Middle District of Florida

Tampa, Florida – Kary Stevenson (47) and Corey Quinn (35), both of Tampa, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. Each faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy count and a consecutive two years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity count.

According to the plea agreements, from approximately May 2020 and continuing until August 12, 2020, Stevenson and Quinn obtained the personal identifying information of others and used that information to submit, or caused to be submitted, false and fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims to various state workforce agencies to obtain UI benefits. These UI benefits were then transferred to bank accounts or loaded onto debits cards issued in the names of other persons. Stevenson and Quinn then used, and attempted to use, the fraudulently obtained debit cards to withdraw money from ATMs and to purchase items from retail establishments. The U.S. Department of Labor calculated the total intended loss from Stevenson and Quinn’s fraudulent UI claims was approximately $1,010,353.

In March 2020, the President signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which expanded states’ ability to provide UI for many workers impacted by COVID-19, including for workers who were not ordinarily eligible for benefits.

On May 17, 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, among other methods, 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. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory D. Pizzo and John Cannizzaro.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Lisa Vaughn (23, Melbourne) to 15 years in federal prison for producing and distributing videos depicting the sexual abuse of a child. Vaughn was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and register as a sex offender.

Vaughn had pleaded guilty on June 21, 2021.

According to court documents, on or about May 29, 2016, Person One contacted Vaughn through an online social media application. At the time, Vaughn was 18 years old and resided in Melbourne, Florida. Person One portrayed himself as a 19-year-old male living in Florida named “David Brown.” The two began, what Vaughn believed to be, an online romance that continued through 2017. Person One, in reality, was approximately 41 years old and lived in Oregon. Throughout the conversations between Person One and Vaughn, Person One requested that Vaughn engage in sexual acts with a particular minor child (the “Child”) and Vaughn agreed. In total, Vaughn produced and distributed to Person One approximately 8 videos and 5 images of child sexual abuse material depicting Vaughn as she sexually abused the pre-teen Child.

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

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

Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Derremy Jerrell Walker (31, Sanford) to 60 years in federal prison for two counts of using, or attempting to use, children to produce sexually explicit videos. A federal jury had found Walker guilty of the offenses on June 29, 2021. Walker was also ordered to serve a lifetime term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.

According to evidence admitted during the trial and at sentencing, Walker was a contracted janitor at Oviedo High School in November 2019 when two 15-year-old female students discovered an actively recording cellphone hidden under the sink in a student bathroom stall. The girls took the phone to school administrators, who contacted the Oviedo Police Department.

Forensic analysis of the cellphone revealed that Walker had placed the phone in the same location on two prior dates in November 2019, each time creating a one-hour video of students in that stall. On the date the girls found the phone, it had been recording for approximately 15 minutes before they discovered it. In each of the three instances, Walker had angled the cellphone’s camera in an effort to capture images of the genitalia of those in the stall. School administrators and law enforcement officials were able to identify 8 of the 12 students unknowingly captured in the videos that Walker recorded.   

Further analysis revealed that Walker had also set up a surreptitious cellphone camera to record in the school’s faculty bathroom earlier that month.

“Mr. Walker did more than just produce horror; he stole the innocence and trust of these young victims. We are pleased with the sentence handed down in this case and will continue efforts to protect the children in our communities from sexual exploitation and abuse,” said FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson.

This case was investigated by the Oviedo Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn P. Napier.

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

A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida has returned a six-count indictment against three defendants for their alleged roles in a federal racketeering conspiracy that victimized Mexican H-2A workers who, between 2015 and 2017, had worked in the United States harvesting fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products.

The indictment alleges that from 2015 through 2017, the defendants participated in running a labor contracting company for H-2A agricultural workers called Los Villatoros Harvesting (LVH), which functioned as a criminal enterprise. LVH subjected multiple Mexican H-2A agricultural workers employed in Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina to forced labor. LVH also harbored H-2A workers in the United States after their visas had expired for financial gain and committed visa fraud and fraud in foreign labor contracting.

The indictment charges Bladimir Moreno, a permanent resident of the United States and citizen of Mexico who owned and managed LVH, and Christina Gamez, a citizen of the United States who worked for LVH as a bookkeeper, manager and supervisor, with conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, and conspiracy to obstruct proceedings before departments, agencies and committees. Guadalupe Mendes Mendoza, a citizen of Mexico who worked as a manager and supervisor for LVH, was charged with conspiracy to obstruct proceedings before agencies.

The indictment alleges that the defendants charged with committing the RICO conspiracy operated LVH as a criminal scheme. They obtained hundreds of hours of physically demanding agricultural labor from the victimized H-2A workers through coercive means, such as imposing debts on workers; confiscating the workers’ passports; subjecting workers to crowded, unsanitary and degrading living conditions, as well as to yelling and verbal abuse; threatening workers with arrest, jailtime and deportation; isolating workers and limiting their ability to interact with anyone other than LVH employees; and suggesting to workers that if they failed to comply with the defendants’ demands, they or their family members could be physically harmed.

This case was investigated by the Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force (to include the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office), with assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor - Office of the Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of State - Diplomatic Security Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Murray and Trial Attorneys Avner Shapiro and Maryam Zhuravitsky of the Civil Rights Division.

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.

Tampa, Florida – Jeffrey Jedlicki (51, Panama City, Panama) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in the operation of international boiler rooms which defrauded victims via the sale of worthless investments. Jedlicki faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

According to the plea agreement, Jedlicki and his co-conspirators operated international boiler rooms in Panama and elsewhere that used high-pressure sales techniques to defraud individuals who invested substantial amounts of money in what they believed were regulated financial products or markets, such as options in commodities and stocks. The majority of the victims that the boiler rooms targeted were located in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

Jedlicki and his co-conspirators then transferred fraud proceeds generated by the boiler rooms through several money laundering rings, and then on to overseas accounts, with the launderers receiving a percentage of the funds they had moved. Jedlicki himself received a 2% referral fee for referring victims’ funds to a money laundering ring.  Jedlicki used the funds to perpetuate the conspiracy, and for his own personal enrichment. In total, Jedlicki and his co-conspirators wired or caused to be wired approximately $3,244,592 (U.S. Dollars) in victims’ funds to money laundering accounts in furtherance of the wire fraud conspiracy.

This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Steven Echevarria (35, Tampa) to 12 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl.

Echevarria had pleaded guilty on March 18, 2021.

According to court documents, between January 1, 2016, and September 1, 2020, Echevarria conspired with others to distribute heroin and fentanyl in the Middle District of Florida. The conspiracy involved at least one kilogram of heroin. Echevarria obtained heroin from a source in the Orlando area and provided it to co-conspirators to distribute in Hillsborough County. Echevarria was arrested on other charges and incarcerated during the conspiracy. While Echevarria was in custody, a co-conspirator took over his role in the conspiracy and obtained heroin and fentanyl from the source in the Orlando area. After Echevarria was released from jail in July 2020, he resumed working with his co-conspirators and distributed heroin and fentanyl to a confidential source.

The investigation in this case is the result of a partnership between the United States Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Tampa Police Department, the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Sinacore.

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces that a grand jury has returned an indictment charging Christopher Lee Smith (39, St. Augustine) with attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in sex and online distribution of a video depicting the sexual abuse of a child. Smith faces a minimum mandatory penalty 15 years, and up to life, in federal prison, a $500,000 fine, and a potential life term of supervised release. Smith is a registered sex offender, having been convicted of a prior child sex offense in January 2012. Smith was arrested by FBI agents on September 2, 2021, and is in federal custody awaiting his arraignment on September 23, 2021.

According to court documents, on June 28 and August 30, 2021, Smith utilized a particular social media application (app) to engage in online conversations with an undercover federal agent who was posing as the parent of a 10-year-old child. On June 28, 2021, Smith advised the undercover agent that he (Smith) wanted to have sex with the “child” and discussed in detail the sexual acts that he wished to perform on the “child.” On August 30, 2021, Smith and the undercover agent engaged in another online conversation. Smith advised, among other things, that he had engaged in sexual activity with another minor child; Smith also used the internet to send a video to the undercover agent depicting an adult male sexually abusing the minor. FBI agents were subsequently able to identify the child.  

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and Tampa. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

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 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.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation should contact the FBI Jacksonville office at 904-248-7000.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Paul Berkins Moise to 35 months in federal prison for aiding and assisting others with the filing of fraudulent tax returns and for filing fraudulent tax returns on his own behalf. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the United States for a tax loss of $77,929.

Moise was found guilty on April 29, 2021, after a jury trial.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Moise owned and operated a tax preparation business in Jacksonville. Between February 2013 and March 2017, Moise defrauded the IRS by filing returns for his clients in which he grossly inflated deductions for state and local sales taxes, unreimbursed employee expenses, and gifts to charity by cash or check.

For example, on one tax return, Moise claimed a sales tax deduction of $5,883 for a client who had a gross income of $43,476. In order for that client to claim a sales tax deduction that large, the client would have had to have made taxable purchases totaling $89,926 (including the tax) – or more than twice the client’s claimed gross income.

Trial evidence also showed that Moise grossly underreported his own income on tax returns he filed for himself for the years 2013, 2014, and 2015. On his 2013 return, Moise reported $10,160 in income when he had actually earned at least $83,848 that year. On his 2014 return, Moise reported $2,695 in income when he had actually earned $252,652 that year. On his 2015 return, Moise reported $10,255 in income when he had actually earned $234,936 that year.

“Moise ran a tax preparation business that filed fraudulent returns on behalf of his clients grossly inflating deductions and gifts to charity, while at the same time, significantly under reporting his own income,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Tampa Field Office Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne. “He cheated all Americans, since we all pay our fair share for the government services and protections that we enjoy. Now he will pay the price in prison.”

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

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti has sentenced Larry Lynn Gary (29, Fort Myers) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a previously convicted felon. Gary had pleaded guilty on May 6, 2021.

According to court documents, on August 6, 2020, Gary was a passenger in a vehicle that had been pulled over for a routine traffic infraction by an officer from the Fort Myers Police Department. After exiting the vehicle at the officer’s request, Gary ran from the traffic stop leaving behind a blue bag in the car. A search of the bag revealed a loaded Glock 19 firearm and a bag of fentanyl. Gary was later apprehended by officers with the help of a police K-9. At the time, Gary had multiple prior felony convictions and had recently been released from prison. He is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Fort Myers Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces that Scott Matthew Yotka (37, Jacksonville) has been arrested and charged with distributing images and a video over the internet depicting the sexual abuse of young children. Yotka faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, and up to 20 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release. Yotka was arrested by FBI agents at his home on September 17, 2021, and he remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on September 22, 2021.

According to court documents, on September 15, 2021, Yotka, using the name “Scottnjax44,” utilized a particular social media application (app) to engage in online private conversations with an undercover FBI task force officer in Washington, D.C., who was posing as the parent of a child. Yotka was acting as the administrator of a public chat room on this app. During a private message conversation, Yotka engaged in an explicit conversation with the undercover officer regarding the sexual exploitation of children. Additionally, Yotka sent the undercover officer several photos and one video that depicted young children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Yotka also stated that he was employed as an “emergency dispatcher” and worked “12 hour shifts.”

The FBI sought emergency disclosure information from the app and AT&T that revealed internet protocol login activity by the “Scottnjax44” account resolved, in part, to Yotka’s residence in Jacksonville and the subscriber listed on that account was “Scott Yotka.” This information also indicated that the app company listed frequent login activity from a second IP address used by the “Scottnjax44” user account, which activity resolved to the City of Jacksonville at the Ed Ball Building located in downtown Jacksonville. On September 16, 2021, FBI agents coordinated with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) and confirmed that Yotka was at that time employed by JSO as a dispatcher and that he routinely worked a 12-hour night shift.

On the morning of September 17, 2021, the FBI, assisted by the JSO, executed a federal search warrant at Yotka’s residence and arrested Yotka.

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

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

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

Anyone with information regarding this investigation should contact the FBI Jacksonville office at 904.248.7000.

Fort Myers, FL – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Jonathan Anthony Reid (32, Gibsonton) to life in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a previously convicted felon, in connection with the shooting of two men outside a Fort Myers night club in January 2020. 

Reid was found guilty by a federal jury on March 11, 2021.

According to evidence presented at trial, in the early morning hours of January 29, 2020, Reid shot two men who were standing in front of the entrance of a night club on Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers then fled the scene in a silver sedan with a stolen license plate. Reid made efforts to conceal his identity during the shooting by wearing a hooded sweatshirt, gloves, and a ski mask, but he later crashed and abandoned his getaway car while fleeing from the shooting scene. From his wrecked getaway car, law enforcement recovered a Glock .45 caliber handgun, nine rounds of .45 caliber ammunition, a camouflage ski mask, a hooded sweatshirt, and blue latex gloves. DNA analysis later revealed that Reid’s DNA profile matched DNA extracted from the ski mask, the sweatshirt, a ripped latex glove, and the firearm that was recovered from the vehicle. Three cellphones were also found in the car, all of which were later connected to Reid.  

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Fort Myers Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Simon R. Eth and Shannon Laurie.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Tampa, FL – A federal judge today ordered a Weeki Wachee, Florida compounding pharmacy and its owner to stop distributing adulterated and unapproved new drugs in violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).

In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida on Sept. 9, the government alleged that Premier Pharmacy Labs Inc. and its owner, Vern A. Allen, failed to adequately address insanitary conditions and violations of current good manufacturing practice requirements at their drug compounding facility. For example, the complaint alleged that the defendants failed to conduct adequate investigations into discrepancies that may have had an impact on the quality and safety of their sterile drug products; failed to conduct sterility testing, endotoxin testing and visual checks for particles before releasing products; and failed to ensure that aseptic processing areas provided adequate conditions to prevent contamination of sterile products. The defendants agreed to a consent decree of permanent injunction that was filed with the complaint. The Department of Justice filed the case at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Compounding pharmacies must follow applicable laws and regulations so that patients and doctors can rely on the safety of the drugs they produce,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work with FDA to enforce the FDCA’s critical public health provisions.”

“The quality and safety of compounded medications is vitally important to the residents of our district,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Karin Hoppmann of the Middle District of Florida. “This injunction will ensure that pharmacies comply with the requirements of law in manufacturing products regulated by the FDA.”

“Premier Pharmacy and its owner placed patients at significant risk. Outsourcing facilities must follow good manufacturing practice to ensure patients are not exposed to poor quality, potentially harmful drugs,” said Director Donald D. Ashley, J.D. of the Office of Compliance in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “We will continue to take appropriate enforcement actions to ensure that companies follow important safety requirements to avoid putting patients’ health at risk.”

Premier stopped manufacturing drugs following an FDA inspection in June 2019. Under the permanent injunction, Premier cannot resume operations unless and until it completes corrective actions to ensure that its drugs are manufactured in compliance with the FDCA. According to the complaint, Premier has stated that it does not intend to resume operations.

Premier previously received a warning letter after a 2014 FDA inspection found that the facility operated under insanitary conditions and violated current good manufacturing practice requirements. After a 2016 follow-up inspection and a related January 2018 regulatory meeting with FDA, the company recalled affected sterile injectable drugs in April 2018 due to a potential lack of sterility assurance.  Premier recalled all unexpired drugs intended to be sterile in June 2019 following another FDA inspection.

The case was handled by Trial Attorney Raquel Toledo of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Harwell from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and Associate Chief Counsel for Enforcement James Allred of the FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel.

For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. 

A federal judge today ordered a Weeki Wachee, Florida compounding pharmacy and its owner to stop distributing adulterated and unapproved new drugs in violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).

In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida on Sept. 9, the government alleged that Premier Pharmacy Labs Inc. and its owner, Vern A. Allen, failed to adequately address insanitary conditions and violations of current good manufacturing practice requirements at their drug compounding facility. For example, the complaint alleged that the defendants failed to conduct adequate investigations into discrepancies that may have had an impact on the quality and safety of their sterile drug products; failed to conduct sterility testing, endotoxin testing and visual checks for particles before releasing products; and failed to ensure that aseptic processing areas provided adequate conditions to prevent contamination of sterile products. The defendants agreed to a consent decree of permanent injunction that was filed with the complaint. The Department of Justice filed the case at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Compounding pharmacies must follow applicable laws and regulations so that patients and doctors can rely on the safety of the drugs they produce,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work with FDA to enforce the FDCA’s critical public health provisions.”

“The quality and safety of compounded medications is vitally important to the residents of our district,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Karin Hoppmann of the Middle District of Florida. “This injunction will ensure that pharmacies comply with the requirements of law in manufacturing products regulated by the FDA.”

“Premier Pharmacy and its owner placed patients at significant risk. Outsourcing facilities must follow good manufacturing practice to ensure patients are not exposed to poor quality, potentially harmful drugs,” said Director Donald D. Ashley, J.D. of the Office of Compliance in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “We will continue to take appropriate enforcement actions to ensure that companies follow important safety requirements to avoid putting patients’ health at risk.”

Premier stopped manufacturing drugs following an FDA inspection in June 2019. Under the permanent injunction, Premier cannot resume operations unless and until it completes corrective actions to ensure that its drugs are manufactured in compliance with the FDCA. According to the complaint, Premier has stated that it does not intend to resume operations.

Premier previously received a warning letter after a 2014 FDA inspection found that the facility operated under insanitary conditions and violated current good manufacturing practice requirements. After a 2016 follow-up inspection and a related January 2018 regulatory meeting with FDA, the company recalled affected sterile injectable drugs in April 2018 due to a potential lack of sterility assurance.  Premier recalled all unexpired drugs intended to be sterile in June 2019 following another FDA inspection.

The case was handled by Trial Attorney Raquel Toledo of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Harwell from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and Associate Chief Counsel for Enforcement James Allred of the FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel.

For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Marcus Lloyd Anderson (36, St. Petersburg) to one year and a day in federal prison for health care fraud. As part of his sentence, the court also entered a money judgment in of $323,248, which were the proceeds of the offense.

Anderson had pleaded guilty on April 30, 2020.

According to court documents, Anderson submitted bogus claims to the Florida Medicaid program and related managed care organizations for services that were never provided to patients. Anderson falsely claimed that patients had received counseling at his treatment facility when, as he knew, they were not there. In fact, some patients were hospitalized or placed in assisted living facilities elsewhere when Anderson lied, claiming they were in his care. Anderson also stole and misused the billing credentials of multiple doctors by billing for services he claimed they had rendered to patients at his facility, when those doctors had left his employment many months before. By lying about the services rendered and misusing billing credentials, Anderson stole more than $300,000 from these programs.

“Stealing from Medicaid, a taxpayer-funded safety net program, is a reprehensible crime that diverts funds intended to serve some of the most vulnerable individuals in our country,” said Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “Such greed-fueled scams will not be tolerated. Thanks to our hardworking investigators and our law enforcement partners, fraudsters are being held accountable for engaging in these illicit activities.”

“We are thankful that this matter has been resolved and Mr. Anderson is being held accountable for his actions,” said Anthony Holloway, Chief of St. Petersburg Police. “We appreciate our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and their continued commitment to seek justice for those who are victimized by schemes to defraud.”   

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This fraudster misused billing credentials of physicians and charged the government for services not rendered to steal from taxpayers. Thankfully, our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigators, working with federal authorities, uncovered the scheme and now, this fraudster will serve time in a federal prison.”

The case was investigated by Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Florida Office of Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen A. Fiore.

Orlando Florida – Amanda Gailene Paul (38, Vero Beach) has pleaded guilty to possessing with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. She faces up to life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

According to the plea agreement, on or about November 3, 2020, at the direction of federal agents, a confidential source contacted Paul to purchase three pounds of methamphetamine. Prior to the delivery, investigators located Paul in her vehicle. A subsequent search of Paul’s vehicle revealed three individually packaged plastic bags that contained approximately three pounds of methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Palm Bay Police Department, the City of Cocoa Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Terry B. Livanos.

Orlando, FL – Dr. Ashish Pal, a cardiologist based in Orlando, Florida, has paid $6.75 million to resolve allegations that he violated the False Claims Act by performing medically unnecessary ablations and vein stent procedures, the Justice Department announced today. 

The settlement resolves allegations that, from Jan. 1, 2013, to Dec. 31, 2019, Dr. Pal knowingly submitted false claims to federal health care programs for medically unnecessary ablations and vein stent procedures. The government alleged that Dr. Pal performed the ablations and stent procedures on veins that did not qualify for treatment under accepted standards of medical practice. Additionally, the government alleged that Dr. Pal made misrepresentations in patient medical records to justify the procedures, including overstating the degree of reflux and diameter of veins, and falsely documenting patient symptoms. The United States also alleged that, in many instances, the ablations were performed either exclusively or primarily by one or more ultrasound technicians outside their scope of practice.

“Physicians are expected to perform procedures only when they have a legitimate medical basis to do so,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton for Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will pursue those who waste taxpayer funds and subject patients to unwarranted medical care.”

“Our office is committed to protecting vulnerable patients from those who put financial gain ahead of patients’ needs,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Karin Hoppmann of the Middle District of Florida.  “We will continue to hold accountable those who abuse the nation’s healthcare programs at the expense of the taxpayers.”

“The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service will continue to lead the way in the dogged pursuit of unethical providers who risk patient health for profit,” stated Acting IG Sean O’Donnell.  “Ensuring Force readiness and proper care of our military members and their families are among our top priorities.”

“When physicians enrich themselves by performing medically unnecessary procedures on Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, they threaten their patients’ health and divert taxpayer funds meant to pay for necessary care,” said Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We will continue to work hard with our law enforcement partners to ensure that health care providers who engage in such abusive behavior are held accountable.”

“The healthcare providers within the Military Health System are committed to patient satisfaction and take seriously their obligation to ensure great outcomes by providing the highest-quality care,” said Director Lt. Gen. Ronald J. Place, M.D. of the Defense Health Agency (DHA). “We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Justice for working to maintain that trust by ensuring medical providers continue to put their patients’ needs and safety first.”

“The Office of Personnel Management’s Office of the Inspector General (OPM-OIG) is dedicated to investigating providers that prioritize profits over patient well-being,” said Deputy Inspector General Performing the Duties of the Inspector General Norbert E. Vint for the OPM-OIG.  “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and colleagues at the Department of Justice to safeguard the federal health care programs from fraud.”

To help ensure the alleged abuses outlined in this case do not reoccur, Dr. Pal and Interventional Cardiology & Vascular Consultants, PLC entered a detailed, multi-year integrity agreement with HHS-OIG. This integrity agreement contains training and reporting requirements as well as a quarterly claims review conducted by an Independent Review Organization, with the requirement that the review team includes at least one interventional cardiologist who is board certified. It also contains provisions for stipulated penalties and, possibly, the exclusion from federal health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid in the event of a breach of its terms.  

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, with assistance from the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General.

The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates its emphasis on combating health care fraud.  One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 800‑HHS‑TIPS (800-447-8477).

This matter was handled by Nicholas C. Perros of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Kenneth of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Dr. Ashish Pal, a cardiologist based in Orlando, Florida, has paid $6.75 million to resolve allegations that he violated the False Claims Act by performing medically unnecessary ablations and vein stent procedures.

The settlement resolves allegations that, from Jan. 1, 2013 to Dec. 31, 2019, Dr. Pal knowingly submitted false claims to federal health care programs for medically unnecessary ablations and vein stent procedures. The government alleged that Dr. Pal performed the ablations and stent procedures on veins that did not qualify for treatment under accepted standards of medical practice. Additionally, the government alleged that Dr. Pal made misrepresentations in patient medical records to justify the procedures, including overstating the degree of reflux and diameter of veins, and falsely documenting patient symptoms. The United States also alleged that, in many instances, the ablations were performed either exclusively or primarily by one or more ultrasound technicians outside their scope of practice.

“Physicians are expected to perform procedures only when they have a legitimate medical basis to do so,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton for Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will pursue those who waste taxpayer funds and subject patients to unwarranted medical care.”

“Our office is committed to protecting vulnerable patients from those who put financial gain ahead of patients’ needs,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Karin Hoppmann of the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to hold accountable those who abuse the nation’s healthcare programs at the expense of the taxpayers.”

“The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) will continue to lead the way in the dogged pursuit of unethical providers who risk patient health for profit,” said Acting Inspector General Sean O’Donnell for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General.  “Ensuring Force readiness and proper care of our military members and their families are among our top priorities.”

“When physicians enrich themselves by performing medically unnecessary procedures on Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, they threaten their patients’ health and divert taxpayer funds meant to pay for necessary care,” said Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We will continue to work hard with our law enforcement partners to ensure that health care providers who engage in such abusive behavior are held accountable.”

“The healthcare providers within the Military Health System are committed to patient satisfaction and take seriously their obligation to ensure great outcomes by providing the highest-quality care,” said Director Lt. Gen. Ronald J. Place, M.D. of the Defense Health Agency (DHA). “We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Justice for working to maintain that trust by ensuring medical providers continue to put their patients’ needs and safety first.”

“The Office of Personnel Management’s Office of the Inspector General (OPM-OIG) is dedicated to investigating providers that prioritize profits over patient well-being,” said Deputy Inspector General Performing the Duties of the Inspector General Norbert E. Vint for the OPM-OIG. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and colleagues at the Department of Justice to safeguard the federal health care programs from fraud.”

To help ensure the alleged abuses outlined in this case do not reoccur, Dr. Pal and Interventional Cardiology & Vascular Consultants, PLC entered a detailed, multi-year integrity agreement with HHS-OIG. This integrity agreement contains training and reporting requirements as well as a quarterly claims review conducted by an Independent Review Organization, with the requirement that the review team includes at least one interventional cardiologist who is board certified. It also contains provisions for stipulated penalties and, possibly, the exclusion from federal health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid in the event of a breach of its terms.  

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, with assistance from the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General - DCIS, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General.

The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates its emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 800‑HHS‑TIPS (800-447-8477).

This matter was handled by Nicholas C. Perros of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Kenneth of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Jacksonville, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Darryl Gray Smith (31, Orange Park) to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity and to produce child sex abuse images. Smith was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.

Smith was found guilty on February 5, 2020, following a jury trial.

According to testimony and evidence introduced during the trial, from February 6 through February 13, 2019, Smith engaged in a series of online text conversations over the internet with a person whom he believed to be a 14-year-old child. Unbeknownst to Smith, this “child” was an undercover agent from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). During the course of these conversations, Smith discussed in detail his desire to meet and sexually abuse the “child.” He made several requests for the “child” to produce and send him images of the “child” engaging in sexually explicit conduct. 

On February 13, 2019, Smith went to a local restaurant in Orange Park to meet the 14-year-old child. He was arrested at the meeting location by HSI agents and officers with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. 

“We are witnessing an epidemic of the sexual exploitation of children in our society,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “It’s imperative that parents, caregivers and children understand the dangers of online predators and take every step possible to safely navigate Internet and social media activities.”

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

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

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Andre Dwayne Blagrove (35, New York City) to 11 years in federal prison for distribution of child pornography. Blagrove was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release and register as a sex offender.

Blagrove had pleaded guilty on June 14, 2021.

According to court documents, in June 2019, an FBI agent who was acting in an undercover capacity encountered Blagrove in an internet chat room. The undercover agent was posing as a father of two minor children, whom he purportedly sexually abused. Blagrove expressed great interest in the undercover agent’s sexual abuse of his children, and asked whether he (Blagrove) could join in.  Blagrove also described the sexual acts he wanted to perform on one of the children and requested that the agent take and send naked pictures of his daughters for Blagrove’s sexual gratification. Blagrove also used the internet to send the agent two videos that depicted the sexual exploitation of children.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. L. Chang.

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

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the unsealing of two indictments charging Olufemi Odedeyi (40, London, UK), Ibrahim Davies (40, London, UK), Adetunji Adejumo (43, Oklahoma City, OK), and Ibrahim Jinadu (34, Atlanta, GA) with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, theft of public money or property, and aggravated identity theft. Odedeyi, Davies, and Jinadu were arrested on September 9, 2021 and Adejumo was arrested on September 13, 2021. Officers from the UK National Extradition Unit apprehended Odedeyi and Davies in London, United Kingdom, where they have been detained pending extradition to the United States. Agents from Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) apprehended Jinadu and Adejumo in the United States.

If convicted, Odedeyi, Davies, Adejumo, and Jinadu each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud count, as well as additional penalties for the remaining counts. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit assets that are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.

According to the indictments, while residing in the United Kingdom, Odedeyi and Davies obtained unauthorized access to computer servers of United States businesses and participated in stealing the personally identifying information (PII) of United States residents from those servers. Odedeyi and Davies then used that information to file with the IRS false and fraudulent U.S. Department of Treasury IRS Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns seeking income tax refunds. Adejumo and Jinadu, while residing in the United States, collected the fraudulent refund proceeds, which were directed to prepaid debit cards in their possession or to addresses or bank accounts that they controlled or to which they had access. Adejumo and Jinadu then transferred a share of the fraud proceeds to Odedeyi, Davies, and other conspirators.

Odedeyi and Davies used various means to obtain unauthorized access to the computer servers, including a website that was operated for years and sold access to compromised computers worldwide and also to the PII of U.S. residents. The site’s administrators strategically maintained servers throughout the world to facilitate the website’s operation.

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.

The investigation was led by the IRS-CI Tampa Field Office and the Tampa Division of the FBI, with assistance from the IRS-CI Cyber Crimes Unit (Washington, D.C.). Substantial assistance was also provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, IRS-CI and FBI International Operations at Mission UK, the United Kingdom’s National Extradition Unit, the International Crime Coordination Centre and the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit in the United Kingdom, IRS-CI Dallas and Atlanta Field Offices, Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations Tampa Field Office, and the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Georgia and the Northern District of Texas. The cases will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Jones.

Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces that six individuals have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a conspiracy to distribute cocaine using vessels subject to the jurisdiction of the United States (see chart below for details).

Fernando Pineda-Jimenez Transnational Criminal Organization 

Name

Age

Status

Fernando Pineda-Jimenez, a/k/a “Padrino”

40

Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

 

Faces a minimum mandatory of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum term of life imprisonment.

Luis Ernesto Perez-Quevedo, a/k/a “Acuerpado”

45

Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and one count of conspiracy to import five kilograms or more of cocaine into the United States.

 

Faces a minimum mandatory of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum term of life imprisonment.

Adrian Luna-Munoz, a/k/a “Vaca”

45

Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

 

Faces a minimum mandatory of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum term of life imprisonment.

Yesid Eduardo Torres-Solis, a/k/a “Perro”

41

Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

 

Faces a minimum mandatory of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum term of life imprisonment.

Hector Ruiz-Angulo, a/k/a “Maestro”

54

Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

 

Faces a minimum mandatory of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum term of life imprisonment.

Rodrigo Pineda-Torres, a/k/a “Gordo”

53

Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to import five kilograms or more of cocaine into the United States.

 

Sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison.

A separate co-conspirator, Jimmy Riascos-Riascos, was sentenced in January 2020 to 24 years and 4 months’ imprisonment for his role in the same conspiracy. Another co-conspirator in that case, Alonso Pineda-Torres, a/k/a “Galladita,” is awaiting sentencing.

According to the plea agreements filed in this case, the defendants were part of a transnational criminal organization that dispatched self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) vessels, sometimes known as narco-submarines, from Colombia into the Pacific Ocean, destined for Sinaloa Cartel members in Oaxaca, Mexico. The defendants served various roles and responsibilities such as overseeing security at the SPSS construction sites and building the fiberglass hulls for these vessels. Fernando Pineda-Jimenez was identified as, and admitted to, being the boss of the organization.

In July and August 2015, and March 2016, in international waters, the United States interdicted three SPSS vessels that had departed from Colombia and were en route to Mexico. The first SPSS carried approximately 6,900 kilograms of cocaine, the August 2015 SPSS carried approximately 6,845 kilograms of cocaine, and the March 2016 SPSS contained approximately 5,824 kilograms of cocaine. In total, the SPSS vessels carried over 19,000 kilograms (or nearly 42,000 pounds) of cocaine.  A substantial portion of that cocaine was ultimately intended for the United States.  A separate SPSS, linked to Rodrigo Pineda-Torres, was seized in October 2017 in Colombia before it could be loaded with cocaine.

This case was investigated by the Panama Express Strike Force, a standing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force comprised of agents and analysts from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs substantially assisted in the extradition of the defendants to the United States. 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.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.

Orlando, Florida – Alessandro Doreus (28, North Miami) today pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess 15 or more access devices with the intent to defraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. His co-defendants, Jean Elie Doreus Jovin (33, Loganville, GA) and Djouman Doreus (29, North Miami), had pleaded guilty to the same charges last month. All three defendants face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy charge, and a minimum mandatory penalty of two years in federal prison for the aggravated identity theft charges. 

According to the plea agreements, from at least 2015 through 2020, Jovin, Alessandro Doreus, and Djouman Doreus conspired to knowingly, and with intent to defraud, possess tens of thousands of counterfeit and unauthorized access devices—including the names, Social Security numbers, account numbers, usernames, and passwords of identity theft victims.  The conspirators frequently exchanged these counterfeit and unauthorized access devices—in bulk—among themselves. For example, in November 2018, Jovin emailed Alessandro Doreus a file that contained data for approximately 58,700 credit cards. The conspirators also routinely sent each other messages that contained scores of names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth of identity theft victims.

The conspirators engaged in a number of fraudulent schemes using the personally identifiable information (PII) that they had amassed. They fraudulently opened and used numerous financial accounts in the names of identity theft victims.  They also used stolen or fraudulently obtained credit card information to pay fake vendor accounts that Jovin opened and controlled.  In addition, they used the names and Social Security numbers of identity theft victims to file fraudulent tax returns and obtain tax refunds to which they were not entitled. 

Jovin also purchased multiple compromised computer server credentials (including usernames and passwords) on a dark web marketplace and used those compromised server credentials to remotely and fraudulently access computer servers.  At times, Jovin shared these compromised server credentials with Alessandro Doreus.

To make it difficult for authorities to trace and attribute fraudulent activity to them, the conspirators created dozens of email accounts—one of which was nofacenocase2017@gmail.com.  The conspirators used these email accounts exclusively or primarily to perpetuate their fraud scheme. 

In August 2020, the FBI executed a search warrant at Alessandro Doreus’s home and seized notebooks that contained the PII of more than 300 identity theft victims and credit cards issued in the names of identity theft victims.  The FBI also seized $490,365, which are proceeds obtained from this conspiracy.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. L. Chang.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced Cedric Tonesy Mount (48, St. Petersburg) to 33 months in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute controlled substances, and 24 months in prison for violating supervised release. The Court ordered the sentences to be served consecutively. Mount was also ordered to serve an additional 6 years of supervised release.  

Mount had pleaded guilty on June 2, 2021.

According to court documents, on January 9, 2019, Mount began a three-year term of supervised release after serving a federal prison sentence for distribution of cocaine. On January 26, 2020, officers from the St. Petersburg Police Department responded to an apartment complex to investigate complaints that Mount was selling drugs from a vehicle parked near the apartments. As officers approached Mount’s vehicle, another individual yelled, “Look out! Police!” Officers saw Mount holding a small box with a plastic baggie sticking out of it. Officers searched Mount, the small box, and the vehicle and found several plastic baggies containing various substances. Subsequent testing determined that the substances in the baggies contained crack cocaine, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana. The officers also recovered two scales and a gas mask that had been converted into a marijuana bong from inside the vehicle.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Petersburg Police Department, and the Pinellas County Forensic Laboratory. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Sinacore.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Marshall Tyler Sills (27, Jacksonville) to 10 years in federal prison, followed by a 15-year term of supervised release, for distributing child sexual abuse materials. Sills is also required to register as a sex offender.

Sills had pleaded guilty on June 2, 2021.

According to court documents, in May 2020, agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began investigating a lead from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) about the uploading and sharing of files depicting the sexual abuse of children from a residence in Jacksonville Heights. CCSO reported that an agent with the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation had also commenced an investigation into an upload and distribution of files of child sexual abuse material from the same residence around the same time period. HSI learned that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office had also been investigating the sharing of depictions of the sexual abuse of children from the same residence in July 2020, and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office had begun an investigation of the upload of files depicting sexual abuse from the residence in September 2020. HSI, working with CCSO and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, executed a federal search warrant at the residence on December 3, 2020. However, HSI discovered that Sills had recently moved from the residence in Jacksonville Heights to an apartment in the Ortega area. HSI determined that the same file-sharing program that had been used at Sills’s former residence was being used at Sills’s new address. Agents located internet activity consistent with the upload of depictions of child sex abuse.

On December 17, 2020, HSI executed a federal search warrant at Sills’s Ortega apartment and interviewed Sills, who admitted to receiving, downloading, and viewing images and videos of child sexual abuse. Sills acknowledged that he has a sexual interest in children. Agents seized Sills’s desktop computer, which contained more than 1,900 files depicting children being sexually abused.

“Every time child pornography is shared, it victimizes a child again,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “HSI special agents and our partners with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office have made sure this predator will account for his victimization of our most vulnerable.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, along with information from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.

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

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the extradition of Glib Oleksandr Ivanov-Tolpintsev (28, Chernivtsi, Ukraine) in connection with charges of conspiracy, trafficking in unauthorized access devices, and trafficking in computer passwords. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum penalty of 17 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Ivanov-Tolpintsev that the United States intends to forfeit $82,648, which is alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses.

Ivanov-Tolpintsev was taken into custody by Polish authorities in Korczowa, Poland, on October 3, 2020, and extradited to the United States pursuant to the extradition treaty between the United States and the Republic of Poland. Ivanov-Tolpintsev was presented on September 7, 2021, before United States Magistrate Julie S. Sneed, and ordered detained pending trial.

According to the

indictment , Ivanov-Tolpintsev controlled a “botnet,” which is a network of computers infected with malware and controlled as a group without the owners’ knowledge. He used the botnet to conduct brute-force attacks designed to decrypt numerous computer login credentials simultaneously. During the course of the conspiracy, Ivanov-Tolpintsev stated that his botnet was capable of decrypting the login credentials of at least 2,000 computers every week. Ivanov-Tolpintsev then sold these login credentials on a dark web website that specialized in the purchase and sale of access to compromised computers. Once sold on this website, credentials were used to facilitate a wide range of illegal activity, including tax fraud and ransomware attacks.

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.

The investigation was led by the Tampa Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office, and Homeland Security Investigations - Tampa Division. Substantial assistance was provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit in Washington, D.C. This investigation also benefited from foreign law enforcement cooperation by the Polish National Police, the Polish Prosecutor’s Office, and the Polish Ministry of Justice. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew today sentenced Christopher A. Defilippis (43, Brandon) to life imprisonment for distributing fentanyl resulting in death and possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl.

A federal jury had found Defilippis guilty on June 7, 2021.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, between March and April 2020, Defilippis distributed heroin and fentanyl in Hillsborough County. On April 17, 2020, Defilippis distributed fentanyl, which caused a fatal overdose. Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office began surveillance on Defilippis and, on April 18, 2020, observed him distributing narcotics throughout Hillsborough County. Law enforcement officers arrested Defilippis, and found him to be in possession of fentanyl, cocaine, and packaging consistent with distribution.

The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and determined that the use of the fentanyl had caused the victim’s death. Lab analysis also determined that the fentanyl mixtures obtained near the victim were all very similar to the narcotics seized from Defilippis.

This case was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Antony Eugene Woody (33, Orange Park) to 15 years in federal prison for advertising images depicting the sexual abuse and torture of children for sale using the internet. Woody was also ordered to serve a six-year term of supervised release, to register as a sex offender, and to pay a fine of $995. Woody has been in custody since his arrest on March 22, 2019.

Woody had pleaded guilty on May 14, 2021.

According to court documents, in February 2019, the FBI discovered that an online user named “imsoofreakyy” was using a particular social media application to offer child sex abuse images for sale on the internet. Meanwhile, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that the same user (“imsoofreakyy”) was using a particular email address to advertise images of children being sexually assaulted. CCSO detectives were able to identify this individual as Antony Eugene Woody who resided in Orange Park. 

On March 22, 2019, CCSO officers and FBI agents executed a search warrant at Woody’s residence and later made contact with Woody at a local supermarket. During an interview, Woody admitted that he downloaded child sex abuse images from the internet, labeled these images with titles, prices, and his online contact information, and then re-posted them for sale using a social media app. Woody also admitted that online customers responded to his advertisements, that he received money for these sales using the Venmo app, and that he had defrauded some of these customers by taking their money but refusing to send them the contraband images that they had purchased. Woody received at least $995 in profits from these sales.

A search of Woody’s cellphone revealed 33 videos and 40 images depicting the sexual abuse of young children. Two of these images bore advertising language that was created and placed on them by Woody.        

This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Westbrook (Maine) Police Department, the Broward County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston and Jacksonville, with assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

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

Fort Myers, Florida – Leslie Samuel Spencer (49, Port Charlotte) has pleaded guilty to attempted distribution of methamphetamine and MDMA (commonly referred to as “Molly”). He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.  A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, Spencer worked as a correctional officer in Fort Myers at the Charlotte Correctional Institution’s offsite work camp. In March 2021, Spencer agreed to smuggle three ounces of methamphetamine, one ounce of MDMA, a small amount of synthetic marijuana, and two cellphones into the prison and provide it to an inmate in exchange for a payment of $400.

On March 31, 2021, shortly before his shift was to begin, Spencer met with an undercover FBI agent in the parking lot of a retail store located off Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in Fort Myers. There, the undercover agent provided Spencer with sham drugs, two cellphones, and $400 in cash. Upon leaving the store, Spencer was arrested.

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

Tampa, Florida – Edgar Hurtado-Ramirez (52, Mexico) today pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder monetary instruments and engage in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Hurtado-Ramirez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Hurtado-Ramirez laundered money for a drug trafficking and money laundering organization (DTMLO) that shipped cocaine from California and Nevada to various points in the eastern United States, including Hillsborough County and Pinellas County, Florida. The DTMLO used couriers to conceal and transport the drug proceeds back to California and Nevada. Hurtado-Ramirez repeatedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cocaine proceeds from money couriers in California and concealed and disguised the nature of the funds and their ownership. Hurtado-Ramirez was arrested in Bogotá, Colombia on September 21, 2019. He was extradited to the United States from Colombia on March 19, 2021

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. 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.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher F. Murray and Josephine W. Thomas. The U.S. Embassy Bogotá, Colombian authorities, and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs assisted with Hurtado-Ramirez’s extradition.

Ocala, FL – Wayne Grant, Jr. (27, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to receipt of a bribe by a public official. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Grant had been indicted on March 31, 2021.

According to court documents, Grant worked as a corrections officer at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Coleman) in Sumter County. In December 2020, Grant agreed to smuggle methamphetamine into the prison for an inmate in exchange for money. Once federal authorities were notified, Grant unwittingly began communicating with an undercover agent to complete the transaction.  Federal agents mailed approximately 70 grams of fake methamphetamine and $2,000 in money orders to Grant. Agents observed Grant retrieving the package from his post office box. Grant subsequently deposited the money orders into his bank account. During his assigned shift on February 4, 2021, Grant smuggled the contraband into FCC Coleman and provided it to an inmate.

This case was investigated by the Department of Justice – Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tyrie Boyer.

Ocala, Florida – Dustin Shane Sandiford (31, Citrus Springs) has pleaded guilty to using a minor to produce child sex abuse images. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, and up to 30 years, in federal prison. He had been indicted on June 30, 2021. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 21, 2022.

According to the plea agreement, agents seized a cellphone from Sandiford on December 2, 2020, pursuant to a search warrant. The phone contained a cloud storage application tied to accounts that Sandiford used to hoard more than 17,000 images and videos depicting children being sexually abused. Further investigation revealed that Sandiford had enlisted another Citrus County resident to produce child sexual abuse images of an underaged relative and send them to Sandiford. This material was also found on one of Sandiford’s cloud storage accounts.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.

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 – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the unsealing of an indictment charging James Gregory Sweat (60, Jacksonville) with theft of mail by a United States Postal Service employee.  If convicted, Sweat faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

According to the indictment, on June 4, 2021, while serving as a United States Postal Service employee, Sweat took a greeting card from the mail and stole cash contained inside.

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. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Scot Morris.

Fort Myers, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Amber Rewis Bruey (34) and Anthony James Bruey (35), a married couple from Lehigh Acres, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and illegal monetary transactions. The indictment also notifies the Brueys that the United States intends to forfeit a 2019 GMC Yukon XL, 2021 Chevrolet Spark LS, 2020 Honda Talon, 2020 Polaris RZR, real property in North Carolina, and $881,058.35, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.

Defendant

Charge

Maximum Penalty per Count

Amber Rewis Bruey

Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud

30 years in federal prison

Wire Fraud (10 Counts)

30 years in federal prison

Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

10 years in federal prison

Illegal Monetary Transactions (4 Counts)

10 years in federal prison

Anthony James Bruey

Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud

30 years in federal prison

Wire Fraud (2 Counts)

30 years in federal prison

Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

10 years in federal prison

Illegal Monetary Transactions (2 Counts)

10 years in federal prison

 

According to the

indictment , beginning in or around April 2020, and while they were both on probation for state criminal charges, the Brueys conspired to submit false and fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and PPP loan servicers and lenders. The loan applications contained numerous false representations, including the criminal history, dates of operation, number of employees, and gross revenues of the applicant. In support of their fraudulent EIDL and PPP loan applications, the Brueys submitted false and fictitious federal income tax documents.

The Brueys’ materially false, fraudulent, and misleading representations caused the SBA and PPP lenders to approve and fund six EIDL and six PPP loans, totaling $881,058.35. The Brueys then unlawfully used the funds to purchase a $211,457 residence in North Carolina, a 2019 GMC Yukon SUV, a 2020 Honda Talon, and to make a $23,566 restitution payment as a condition of probation in a criminal court case for Amber Bruey.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted March 2020. It is designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act is the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding.

The PPP allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of one percent. Businesses must use PPP loan proceeds for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. The PPP allows the interest and principal to be forgiven if the business spends the proceeds on these expenses within a set time period and uses at least a certain percentage of the loan toward payroll expenses.

The EIDL program is designed to provide economic relief to small businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. EIDL proceeds can be used to cover a wide array of working capital and normal operating expenses, such as continuation of health care benefits, rent, utilities, and fixed debt payments. If an applicant also obtains a loan under the PPP, the EIDL funds cannot be used for the same purpose as the PPP funds. 

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 United States Secret Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Trent Reichling and Suzanne Nebesky.

 

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Charles Jon David (58, Jacksonville) to 33 months in federal prison for wire fraud and tax fraud. The court also ordered David to forfeit $273,500, representing the proceeds of the wire fraud, and to pay $273,000 in restitution to the victim of the wire fraud and approximately $111,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. David had pleaded guilty on April 9, 2021.

According to court documents, from February 2008 until July 2019, David was employed as the Director of Building and Construction by a Jacksonville-area religious organization. David’s role and responsibilities included overseeing sales of land belonging to the religious organization. David had a fiduciary duty to the religious organization to act in its financial best interests and to protect its assets in conducting these land sales. He understood that it would be a conflict of interest for him to receive compensation from a third-party in connection with these land sales.

Beginning in 2013, David engaged in a scheme to defraud the religious organization by offering the organization’s land for sale exclusively to two individuals, excluding other potential purchasers. In exchange for giving that preference to those individuals, they paid David kickbacks totaling $229,500. After the two individuals purchased the land, they resold it at a significant profit. David admitted that he sold the religious organization’s land for at least $229,500 less than it was worth. David did not disclose the kickbacks to the religious organization and used at least $72,000 of the kickbacks to fund mortgage payments and settlement costs associated with real property owned by his wife.

On another occasion involving a different individual, David arranged the sale of a piece of the religious organization’s property to a buyer by representing the buyer was a bona fide purchaser when, in reality, David had already arranged for a second buyer to purchase the same property at a significantly higher price on the same day. As a result, the religious organization sold the land to the first buyer for $150,000 and, later the same day, the first buyer sold it to the second buyer for $250,000. The first buyer then transferred to David $44,000 of the proceeds from the second sale.

In 2014, David falsely told his Certified Public Accountant that $216,000 in consulting income he had received in 2013 was not income, resulting in the filing of a fraudulent tax return. In tax years 2015, 2016, and 2018, David falsely underreported his income to the IRS by not reporting the kickbacks on his tax returns. The resulting tax loss was $110,956.

“This case demonstrates the FBI's commitment to hold accountable those who use illegal means and criminal behavior to take advantage of others,” said Rachel L. Rojas, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division.  “Fraud of any kind poses a fundamental threat to our national security and our way of life. In this case, the defendant prioritized his own personal gain by siphoning away money that could have otherwise been used to support members of our community in need. We appreciate the partnership of the IRS-CI and the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office to find justice in this case. Together, the FBI and all of our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate these crimes and prosecute those who are intent on defrauding the American public.”

“We appreciate the partnership with the FBI and IRS-CI which ensured justice was served in this case. Any person who attempts to defraud an individual or organization in St. Johns County will be held accountable,” said Sheriff Robert Hardwick.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven today sentenced Marchaun Browning (24, Gibsonton) to 5 years in federal prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for distributing and possessing child pornography.

Browning had pleaded guilty on April 21, 2021.

According to court documents, in June 2017, Browning created several Twitter accounts. On several different occasions, he posted or “tweeted” child sex abuse images and tagged other Twitter accounts associated with elected officials, media outlets, and public figures. Browning’s tweets also contained messages directed at the intended and tagged recipients.

On June 18, 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Browning’s residence. The officers discovered more than 160 images and one video depicting the sexual abuse of children, including some as young as toddlers, located on Browning’s devices seized from his residence.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Murray.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Evonte Earl Glover (29, Jacksonville) and Terry Lavon Shuman (27, Jacksonville) each to eight years and four months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Glover had pleaded guilty on May 12, 2021, and Shuman had pleaded guilty on April 7, 2021.

According to court documents, on November 10, 2019, Glover and Shuman were involved in a shootout in which they each possessed and fired handguns several times in the Cassat Avenue area of Jacksonville. Another individual was shot and killed during the shooting incident. Prior to this event, Glover had been convicted of three felonies, including a home invasion robbery, possession of cocaine, and sale, manufacture, or delivery of cocaine. Shuman had previously been convicted of armed robbery and fleeing or attempting to elude police. Therefore, Glover and Shuman were prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

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

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Demarcus Daniels (25, Lake City) to 12 years and 3 months in federal prison for bank robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.  The court also ordered Daniels to forfeit the firearm and ammunition he possessed during the offense.

Daniels had pleaded guilty on May 28, 2021.

According to court documents, on the morning of June 24, 2020, Daniels robbed an Ameris Bank branch in Lake City. Daniels attacked a bank employee as she unlocked the door to open the branch for the day. During the robbery, Daniels pointed a loaded .32 caliber pistol at the employee and demanded that she open the bank’s safe. After she opened the safe, Daniels removed approximately $310,200 in cash. Daniels then attempted to escape by carjacking another bank employee, who drove away before Daniels could enter her vehicle. Daniels fled on foot, dropping some of the money in the parking lot as he ran. He was apprehended a short time later by the Lake City Police Department in a nearby office park, hiding behind a dumpster.

“The defendant in this case carefully planned a violent act in pursuit of his own personal gain and committed it with zero regard for his victims,” said Rachel L. Rojas, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “American banks serve as the bedrock of the U.S. economy, and the FBI remains committed to working alongside our partners to aggressively pursue those who commit acts of violence against these institutions, and to seek justice for victims who are traumatized in the process.” 

“We are aware that nationally violent crimes have increased. We are grateful for the assistance from the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office who worked to bring closure and prosecution of this case,” stated Dr. Argatha Gilmore, Chief of Police for the Lake City Police Department. “I appreciate Lake City Police Department patrol officers and investigators who were diligent in their efforts in locating and arresting the suspect.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lake City Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David B. Mesrobian.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Tampa, Florida – Jasmine Wynne (31, Ruskin) has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, five counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of theft of a postal key. She faces up to 30 years in federal prison for the conspiracy count, 2 years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft charges, and up to 10 years in prison for theft of a postal key. Wynne’s sentencing hearing has been scheduled for November 17, 2021.

According to court documents, Wynne was employed as a Postal Clerk with the United States Postal Service (“USPS”) and was assigned to a Post Office in St. Petersburg. Between June 2017 and September 2019, Wynne conspired with others to commit bank fraud. Specifically, Wynne used her status and the special access she enjoyed as an employee of the USPS to open First Class mail entrusted for delivery to the Postal Service. Wynne then photographed the contents of the mail, which included victim bank account information and personal identifying information (“PII”). She also took photographs of United States Passport applications that were processed at her Post Office location. These applications also contained PII and bank account information. Wynne then emailed the photographs to coconspirators who utilized the PII and bank account information to commit bank fraud.

Wynne also used her position as a USPS employee to access and steal at least one restricted Postal Arrow key. An Arrow key is a special master key that opens USPS collection boxes, banks of mailboxes at apartment complexes, and any other mailboxes. The Arrow keys are manufactured for the USPS and distributed through controlled channels. Wynne provided the stolen Postal Arrow key to her co-conspirators in exchange for payment so that they could steal mail from locked mailboxes and secure additional PII and other information for use in the bank fraud conspiracy.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Craig Gestring.

Jacksonville, Florida – Derrick S. McCullough (31, Keystone Heights) today pleaded guilty to escaping from a residential reentry center (halfway house) where he was completing a prior 50-month federal prison sentence. McCullough faces a maximum penalty of five additional years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, in May 2018, a U.S. District Judge in the Southern District of West Virginia found McCullough guilty of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and committed him to the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to serve 50 months’ imprisonment. In December 2020, the BOP transferred McCullough into the custody of Keeton Corrections, Inc. Jacksonville Residential Reentry Center, a halfway house, to complete the remainder of his sentence.

McCullough was employed during portions of his time at Keeton. While employed there, he was permitted to leave the facility for work, but was required to return afterwards. On March 29, 2021, McCullough supposedly left Keeton to go to work, but later that day, his employer notified a Keeton official that McCullough was not present.  On May 24, 2021, McCullough was arrested in Bradford County. In the intervening period (approximately two months), he never returned to Keeton.

This case was investigated by U.S. Marshals Service and the Bradford County Narcotics Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican. 

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the return of an indictment charging Keaujay Hornsby, a/k/a “Plug,” (26, Tampa); Kareem Spann, a/k/a “Reem,” (27, Tampa); Tywon Spann, a/k/a “Weez,” (25, Tampa); and Eriaus Bentley (29, Tampa). Hornsby and both Spanns have been charged with racketeering conspiracy which, as the indictment alleges, relates to numerous violent, drug-trafficking, and economic crimes, committed in furtherance of a criminal enterprise called “Robles Park.” Hornsby and Kareem Spann have also been charged with committing violent crimes in aid of racketeering, and discharging firearms in aid of crimes of violence. All four defendants are charged with conspiring to commit fraud and identity theft, and with committing numerous substantive acts of fraud and identity theft.

If convicted on all counts, the defendants face the following maximum penalties:

• Hornsby: Life in prison
• Kareem Spann: Life in prison
• Tywon Spann: 79 years in prison
• Bentley: 29 years in prison

The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States is seeking a money judgment in the amount that the defendants obtained or attempted to obtain from their offenses.

According to the indictment, “Robles Park” is a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in acts involving murder, assault, intimidation, narcotics trafficking, access device fraud, identity theft, obstruction of justice, and other crimes. The indictment alleges that, among other acts of violence, Hornsby and Kareem Spann committed a shooting outside the Truth Lounge in Tampa, on July 19, 2020, and committed another shooting outside the International Plaza in Tampa on July 25, 2020.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more 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 Tampa Police Department, and the Department of Labor. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Natalie Hirt Adams.

On May 17, 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, among other methods, 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. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Travis Ryan Pritchard (38, Green Cove Springs) to 35 years in federal prison for producing an image of a 15-year-old child being sexually abused and one count of possessing an image of a prepubescent child being sexually abused. Pritchard was also ordered to serve a lifetime term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.  Pritchard had pleaded guilty on October 21, 2020.

According to court documents, Pritchard was employed as a deputy with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, assigned to the DUI unit, at the time of the offenses. From December 2019 through May 2, 2020, Pritchard used a popular online chat application (app) to communicate with a 15-year-old girl whom he had sexually abused on a weekly basis. On April 29, 2020, an undercover detective from the Green Cove Springs Police Department assumed the child’s online identity and continued chatting with Pritchard using the online chat app. Late in the night of May 1, 2020, and into the early morning hours of the next day, Pritchard encouraged the “child” to sneak out of her home to meet with him for a “quickie.” In anticipation of their meeting, he sent the “child” a photograph of himself from the waist down, wearing only boxer shorts. At approximately 2:00 a.m. on May 2, 2020, Pritchard arrived near the child’s home to pick her up in his patrol vehicle, and sent the “child” a message saying, “I’m here.” A short time later, Pritchard was arrested by officers from the Green Cove Springs Police Department.

A forensic review of Pritchard’s cellular telephone revealed many conversations between the child and Pritchard, as well as an encrypted digital folder containing numerous visual depictions of child sexual abuse. This included an image of the sexual abuse of the 15-year-old produced at the direction of Pritchard, as well as an image of the rape of a prepubescent female child.         

“All child sexual abuse is appalling, but when this crime is committed by someone in a position of trust, it is beyond comprehension,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “Thanks to our HSI special agents and our local law enforcement partners, this perpetrator will no longer be in a position to harm children.”

“The Green Cove Springs Police Department is committed to serving our community and protecting our citizens against all evil, even when that evil comes hiding behind a badge,” said Commander John Guzman. “As a law enforcement officer, Mr. Pritchard betrayed those who trusted him the most and now he will have to pay for his crimes.”

This case was investigated by the Green Cove Springs Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.

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

Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Leo Joshua Nieves-Ramirez (24, Orlando) to 3 years and 10 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Nieves-Ramirez to forfeit a SCCY 9mm pistol and 7 rounds of ammunition, which were involved in or used in the offense.

Nieves-Ramirez had pleaded guilty on May 28, 2021.

According to testimony and court records, beginning on October 30, 2020, FBI agents observed several photographs and videos posted to Nieves-Ramirez’s Instagram page with Nieves-Ramirez posing and displaying firearms and ammunition. In one photo, Nieves-Ramirez was observed holding a Glock .40 caliber pistol with an extended magazine and an “Auto Sear” (a device used to convert a semi-automatic firearm to fully automatic firing mode) attached to the rear of the firearm. In one video, Nieves-Ramirez was seen pointing and firing what appeared to be the same pistol out of an open front passenger side window in “automatic mode” to a backdrop of numerous tractor trailers.

Nieves-Ramirez was arrested on January 5, 2021. As detectives with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office approached, Nieves-Ramirez fled on foot and discarded a pink firearm into the bushes. The firearm was recovered and determined to be a SCCY 9mm pistol, loaded with 7 rounds of ammunition. The investigation also revealed that the firearm had been reported as stolen. Nieves-Ramirez has multiple prior felony convictions and is therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Beatriz Gonzalez.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Jacksonville, Florida – Thomas Lester Hazouri, Jr. (41, Jacksonville) today

pleaded guilty to distributing child sexual abuse videos over the internet using a social media messaging application (app). He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, and up to 20 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release. Hazouri’s sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. Hazouri has been detained since his arrest on September 4, 2020.  

According to court documents, a company that owns and hosts a particular online social media messaging app notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that on March 26, 2020, one of its users, who was later identified as Thomas Lester Hazouri, Jr., had uploaded and distributed four videos depicting children being sexually abused to several users in a public chat room. Further investigation by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) traced the internet protocol address used to distribute these videos to Hazouri’s residence in Jacksonville Beach. At that time, Hazouri was employed as a second grade teacher at Mayport Elementary School in Jacksonville. 

JSO obtained search warrants for the social messaging app account for user “mybfsgaynotme” as well as for another email account used by Hazouri. Hazouri’s “mybfsgaynotme” account contained 19 images and 45 videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Hazouri’s email account contained several photos depicting child erotica. On August 6, 2020, JSO detectives and other personnel executed a search warrant at Hazouri’s residence and seized Hazouri’s iPhone and two laptop computers. Forensic examination of the iPhone revealed that it contained 123 images and three videos depicting child sexual abuse. The three videos on Hazouri’s iPhone appeared to depict the same content as three of the videos distributed by Hazouri using the app on March 26, 2020. Hazouri was subsequently arrested.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Duval County School Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

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

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Michael Jonathan Paul (50, Jacksonville) to 10 years in federal prison for attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Paul was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. 

Paul had pleaded guilty on April 26, 2021.

According to the plea agreement, between May 28 and July 28, 2020, Paul used Facebook Messenger to engage in a series of online conversations with a person whom he believed to be a 14-year-old child. Unbeknownst to Paul, this “child” was an undercover detective from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. During these online conversations, Paul discussed his desire to engage in sexual activity with the “child” when they met in person and told the “child” the different ways that he had planned to sexually abuse her. Paul also told the “child” to delete her online conversations.

On August 21, 2020, Paul was arrested, and during an interview with law enforcement, admitted “talking to some little girl on the phone,” and stated, “I shouldn’t have … did it.”

This case was investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.

“Thanks to the outstanding work by HSI special agents and our partners with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office this online predator was stopped in his tracks while attempting to victimize a young child,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “After a successful prosecution and sentencing, this predator will now be held accountable for his crimes.”

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

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell has sentenced David Naylor (59, Spring Hill) to two years and three months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for theft of government funds. As part of his sentence, the court also ordered Naylor to pay $730,561.73 in restitution and, separately, entered a forfeiture money judgment against him in the amount of $549,426.23, the proceeds of the offense of conviction.

Naylor had pleaded guilty on September 22, 2020.

According to court documents, Naylor engaged in a scheme to defraud the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). To deceive and steal from the VA, Naylor made false representations regarding his physical limitations in connection with his application for VA Disability Compensation. Based on these false representations, the VA found that Naylor was entitled to Disability Compensation and other related benefits. In total, Naylor received $549,426.23 in VA benefits to which he was not entitled. Naylor also received $181,135.50 in Social Security Disability Insurance benefits as a result of relevant conduct.

This case was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General and the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Huyler.

Tampa, FL – A series of charges and convictions were announced today in connection with an international enterprise based in Florida that operated subscription-based sexually exploitive “child modeling” websites.

According to court documents, Kenneth Power (deceased at 58, of Weston), was a principal member of the Newstar Enterprise – an internet-based business aimed at for-profit sexual exploitation of vulnerable children under the guise of “child modeling” through a collection of websites called the Newstar Websites. Patrice Eileen Wilowski-Mevorah, 53, of Tampa, and Mary Lou Bjorkman, 58, of Lutz, recently pleaded guilty to laundering money for the Newstar Enterprise. Other members of the Newstar Enterprise resided in Europe. Kenneth Power’s wife, Tatiana “Tanya” Power, 41, of Weston, is currently pending trial on money laundering charges in connection with the Newstar Enterprise.

According to court documents, founded around 2005, the Newstar Enterprise built, maintained, hosted and operated the Newstar Websites on servers in the United States and abroad. To populate the Newstar Websites with content, Newstar Enterprise members sourced, enticed, solicited and recruited males and females under the age of 18, some of whom were prepubescent, to use as “child models” for the Newstar Websites. Using the recruited child-victims, the Newstar Enterprise produced more than 4.6 million sexualized images and videos to distribute and sell on the Newstar Websites. Some of those images and videos, though non-nude, depicted minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. For example, images and videos sold on the Newstar Websites depicted children as young as 6 years old in sexual and provocative poses, wearing police and cheerleader costumes, thong underwear, transparent underwear, revealing swimsuits, pantyhose, and miniskirts. Most of the child-victims—recruited from Ukraine, Moldova and other nations in Eastern Europe—were particularly vulnerable due to their age, family dynamics and poverty. Law enforcement officers have disabled the servers hosting the Newstar Websites.

The Newstar Enterprise maintained a membership list for subscribers and customers of the Newstar Websites, who originated from 101 nations across the world. Images in the websites’ galleries were freely available to the public to preview, but greater access and more content required purchasing a subscription. The sale of purported “child modeling” content on the Newstar Websites generated more than $9.4 million during the course of the conspiracy. To process, receive and distribute this money, Newstar Enterprise members fraudulently opened merchant and bank accounts in the United States and laundered proceeds using a bogus jewelry company. 

To date, four members of the Newstar Enterprise have been charged in connection with the Newstar Websites. See chart below for case statuses. 

Name

Case Number

Charge(s)

Status

Maximum Penalty

Tatiana Power

8:21-cr-244-MSS-AAS

Conspiracy to commit money laundering; international promotion money laundering; concealment money laundering

Indicted,

pending trial

100 years’ imprisonment

Kenneth Power

8:21-cr-00032-SDM-AAS

Conspiracy to advertise child pornography; conspiracy to distribute child pornography

Defendant deceased; case dismissed

60 years’ imprisonment

Patrice Wilowski-Mevorah

8:21-cr-00206-MSS-TGW

Conspiracy to commit money laundering

Pleaded guilty, sentence pending

20 years’ imprisonment

Mary Lou

Bjorkman

8:21-cr-00227-SDM-AAS

Conspiracy to commit money laundering

Pleaded guilty, sentence pending

20 years’ imprisonment

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The defendants have also been notified that the United States intends to forfeit a total of $9.4 million, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses, in addition to real property located in Florida.

These cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa, with substantial assistance provided by Homeland Security Investigations offices in Fort Lauderdale, Athens, and the Hague, as well as the IRS Criminal Investigation in Tampa.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Murray of the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Kyle Reynolds of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are prosecuting these cases.

This investigation benefited from foreign law enforcement cooperation and substantial assistance by the Republic of Bulgaria, Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office and National Investigation Service; the Republic of Moldova, Office of the Prosecutor General and National Inspectorate of Investigations; the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Department for Combating Crime Cybercrime Office, Public Prosecution Service (North-Holland Unit); the Italian Republic; and the Czech Republic, Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office, Czech Police.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

A series of charges and convictions were announced today in connection with an international enterprise based in Florida that operated subscription-based sexually exploitive “child modeling” websites.

According to court documents, Kenneth Power (deceased at 58, of Weston), was a principal member of the Newstar Enterprise – an internet-based business aimed at for-profit sexual exploitation of vulnerable children under the guise of “child modeling” through a collection of websites called the Newstar Websites. Patrice Eileen Wilowski-Mevorah, 53, of Tampa, and Mary Lou Bjorkman, 58, of Lutz, recently pleaded guilty to laundering money for the Newstar Enterprise. Other members of the Newstar Enterprise resided in Europe. Kenneth Power’s wife, Tatiana “Tanya” Power, 41, of Weston, is currently pending trial on money laundering charges in connection with the Newstar Enterprise.

According to court documents, founded around 2005, the Newstar Enterprise built, maintained, hosted and operated the Newstar Websites on servers in the United States and abroad. To populate the Newstar Websites with content, Newstar Enterprise members sourced, enticed, solicited and recruited males and females under the age of 18, some of whom were prepubescent, to use as “child models” for the Newstar Websites. Using the recruited child-victims, the Newstar Enterprise produced more than 4.6 million sexualized images and videos to distribute and sell on the Newstar Websites. Some of those images and videos, though non-nude, depicted minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. For example, images and videos sold on the Newstar Websites depicted children as young as 6 years old in sexual and provocative poses, wearing police and cheerleader costumes, thong underwear, transparent underwear, revealing swimsuits, pantyhose and miniskirts. Most of the child-victims - recruited from Ukraine, Moldova and other nations in Eastern Europe - were particularly vulnerable due to their age, family dynamics and poverty. Law enforcement officers have disabled the servers hosting the Newstar Websites.

The Newstar Enterprise maintained a membership list for subscribers and customers of the Newstar Websites, who originated from 101 nations across the world. Images in the websites’ galleries were freely available to the public to preview, but greater access and more content required purchasing a subscription. The sale of purported “child modeling” content on the Newstar Websites generated more than $9.4 million during the course of the conspiracy. To process, receive and distribute this money, Newstar Enterprise members fraudulently opened merchant and bank accounts in the United States and laundered proceeds using a bogus jewelry company. 

To date, four members of the Newstar Enterprise have been charged in connection with the Newstar Websites. The chart below shows the statuses of each case. 

Name

Case Number

Charge(s)

Status

Maximum Penalty

Tatiana Power

8:21-cr-244-MSS-AAS

Conspiracy to commit money laundering; international promotion money laundering; concealment money laundering

Indicted,

pending trial

100 years’ imprisonment

Kenneth Power

8:21-cr-00032-SDM-AAS

Conspiracy to advertise child pornography; conspiracy to distribute child pornography

Defendant deceased; case dismissed

60 years’ imprisonment

Patrice Wilowski-Mevorah

8:21-cr-00206-MSS-TGW

Conspiracy to commit money laundering

Pleaded guilty, sentence pending

20 years’ imprisonment

Mary Lou

Bjorkman

8:21-cr-00227-SDM-AAS

Conspiracy to commit money laundering

Pleaded guilty, sentence pending

20 years’ imprisonment

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The defendants have also been notified that the United States intends to forfeit a total of $9.4 million, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses, in addition to real property located in Florida.

These cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa, with substantial assistance provided by Homeland Security Investigations offices in Fort Lauderdale, Athens, and the Hague, as well as the IRS-Criminal Investigation in Tampa. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided investigative assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Murray of the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Kyle Reynolds of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are prosecuting these cases.

This investigation benefited from foreign law enforcement cooperation and substantial assistance by the Republic of Bulgaria, Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office and National Investigation Service; the Republic of Moldova, Office of the Prosecutor General and National Inspectorate of Investigations; the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Department for Combating Crime Cybercrime Office, Public Prosecution Service (North-Holland Unit); the Italian Republic; and the Czech Republic, Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office, Czech Police.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has sentenced seven Venezuelan nationals to federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine while onboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

Name

Federal Prison Term

Astrubal Quijada Marin

9 years

Henry Jose Marquez

8 years

Rafael Antonio Querales Grafe

5 years, 10 months

Juan Carlos Diaz Morales

5 years, 10 months

Juan Carlos Acosta Hurtado

5 years, 10 months

Jose Rafael Colina

5 years, 10 months

Edwin Ramon Marcano Morales

5 years, 4 months

Five of the defendants had pleaded guilty between March and June 2020. Two of the defendants were convicted following bench trials on May 7, 2021.

According to court documents, the seven defendants were on board the Zumaque Tracer, a 256-foot Cameroon flagged coastal freighter, in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea, on a northwesterly course towards Grand Cayman.

The vessel exhibited multiple signs consistent with drug trafficking and inconsistent with the stated purpose of the voyage. The seven defendants were each aware that they were transporting cocaine intended for distribution. 

In July 2019, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Northland located the Zumaque Tracer and conducted a search of the vessel. The boarding team ultimately located and seized 143 bales containing approximately 4,225 kilograms of cocaine—worth approximately $105 million—concealed in the vessel’s aft wing ballast tanks.

This case was investigated by the Panama Express Strike Force, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) comprised of agents and analysts from the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. 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.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes and Special Assistant United States Attorney Nick Derenzo.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Petra Gomez to eight years in federal prison for conspiracy to defraud the government and tax evasion. She had pleaded guilty on November 16, 2020. Gomez’s sister, Jakeline Lumucso, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government and was sentenced in April 2021 to four years in federal prison. The court also ordered Gomez and Lumucso to pay $24,940,495 in restitution to the IRS. Gomez was ordered to pay an additional $510,999 to the IRS for tax evasion. 

According to court documents, from January 2012 to June 2016, Gomez and Lumucso conspired to defraud the IRS by submitting more than 16,000 false tax returns, which resulted in nearly $25 million in fraudulent tax refunds. To conceal the fraud, Gomez and Lumucso created five different tax preparation companies. In some instances, they opened the companies in the names of other people to conceal the fraud.

In addition, when filing her 2014 tax return, Gomez failed to declare more than $800,000 in income. Gomez claimed $213,434 in earnings when she actually had earned $1,110,508. This resulted in a tax liability of $510,999 for tax year 2014.

“Today’s substantial sentencing of Petra Gomez for her role in a conspiracy involving preparation of false tax returns, for both her clients and herself, is a triumph for all honest return preparers,” said Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne of IRS Criminal Investigation. “Putting abusive return preparers out of business is a top priority for IRS-CI. Let this be a reminder to others seeking to enrich themselves - tampering with the integrity of our nation's tax system will result in jail time."

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn P. Napier and former Assistant United States Attorney Karen Gable.

Tampa, Florida – Sergio Lohan (24, Clearwater) today pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 12-year-old child and using his cell phone to film the incident. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Lohan and the 12-year-old child victim met online through a social media application. Over time, Lohan engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the child, solicited and received sexually explicit images from the child, and sent the victim a video showing himself masturbating. Within a few months of meeting, Lohan drove to the child’s home, picked the child up in his car, sexually assaulted the child, and video-recorded the assault using his cellphone. Later, Lohan sent this video to the child using the internet.

The FBI, while investigating this offense, executed a search warrant at Lohan’s residence and seized his computer. On that computer, the FBI recovered evidence of Lohan’s sexual abuse and exploitation of this child victim, as well as sexually explicit communications with other individuals identifying themselves as minor children.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the North Port Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Colin McDonell.

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