Middle District of Florida

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Jonen Castillo (24, Orlando) to two years in federal prison for smuggling goods from the United States. The court also ordered Castillo to forfeit two Glock pistols, which were involved in the offense. Castillo entered a guilty plea on November 25, 2024.

According to court records, in June 2023, Castillo concealed five firearms and nine firearm magazines inside record players and mailed them to a friend residing in Canada.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diane Hu.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara has sentenced Horus Samuel Marquez Villatoro (31) to three years and nine months in federal prison for illegal reentry by a removed alien, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by an alien illegally in the United States. The court also ordered the defendant to forfeit the firearm and ammunition that he illegally possessed. Marquez Villatoro pled guilty on December 18, 2024.

According to court documents, Marquez Villatoro, a citizen of Mexico with no legal status in the United States, was removed from the United States on three previous occasions before reentering unlawfully sometime after 2019. On January 23, 2024, the defendant was found in Hillsborough County driving a car that contained a black Glock 17 9mm pistol, an extended magazine, and over 100 rounds of ammunition. Marquez Villatoro knew that the firearm and ammunition were in the car, and that he was an alien and unlawfully in the United States.

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey N. Schmidt.

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

Orlando, FL – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Eugenio Gonzalez-Paredes (53, Dominican Republic) has pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer. Gonzalez-Paredes faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison.

According to court documents, Gonzalez-Paredes attempted to purchase a Glock pistol from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Deltona, Florida. To purchase the firearm, Gonzalez-Paredes was required to complete a Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Form 4473. The Form 4473 asked whether Gonzalez-Paredes had ever been convicted of a felony, and Gonzalez-Paredes checked the answer “No.” At the time Gonzalez-Paredes filled out the Form 4473, he had twice previously been convicted in the United States District Court in the District of Puerto Rico for illegal reentry by a previously deported alien.

This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman.

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

Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the dismantlement of a transnational criminal organization (TCO) that operated out of La Guajira, a peninsula on the Venezuelan/Colombian border. From there, the organization dispatched thousands of kilograms of cocaine intended for the United States and Europe.

Socrates Barros-Fince Transnational Criminal Organization

Name

Age

Sentence Imposed

45

37

35

57

45

15 years, 8 months

According to the plea agreements, the above-named individuals were part of a transnational criminal organization that dispatched cocaine-laden vessels to the Dominican Republic and Spain. From the Venezuela/Colombia border, the organization planned smuggling trips and recruited crewmembers for that purpose. It was foreseeable to the conspirators that some of the cocaine was intended for the United States.

The investigation resulted in several seizures totaling over 6,700 kilograms associated with the organization that were prosecuted in the United States and abroad, to include:

• Seizure of about 932 kilograms of cocaine near the Dominican Republic on August 15, 2016;
• Interdiction of a go-fast vessel in the Caribbean Sea on November 9-10, 2016, smuggling about 700 kilograms of cocaine and prosecuted in the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico;
• Interdiction of a go-fast vessel in the Caribbean Sea on October 4, 2018, smuggling over 450 kilograms of cocaine and prosecuted in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida;
• Interdiction of the M/V KARAR carrying about 4,000 kilograms of cocaine off the coast of Galicia, Spain on April 25, 2020, resulting in the arrests of 15 crewmembers and a dozen Spanish organized crime members.

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

This prosecution is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Panama Express Strike Force Initiative, whose mission is to disrupt and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations involved in large scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and related activities. The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations. The Colombian National Police, Spanish National Police, and Spanish Coast Guard provided critical investigative support. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá assisted in the extradition of these defendants. The prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.

Orlando, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Dany Telfort (20, Orlando) to 18 years in federal prison for two counts of Hobbs Act robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The court also ordered Telfort to forfeit the firearm and ammunition used in the offenses. Telfort pleaded guilty on October 31, 2024.

According to the plea agreement, between March 23 and April 1, 2023, Telfort and his co-defendant, Nijah Jahni Mitchell, participated in a string of nine armed robberies of various convenience stores throughout Central Florida. During some of the robberies, Telfort entered the store, pointed a firearm at the store clerks, and demanded the money from the cash registers. During others, Telfort acted as the getaway driver. 

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Orlando Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Clermont Police Department, the Ocoee Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oakland Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman.

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

Tampa, FL – Jack Rocker, 19, of Tampa, was sentenced to serve 84 months in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) followed by a lifetime of supervised release. The court also ordered Rocker to forfeit an iPhone 12, thumb drive, and laptop, all of which possessed CSAM. Rocker will also have to register as a sex offender and pay $126,500 in restitution to the victims. Rocker pleaded guilty on Dec. 16, 2024. 

According to court filings, Rocker was a member of “764” a network of violent online extremists who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad, in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability. These extremists work individually or as part of a network with these goals of destroying civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors. 764 uses known online social media communications platforms, as mediums to support the possession, production, and sharing of extreme gore media and CSAM.

On Jan. 19, 2024, the FBI conducted a search of Rocker’s residence located in the Middle District of Florida. The FBI seized Rocker’s iPhone, thumb drive, and laptop. At this time, the FBI has determined that Rocker’s devices contain over 8,300 images and videos of CSAM, including images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, masochistic sexual behavior, and bestiality.

This case was investigated by the FBI. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Jack Rocker, 19, of Tampa, was sentenced to serve 84 months in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) followed by a lifetime of supervised release. The court also ordered Rocker to forfeit an iPhone 12, thumb drive, and Acer Laptop, all of which possessed CSAM. Rocker will also have to register as a sex offender and pay restitution to the victims.

Rocker pleaded guilty on Dec. 16, 2024. According to court filings, Rocker was a member of “764” a network of violent online extremists who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad, in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability. These extremists work individually or as part of a network with these goals of destroying civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors. 764 uses known online social media communications platforms, as mediums to support the possession, production, and sharing of extreme gore media and CSAM.

On Jan. 19, 2024, the FBI conducted a search of Rocker’s residence located in the Middle District of Florida. The FBI seized Rocker’s iPhone, thumb drive, and Acer laptop. At this time, the FBI has determined that Rocker’s devices contain over 8,300 images and videos of CSAM, including images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, masochistic sexual behavior, and bestiality.

This case was investigated by the FBI. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the arrest of Davian Walker (19, Haines City) for robberies of convenience stores throughout the Middle District of Florida. If convicted, Walker faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. 

According to the complaint and court statements, Walker committed five robberies over the course of less than three months. Each robbery involved Walker brandishing what appeared to be a handgun to store clerks and demanding cash.

Through an investigation into the first four robberies, law enforcement was able to link Walker to the robberies by identifying his phone number and the vehicle Walker was using to travel to each of the robberies. Using that information, law enforcement tracked and ultimately arrested Walker shortly after he committed a robbery in Titusville during the early morning hours of March 13, 2025.

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, the Zephyrhills Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Titusville Police Department, the Orlando Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Candace Garcia Rich.

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

Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Gudelito Adin Cinto-Gonzalez (43, Guatemala) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Cinto-Gonzalez faces up to two years in federal prison. 

According to the indictment, Cinto-Gonzalez was previously removed from the United States on September 16, 2004. He has never applied to the Attorney General of the United States and/or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for permission to re-enter the United States. On July 4, 2024, he was found voluntarily back in the United States.

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

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) and the Ocoee Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. Del Mastro.

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

Tampa, FL – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Rudy Salazar (37, Dade City) to 15 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute, and for possessing with the intent to distribute, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. Salazar pleaded guilty on December 3, 2024.  

According to the plea agreement, between January and November 2023, Salazar trafficked approximately 11.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, 39 grams of cocaine, and 30 grams of fentanyl within Pasco County. Salazar, knowing the lethality of fentanyl, took extra precautions to protect himself when selling it, including wearing a mask and gloves. He warned a buyer that one could die from touching or ingesting fentanyl without protection (photo below):

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tampa Police Department, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Pardo.

This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Phillip Johnson (21, Cocoa) with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, robbery, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. If convicted on all counts, Johnson faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison.  

According to the complaint, during the early morning hours of February 1, 2025, three individuals traveled from Brevard County to Tampa to commit a robbery. After arriving in Tampa, the three individuals went inside the Dreams Club near Ybor City. The three individuals were wearing all black clothing, ski masks, and armed with rifles and handguns.  

While inside, the three individuals demanded money from the victim, and Johnson ultimately shot the victim in the face. 

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

This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with great assistance provided by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Cocoa Police Department and the State Attorney’s Office for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Tampa. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Deyvis Hernandez (37, Miami) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud. Hernandez faces up to 20 years in federal prison on the wire fraud count, up to 5 years’ imprisonment on the conspiracy count, and payment of restitution to the victims he and his co-defendants defrauded. No sentencing date has been set.

According to court documents, Hernandez and his co-conspirators worked together to install skimmers on gas pumps, including gas stations in Alabama, Louisiana, and Northern Florida. The conspirators used the skimmers to illegally obtain credit and debit card account numbers involved with the purchase of fuel by customers at the gas pump. Using the account numbers stolen by the skimmers, they subsequently made counterfeit credit and debit cards and then, used them to purchase large amounts of diesel fuel.

During the conspiracy the conspirators drove vehicles that contained a fuel bladder system. This system allowed the conspirators to fake pumping gas into the vehicle’s gas tank when in fact the diesel fuel was being pumped into the fuel bladder system. Analysis by law enforcement of fuel purchases, vehicle tracker data, gas station video surveillance, and real time surveillance of the conspirators determined that the conspirators drove to multiple gas stations throughout Northern Florida. After obtaining the gas, the conspirators offloaded the stolen fuel into 9,500-gallon tanker trucks at a fuel yard. The tanker trucks were arranged in part by Hernandez who was part owner of a gas station in south Florida. Hernandez coordinated the sale of the stolen diesel fuel to locations designated by him to include in south Florida. 

Deonelky Tabares Cid (36, Tampa) previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy, four counts of wire fraud, six counts of access device fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Luis Edel Trujillo Pena (29, Miami) previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. No sentencing date has been set for either defendant.

Co-defendants Luis Ernesto Vigil Ochoa (32, Miami) and Isvaldo Guerra Perdomo (38, Jacksonville) are scheduled for trial in May 2025.

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. General Services Administration - Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Secret Service – Jacksonville Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the indictment and arrest of Terrence Bradford (46, Tampa) for eight counts of wire fraud related to COVID relief funds. If convicted, Bradford faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count. In addition, he faces a forfeiture order of $533,648.32, which represents the alleged proceeds he obtained through these offenses.

According to the indictment, between April 2020 and March 2021, Bradford devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration by submitting multiple false and fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. These programs were some of the sources of economic relief provided for by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

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

In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.   

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Merrilyn Hoenemeyer.

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Kevin Patrick Wilson (39, Ponte Vedra) has pleaded guilty to attempted enticement and coercion of a minor. Wilson faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Wilson was arrested on July 24, 2025, and ordered detained pending the resolution of his case.

According to court documents, on July 20, 2024, an individual posted a public message in a Facebook group seeking a tutor for her child. On the day of the post, an individual posing as a woman, but later identified as Wilson, reached out and directed the poster to contact her “husband,” Wilson, by text message. The poster contacted Wilson and had a short text conversation. The poster said she was seeking tutoring assistance for an 11-year-old child. Wilson sent a picture of himself and asked for a photo of the child. The text message conversation ended shortly thereafter. The poster later contacted the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office about the interaction.

On July 24, 2024, an undercover detective posing as the guardian of a 12-year-old female “child” reached out to Wilson about tutoring services for the “child.”  After the undercover detective initiated the conversation, Wilson began discussing sexual topics involving the “child” and meeting the “child” to perform sexual acts with the “child.” Wilson also spoke to undercover detectives portraying the “child” via phone and text message. Wilson and the undercover detective portraying the guardian of the “child” ultimately agreed to meet during the evening of July 24, 2024, for Wilson to engage in sexual acts with the “child.” Wilson was arrested when he arrived at the predetermined meeting location.

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

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

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Omar Marin-Lopez (41, Mexico) with illegal reentry of removed alien. If convicted, Marin-Lopez faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison.

According to court documents, Marin-Lopez is a citizen and national of Mexico. He was previously removed from the United States on July 17, 2008; October 4, 2012; and January 11, 2013. On November 5, 2024, Marin-Lopez was again found in the United States in Hillsborough County. Marin-Lopez did not receive the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security for the United States to apply for readmission to United States.    

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

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Wheeler, III.

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

Ocala, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the arrest of Moises Vasconselos-Garcia (26, Dade City) on a criminal complaint charging him with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Vasconselos faces up to two years in federal prison. 

According to court records, Vasconselos is a Mexican national who was previously removed from the United States on May 30, 2022. He has never applied to the Attorney General of the United States and/or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for permission to re-enter the United States. On February 25, 2025, he was found voluntarily back in the United States.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a federal criminal offense. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) and the Sumter County Sherif’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

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

Ocala, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the arrest of Felipe Garcia-Vasquez (39, Morriston) on a criminal complaint charging him with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Garcia faces up to two years in federal prison. 

According to court records, Garcia is a Mexican national who was previously removed from the United States on January 21, 2013. He has never applied to the Attorney General of the United States and/or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for permission to re-enter the United States. On February 26, 2025, he was found voluntarily back in the United States.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a federal criminal offense. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Ricardo Fermin Sune-Giron (34) to 14 years in federal prison for conspiracy to traffic in firearms, gun trafficking, dealing in firearms without a license, and possessing firearms as an illegal alien. The court also ordered Sune-Giron to forfeit all the firearms and ammunition seized from his residence. Sune-Giron pleaded guilty on December 11, 2024.

According to the plea agreement, between 2023 and April 2024, Sune-Giron was a member of a large-scale firearms trafficking operation. He recruited individuals, known as “straw purchasers,” to illegally buy firearms—including Glocks, rifles and AK-47s—from licensed federal firearms dealers across Florida. After obtaining the firearms, Sune-Giron and his co-conspirators smuggled them overseas, shipping them to countries including the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Between 2023 and 2024, Sune-Giron and his co-conspirators trafficked more than 1,000 firearms. Several of these firearms were later recovered at crime scenes.

On April 18, 2024, ATF and HSI agents in Tampa and Orlando executed three coordinated search warrants at three residences in the Orlando area, including Sune-Giron’s residence. Agents recovered approximately 57 firearms, 30 empty gun boxes, approximately $16,000 in cash, ammunition, and money counters.

At the time of the search, Sune-Giron was living in the United States illegally under an assumed name.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes and Noah P. Dorman.

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

Tampa, FL – United States District Judge Kathryn K. Mizelle has sentenced James Patrick Sychowski (48, Tarpon Springs) to 12 years and 6 months in federal prison for possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. A federal jury found Sychowski guilty on December 6, 2024. 

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on February 7, 2023, at his mother’s residence in Tarpon Springs, Sychowski armed himself with a loaded AR-15 “ghost gun” that he had built himself over the course of several months.  Sychowski threatened to kill his mother and her husband and threatened to shoot at any police officers responding to the scene. When officers from the Tarpon Springs Police Department arrived, Sychowski fled and was later arrested in Clearwater. Officers discovered the AR-15 ghost gun on Sychowski’s bed in his room along with the construction materials and accessories Sychowski used to build the AR-15. Further investigation revealed that Sychowski had purchased the AR-15 components online and shipped them to the Tarpon Springs residence. 

Bank statements, financial documents, and electronic evidence presented at trial corroborated Sychowski’s purchase of the ghost gun components and his purchase of PMC 5.56mm ammunition and a magazine from a local firearms store. Below is a photograph of the AR-15 ghost gun recovered from Sychowski’s phone.  

Over the last 20 years, Sychowski was convicted in Florida of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, carjacking, various sex crimes involving children, and bank robbery. Sychowski had been released from the Florida Department of Corrections for fewer than 5 months when he began planning to assemble his “ghost gun” and load it with ammunition.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Tarpon Springs Police Department, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A. Chee and David J. Pardo.

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

Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that a federal jury has found Milton Anthony Bradshaw (44, Tampa) guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Bradshaw faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. Sentencing has been set for June 3, 2025. 

According to evidence presented at trial, in the early morning hours of September 20, 2022, Bradshaw got into an argument with three unknown individuals at an apartment complex in Tampa. As the three individuals walked to their car, Bradshaw grabbed a gun and proceeded to hide behind a dumpster in the parking lot. As the individuals drove away, Bradshaw started firing at them.   

Deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office were called to the scene where they recovered a firearm that Bradshaw had left outside of an apartment after the shooting. Bradshaw was identified in surveillance video that captured the argument and the shooting, and DNA recovered from the firearm matched Bradshaw’s. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael R. Kenneth and Chelsey Hanson. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne C. Nebesky.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Marcus Pratt (39, Crestview) has pleaded guilty to one count of mailing threatening communications and one count of influencing, impeding or retaliating against a federal official. Pratt faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, in July 2023, Pratt was in Live Oak serving a state sentence when he placed a threatening handwritten letter through the U.S. Mail. The letter was addressed to a judge and the federal courthouse in Miami threatening that his associates would kill a certain U.S. District Judge and place bombs outside the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Pratt sent another hand-written letter on September 27, 2023, addressed to the same federal judge that threatened that Pratt’s associates were going to kill the judge and whoever was at his house when they got there. Finally, Pratt sent a handwritten letter dated October 10, 2023, to the same federal judge telling the judge that the Pratt’s associates would kill him very soon, and that he was planning an attack on the U.S. Courthouse and U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami. All letters were signed by Pratt and threatened to kill the judge due to the performance of his official duties and with the intent to retaliate against the judge on the performance of his official duties.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Lasry and Kirwinn Mike. 

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of indictments charging Ismael Alvarez (36, Dade City), Lonnie Griffin (63, Dade City), Juan Medrano (42, Dade City), Raymond Downing (51, Dade City), Lionel Florez (27, Dade City), Lorenzo Herrera (34, Dade City), and Richard Sanchez (31, Dade City) with distribution of methamphetamine. If convicted, each faces a minimum sentence of five years, up to life, in federal prison. 

According to the indictments and statements made in court, on multiple occasions over a series of months, these individuals conducted drug transactions with an undercover confidential source. The transactions involved varying amounts of methamphetamine. Between April and November 2024, law enforcement recovered over 800 grams of pure methamphetamine collectively from these transactions.

On March 11, 2025, the FBI, in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies, arrested five of the defendants during an early morning takedown.

“These law enforcement actions demonstrate the FBI’s persistence in combating violent crime in our communities. We will continue to strengthen our federal, state, and local partnerships to meet our mission and to ensure the safety and security of the American people,” said FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor. 

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, and the Zephyrhills Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Candace Garcia Rich.

Ocala, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Michael Taylor, Jr. (27, New Jersey) has pleaded guilty to producing, distributing, and receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Taylor faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison for the production offense, and a minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years’ imprisonment, for each of the distribution and receipt offenses. Taylor’s co-defendant, Alexandria Stevens (20, New Jersey), pleaded guilty to producing, distributing, and receiving CSAM on February 28, 2025. A sentencing date has not yet been set for Taylor or Stevens. Both remain in federal custody pending the resolution of this case. 

According to court documents, while visiting Florida in November 2023, Taylor and Stevens produced CSAM with an 8-year-old child. They also received and distributed images of CSAM over the internet.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Solomon Smith (22, Lakeland) to 30 months in federal prison for possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. Smith entered a guilty plea on November 7, 2024.

According to court documents, on July 2, 2024, officers with the Lakeland Police Department were surveilling a residence to serve an outstanding arrest warrant for Smith. The officers observed Smith with a handgun, equipped with an extended magazine, tucked in his waistband. After Smith was arrested on the warrant, officers obtained a warrant and searched the residence. Officers located the handgun hidden in an air vent. The firearm was not marked with a serial number and was loaded with 25 rounds of ammunition. Photographs of Smith in possession of the same handgun were posted on social media.

At the time, Smith had been convicted of prior felony offenses, including carrying a concealed firearm and possession of cannabis resin. As a convicted felon, Smith is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Lakeland Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Coretta Rena Bates (32, College Park, Georgia) to 24 months in federal prison for aggravated identity theft. The court also entered an order directing Bates to pay restitution to the victim credit union in the amount of $167,117.50, the proceeds of the aggravated identity theft fraud scheme. Bates pleaded guilty on December 11, 2024. 

According to court documents, Bates obtained the personal identification information of several individuals and counterfeit North Carolina driver licenses imprinted with Bates’s photograph and the identifying information of those victims. From April through July 2023, Bates used the identity documents to open lines of credit with a credit union and to withdraw cash advances in the names of those victims. Bates fraudulently obtained more than $167,000 from the credit union.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Office, with the assistance of the City of Brookhaven (Georgia) Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Richard Sauls (64, Daytona Beach) to nine months in federal prison for theft of government property and making false statements to a federal agency. As part of his sentence, Sauls must also pay restitution to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Sauls entered a guilty plea on November 21, 2024. 

According to court documents, Sauls was receiving Social Security benefits and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits under his original Social Security number. He then used a second Social Security number that had been issued to him to apply for a second set of Social Security and SNAP benefits, to which he was not entitled. In his applications, Sauls made several false statements about his income and resources, including denying that he was already receiving Social Security and SNAP benefits. As a result of his fraudulent applications, Sauls received a second set of SNAP benefits to which he was not entitled. He did not receive a second set of Social Security benefits because the Social Security Administration discovered the fraud before any payments were issued to him. 

This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro.

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Covington has sentenced Lewis James Scott (36, Tampa) to 15 years and 1 month in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Scott pleaded guilty to possession of narcotics with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, but he pleaded not guilty to possessing the firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. In December 2024, a federal jury found Scott guilty of that charge as well.

According to court documents, on September 4, 2023, deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office pulled over a vehicle being driven by Scott for multiple driving infractions. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, officers found 37.5 grams of methamphetamine, 10.9 grams of cocaine, and 6.5 grams of fentanyl. These narcotics were found in a portable lock box with a handle, which the passenger in the vehicle told law enforcement Scott had placed at her feet prior to law enforcement approaching the vehicle.

The deputies located a scale with a white powdery substance on it inside the center console, along with a firearm, which included a round of ammunition in the chamber and in the magazine. In the trunk of the vehicle, deputies located a bag of a horse joint supplement. A chemist with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement later determined that methylsulfonylmethane was indicated in this bag. Methylsulfonylmethane is a commonly known cutting agent used in narcotics distribution.

Scott has a prior felony conviction for tampering with physical evidence (2018) and, therefore, is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. In this case, Scott placed a phone call to a witness prior to trial encouraging her to change her statement. This call was played during Scott’s trial and subjected him to a higher sentencing range.

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

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

Fort Myers, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Jose Ignacio Carrizalez III (27, Clewiston) today pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Carrizalez faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, on April 12, 2024, agents executed a federal search warrant at a residence in Clewiston and found Carrizalez in possession of a Canik pistol and assorted ammunition. At the time, Carrizalez had multiple prior felony convictions. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

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

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

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza today sentenced Jordan Franklin Trexler (30, Casselberry) to life in federal prison for enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and two counts of production of child sexual abuse material. Trexler was found guilty by a federal jury on December 11, 2024.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Trexler groomed a minor victim to engage in sexual activity when she was 14 years old. Trexler reached out to the victim via social media and offered her marijuana. After they met up, Trexler got her heavily intoxicated and then sexually abused her. Over the course of approximately two weeks, Trexler and the victim exchanged messages on a social media app discussing plans to meet and the type of sexual activity in which Trexler wanted the 14-year-old to engage. They met frequently during that period and during those meetings Trexler repeatedly sexually abused the victim. On one occasion, Trexler video recorded his sexual abuse of the victim. On another occasion, he produced a sexually explicit image of the victim.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Oviedo Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kaley Austin-Aronson and Stephanie McNeff.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger has sentenced Crystal Denean Harvell (37, Jacksonville) to two years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud involving a line of credit scheme and wire fraud involving COVID relief fraud through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The court also ordered Harvell to pay $131,782.63 in restitution to the victims she defrauded and to the United States government. Harvell agreed to forfeit $20,415, which is traceable to proceeds of the wire fraud offense involving COVID relief fraud. Harvell entered a guilty plea on September 4, 2024. 

According to court documents, Harvell and her co-conspirators fraudulently obtained the Social Security numbers (SSNs) of others. From February 2016 through September 2019, Harvell and others recruited individuals to obtain lines of credit at various businesses using the SSNs. After fraudulently obtaining the lines of credit, they obtained jewelry and other merchandise. Harvell resold some of the merchandise and lines of credit on social media platforms.

In April 2021, Harvell submitted a PPP loan application to a lender authorized by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to lend funds for approved PPP loan applications. The PPP loan application falsely claimed that Harvell operated her own business. Throughout the loan application Harvell made multiple false statements regarding her purported gross income and expenses associated with operating her business. In support of her PPP loan application, she submitted a false IRS Form 1040 - Profit or Loss From Business. It contained false statements about operating expenses, gross income, and wage expenditures for her purported business. Harvell’s business did not exist. In reliance on the false statements made in her loan application, Harvell’s application was approved, and she received a PPP loan totaling $20,415.

After receiving the PPP loan proceeds in her bank account, Harvell began making withdrawals and spending the funds on personal expenses. In October 2021, Harvell submitted a PPP loan forgiveness application to the SBA that included multiple false representations. In the application, she falsely claimed that she spent more than $18,000 on payroll costs and that the PPP loan proceeds were only used for eligible purposes. In reliance on her false statements the SBA forgave the entire loan, plus accrued interest.   

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service – Jacksonville Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein. The asset forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer M. Harrington. 

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Andres Felipe Mejia (19, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to possessing a machinegun. Mejia faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

According to court documents, on August 13, 2024, undercover agents with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives met Mejia to purchase a “switch.” The “switch” Mejia sold was a machinegun conversion device designed to convert a semiautomatic Glock pistol into a fully automatic machinegun. During the sale, Mejia explained to the undercover agents how to use the switch and offered to sell them more in the future.

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

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

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Brian Gregory Brightman (31, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. Brightman faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, beginning no later than July 7 and continuing through September 11, 2024, Brightman, a convicted felon, orchestrated and led a drug trafficking organization to distribute controlled substances. The investigation revealed that Brightman supplied, staffed, directed, and profited from the sale of drugs from at least six different locations in and around Jacksonville. Brightman arranged for mid-level distributors, his co-conspirators, to sell more than a kilogram of actual methamphetamine to a confidential informant. They also sold crack cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana. Brightman or an associate would drop off drugs on a near daily basis for his co-conspirators to sell, then Brightman or an associate would pick up cash proceeds from the drug sales. As a conservative estimate, two of the locations sold approximately $3,000 worth of methamphetamine and fentanyl per day. Brightman engaged in these activities while on pretrial release for separate offenses charged in the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court in Duval County.

On September 11, 2024, federal agents executed search warrants at eight locations associated with Brightman’s conspiracy. Drugs, including oxycodone, fentanyl, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, and four firearms were seized at those locations.

As part of his plea, Brightman has agreed to forfeit a Glock firearm, a Smith & Wesson .380 pistol, a Radical Firearms AR-15, and a 9 mm Sig Sauer pistol and associated ammunition because these assets facilitated the drug conspiracy.

On January 31, 2025, Trey Allan King, one of Brightman’s co-conspirators, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine and distribution of 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. His sentencing is pending.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Lasry.

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Andrew Thomas Bull (37, Tolland, CT), also known as Andrew Thomas Picard, has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing photos of her own sexual abuse. Bull faces a minimum sentence of 25 years, up to 50 years, in federal prison and a possible lifetime term of supervised release. Bull was convicted of importation and illegal possession of child pornography in 2013 in Connecticut. On May 25, 2023, FBI agents arrested Bull at his home in Connecticut. He was later transported to Jacksonville for prosecution. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 9, 2025. 

According to court documents, on November 15, 2022, an FBI agent (UC) in the Jacksonville area was conducting an online undercover operation to identify adults seeking to meet and engage in sexual activity with children. The UC posted a text message in a public chatroom on a social media application (app) indicating that the UC had access to an 11-year-old “child.” Later that same day, user “brdr1066,” subsequently identified as Bull, contacted the UC directly using the app’s private online text messaging feature. Bull asked the UC to confirm the age and sexual experience of the “child.” Bull sent the UC explicit photos of himself to show to the “child.” During text conversations on the app between November 2022 and May 2023, Bull confirmed his desire to have sex with the “child,” and he sent the UC photos depicting young children being sexually abused. Bull solicited the UC to take and send to Bull explicit photos of the “child.” 

On May 25, 2023, FBI agents arrested Bull and executed a search warrant at his Connecticut residence. A search of Bull’s cellphone revealed that it contained, among other things, at least 15 videos and 40 photos depicting children being sexually abused, including an infant. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and New Haven, Connecticut. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys D. Rodney Brown and Kelly S. Milliron.

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

Ocala, FL – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Danny Baldwin (53, Tavares) with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Baldwin faces a minimum term of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison.

According to the indictment, Baldwin has 12 prior state felony convictions, including second-degree murder, arson, and aggravated assault with a firearm. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law. On May 22, 2024, Baldwin was in possession of a loaded firearm. Baldwin’s prior violent criminal record qualifies him for a sentencing enhancement as an Armed Career Criminal.

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

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Eustis Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos.

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland, sitting by designation from the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, has sentenced Chamberlain Vaunshay Chaney (34, Tampa) to seven years and six months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon and for violating the terms of his supervised release. The court also ordered Chaney to forfeit a Smith & Wesson 9mm firearm, which was recovered during the offense. Chaney pleaded guilty on November 20, 2024.

According to court documents, on February 8, 2024, officers with the Tampa Police Department (TPD) Fugitive Task Force had an active warrant for Chaney’s arrest. Officers observed Chaney as he exited a motel room in Tampa and entered a vehicle. TPD then approached the vehicle and apprehended Chaney.

Chaney and his vehicle were subsequently searched, and officers recovered a firearm from under the driver’s seat in the vehicle. At the time, Chaney had previous state and federal felony convictions, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on November 14, 2011, and felon in possession of a firearm on February 16, 2017.

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

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

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri P. Chappell today sentenced Tomas Juarez-Santos (45) to 13 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States without authorization by federal immigration officials. Juarez-Santos pleaded guilty in December 2024.

According to court documents, on September 3, 2024, Juarez-Santos was arrested in Collier County on state criminal charges and was found to be present in the United States without legal authorization. Juarez-Santos has previously been convicted on two occasions for illegal reentry to the United States after deportation, in 2010 and 2019, and has been deported from the United States to Mexico on four occasions. 

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick L. Darcey.

Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Jose Humberto Caceres-Martinez (25, El Salvador) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Caceres-Martinez faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison. 

According to court documents, Caceres-Martinez is a citizen and national of El Salvador. He was previously removed from the United States on August 20, 2019. On February 17, 2025, Caceres-Martinez was found in the United States again after he allegedly fled the scene of a vehicular accident in Brevard County. Caceres-Martinez did not receive the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security for the United States to apply for readmission to United States. 

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

This case was investigated by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson.

Ocala, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Jiaan Cao (33, China) with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, Cao faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Cao is currently detained pending the resolution of this case. 

According to the indictment, beginning in at least October 2024 and continuing through December 12, 2024, Cao conspired with others to commit wire fraud. Cao and other conspirators sought to accomplish the wire fraud by gaining access to a victim’s computer, fraudulently posing as a representative of a victim’s financial institution and informing the victim their account had been subjected to fraudulent or criminal activity. A member of the conspiracy would then direct the victim to withdraw money from their account and purchase gold to provide to a conspirator. A conspirator would then travel to the victim to obtain the gold. During the conspiracy, conspirators exchanged electronic communications with one another that included location details of the victim.

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

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Brandon Palmore (30, Tampa) today pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Palmore faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. Palmore has agreed to forfeit the Sig Sauer handgun and ammunition used in the commission of the offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, on December 1, 2023, agents were conducting surveillance at an apartment complex in Tampa in relation to an outstanding arrest warrant for Palmore and observed him walking to his vehicle. As Palmore was given commands to exit the vehicle, he was seen reaching toward the center console and passenger floorboard area of the vehicle. A Sig Sauer handgun was found where Palmore had been seen reaching. The handgun was loaded and had previously been reported stolen. At the time, Palmore had multiple prior felony convictions, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and shooting at, within, or into, a vehicle. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.

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

Tampa, FL - Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Terry Brunning was arrested and charged with evasion of the payment of taxes and four counts of filing false income tax returns. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the evasion count, and up to three years’ imprisonment for each count of filing of a false tax return.

According to the indictment, between 2005 and December 2019, Brunning evaded the payment of taxes due and owed by him for income he earned and failed to report and pay taxes on between 1998 and 2001. During the period between 2005 and 2018, aware of the tax assessment by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against him for more than $2 million in taxes, penalties, and interest, Brunning continued to earn income from a new business. He used that income to pay for personal expenses and personal assets which he tried to conceal from the IRS. He also failed to make any substantial payment to the IRS for his earlier tax debt and failed to file income tax returns between 2007 and 2018.

After IRS-CI agents sought to interview Brunning in October 2018 in connection with their investigation, Brunning resumed the filing of income tax returns for a number of years, including tax years 2015 through 2018. The income tax returns which he filed for those years contained false reports related to the amounts of income that he had earned in each of those years, resulting in the underreporting of more than $490,000 in income for those four years.

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

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Tampa Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.

Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Juan Jose Ugalde-Monroy (33, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Ugalde-Monroy faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison. 

According to court documents, Ugalde-Monroy is a citizen and national of Mexico. He was previously removed from the United States on January 11 and January 15, 2017. On February 14, 2025, Ugalde-Monroy was arrested by Osceola County authorities on charges of not possessing a valid driver license, introduction of drugs into a controlled facility, and possession of cocaine. Ugalde-Monroy has not received the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security for the United States to apply for readmission to the United States.

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

This case was investigated by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson.

Tampa, FL - A Florida man was sentenced today to nine years in prison for paying a child in a foreign country to engage in a commercial sex act with him.

According to court documents, Rugh James Cline, 44, a former Florida-licensed attorney of Tampa, travelled to Cambodia and paid four Cambodian children to engage in sex acts with him on multiple occasions. Additionally, when he was arrested in Cambodia, Cline was found to be in possession of a laptop containing hundreds of images of child sexual abuse material.

Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Sara C. Sweeney for the Middle District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI Tampa Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI investigated the case. The U.S. Department of State, Cambodian National Police, and Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.

Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ilyssa Spergel and Courtney Derry for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A Florida man was sentenced today to nine years in prison for paying a child in a foreign country to engage in a commercial sex act with him.

According to court documents, Rugh James Cline, 44, a former Florida-licensed attorney of Tampa, travelled to Cambodia and paid four Cambodian children to engage in sex acts with him on multiple occasions. Additionally, when he was arrested in Cambodia, Cline was found to be in possession of a laptop containing hundreds of images of child sexual abuse material.

Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Sara C. Sweeney for the Middle District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI Tampa Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI investigated the case. The U.S. Department of State, Cambodian National Police, and Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.

Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ilyssa Spergel and Courtney Derry for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Christopher Fitzgerald Spivey, Jr. (40, Melbourne) has pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of controlled substances. By virtue of Spivey’s prior serious violent felony conviction, he faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, on four occasions between November 5 and December 10, 2024, Spivey distributed fentanyl and methamphetamine to a confidential source. In total, Spivey distributed over 55 grams of fentanyl and nearly 1,300 grams of pure methamphetamine. Prior to Spivey distributing these drugs, he had a felony conviction for a serious violent felony—aggravated assault upon a law enforcement officer—for which he received a 10-year sentence. Additionally, Spivey is on notice that the United States intends to forfeit $10,500, which represents the proceeds of the offenses.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman.

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of six indictments charging Cesar Antonio Geronimo-Morales (34, Guatemala), Calixto Gomez-Lopez (42, Guatemala), Fermin Diaz (37, El Salvador), Lenar Donaldo Martinez-Garay (32, Honduras), Lesman Yohan Lopez-Gamez (33, Honduras), and Juan Jose Resendiz-Gonzalez (47, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, each faces up to two years in federal prison. 

According to court documents, all six individuals have been previously deported from the United States and were found present in Duval County. None have received the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security for the United States to apply for readmission to the United States.

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

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brenna Falzetta.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger today sentenced Mayerline Patricia Salcedo (31, Orlando) and Rachel Beth Cordero (31, Miami) to 12 and 6 years and 6 months in federal prison, respectively, for their roles in conspiring to distribute fentanyl and other drugs. The court also ordered Cordero to forfeit $3,689 in drug proceeds seized from her vehicle and Salcedo to forfeit $27,286 in drug proceeds and a firearm seized from her apartment. Cordero pleaded guilty on September 13, 2024, and Salcedo pleaded guilty on October 25, 2024.

According to court documents, on November 29, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) followed Cordero – a target of a Miami-based DEA investigation – as she drove for hours from her apartment in Miami to an apartment complex on Millenia Boulevard in Orlando. When Cordero arrived, she waited in her car as Salcedo delivered a bag containing drugs to her in her vehicle. When Cordero’s vehicle was later stopped, a search revealed numerous drugs, drug proceeds, a digital scale, and cutting agents, including a kilogram brick of fentanyl wrapped in red tape.

DEA agents then arrested Salcedo and executed a search warrant at her apartment, seizing nearly 12 kilograms of methamphetamine, 4 ½ kilograms of fentanyl analogs, fentanyl pills, and powdered fentanyl in the same wrapping.

In Salcedo’s apartment, the DEA also located $27,286, a money counter, and a ledger accounting for the profits of her and her conspirators’ business:

Salcedo regularly texted photos to conspirators of currency, drug proceeds, and accounting ledgers reflecting collections of $19,000, $36,000, $47,000, and similar amounts. After Cordero’s arrest, the DEA conducted a search warrant at her apartment in Miami and seized more fentanyl and a kilogram press, along with other drug distribution paraphernalia. In total, the DEA recovered nearly 6 kilograms of fentanyl and analogs and nearly 12 kilograms methamphetamine, among other drugs. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Orlando Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Juan Carlos Ruiz-Diaz (44, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Ruiz-Diaz faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.

According to the indictment, on February 26, 2025, Ruiz-Diaz was found to be voluntarily present in the United States after having previously been removed from the United States on July 16, 2002, October 25, 2002, November 25, 2002, December 16, 2003, September 23, 2008, and April 28, 2011. Ruiz-Diaz had not received the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission. Ruiz-Diaz was previously convicted of illegal reentry on August 27, 2008, and on October 27, 2010.

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

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Mauro Diaz-Diaz (29, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a deported alien. If convicted, Diaz-Diaz faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison. 

According to the indictment, on January 14, 2025, Diaz-Diaz was found to be voluntarily in the United States after having previously been removed on September 27, 2014. Diaz-Diaz had not received consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission.

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

This case was investigated by United States Customs and Border Protection with assistance from the Florida Highway Patrol. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Domingo Diaz-Diaz (26, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a deported alien. If convicted, Diaz-Diaz faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison. 

According to the indictment, on January 14, 2025, Diaz-Diaz was found to be voluntarily in the United States after having previously been removed on September 18, 2022, and September 26, 2022. Diaz-Diaz had not received consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission.

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

This case was investigated by United States Customs and Border Protection with assistance from the Florida Highway Patrol. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.

Ocala, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Jose G. Medina (49, Leesburg) has pleaded guilty to three counts of knowingly making a materially false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm and three counts of causing a Federal Firearm Licensee (FFL) to maintain false information in its official records. Medina faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each false statement offense and up to 5 years’ imprisonment for each record-keeping offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set. 

According to court records, between January 1 and December 31, 2023, Medina straw-purchased multiple firearms for other individuals. Some of these firearms were intercepted by the United States Custom and Border Patrol (CBP) as other individuals attempted to transport them across the border into Mexico.

On May 27, 2023, an individual was encountered by CBP as he tried to make entry into Mexico at the Eagle Pass (Texas) Port of Entry. He was attempting to bring 10 handguns, 9 rifles, 7 shotguns, 20 ammunition magazines, and large amounts of assorted ammunition into Mexico. The individual stated that he was traveling from Orlando to San Diego de la Union, Guanajuato, Mexico. Medina had purchased one of these recovered firearms nine days earlier. 

Firearms and ammunition seized at the U.S. border on May 27, 2023.

On November 17, 2023, CBP officers stopped another individual at the Eagle Pass (Texas) Port of Entry who also was attempting to bring five firearms into Mexico. Medina had purchased two of these firearms less than two weeks earlier.  

A record check by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) showed that between January 1 and December 31, 2023, Medina had purchased 82 firearms for a total of $42,085.61—an amount that exceeded his reported annual income. The investigation also revealed that another firearm purchased by an associate of Medina had recently been recovered and electronically traced by Mexican law enforcement using ATF’s e-Trace system.    

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Eustis Police Department, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

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