adleta flew with the child from Orlando, Florida to Oklahoma, where Jonathan Adleta lived. Jonathan Adleta sexually abused the child during the child’s week-long stay at his home. Both before and after the trip, Sarah Adleta also sexually abused the child and sent pictures of the abuse to Jonathan Adleta and others.

Sarah Adleta (29, Oviedo, Florida) pleaded guilty to producing child pornography, and on October 28, 2013, Judge Dalton sentenced her to 54 years in federal prison, followed by a life term of supervised release.

“The sexual exploitation of children will not be tolerated at any level.  We will continue to aggressively investigate those who choose to victimize innocence,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Wysopal. 

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

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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John E. Steele today sentenced Charles Allen Nave, III (39, Fort Myers) to seven years in federal prison for distributing child pornography. The court also ordered him to forfeit a Dell Precision laptop and a 2 GB SD card, which were used in the facilitation of the offense.   

Charles Allen Nave, III was found guilty on September 17, 2013.

According to court documents, on January 31, 2013, Nave knowingly distributed child pornography over the Internet, to an undercover agent that he met in an online chat room. Nave sent the undercover agent four emails, along with images of child pornography as attachments. Subsequent to the execution of a search warrant, Nave was found to possess in excess of 300 images and 20 videos of child pornography.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with participation from the Sanibel Police Department, the Fort Myers Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard today sentenced Maurice Futch (32, Middleburg) to nine years and ten months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition. 

Futch pleaded guilty to the charge on August 28, 2013.

According to court documents, officers with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) executed a search warrant at Futch’s home in Middleburg, on July 16, 2012. During the search, agents located over 50 rounds of 9mm ammunition, along with a drug scale and other narcotics paraphernalia. Agents also located a picture of Futch shooting a pistol at a local gun range and later discovered that Futch was, in fact, a member of the gun range. Futch had five prior felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. 

This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, DEA and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Talbot.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard today sentenced Jairus Quaintance (21, Jacksonville) to five years in federal prison for possessing a firearm while selling marijuana. 

Quaintance pleaded guilty on August 28, 2013.

According to court documents, Quaintance was selling marijuana from a street corner just north of downtown Jacksonville. An officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office made contact with Quaintance and found that he was armed with a loaded 9mm pistol and marijuana packaged for sale.     

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Talbot.

It is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy.  Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Julie Leon, 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.

This case is also a part of ATF’s Frontline strategy - an effective method in reducing violent crime and improving the quality of life in communities where law enforcement efforts are focused.

Orlando, FL – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Camorette James (28, Miami) today pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. She faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

James was indicted on March 12, 2012.

According to court documents, James and others engaged in a conspiracy to commit bank fraud and to defraud the Navy Federal Credit Union ("NFCU"). They facilitated the conspiracy by opening fraudulent accounts by telephone, while claiming to be members of the United States Armed Forces, and by using the identification of others without authorization. Following these telephone calls, the conspirators requested account access cards, known as "CuCards," to be mailed to addresses in Central Florida. 

As part of the scheme, James deposited worthless checks into the fraudulently opened NFCU accounts, in order to inflate the accounts’ balances. These checks were drawn on accounts in which there were no funds. Along with other conspirators, James then withdrew funds from the fraudulent accounts, before the bank realized that the deposited checks were worthless. 

On November 2, 2012, Brittany Jones was sentenced 48 months’ imprisonment for her role in the scheme, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, three counts of bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Jones was also ordered to pay $180,034.72 in restitution.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher LaForgia.

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced today that a federal grand jury, in Jacksonville, has returned an indictment against Samuel Franklin Crews (31, Lake City), charging him with three counts of receiving child pornography over the Internet.  Crews faces a mandatory minimum penalty of not less than 5 years, up to 20 years in federal prison on each count, and a potential life term of supervised release.  Crews was arrested on December 31, 2013, in Lake City, and has been ordered detained pending his trial in March 2014. 

The indictment alleges that between on or about April 28, 2013 through on or about April 30, 2013, in the Middle District of Florida, Crews knowingly received visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, over the Internet.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the 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 Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.  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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Anderson Scott Hall, a/k/a Scott Hall (49, Jacksonville) today pleaded guilty to four felony counts of operating a sham investment scheme. Specifically, Hall pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering.  He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment for each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Hall, a licensed insurance salesman, was the architect of a sham investment scheme, which he operated for more than 10 years, between approximately 1996 through late 2011. During this time, Hall defrauded in excess of 50 victims and received more than $4 million from his victim investors. The investors included residents of the greater Jacksonville, Florida area; Columbus, Georgia; and North Carolina. A significant portion of the victim investors were either active or retired Duval County school teachers and administrators, who invested their retirement funds, including their "DROP" (Deferred Retirement Option Program) money, with Hall.

During the scheme, Hall was employed by various financial companies as an independent agent. His victim pool included current clients and client referrals. As part of this scheme, Hall incorporated a shell company, Abaco Securities International, Ltd. (ASI), in the Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies. Hall is listed as the Director of that company, whose only presence in the Turks and Caicos is a post office box.

As reflected in the plea agreement, Hall’s scheme included his solicitation of clients to invest their retirement savings in an investment product, which he described as ASI, promising interest rates sometimes exceeding 12%. Hall directed the victim investors to cause their retirement savings, usually held in IRAs and other investment products, to be transferred from legitimate life insurance companies and investment companies, to his sham business. Generally, Hall would deposit the clients' funds into one of several bank accounts that he maintained at SunTrust. Occasionally, as in a Ponzi scheme whereby older investors are paid money from the funds taken from newer investors, Hall would make partial payments to victim investors.

A forensic analysis of Hall’s SunTrust accounts established that he failed to invest the victim investors' funds as promised. At times, in an effort to conceal and perpetuate his scheme, Hall created sham account documents falsely reflecting that the investors' funds were invested in a legitimate investment product. These sham account statements were provided to the investors to dispel questions regarding their investments.  The accounting analysis also revealed that Hall used the investors' funds to pay for personal expenses, purchase commercial property, and to buy luxury automobiles.

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, Bureau of Financial Investigations and the DFS, Division of Insurance Fraud. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Devereaux.

Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Erich Clifford Mandell Ramos (27, Tampa) with one count of aggravated sexual abuse, two counts of production of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. If convicted on all counts, he faces a mandatory minimum term of 30 years’ imprisonment, up to a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.  Mandell Ramos has remained in federal custody since his arrest, pursuant to a complaint, on November 21, 2013.

According to the indictment, Mandell Ramos sexually abused a person under twelve years old and created images of the sexual abuse, while on MacDill Air Force Base. 

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacie B. Harris.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.

WASHINGTON - Genzyme Corp. has agreed to pay $22.28 million to resolve allegations that it marketed, and caused false claims to be submitted to federal and state health care programs for use of, a “slurry” version of its Seprafilm adhesion barrier, the Justice Department announced today.  Seprafilm is a thin film intended to reduce adhesions after surgery by forming a bio-resorbable barrier between abdominal tissue and organs.  Genzyme is a biotechnology corporation based in Cambridge, Mass., and was acquired by Sanofi-Aventis SA in April 2011.

“There will be consequences when medical device companies alter products to increase sales and profits without regard for risks to patient safety,” said Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division Stuart F. Delery.  “Federal health care participants should receive only devices that are medically reasonable and necessary.”

The government alleges that Genzyme sales representatives taught doctors and other staff to cut the Seprafilm sheets into small pieces, add saline and allow the pieces to dissolve until the desired consistency was reached.  This mixture was referred to as “slurry.”  Genzyme sales representatives traded recipes for slurry, and trained each other in how to create it.  The slurry was used in laparoscopic or “key hole” surgeries by inserting a catheter filled with the mixture into the body and squirting it into the abdominal cavity.  Seprafilm is FDA-approved for use in open abdominal surgery but not for minimally invasive surgeries, such as laparoscopic or key hole surgery.  Allegedly, as a result of this conduct, Genzyme knowingly caused hospitals and other purchasers of Seprafilm to submit false and fraudulent claims to federal health care programs for uses of Seprafilm that were not reimbursable.

“Beneficiaries of federal health care plans, including Medicare recipients and military families, should not be treated with devices that have been improperly altered,” said Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida A. Lee Bentley III.  “When companies promote such practices, resulting in the submission of health care claims that cannot legally be reimbursed, they will be made to pay by this office and the Department of Justice.”

“As with drugs, patients need assurance that medical devices are safe and effective,” said Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Daniel R. Levinson.  “The government contends that Genzyme marketed an altered, untested device.  Taxpayers and patients deserve better.”

The allegations resolved by today’s settlement were originally raised in two lawsuits filed against Genzyme under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which allows private citizens with knowledge of false claims to bring civil actions on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery.  The whistleblowers, or relators’, share of the settlement has not been determined.

Assistant Attorney General Delery thanked the Office of Chief Counsel for the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the Justice Department’s Commercial Litigation Branch, the Defense Health Agency, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General for the collaboration that resulted in the settlement.  This case was investigated jointly by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Harden of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Charles Biro of the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
           
This settlement illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud and marks another achievement for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) initiative, which was announced in May 2009 by Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.  The partnership between the two departments has focused efforts to reduce and prevent Medicare and Medicaid financial fraud through enhanced cooperation.  One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act.  Since January 2009, the Justice Department has recovered a total of more than $17 billion through False Claims Act cases, with more than $12.2 billion of that amount recovered in cases involving fraud against federal health care programs.

The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.  The two lawsuits are captioned United States ex rel. Fuentes, Russo v. Genzyme Corp., No. 09-cv-1245 (M.D. Fla.) and United States ex rel. Kelley v. Genzyme Corp., No. 10-cv-549 (M.D. Fla.).  

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the arrest and unsealing of an indictment charging former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) Corrections Officer Leon Perry Brooks, Sr. (39, Jacksonville) with two counts of receipt of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. If convicted on each of the receipt counts and the distribution count, he faces a minimum of 5 years, up to 20 years in federal prison. On the possession of child pornography charge, Brooks faces a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.

Brooks will make his initial appearance in federal court today, in Jacksonville, at 2:15 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate James R. Klindt.

According to the indictment, the offenses occurred between June 19, 2012, and May 20, 2013, and involve certain named computer files depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

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

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in conjunction with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diidri Robinson.

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 (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.   

Click HERE to view indictment.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan today sentenced Estella D. (Washington) Wright and her husband, Dorian D. Wright, to 4 years, 3 months’ and 15 months’ imprisonment, respectively. The sentences were handed down in connection with the couple’s involvement in a tax refund scheme and Estella Wright’s conviction on seven counts of aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered the couple to pay restitution in the amount of $210,737.97, to the Internal Revenue Service, and $1,500.00 to a victim of the identity theft. The couple resides in Brunswick, Georgia.

Both pleaded guilty to the charges on June 26, 2013.

According to court documents, from at least September 2007 through 2008, Estella Wright stole the means of identification from individuals through her employment at a temporary staffing agency. Wright then provided these means of identification to her co-conspirators to fraudulently file tax returns and obtain income tax refunds. The fraudulently filed tax returns caused a total of $816,384.00 to be directly deposited into bank accounts held in either Estella Wright’s or Dorian Wright’s name.

The case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich today sentenced Heriberto Pena-Salazar (25, Bradenton) to 27 years in federal prison for production of child pornography. As part of his sentence, he was also ordered to serve a 15-year term of supervised release, following his incarceration, and to register as a sex offender.

Salazar was found guilty on October 2, 2013.

According to court documents, in May 2012 Pena-Salazar persuaded a pre-pubescent female to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the act. In a video recovered on Pena-Salazar’s cellular phone, his face is visible, as he is seen pulling back the victim’s pants and underwear and performing sexual acts on her. During an interview, he admitted that he abused the child and stated that he did so in order to trade the video for child pornography from others.
A forensic review of the computer laptops and hard drive seized from Pena-Salazar revealed 600 videos and 400 images of child pornography, including files depicting pre-pubescent children and sadomasochistic conduct. Pena-Salazar, a Mexican national, was illegally present in the United States.

“The exploitation of children is one of the most heinous crimes we investigate,” said Susan McCormick, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Tampa. “This case was especially egregious, and as a result, this man will serve nearly 30 years in prison. Let this case serve as a warning to individuals who prey on innocent children – we will find you, arrest you and ensure you are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bradenton Police. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer L. Peresie and Amanda C. Kaiser.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 – U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore today sentenced Quincy Wimberly (29, Tampa) to seven years in federal prison for theft of government property and aggravated identity theft.  Quincy Wimberly pleaded guilty on September 5, 2013.

According to court documents, from at least as early as January of 2011, Wimberly engaged in stolen identity tax refund fraud. He was responsible for over sixty fraudulently filed tax returns and fraudulently obtained tax refunds in excess of $175,000.

Wimberly’s co-conspirators, Nikia Williams and Porscha Williams, were previously sentenced to 6 ½ years and 4 years in prison, respectively, for their roles in the scheme.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara C. Sweeney and Amanda L. Riedel.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell yesterday sentenced Daniel M. Metz (54, Oviedo) to 30 months in federal prison for filing false returns and attempting to obstruct justice. He was also ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervision, following his release from prison, and to pay $112,995 in restitution.

Metz was found guilty by a federal jury, on July 18, 2013.

According to court documents, in 2009, Metz's business account was the subject of an Internal Revenue Service civil audit.  During the course of the audit, the auditor realized that Metz had not filed personal tax returns for years 2005, 2006, and 2007. After being told about the personal tax returns, Metz prepared the returns and attached false 1099s, which he also had prepared.  Metz mailed the returns to the auditor. The auditor suspected that the 1099s were false and requested records from Metz's personal bank accounts. The banks confirmed that the 1099s were false. The personal tax returns were never processed. Had they been processed, Metz would have received approximately $330,344 in refunds from the IRS. Through various means, Metz tried to hinder the IRS' investigation, including filing a lawsuit against the IRS Commissioner and the special agent who was conducting a criminal investigation. That lawsuit was ultimately dismissed. 

At the sentencing hearing, the court spoke at length about Metz’s plan to defraud the United States government.  The court said that the scheme was long term and “egregious.”  It added that Metz had “intentionally filed patently false documents to cheat his way out of paying taxes.”

This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tanya Davis Wilson.

Orlando, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway today sentenced Jeffrey Alan Barnett (46, Orlando) to 12 years, 11 months in federal prison for distribution and possession of child pornography.  The court also ordered Barnett to serve a 10-year term of supervision, following his release from prison, and to register as a sex offender.

Barnett pleaded guilty on August 7, 2013. 

According to court documents, Barnett used a peer-to-peer filing sharing program to distribute child pornography to an undercover federal task force agent, on three separate occasions. On March 21, 2013, a federal search warrant was executed at Barnett’s residence. During the execution of that warrant, investigators found a computer located in Barnett’s bedroom that contained child pornography. During an interview, Barnett admitted that the computer belonged to him, that he had been using a peer-to-peer file sharing program to download and trade child pornography, and that he had been trading child pornography for over twenty years. Barnett was arrested on federal charges on March 21, 2013.  A forensic examination of his computer found that he possessed over 250 videos of child pornography, including images of sadistic and masochistic conduct.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

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

Orlando, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway today sentenced Albert Nedd (41) to 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Nedd pleaded guilty on September 13, 2013.

According to court documents, on December 8, 2012, Daytona Beach Police Department Officers responded to a complaint concerning a weapon and saw Nedd walking away from the scene and concealing what appeared to be a small handgun in his waistband. The officers commanded Nedd to stop, but he kept walking away. Nedd walked up a staircase attached to a building, placed the handgun at the top of the staircase, and then was stopped by officers once he walked down. Officers found a loaded .38 caliber revolver at the top of staircase. Nedd, a previously convicted felon, is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James D. Mandolfo.

It is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy.  Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Julie Leon, 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.

This case is also part of ATF’s Frontline strategy to reduce violent crime and improve the quality of life in communities where law enforcement efforts are focused.

Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore this week sentenced Vanessa Cooper (39, El Cajon, California), Canetha Johnson (43, El Cajon, California), and Raul Carbajal (23, Plant City, Florida) to 17, 14 and 15 years in federal prison, respectively, for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. 

Cooper and Johnson were found guilty by a federal jury on September 23, 2013.  Carbajal pleaded guilty on September 13, 2013.

According to the evidence and testimony presented at trial, on or about April 1, 2013, Cooper and Johnson, along with co-defendant Selena Blanchard, departed from an airport in San Diego, California, ultimately destined for Tampa, Florida. The purpose of the trip was to deliver approximately two pounds of high-purity methamphetamine to Carbajal. In order to get the drugs through airport security, without detection, each individual smuggled a package inside of her body.  The three women arrived in Tampa on April 2, 2013, where they were met by Carbajal. All three women then delivered the packages of methamphetamine to Carbajal. In the same manner, Cooper and Blanchard had delivered methamphetamine from California to Carbajal, in Tampa, on several prior occasions. 
Blanchard was found guilty, following a jury trial, on September 23, 2013. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

This case was investigated by special agents and local task force agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Jackson.

WASHINGTON – A south Florida man has pleaded guilty today for his role in a $10.5 million Medicare fraud scheme involving physical and occupational therapy services.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida A. Lee Bentley III, Special Agent in Charge Paul Wysopal of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dennis of the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Office of Investigations made the announcement.

Luis Alberto Garcia Perojo, 42, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida to conspiring to commit health care fraud.  He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, and his sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. 

According to documents filed in the case, Garcia conspired with others to execute a health care fraud scheme through Renew Therapy Center of Port St. Lucie LLC, a comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility that he helped operate.  From November 2007 through August 2009, Renew Therapy submitted approximately $10,549,361 in fraudulent claims for reimbursement to Medicare for therapy services that were not legitimately prescribed and not legitimately provided to Medicare beneficiaries.  As a result of those fraudulent claims, Medicare deposited approximately $6,248,056 into a Renew Therapy bank account.  The fraud proceeds in that account were later disbursed to various entities, including a combined total of $1,847,222 to Ariguanabo Investment Group Inc. and IRE Diagnostic Center Inc.  Garcia was President of Ariguanabo Investment Group and had authority over bank accounts for Ariguanabo Investment Group and IRE Diagnostic Center, both of which were shell companies.  Garcia and others used this money from Renew Therapy for, among other purposes, paying kickbacks to obtain Medicare beneficiary identifying information that was used in Renew Therapy’s fraudulent reimbursement claims.

This case is being investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, 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 for the Middle District of Florida.  This case is being prosecuted by 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 more than 1,700 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5.5 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 (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

TAMPA, FL – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew yesterday resentenced Marian I. Morgan to 33 years and 9 months in federal prison for conspiracy, wire fraud, interstate/foreign transportation of stolen funds, money laundering, and filing false tax returns. The court also ordered her to pay restitution in the amount of $19,958,995.00. A federal jury found Marian I. Morgan guilty on September 29, 2011, after a seventeen-day trial.

Marian I. Morgan was originally indicted on December 17, 2009.  She was subsequently charged by a superseding indictment on May 31, 2011. Her husband, John Morgan, was also indicted. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy and money laundering charges, on June 15, 2011, and was sentenced to 10 years and 1 month in prison on November 28, 2011.

According to the evidence presented during the trial, Marian and John Morgan, who resided in Sarasota, Florida, were principals of a company named Morgan European Holdings from about 2005 to 2009. They promoted sham "high yield/ prime bank note" investment programs through the company, promising investors that they would receive returns of 200-300% in three months and that their principal funds would be held safe in an escrow account in Denmark. Trial evidence showed that the Morgans spent over $10 million of investors’ money on themselves, soon after investors wired the funds to the escrow account. The Morgans purchased luxury automobiles, a waterfront mansion, and numerous luxury items with investors’ funds. When investors inquired about the status of their investments, Marian Morgan sent repeated "lulling" communications, assuring the investors that their funds were safe in the escrow account. Between 2005 and 2009, the Morgans took in over $28 million in investors’ funds and returned some funds in the form of "Ponzi" payments. 

In June 2009, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed an enforcement action in the Middle District of Florida against the Morgans and others, alleging investment fraud. In response to the SEC action, Marian Morgan told investors to lie to the SEC and not cooperate with the agency. When the Morgans fled the United States and did not return, as ordered for a hearing in that case on July 16, 2009, U.S. District Judge Richard Lazzara issued a warrant for their arrest. The Morgans were arrested in August 2009, in the island nation of Sri Lanka, after attempting to pass a forged financial instrument. They were returned by federal agents to the United States in December 2009.

In April 2012, Judge Bucklew sentenced Marian Morgan to serve 35 years in prison. Marian Morgan appealed her sentence to the Eleventh Circuit United States Court of Appeals. In September 2013, that Court held that Marian Morgan’s sentence should not have included an enhancement for abusing a position of trust and remanded it to the trial court for resentencing.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation.  The Danish National Police also cooperated in the investigation of this case.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United State Attorney Cherie L. Krigsman and former Assistant United States Attorney Robert T. Monk.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge John Antoon II today sentenced Magda Raphael (35, Orlando) to 15 months in federal prison for theft of government property.  As part of her sentence, the court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $63,169.00, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.  Raphael pleaded guilty on September 30, 2013.

According to court documents, Raphael stole $63,169.00 of government money that was designated for her child. From 2006 to 2010, Raphael’s sister was the representative payee for the money. However, Raphael completed the Social Security forms and forged her sister's signature without her consent. After the funds were issued, Raphael would then forge her sister's signature on her daughter's Social Security Administration’s paper checks. Raphael then used her daughter’s benefits for her own personal use, including court fees for a prior welfare fraud case.

This case was investigated by Social Security Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher LaForgia.

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the arrest of Carlos Santiago Garcia, a/k/a “Xavier Constatinos” (21, Oldsmar) on charges of receipt, distribution, and possession of child pornography, attempting to coerce or entice a minor to engage in sexual activity through any facility of interstate commerce, and attempted transportation of a minor in interstate commerce to engage in illicit sexual activity.  If convicted, Garcia faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years, up to a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on the distribution charge, and a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, up to a maximum of 30 years in federal prison on the enticement charge. 

According to the complaint, Garcia posed online (under the pseudonym “Xavier Constatinos”) as a minor female on Facebook in order to lure and recruit another minor female victim to meet him, for the purpose of traveling out of state to engage in sex acts.  As Garcia arrived at the victim’s residence and assisted her with placing her suitcase into his vehicle, he was arrested by members of the Clearwater Area Human Trafficking Task Force. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement officers found marijuana, vodka, a written itinerary for the trip, and other items indicative of “grooming” for sex acts in Garcia’s vehicle.  Law enforcement also examined several of Garcia’s email accounts, which revealed hundreds of images of child pornography. Garcia was ordered detained without bond pending further proceedings.

A complaint is merely a charge that probable cause exists that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by members of the Clearwater Area Human Trafficking Task Force, which is comprised of multiple law enforcement agency partners including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Clearwater Police Department, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josephine W. Thomas.

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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Tampa, Florida - Senior District Court Judge Susan C. Bucklew yesterday sentenced Alma Lucrecia Hernandez-Preciado, a/k/a "La Tia," (40, Tecun Uman, Guatemala) to 30 years in federal prison for violations of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA). She was convicted on two counts, by a jury, on September 20, 2013.

Specifically, the jury found that Hernandez-Preciado, from a date unknown to the date of the indictment (September 22, 2011), conspired with others, including persons who were on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Hernandez-Preciado was also convicted of aiding and abetting others, including persons who were on board the same vessel, to commit the above offense.  

Hernandez-Preciado was arrested in Guatemala on October 10, 2011 pursuant to the indictment. She was extradited to Tampa in February, 2013, to face the charges. 

Evidence presented at trial proved that Hernandez-Preciado organized a series of maritime cocaine smuggling shipments from Ecuador to Guatemala, including a smuggling venture where the crew of a go-fast boat was interdicted by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) on May 19, 2011, off the coast of Guatemala. Three hundred and forty-seven kilograms of cocaine were seized by the USCG during that interdiction. Trial evidence also included testimony from the USCG, wiretap intercepts conducted by the Guatemalan National Police, cooperating witnesses in the smuggling conspiracy, as well as communications from Hernandez-Preciado's email account, which were obtained from a search warrant by Panama Express Strike Force agents.

This case was investigated by the Panama Express Strike Force, an OCDETF funded operation targeting maritime smuggling. Operation Panama Express currently targets South American-based drug trafficking organizations responsible for smuggling drugs to the United States and elsewhere for distribution. Participating agencies include the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), including DEA's Guatemala City Country Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Joint Interagency Task Force - South (JIATFS) and the United States Marshals Service, with assistance from the government of Guatemala and Guatemalan law enforcement agencies. 

The case was indicted by Assistant United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph K. Ruddy.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. yesterday sentenced Tyler Andrew Smith (23, Port Orange) to 10 years in federal prison for distributing and possessing child pornography.  As part of his sentence, he was ordered to serve a 15-year term of supervision, following his release from prison, and required to register as a sex offender.  The court also ordered Smith to forfeit the devices upon which he used to store the child pornography. 

Smith pleaded guilty on August 13, 2013.

According to court documents, on July 31, 2012, Smith used his email account to send an email containing an image of child pornography to an individual in another state.  In April 2013, during an investigation into the individual in the other state, law enforcement discovered Smith's email, along with the attached pornographic image. On March 16, 2013, Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) agents interviewed Smith at his residence, in Volusia County.  Smith turned over, to agents, a cellular telephone containing a memory card, a netbook computer, and an SD memory card, all three of which contained child pornography. Smith admitted to sending the email with the attached child pornography image, using email accounts and the Internet to collect and trade child pornography, and that the devices containing child pornography belonged to him. Smith was subsequently arrested.  Smith’s child pornography collection included images of children less than 12 years of age being sexually abused, exploited, and being subjected to sadistic and masochistic conduct. 

"Individuals who download child pornography further the victimization of innocent children who have already experienced horrific abuse," said Susan McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. "I issue this warning to child predators – we will find you, arrest you and ensure you are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Searle.

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

Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging James Dee Jaeger (62) and Lora Anne Jaeger (50), both of North Port, with one count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and seven counts of causing false and fraudulent claims for tax refunds to be filed with the IRS. If convicted on all counts, each faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy charge and five years’ imprisonment for each false claim charge. 

According to the indictment, the Jaegers devised and participated in a scheme to help “taxpayers,” including themselves, obtain fraudulent tax refunds from the IRS. The scheme was premised upon the “redemption theory,” which is a fraudulent notion that individuals are not responsible for their common personal debt obligations such as home mortgages, unpaid credit card bills, and lines of credit, and may instead seek money from the IRS to repay these outstanding obligations. Collectively, at least fifteen tax returns were filed as part of the scheme, seeking refunds totaling $2,583,207.70.  The indictment further alleges that the Jaegers instructed taxpayers on how to conceal fraudulent tax refunds and how to frustrate the lawful collection efforts of the IRS.           

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

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. Mueller.

Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found Marin Gigore Dobre (36, a citizen of Romania) guilty of possession of device making equipment. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has been set for March 10, 2013.

Dobre was indicted on October 9, 2013.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, between September 11, 2013 and September 13, 2013, Dobre was part of a team from Romania that had installed skimming devices on at least two bank ATMs in Orlando. A “skimmer” device captures a person’s account information stored in the magnetic strip on credit and debit cards. Bank officials were alerted to installation of the first device by an alert bank customer, and when a second device was installed two days later, the bank notified the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s deputies began surveillance at the second ATM location and observed Dobre serving as a lookout, while his associate (Cristian Octavian Barbu, 31) removed the skimmer device from the ATM. Both men were apprehended at the scene.

Barbu pleaded guilty on December 2, 2013. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 10, 2014.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bruce S. Ambrose.

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington yesterday sentenced Michael Alan Klevene (62) to 13 years and 7 months in federal prison for transporting child pornography over the Internet.  As part of his sentence, Klevene was also ordered to serve a lifetime term of supervised release, following his incarceration, and to register as a sex offender.        

Klevene was found guilty on June 4, 2013.

According to court documents, between October and December 2012, Klevene uploaded numerous videos and images of child pornography to the Internet. On January 24, 2013, Klevene e-mailed links to the uploaded child pornography to an undercover agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

In February 2013, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Klevene’s residence. During an interview, Klevene confessed to possessing, downloading, and transporting child pornography.  He stated that he had been collecting images and videos of child pornography for over twenty years.  Klevene also admitted to paying a pre-pubescent male, in Tampa, to take photographs of himself and to subsequently posting these photographs to the Internet, in order to meet people interested in child pornography and to obtain more child pornography.

"Distributing child pornography is not a victimless crime," said Susan McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. "We cannot repair the damage done to innocent children exploited for perverse pleasure, but we can continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute child predators like Klevene."

This case was investigated by HSI, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), and the Tampa Police Department.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.

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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

Jacksonville, FL – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment and arrest charging Harold B. Walbey, III (45, Jacksonville) with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum penalty of 22 years in federal prison. 

Walbey was arraigned in federal court on December 12, 2013. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bond. A status conference hearing is scheduled for January 21, 2014.

According to the indictment, Harold B. Walbey, III worked as a corrections officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, at the John E. Goode Pretrial Detention Facility.  While working in this capacity, he stole personal identifying information, including the names and social security numbers, of multiple inmates who were housed at the facility.  From 2010 through May 2012, Walbey used this information to electronically file numerous fraudulent tax returns and open pre-paid debit card accounts with various financial institutions.  The tax refunds were then directly deposited into the pre-paid debit card accounts that were created in specific inmates’ names. 

“The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigates all allegations of criminal activity that may involve our employees. In this case our investigators from the Integrity/Special Investigations Unit, working with our federal agency partners, effected two arrests - Mr. Walbey and his daughter, Tianna Walbey, who was arrested in February on federal charges in this same crime,” said  Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford.

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

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Malisa Chokshi.

Click HERE to view Indictment

Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that following a four-day trial, a federal jury yesterday found Viviana Reyes (40) guilty of conspiracy to commit credit card fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, credit card fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and identity theft. Reyes faces maximum penalties ranging from 5 to 30 years in federal prison on each conspiracy, fraud and identity theft count, and a mandatory 2-year consecutive term in prison for each of the three aggravated identity theft counts. A sentencing hearing has been set for March 6, 2014.

Reyes was first indicted on July 29, 2013.  Four of her co-conspirators have already pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Another co-conspirator (Michel Lermos-Hernandez) remains a fugitive.

According to the testimony and evidence presented at trial, the individuals in this indictment, led by Michel Lermos-Hernandez, ran a credit card fraud ring.  Lermos, aided by others, obtained credit card numbers by placing key loggers that intercepted and stored swiped credit and debit card account information on credit card terminals at the International Mall, in Tampa. One device, in particular, was located at the Haagen-Dazs ice cream store. Using the stolen credit and debit card account numbers, Lermos and his co-conspirators then created counterfeit credit cards.  Lermos obtained blank credit card stock (cards), embossing machines and magnetic stripe re-encoders from Viviana Reyes, and also sold stolen credit and debit card numbers, taken from the key loggers, to her. 

After making the credit cards, Lermos provided the counterfeit credit cards to his co-conspirators, including his sister (Norma Cabezas-Hernandez), his girlfriend (Danay-Crespo Rodgriguez), and at least two other separately charged individuals (Lazaro Rodriguez and Abel Osorio-Cuok), to buy electronics and gift cards at Tampa area retailers.  The conspirators then took these items to Viviana Reyes’ house, where she paid them in cash for the fraudulently obtained merchandise.

A search of Reyes’ house, in February 2013, revealed a credit card skimming device and two thumb drives filled with hundreds of stolen credit and debit card numbers, many of which were compromised at Haagen-Dazs. Agents also recovered three counterfeit Florida Drivers Licenses, which were indicative of those that Reyes had sold to others for the purpose of opening lines of credit at area stores. A search of Reyes’ phone revealed pictures of merchandise such as Apple computers and tablets for sale, along with numerous text messages advertising electronics and gift cards for sale at greatly reduced prices.

To date, agents estimate the loss to the affected financial institutions to exceed $650,000.

This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the United States Secret Service (USSS), as part of the USSS’s Credit Card Fraud and Identity Theft Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mandy Riedel and Suzanne Nebesky.

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced today that John George Sessine (58, Lake City) has pleaded guilty in United States District Court, in Jacksonville, to receiving images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of minor children over the Internet.  He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of not less than 5 years, up to 20 years in federal prison, a potential life term of supervision, and will be required to register as a sex offender.  The court also forfeited his computer media, which was traceable to the offense.  Sessine has been in custody since his arrest on June 5, 2013.  A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, on June 5, 2013, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at a residence occupied by Sessine, in Lake City, Florida.  The FBI had previously learned that at least one computer using an Internet Protocol (IP) address resolved to that residence was sharing videos of child pornography over the Internet.  Sessine was at the residence and was interviewed by the agents.  During an interview, Sessine stated, among other things, that he used a particular file sharing program to download images and videos, that his preference was for young females, and that the youngest child on his computer was 10 or 12 years old.  A forensic analysis of Sessine’s computer media revealed that Sessine had collected 107 images and 104 videos of minor children being sexually abused. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.  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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of a six-count superseding indictment charging Michael Moshe Shimshoni (56, Tierra Verde) with four counts of failing to provide approved Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) lead paint warning notices and brochures to his tenants, and two counts of alteration or falsification of records in a federal investigation.  If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison on each of the failures to provide warning notice counts, and twenty years’ imprisonment for each of the falsification of records counts.

According to the indictment, Shimshoni owned, managed, and offered commercial and residential properties for lease in St. Petersburg through Pinellas Properties, Inc., and Affordable Realty and Property Management, Inc., among other entities.  The superseding indictment alleges that Shimshoni knowingly and willfully failed to provide the prescribed lead paint hazard warning notices and federally approved lead paint hazard brochures to lessees of his properties.  Federal law and regulations require that landlords must provide a prospective tenant of certain “target housing” built prior to 1978, before a tenant is obligated under any lease, with various warning notices including a lead warning statement, and a statement by the tenant affirming the receipt of an EPA approved lead hazard information pamphlet. The purpose of the pamphlet is to alert tenants to the dangers of lead paint and inform them about measures to reduce the risk of lead-based hazards.    

The superseding indictment further alleges that Shimshoni altered, falsified, and made false entries in documents and records with the intent to impede, obstruct, and influence the Environmental Protection Agency’s investigation and administration of the Lead Hazard Reduction Act, the Toxic Substance Control Act, and related provisions by producing backdated "Disclosure of Information on Lead-Based Paint and/or Lead-Based Paint Hazards" forms. 

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

This case was investigated by the EPA Criminal Investigations Division.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. Mueller.

Click HERE to view Superseding Indictment

Tampa, Florida - Judge Elizabeth A. Kovechevich today sentenced Marterrance Q. Holloway (33, Tampa) to 9 years and 8 months in federal prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States Treasury through committing tax fraud and aggravated identity theft.  As part of his sentence, the court entered a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $238,573.30.  Other items purchased with proceeds of the fraud and other substitute assets were also ordered to be forfeited, including two 2010 Chevrolet Camaros, a 2011 Dodge Charger, a 2005 Dodge Charger, a motor scooter, an iPad computer, assorted jewelry and $779 in cash. 

Holloway pleaded guilty on July 24, 2013.

On September 23, 2013, Holloway’s co-defendant, Maurice Larry, a/k/a/ “Thirst,” was previously sentenced to 8 years and 5 months in prison for his involvement in this case.  The following day, Larry was also sentenced to a concurrent prison term of 14 years, 6 months’ imprisonment in an unrelated tax fraud case with co-defendant, Rashia Wilson.

According to court documents filed in this case, Holloway and Larry were filing fraudulent tax returns from a Tampa hotel room, in September 2010.  Inside the hotel room were four computers, which were used to electronically file fraudulent tax returns in the names of deceased individuals, along with website pages, ledgers, and lists of stolen names, dates of birth and social security numbers.  Multiple "Turbo Tax" reloadable debit cards were also found in the hotel room, along with ATM receipts for cash withdrawals and approximately $3700 in cash. Larry and his co-defendant admitted to filing fraudulent tax returns on the computers while staying at the hotel. 

Further, in August 2011, Holloway used a fraudulent debit card at a local bank ATM machine that had been loaded with the proceeds of a fraudulently filed tax return in the amount of over $9800. 

“These individuals have demonstrated a blatant disregard of the integrity of the United States tax system and caused immeasurable hardship to innocent victims and deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” said James Robnett, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation-Tampa Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation remains committed to the pursuit of stolen identity refund fraud and, together with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Tampa Bay Identity Theft Alliance, we will hold those who commit the same crimes similarly accountable.”

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Secret Service and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley Howard-Allen.

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return by a grand jury of an indictment, on December 4, 2013, charging Robert Charles Zeigler (44, formerly of St. Petersburg) with two counts of theft of government property.  If convicted, Zeigler faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count.  The indictment also notifies Zeigler that the United States intends to forfeit any traceable proceeds of the offense.

According to the indictment, in late 2012 or early 2013, Zeigler stole or converted to his own use a 17-foot Boston Whaler and Evinrude ETEC 75 HP outboard motor from the St. Petersburg Geological Center, which is part of the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.  Zeigler made his initial appearance in Gulfport, Mississippi today and is scheduled to be arraigned on January 2, 2014, at 10:00 A.M., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas B. McCoun.

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

This case was investigated by Federal Protective Services. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley C. Howard-Allen.

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return by a grand jury of five indictments charging seven individuals with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud Boat U.S. Those charged include: John J. Kurant, Jr. (46, St. Augustine); Christopher E. Labaire (35, Jupiter); Greg Wilson (47, Jupiter); Jerold Wolfe (36, Jupiter); John Grant (47, Jupiter); Scott Coleman (45, Jupiter); and Adam Horvit (34, Parkland).  If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.  The indictments also notify the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit the proceeds of their fraudulent scheme. In total, the indictments of Kurant and Labaire reflect that Boat U.S. paid out $853,758.33 in insurance proceeds based upon the sham and fraudulent marine insurance claims. 

According to court documents, Kurant was a claims adjuster for Boat U.S., in its Orange Park, Florida office. It is alleged that he reached an unlawful agreement with Labaire to defraud Boat U.S., in connection with Boat U.S.’s marine insurance program, by creating sham insurance policies and submitting fraudulent marine insurance claims.  The indictments allege that Kurant would abuse his position as a claims adjuster by assisting in the procurement of sham boat insurance policies with Boat U.S. In addition, Labaire, a long-time friend of Kurant, submitted fraudulent claims himself and also recruited other individuals in the south Florida area to pose as pleasure boat owners and fraudulently secure sham marine insurance policies with Boat U.S. After making a few premium payments on the sham insurance policy, the co-conspirators would then submit false claims of total boat losses due to theft, accident damage, or reporting that the boat sank. Kurant is alleged to have caused the fraudulent claims to be assigned to him for claims adjudication, which resulted in electronic transfers of claims information from Orange Park, Florida to Alexandria, Virginia.  Based upon the fraudulent claims, Boat U.S. issued checks to the sham boat owners, which were sent by a commercial carrier.  After receiving the insurance proceeds check(s), they were deposited into bank accounts and the funds were shared with conspirators.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the 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 Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark B. Devereaux.

Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of a federal indictment charging William A. White (36, Roanoke, Virginia) with five counts of making threats in aid of extortion over the Internet and one count of the unlawful use of identification information in furtherance of those offenses.  If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count.  The indictment also notifies White that the United States intends to forfeit electronic equipment, which is alleged to have been used in furtherance of the offenses.

According to the indictment, White, a white supremacist based in Roanoke, Virginia, sent a series of five electronic communications demanding the release of fourteen persons charged by state authorities in the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida. Those individuals had been charged in relation to their alleged involvement in the American Front, a white supremacist organization with connections to Osceola County, Florida.  Four of the threats made by White were directed to Florida’s Ninth Circuit State Attorney Lawson Lamar (who was then the elected state attorney who initiated the prosecution of the alleged American Front members), Florida Circuit Judge Walter G. Komanski (the presiding judge over the case against the group’s alleged members), and an FBI Task Force Agent involved in the state’s prosecution. In addition, one of the threats made by White was directed to the adult son of Lawson Lamar. Each communication identified in the indictment contained a threat to kidnap, torture, rape, and kill those persons and their spouses, children, and grandchildren.  The threatening communications also contained the names and home addresses of those threatened.

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Irick.

Ocala, Florida – U.S. Magistrate Judge Philip R. Lammens yesterday sentenced Thomas W. Harter, D.M.D., (49, Ocala) to three years in federal prison for six misdemeanor counts of failure to file income tax returns.  The court also ordered Harter to pay $438,384 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), an amount representing the tax loss from his crimes. 

Harter was found guilty by a federal jury on September 17, 2013. 

According to the evidence and testimony presented at trial, Harter worked as a dentist in the Ocala area for approximately twenty years. He stopped filing federal income tax returns, beginning in the year 2000. From 2006 through 2011, Harter received a gross income, from his dental practice, of at least $1,709,230.  Despite this income, Harter willfully failed to file a single tax return or pay any income tax during that same time period.       

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven today sentenced Joseph E. Thornton (34, of Largo) to 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Thornton pleaded guilty on June 27, 2013. 

According to court documents, Thornton made a series of gun and cocaine sales to an undercover officer, including selling cocaine and a .40 caliber Hi-Point pistol and ammunition to an officer on January 8, 2013.  Following the purchase, law enforcement learned that the pistol had been reported stolen on December 17, 2012, following a residential burglary.

Additionally, two other individuals were separately charged and sentenced federally, as a result of the same joint federal and state investigation. On September 23, 2013, U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington sentenced Anthony Maurice McSwain (28, Pinellas County) to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, in connection with a gun sale to an undercover officer on November 16, 2012.  On November 4, 2013, U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore sentenced Jarvis Antwan Dorsey (22, Pinellas County) to 5 years and 6 months in federal prison for the same offense, in connection with the sale of a gun to an undercover officer on January 15, 2013.

These cases were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ("ATF"), the Largo Police Department, and the Clearwater Police Department.  The cases arose from a joint federal and state investigation resulting in 28 people being arrested on state and federal violations, and the seizure of 13 firearms, as well as quantities of cocaine, marijuana, hydrocodone and other narcotics.  The federal cases arising from the investigation were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark E. Bini.

This investigation is part of ATF’s Frontline strategy to reduce violent crime and improve the quality of life in communities where law enforcement efforts are focused.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell today sentenced James Olivos (47, Lake Mary) to 5 years in federal prison for bank fraud and money laundering.  As part of his sentence, the court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $2,866,121.39, the proceeds of the fraud scheme. Olivos pleaded guilty on September 18, 2013.

According to court documents, between March 2003 and November 2007, Olivos engaged in a scheme wherein he recruited other individuals ("straw purchasers") to purchase expensive homes, which they could not afford. Olivos prepared loan applications for these straw purchasers, which grossly overstated their incomes and gave false employment histories.  Additionally, these applications stated that these homes would be used as primary residences, but Olivos had actually told these buyers that the homes would be investments and that he would find renters to cover the mortgage payments.  Further, in order to increase his profits, Olivos convinced the sellers of the homes to inflate the sales prices by stating additional money would be necessary for home improvement.  Olivos would then split the proceeds of the sales with the sellers.  As a result of this fraud, Olivos caused a total loss to the lenders of approximately $3.2 million dollars. 

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 Vincent S. Chiu.

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Latasha Callens (35, Tampa) yesterday pleaded guilty to bank fraud, access device fraud, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft.  Callens faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Callens was indicted on July 24, 2013.

According to the plea agreement, Callens committed crimes from at least as early as July 2011 through May 2013, when she was finally arrested.  She committed many of the crimes while on release from state charges, after having failed to appear to face them. Over a period of two years, and at least 58 times, Callens defrauded banks and individuals.  As part of her scheme Callens would approach people, usually at ATMs, and give them a sad story about her need to cash a check and her inability to deposit the check into her bank account.  Callens would convince her victims to deposit the checks, which were worthless, into their own account and then withdraw funds, sometimes giving them $100 for their trouble. 

Callens’ checks were generally drawn on closed accounts, because the checks had been stolen or were from the accounts of deceased individuals.  When she was arrested for failure to appear warrants in May 2013, some of the items recovered from Callens included a checkbook, stolen from a purse at a local mall, along with the victim’s (“T.M.”) Florida Driver’s License, Social Security card, a Visa card, and a GTE FCU debit card. At no time was Callens given permission, by the victim, to possess or use these items. Callens also used “T.M.’s” name to rent vehicles.

On December 27, 2012 and December 29, 2012, Callens also committed access device fraud (credit card fraud) by using the stolen identity of “T.J.” (including the date of birth and Social Security Number) to obtain dental care at a Clearwater dental office.  Callens was assisted by another woman, who claimed to be “E.A.” (a victim of identity theft from Opa Locka, Florida).  “T.J.” purchased $12,000 worth of dental services under the false pretense that “E.A.” would consent to pay for the treatment.  Using “E.A.'s” stolen credit card number, Callens paid for herself to receive a root canal, a bridge, an extraction, a temporary crown, a retainer, anesthesia, and other items and services.

For tax years 2010, 2011, and 2012, Callens committed mail fraud, defrauding the Internal Revenue Service and certain taxpayers.  Similar to the bank fraud scheme and access device fraud, Callens stole the identities of taxpayers, then using her laptop, Callens filed false and fraudulent tax returns with those stolen identities. As a result Callens obtained tax refunds to which she was not entitled.  The refunds were often accessed through bank-issued debit cards, many of which were mailed to Callens. 

This case was investigated by Tampa Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Temple Terrace Police Department, the Clearwater Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the United States Secret Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas N. Palermo.

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced today that a federal grand jury in Jacksonville has returned an indictment against Ronald Charles Waters (65, Lake City) charging him with two counts of possessing child pornography.  On each of these counts, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a potential life term of supervision. Waters was arrested on November 20, 2013 in Lake City, Florida.  He was arraigned in federal court on December 4, 2013. 

According to the indictment, on or about May 30, 2013 and on or about November 20, 2013, Waters knowingly possessed computer media containing minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Lake City Police Department.  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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

Tampa, FL– Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Lawrence H. Dorman a/k/a “Howie” (42, Lakeland) today pleaded guilty to production of child pornography.  Dorman faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment, up to a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Dorman was indicted on July 31, 2013.

According to the plea agreement, following an anonymous tip from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tipline, law enforcement determined that from approximately December 2012 until April 2013, Dorman a/k/a "Howie" engaged in a sexual relationship with a sixteen year-old minor female.  Throughout the course of that relationship Dorman produced videos of himself engaged in sexual acts with the minor.         

On April 3, 2013, agents from ICE-HSI, the Lakeland Police Department, and Polk County Sheriff's Office conducted a search warrant at Dorman’s residence.  During the search of the residence, law enforcement seized and previewed several electronic media items, including a video file on Dorman's desktop computer.  The video depicted Dorman engaged in sexual contact with a minor female victim.  When interviewed by law enforcement, Dorman admitted to having sex with the minor victim and creating video recordings of the sex acts. 

A subsequent interview with the minor victim corroborated the seized evidence.  Additionally, the minor victim advised that Dorman provided her with marijuana and methamphetamine, while she was at his residence. 

This case was investigated by ICE-HSI and the Lakeland Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacie B. Harris.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.

Jacksonville, FL – U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan has sentenced Robert Hohman (66) to five years in federal prison for receipt of child pornography. Hohman was indicted on October 18, 2012. He pleaded guilty to the offense on August 6, 2013.

In December 2010, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) initiated an investigation regarding a large volume of child pornography being distributed by a French-based message board.  A message board is an online discussion website that allows users to hold conversations via posted messages.  Over the course of this investigation, a customized message board or forum was created, which appeared to be distributing large amounts of child pornography.  Further investigation revealed that one of the individuals utilizing the forum was Robert Hohman. 

On August 7, 2012, special agents with the FBI conducted a non-custodial interview of Hohman at his job.  During the interview Hohman confessed to registering a specific username and associated email address on the forum.  In addition, he admitted that he had been seeking, viewing, and downloading child pornography for many years.  During the interview, Hohman gave the FBI consent to search his home computer.  A forensic review of Hohman’s computer revealed that he downloaded over a dozen videos and hundreds of images of children, as young as toddlers, involved in sexually explicit conduct with adults. 

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Malisa Chokshi.

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

Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Edward J. Mango, (52, Orlando) today pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with acting in his official capacity while having a financial conflict of interest, a felony.  Mango faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Mango was a Senior Executive Service employee, who worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In this capacity, he worked as the manager of the commercial crew program (CCP), at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Brevard County. 

In December 2012, state authorities arrested C.T., a NASA employee.  Mango used a credit card advance to loan money to C.T. so that C.T. could retain legal counsel and pay for other expenses.  As a result of additional state charges, C.T. was subjected to the NASA employee disciplinary process. Using official government e-mail, telephones, and other property, Mango intervened on C.T.’s behalf and improperly exerted his influence as an SES employee, in an effort to mitigate C.T.’s punishment.  Mango contacted employees in human resources, the KSC center director, KSC human resources director, KSC protective services deputy chief, and other NASA employees in Washington, D.C., urging them to mitigate C.T.’s punishment.  As a result of Mango’s improper actions, C.T. was spared discipline that would otherwise be appropriate for his/her acts.  NASA employees later said that had they been aware of the financial relationship between Mango and C.T., they would not have entertained Mango’s contact on C.T.’s behalf.  When interviewed by NASA Office of the Inspector General agents, Mango admitted to his actions.

This case was investigated by NASA Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Vincent A. Citro.

• Plea Agreement
  

Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Brian E. Simmons today pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.  He has also agreed to forfeit $790,421.28 to the United States, as proceeds of the offense.  Simmons faces up to 22 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 13, 2014.  A co-defendant Tressa V. Guy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft on October 16, 2013. She is scheduled to be sentenced on January 9, 2014.

According to the plea agreement, Simmons, a resident of the Tampa area, and others, including Tressa V. Guy, orchestrated a scheme to defraud the United States Treasury by causing fraudulent federal income tax returns to be filed. To facilitate the scheme, they used stolen identities, solicited personal identifying information and addresses from co-conspirators in Florida and Georgia, and coordinated the withdrawal of fraudulently obtained tax refund amounts from prepaid debit cards. 

In April 2012, Monroe County Sheriff's Office ("MCSO") conducted a traffic stop of a car driven by Simmons, in which Guy was the only passenger.  MCSO discovered medical office patient roster screen prints and handwritten notes containing at least twenty-eight names, social security numbers (SSN) and dates of birth (DOB), cash in the amount of $10,818.00, and nine prepaid debit cards in the names of individuals other than Guy or Simmons.  Deputies also discovered three cell phones; two apparently belonging to Simmons and one belonging to Guy.  Photos of personal identifying information and hundreds of text messages between Guy, Simmons, and others discussing the fraudulent scheme were discovered on these cell phones.  Photos of approximately thirty-three names, SSNs and DOBs were found on one of Simmons' cell phones.

In May 2012, the Tampa Police Department performed a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Brian Simmons.  Tressa Guy and another individual were passengers in the vehicle.  In the vehicle were fourteen prepaid debit cards in the names of individuals other than Guy or Simmons, cash in the amount of $1,300, and multiple Walmart receipts.  Guy’s purse contained one Turbo Tax debit card in the name of another individual.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Monroe County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. Mueller and Trial Attorney Jason H. Poole of the Department of Justice, Tax Division.

Fort Myers, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Joshua S. Putter (48, Needham, Massachusetts) with destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of twenty years in federal prison. 

Putter made his initial appearance and arraignment in federal court today, and was released on bond. A status conference hearing is set for December 9, 2013, before the Honorable John E. Steele. The case has been scheduled for the January 2014 trial calendar.

According to the indictment, on or about October 7, 2008, Putter knowingly falsified, or made false entry in a document, with the intent to impede, obstruct or influence any matter within the jurisdiction of any department of agency of the United States.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the 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 Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David G. Lazarus and Chief Assistant United States Attorney Nicole H. Waid.

Jacksonville, FL - Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, announces the kick-off of another year for the United States Attorney Office’s school outreach program to reduce gun violence.  The effort, part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative to reduce gun and gang crime in America, has already reached almost 2,000 middle and high school students so far, just this school year.  As part of the initiative, Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Middle District of Florida have made presentations to students and staff in Columbia, Duval and Flagler counties. 

“It is important that we educate our youth and communities about the dangers and long-term impact of gun violence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lee Bentley. “A single injury or death creates victims far beyond that one individual. It can, and does, have an effect on an entire community. We are committed to being a partner in helping our communities reduce these types of devastating crimes.”

The outreach program focuses on the impact of gun violence in our communities and provides students with common sense steps that they can take to stay safe and out of trouble.  Anyone interested in scheduling a presentation or receiving more information about the program is encouraged to contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (904) 301-6301.

Orlando, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell today sentenced Laquan Bell (23, Reading, Pennsylvania) to five and a half years in federal prison for credit card fraud. Bell pleaded guilty on July 22, 2013.

According to court documents, earlier this year, Bell led other co-conspirators in the theft of credit card numbers and means of identification of more than 400 persons, in central Florida.  Specifically, Bell travelled to Florida from his home in the Northeast and recruited retail workers to use skimming devices to swipe customers’ credit cards, thus stealing the customers’ credit card numbers and other information contained on the cards. Bell paid his co-conspirators in exchanged for skimming the cards, and then used the stolen credit card numbers and information to make approximately $211,000.00 in fraudulent purchases.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Irick.

Orlando, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell today sentenced Matthew Anthony Cosimini (40, De Leon Springs) to six and a half years in federal prison for armed bank robbery.  Cosimini pleaded guilty on August 29, 2013.

According to court documents, on April 19, 2013, Cosimini conspired with another individual (Robert Gordon Shaw) to rob a Regions Bank in Sanford, Florida. During the course of the robbery, they displayed a fake explosive detonation device, passed a note to a bank teller demanding money, and indicated that an explosive had been placed inside the bank.  While committing the offense, Shaw and Cosimini also possessed a semiautomatic pistol with ammunition.

After Shaw passed the demand note and displayed the detonation device, the bank teller handed Shaw approximately $14,098 in bank funds. Shaw and Cosimini fled in a stolen vehicle as responding officers from the Sanford Police Department pursued them.  During the pursuit, Shaw caused damage to both a police vehicle and a civilian's vehicle.   Police officers apprehended Shaw and Cosimini approximately one mile from the bank and recovered the semiautomatic handgun and detonation device from the stolen vehicle.

Further investigation revealed that the detonation device was a hoax and that there were no explosives inside the bank.  The investigation also determined that Cosimini and Shaw had planned to rob the bank together.

Shaw pleaded guilty to his role in the offense on August 1, 2013. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 13, 2014.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Sanford Police Department and the Seminole County Sheriff's Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Searle.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven sentenced Szilard Pop (33, West Palm Beach) yesterday to 41 months in federal prison for mail fraud.  As part of his sentence, the court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $703,693.00, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.

Pop pleaded guilty on September 5, 2013.

According to court documents, beginning in June 2012, law enforcement in multiple states began receiving reports from victims of an Internet scam relating to the sale of automobiles and vehicles on websites frequently used by American and Canadian citizens.  Victims responded to Internet advertisements and communicated with Pop, or one of his co-conspirators, via telephone and email to agree upon a price.  Pop or a co-conspirator would then direct the victim to complete the transaction using an online escrow service that would purportedly hold the victim's money until the victim received and accepted the vehicle.  The victim would request a wire transfer from his or her bank to the bank account provided by the escrow service and then responded to Pop or one of his co-conspirators that the wire transfer had been completed. Once Pop was notified of the completed wire transfer, he would then go to the receiving bank and use counterfeit identification to wire a portion of the victim’s funds to bank accounts in Europe.  Pop would then withdraw the majority of the funds remaining in the account and the victim would never receive the vehicle purchased and lost all of the money put towards the vehicle.

Pop registered two fraudulent corporations: Global Auto Center and United Group Center, both in Florida, and both using assumed names.  He would then open accounts at multiple banks in the names of these entities, also using his false identities. Further, he applied for and received mail boxes at locations such as UPS stores, again using false identities. 

Based on complaints from victims, in June 2012, law enforcement officials located two fraudulent corporations connected to Pop - Global Auto Center, LLC and United Group Center, LLC. To further the scheme, Pop used false identities to establish mail locations and bank accounts for these entities. The investigation determined that Pop defrauded in excess of 15 victims and received over $700,000 in fraudulent proceeds as part of his scheme.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service. It was being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney.

Orlando, Florida– Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Scott Anthony Estes (18, Illinois) today pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography.  He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment, up to a maximum penalty of up to 40 years in federal prison. 
Estes was indicted on April 17, 2013.

According to the plea agreement, Estes began contact with a ten year-old boy on Xbox live.  Estes attempted to convince the child to engage in a sexual relationship and sought naked pictures of the child.  The child then told his father about the conversation, and the father contacted law enforcement.  Law enforcement began an undercover investigation and continued communication with Estes.  Estes, believing that he was still talking to the child, sent videos depicting child pornography and images of Estes’ genitalia.

Estes was arrested by law enforcement on March 22, 2013.  During an interview, Estes stated that he had met the child while playing a video game played on Xbox. Estes also admitted to sending a picture of his genitalia to the child, as well as child pornography videos, and that he had asked the child to send naked pictures of himself.  Estes stated that he had also been in communication with a thirteen year-old boy in Texas and that he had met that child while playing Xbox as well. 

Following Estes’ arrest, a search warrant was conducted on his e-mail address.  An examination of his e-mail account showed that he distributed child pornography to numerous persons between July of 2012 and March of 2013.  Among the images and videos of child pornography distributed, several included pornographic videos that Estes had produced himself, while sexually abusing at least two children. A forensic review of Estes’ cellular telephone showed that he possessed more than 1,200 images of child pornography, including images depicting infants being sexually abused.  A majority of the images of child pornography depict children between the ages of three and eight.

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher LaForgia.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 Charlene Edwards Honeywell yesterday sentenced John David Baker (30, resident of Celebration, Florida; citizen of the United Kingdom) to 25 years in prison for using children to produce child pornography over the Internet.  He was also ordered to serve a 15-year term of supervised release, following his incarceration, and to register as a sex offender.  Baker has been held in the custody of the United States Marshals Service since his arrest on September 7, 2012.

According to court documents, beginning in or about November 2008 through about August 2010, Baker used computers and interactive computer services to engage in online conversations with several minor children.  During this period, Baker worked as an actor and helped train and audition adults and children who were attempting to pursue careers in the entertainment business.  Baker also served as a talent judge for a talent competition in Florida.  In this role, Baker met minor children who were auditioning to obtain work in the art and film industries.

After a complaint by a concerned parent of a child whom Baker had contacted online, Baker was interviewed by law enforcement.  Baker acknowledged that he had been confronted by the director of the talent competition about his inappropriate online contact with minors and admitted to sexually-oriented chatting with other minors from the talent competition online.  Baker also admitted to having sent or trading sexually- oriented photos of himself or others during chats, and having solicited photos from at least ten children in the talent competition.  Baker obtained pornographic images over the Internet of at least one minor female, and used these images to establish a fictitious online personae for himself.  Using this false personae, Baker persuaded at least two other minor children to send him, via the Internet, images and videos of themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct. 

During the analysis of Bakers' computer, a forensic examiner located several images and a video of a minor male engaging in sexually explicit conduct. 

“Mr. Baker abused his position as a talent judge and acting coach to pursue inappropriate relationships with minors,” said Shane Folden, deputy special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Tampa, which oversees the agency’s Jacksonville office that conducted this investigation. “We urge parents to talk to their children about how to protect themselves from sexual predators, and if they are exploited, they should report it. There are dedicated law enforcement officers and special agents at all levels of government who will do something about it.  This case is testament to that. Mr. Baker will spend the next 25 years behind bars due to his actions.”

This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office, the Orange County Sheriffs Office, the Osceola County Sheriffs Office, and the former Child Predator Cybercrime Unit of the Florida Attorney Generals Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

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