Northern District of Florida

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Dennis A. Toomer, 37, of Valparaiso, Florida, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison after having previously pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced today by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern
District of Florida.

“We will vigorously prosecute those whose actions recklessly endanger the public,” U.S. Attorney
Keefe said. “This convicted felon chose to arm himself with a firearm and now will pay the heavy consequences for his actions.”

In the early morning hours of May 8, 2019, Toomer was arrested by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s
Office after battering his pregnant girlfriend and threatening her and her two juvenile brothers with a loaded handgun. Toomer was prohibited from having a firearm because he had been previously convicted of 15 felony offenses, including five battery convictions, four drug- related convictions, and a conviction for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Because Toomer had at least three prior convictions for a violent felony or a serious drug offense, he was subject to enhanced penalties under the Armed Career Criminal Act.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Forbes prosecuted the case after a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

“Reducing violent crime and protecting the public in the communities that we serve is a priority for ATF,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Daryl McCrary. “We will continue to work vigorously with our law enforcement partners to make sure those individuals who commit violent firearms crimes are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of
2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating  and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant
Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.  The United States Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case with support from Project Guardian partners, the Pensacola Police
Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. For more information about Project Guardian, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl/pr/attorney-general-announces-launch-project-guardian-nationwide-strategic-plan-reduce-gun.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of
Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA –Lawrence Keefe, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentencings of Erik M. Schabert, 48, a physician, and his ex-wife, Mika Kamissa Harris, 49, both of Gainesville, Florida. A jury found both guilty on health care fraud and money laundering charges involving more than $8 million.

While owning and operating Reliant Family Practice in Gainesville, Harris and Schabert attempted to defraud health care benefit programs of more than $8 million by submitting fraudulent claims. 
Between January 2013 and July 2016, Reliant Family Practice received over
$4.4 million from Medicare and Blue Cross Blue Shield for fraudulent claims for chemical peels and dermabrasions relating to false diagnoses of rosacea and actinic keratosis.

Harris was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care or wire fraud, and 48 counts of health care fraud. Additionally, she was convicted of 41 counts of money laundering as a result of spending the fraudulently obtained proceeds on such things as paying off her home mortgage, adding a swimming pool and other home improvements, obtaining plastic surgery, purchasing commercial property, and funding an annuity for herself. Harris was sentenced to 90 months prison, followed by
3 years supervised release.

Schabert was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care or wire fraud, and 24 counts of health care fraud. Schabert was sentenced to 42 months prison, followed by 3 years supervised release.

“Society places a large measure of trust in the hands of licensed physicians, and it is profoundly disturbing when a respected professional abuses that trust by falsely billing for treatments that were not medically necessary or which were never actually provided,”  U.S. Attorney Keefe said.
“In addition, this doctor’s actions undermined the trust placed in him by his patients.”

"Fraudsters like Dr. Schabert should pay a hefty price for violating both the Hippocratic Oath and his standing as a trusted Medicare provider”, said Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. "Our watchdog agency and network of partners will continue to aggressively investigate physicians and other health care providers who bill Medicare for unnecessary services just to boost their own profits.”

In addition to receiving sentences of imprisonment and supervised release, Harris and Schabert were jointly ordered to pay $4,471,572.52 in restitution to Blue Cross Blue Shield. The government has already forfeited Harris’ residence, the commercial property, and over $260,000 in an annuity account.

"Health care fraud costs our country tens of billions of dollars a year, and rooting out these schemes is central to the well-being of our citizens and the overall economy," said Rachel L.
Rojas, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. "The FBI is committed to aggressively investigating and bringing to justice those who undermine our health care system."

Assistant United States Attorneys Justin M. Keen and Frank T. Williams prosecuted the case, which was jointly investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector
General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service– Criminal
Investigation.

"Special Agents of the IRS will continue to bring our financial expertise to assist our law enforcement partners in combatting large-scale healthcare fraud, “stated Ronald A. Loecker, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for IRS Criminal Investigation, Tampa Field Office.”  Fraud of this magnitude must be countered through robust investigation of these trusted professionals.”

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Michael T. Harris, 45, of Gulf Breeze, Florida, entered a guilty plea to the charges of acquiring controlled substances by fraud, and using a means of identification of another person in connection to the offense of acquiring controlled substances by fraud. The guilty plea was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Documents introduced at the time of the guilty plea allege that between November 4, 2015, and
August 11, 2016, on at least 24 separate occasions, Harris presented fraudulent prescriptions to various pharmacies in the Santa Rosa County area to obtain methadone, morphine sulfate, oxycodone, and alprazolam. During that time, Harris worked as a physician at a medical facility in Gulf Breeze and shared office space with other physicians. Harris forged another physician’s signature or used the physician’s pre-signed prescriptions without the physician’s authorization. On each occasion, Harris used a means of identification of the physician without the physician’s authorization, namely, the physician’s specifically assigned Drug Enforcement Administration Registration number, to acquire methadone, morphine sulfate, oxycodone, and alprazolam. In total, between the above-mentioned dates, Harris used fraudulent prescriptions to acquire approximately 1622 methadone pills, approximately 570 morphine sulfate pills, approximately 120 oxycodone pills, and approximately 40 alprazolam pills using fraudulent prescriptions.

Harris faces up to four years’ imprisonment for the charge of acquiring controlled substances by fraud, and up to twenty years’ imprisonment for the charge of using a means of identification of another person in connection to the offense of acquiring controlled substances by fraud. Harris is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14, 2020.

“Society places a large measure of trust in the hands of licensed physicians, and it’s profoundly disturbing when a respected professional abuses that trust to illegally obtain controlled substances,” U.S. Attorney Keefe said. “In addition, this doctor’s actions undermined the trust placed in him by his fellow physicians, pharmacists, and others in the medical profession.”

This case resulted from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Santa Rosa
County Sheriff’s Office, and the Gulf Breeze Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney J.
Ryan Love is prosecuting the case.

“The DEA Miami Field Division is committed to bringing to justice any medical professional who violates the law and the trust placed in them by society,” said Kevin W. Carter, Acting Special
Agent in Charge of the DEA Miami Field Division.”

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe, of the Northern District of Florida, today announced that Pensacola business owner James P. Meharg, 60, was sentenced to 40 months in prison on federal charges of conspiring to sell and export power generating equipment to a recipient in Iran, and concealing the scheme, as well as having payments routed to Meharg via a foreign country. Meharg, CEO and president of Turbine Resources International, LLC, in Pensacola, conspired with citizens of the United Kingdom and Iran to export a large turbine and parts from the
United States to an Iranian recipient, in violation of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions
Regulations as well as federal criminal law.

Meharg, a U.S. citizen, conspired from October 1, 2017, to June 12, 2019, to violate the Iranian embargo by attempting to export a Solar Mars 90 S turbine core engine and parts from the United
States, for delivery to an end user in Iran. Evidence revealed that on April 25, 2018, Meharg sent an invoice for $500,000 to a conspirator in the United Kingdom and received two partial payments of
$124,950 each, on May 7 and May 24, 2018, at least one of which was routed through a company in
Dubai. In total, Meharg received approximately $250,000 in funds laundered through foreign accounts as payment for having the turbine sent to Iran. Law enforcement authorities, however, were able to seize the turbine before its transatlantic journey to the end user in Iran. That end user, a conspirator in Iran, is linked to an Iranian energy company. Meharg also falsified documents used to lawfully export items from the United States.

“Exporting technology to Iran is prohibited by law in order to protect the national security interests of the United States of America, and this defendant chose to put his own self-interest and greed above such interests,” Keefe said. “Federal imprisonment should send a clear signal that the United States cannot and will not look the other way when one of its citizens endangers the safety of our nation.”

“Today’s sentence sends a strong message that trade with Iran in violation of U.S. export control laws and regulations will not be tolerated,’ said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Export
Enforcement, Douglas Hassebrock. ‘The Bureau of Industry and Security will vigorously pursue parties that seek to profit from illegally supplying materials to Iran.’

Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg, who is a National Security Cyber Specialist, prosecuted the case following a joint investigation by the United States Department of Commerce’s
Bureau of Industry and Security along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“This case serves as a reminder to anyone who acts as an agent of the Iranian government in the
United States, that American law enforcement is relentless in our efforts to protect the national security of this country and the freedoms of our citizens,” said Rachel L. Rojas, Special Agent in
Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “The FBI was proud to support our partners at the
Department of Commerce – Bureau of Industry and Security in this case, and we are committed to disrupting any similar actions by individuals on behalf of Iran in the future.”

Meharg’s prison sentence will be followed by three years of federal supervised release. He was also ordered to forfeit a monetary judgment in the amount of $250,000.00.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of
Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Guyland W. Thompson, a former mayor of Milton, Florida, and ex-executive director of the United Way of Santa Rose County, today was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion. Thompson, 65, of Milton, was ordered to forfeit $221,868.28 seized from his bank accounts and pay an additional money judgment of
$430,132.33. Restitution will be decided at a later hearing. The sentence was announced today by
Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Thompson pled guilty last May to 20 counts of wire fraud and three counts of tax evasion stemming from his embezzlement of funds from United Way of Santa Rosa County while he ran the organization.
Between at least 2011 and 2018, Thompson embezzled over $650,000 from the charity. He used his position and access to the charity’s records and bank accounts to steal money from the charity for years by conducting a series of complicated financial transactions to cover his tracks. He also made false representations to board members, employees, bank tellers, and United Way Worldwide to keep his fraud undetected for so long. Thompson then failed to report to the Internal Revenue
Service the extra income from his embezzlement scheme.

“These crimes affected not only an outstanding charitable organization, but also the many individuals who depended on multiple nonprofits to help them deal with day-to-day challenges. This defendant violated the trust of all these innocent victims, and this sentence reflects the harm he did to so many,” U.S. Attorney Keefe said.

As a result of Thompson’s crimes, United Way of Santa Rosa County lost its charter with the international organization and was forced to close. The restitution Thompson was ordered to pay will be divided between United Way of Santa Rosa County and 15 local charities that previously had been supported by it.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue
Service-Criminal Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney
Alicia H. Forbes.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

This marks the 150th anniversary of the Department o  Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – A Pensacola man has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The 76-month sentence handed down to Charleston Pierre Wiggins, 32, of Pensacola, was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States
Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

On April 29, 2019, Pensacola Police Department (PPD) responded to a shots fired report in
Pensacola, Florida. As a result of its investigation, PPD learned that Wiggins, a convicted felon, and another individual with whom he had a dispute, exchanged gunfire. During the exchange, Wiggins was shot in the leg. The PPD officers who located Wiggins followed a blood trail that led them to the pistol witnesses saw Wiggins carrying as he attempted to flee the area. The officers determined that the firearm, a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol, was stolen.

“We will vigorously prosecute those whose actions recklessly endanger the public,” U.S. Attorney
Keefe said. “This convicted felon chose to arm himself with a firearm and now he will pay the heavy consequences for his actions.”

The case resulted from the investigation by the Pensacola Police Department and the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States
Attorney J. Ryan Love.

“Reducing violent crime and protecting the public in the communities that we serve is a priority for ATF”, said ATF Special Agent in Charge Daryl McCrary, “we will continue to work vigorously with our law enforcement partners to make sure those individuals who commit violent crimes are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of
2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. The United States Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case with support from Project Guardian partners, the Pensacola Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. For more information about Project Guardian, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl/pr/attorney-general-announces-launch-project-guardian-nationwide-strategic-plan-reduce-gun.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Former U.S. Postal Service employee Elizabeth Shante Brown, 29, of Panama
City, Florida, was sentenced last week to serve 25 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing and using debit cards and checks from postal customers, as well as cash from Post
Offices. Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence following Brown’s guilty plea to charges of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and theft of United States mail.

While working for the Postal Service at locations in Okaloosa, Walton, and Holmes counties in
Florida, Brown stole postal customers’ individual and business bank checks and debit cards from the mail between March 1 and May 31, 2017. She used the stolen debit cards to purchase or attempt to purchase items of value and used the stolen checks to obtain or attempt to obtain cash. Brown was arrested after she attempted to cash one of the stolen checks at a bank in Panama City. As part of her sentence, Brown was ordered to pay restitution to the victims.

“Public servants have an obligation to treat the public with respect and integrity, but this defendant tried to use her position of public trust for personal enrichment without regard to how it would hurt her innocent victims,” U.S. Attorney Keefe said. “This kind of flagrant violation of that trust will not be tolerated, and the result will be prison time for someone who thought she could get away with it.”

The case resulted from an investigation by the United States Postal Service - Office of Inspector
General and the Panama City Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States
Attorney J. Ryan Love.

“The sentencing serves as a strong deterrent to those attempting to abuse the Postal Service and a clear reminder that the government is vigilant, and these crimes will not be tolerated," said
Special Agent in Charge Christopher Cave, of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General
Southern Area Field Office. “The USPS-OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to vigorously investigate these types of cases in order to continue to protect the sanctity of the
Postal Service.”

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attor  ey’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – With the sentencing of the last of 25 defendants, federal prosecutors this week wrapped up a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking organization operating primarily within
Taylor and Madison counties in Florida, and Colquitt County, Georgia. The final defendant, Patrick
Lemuel Bass of Taylor County, was sentenced to eight years in prison for his part in the conspiracy. The convictions and sentences in the conspiracy were announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

During the fall of 2017, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force began investigating the distribution of methamphetamine — commonly referred to as “ice”— within Taylor and Madison counties. A total of 25 defendants were charged in a series of indictments returned in 2017 and
2018. The defendants were convicted and sentenced for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute varying amounts of methamphetamine. The investigation also involved numerous undercover controlled purchases by law enforcement during the trafficking conspiracy.

The defendants and their sentences are:

•          Robert Shane Willis, Taylor County, Florida, 108 months in prison; •          Robert Edward Lee, Madison County, Florida, 102 months in prison; •          Takayla Rene Sanders, Colquitt County, Georgia, 96 months in prison; •          Patrick Lemuel Bass, Taylor County, Florida, 96 months in prison; •          Robert Wayne Cornwell, Taylor County, Florida, 96 months in prison; •          Joseph Brian Stafford, Taylor County, Florida, 96 months in prison; •           James Antony Farrill, Taylor County, Florida, 84 months in prison; •          Keith Eric Sadowski, Taylor County, Florida, 78 months in prison; •          Christopher Keith Irvin, Taylor County, Florida, 72 months in prison; •          Jessica Rae Mauldin, Madison County, Florida, 72 month in prison; •          Kevin Wayne Knippel, Colquitt County, Georgia, 72 months in prison; •          Eric Jason Gilbreath, Taylor County, Florida, 72 months in prison;

•          Bryan Heath Willis, Taylor County, Florida, 66 months in prison; •           John Wayne Dixon, Taylor County, Florida, 60 months in prison; •          Christopher Castleberry, Colquitt County, Georgia, 60 months in prison; •          Marlo Howard, Madison County, Florida, 48 months in prison; •          Travis Ryan Crosby, Madison County, Florida, 48 months in prison; •          Joshua Lynn Gilbreath, Taylor County, Florida, 48 months in prison; •          Brandon Douglas Hall, Colquitt County, Georgia, 42 months in prison; •          Lisa Marie Ezell, Taylor County, Florida, 39 months in prison; •          Jerry Franklin Sapp, Madison County, Florida, 36 months in prison; •          Raymond Cody Williams, Madison County, Florida, 366 days in prison; •          Samantha Agner Crouse, Taylor County, Florida, 12 months in prison; •          Jamie Lynn Baumgardner, Taylor County, Florida, 8 years of supervised release; and
•          Miranda Marie Stafford, Taylor County, Florida, 5 years of supervised release.

This case resulted from an investigation by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; the Taylor
County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Perry Police Department, and Monticello
Police Department in Florida; the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office and Thomas County Sheriff’s
Office in Georgia; and the Florida Highway Patrol and Florida National Guard. Assistant United
States Attorneys Christopher J. Thielemann, Eric K. Mountin, James A. McCain, and Jason R. Coody prosecuted the cases.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA–Three Bay County men – Delroy Williams, 52, of Lynn Haven, Vivian Walters, 33, of Lynn Haven, and Jevaughn Williams, 22, of Panama City Beach – were sentenced on federal fraud charges stemming from activities meant to induce elderly victims with false promises of sweepstakes prizes. The sentences were announced today by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The three men pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of mail fraud. Jevaughn Williams was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release, while Walters and Delroy
Williams were sentenced to 36 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.

“It is hard to fathom how some deceitful criminals have no problem preying on innocent victims, especially those they consider most vulnerable because they are elderly. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has a message for these criminals: We will find you, we will prosecute you, and we will put you away,” Keefe said.

Since the late 1990s, telemarketers in Jamaica have been engaging in a scam in which they contact victims in the United States and falsely claim their targets have won large sweepstakes prizes.
Victims, who are primarily elderly, are induced to send cash or cash equivalents in order to release their supposed prizes. The victims’ funds are often transported by wire transfers and
United States Postal Service packages.

Between 2014 and 2017, the defendants conspired together to receive wire transfers and packages mailed by victims. They then took a percentage of the funds for themselves before forwarding the remainder to co-conspirators in Jamaica. Multiple victims have been identified through wire transfer records and searches of the defendants’ electronic devices.

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to pursue justice on behalf of our elderly customers by thoroughly investigating lottery scams and those involved with victimizing U.S.
Citizens,” stated Miami Division Inspector in Charge Tony Gomez.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Harwin and Michelle Daffin prosecuted the case following a joint investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Lynn Haven Police Department.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Joseph Donald Roberts, 43, of Branford, Florida, was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for possession, receipt, and production of child pornography, some involving prepubescent children. The sentence, imposed in federal court on Monday, was announced by Lawrence
Keefe, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“The more we hold offenders accountable and do our part to prevent sexual violence and support survivors, the further we will go in ending the blight of child sexual abuse,” Keefe said. “The
U.S. Attorney’s Office is wholly committed to this effort and will continue to do everything in its power to bring these vile offenders to justice.”

On May 18, 2018, investigators identified a subject using the internet within Florida to distribute and receive images and videos of child pornography. Further investigation led to the seizure of numerous computers and electronic storage devices from Roberts’ residence in Branford. A forensic examination of the devices revealed that Roberts had hundreds of images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, including prepubescent children. Further examination determined that Roberts had also used his cell phone in an attempt to create sexually explicit videos depicting a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

“This strong sentencing represents the severity of this crime,” said Micah McCombs, Homeland
Security Investigations’ Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge. “Thanks to our HSI special agents, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office, this child predator is off our streets and is being held accountable for the tremendous harm he has done.”

Child pornography is a brutal crime because each image or movie represents an assault on an innocent child who has been sexually abused,” said FDLE Tallahassee Special Agent in Charge Mark
Perez.  “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to address these heinous acts.”

Roberts was indicted by a grand jury and later convicted in a two-day jury trial. The trial jury made a special finding that the images possessed by Roberts included children younger than 12.

The case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Homeland Security
Investigations. The case was prosecuted by the Northern District of Florida’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Coordinator, Assistant United States Attorney Frank Williams.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – The Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) announced awards of more than $8,742,871 to help public safety and public health professionals in the Northern
District of Florida combat substance abuse and respond effectively to overdoses, part of $333 million awarded nationwide to help communities affected by the opioid crisis. The awards were announced by OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan.

“The opioid crisis has destroyed far too many lives and left too many Americans feeling helpless and hopeless,” Sullivan said. “This epidemic—the most deadly in our nation’s history—is introducing new dangers and loading public health responsibilities onto the public safety duties of our law enforcement officers. The Department of Justice is here to support them during this unprecedented and extremely challenging time.”

With more than 130 people dying from opioid-related overdoses every day, the Department of Justice has made fighting addiction to opioids—including heroin and fentanyl—a national priority. The Trump
Administration is providing critical funding for a wide range of activities— from preventive services and comprehensive treatment to recovery assistance, forensic science services, and research—to help save lives and break the cycle of addiction and crime.

“Winning the fight against opioid addiction will require not just effective law enforcement, but also a comprehensive and coordinated approach from community organizations and service providers at the local level,” said Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“These grants will go a long way to support the efforts of those combatting this plague in hometowns and neighborhoods across the Northern District of Florida.”

The awards announced support an array of activities designed to reduce the harm inflicted by these dangerous drugs. Grants will help law enforcement officers, emergency responders and treatment professionals coordinate their response to overdoses. Funds will also provide services for children and youth affected by the crisis and will support the nationwide network of drug and treatment courts.  Other awards will address prescription drug abuse, expand the capacity of forensic labs, and support opioid-related research.

Awards were made to three organizations in the Northern District of Florida:

Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator $1,492,871

Institute for Intergovernmental Research            $6,000,000

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America                       $1,250,000

Information about the programs and awards announced is available here. For more information about
OJP awards, visit the OJP Awards Data webpage.

The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine
T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training and technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims, and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information about
OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern
District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, today announced the sentencing of Michael Gilbert Brown, 40, of Minnesota, after he pled guilty to one count of failing to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and
Notification Act (SORNA). Brown was sentenced to 2½ years in federal prison by the U.S. District
Court in Tallahassee.

Brown, who was convicted in 2012 of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a 14-year- old teen, entered a halfway house after he was released from a Minnesota prison in 2018. Within a month of his release, Brown fled from the halfway house and was considered a fugitive. Brown was subsequently located in Tallahassee, Florida, where he was arrested in July 2018. An investigation revealed that Brown left Minnesota with his girlfriend and her child using a bus ticket issued under a false name. It was also determined that Brown knowingly failed to notify the State of
Minnesota of his intent to relocate to Florida, and that he failed to register as a sex offender with the State of Florida upon his arrival in Tallahassee.

In addition to the sentence of 30 months of incarceration in federal prison, Brown was ordered to serve five years of supervised release and to participate in and successfully complete a sex offender treatment program.

Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the
United States Marshals Service with assistance from Ramsey County (Minnesota) Community
Corrections, Predatory Offender Unit. Don Ladner, United States Marshal for the Northern District of Florida, stated “the U.S. Marshals are deeply committed to protecting our society from sex offenders who fail to register as required by law.”

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging three men – including a Federal Bureau of Prisons employee – with 51 counts of federal dogfighting offenses. The charges stem from an investigation into drug trafficking and a large- scale illegal dogfighting operation involving over 100 dogs. The superseding indictment was announced by Lawrence
Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Most of the dogs used by the defendants were recovered by the United States Marshals Service and have been placed with appropriate foster organizations.
The defendants named in this indictment are:

●    Jermaine Terrell Hadley, 31, Quincy, Florida; ●    Leonard Safford, 37, Gretna, Florida; ●    Decarlise Chapman, 46, Marianna, Florida.
The superseding indictment adds Chapman, who is an employee of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, as a defendant in the case. Hadley and Stafford, among several other individuals, were named in the June
4, 2019, indictment in this case, but the other defendants have entered guilty pleas and therefore are not included the superseding indictment.

“From the beginning, this case has shocked the sensibilities of decent, law-abiding people throughout the Northern District of Florida – and it’s even more shocking when an individual in a position of public trust has been added to those charged with these shameful activities,” U.S.
Attorney Keefe said.

The superseding indictment and arrests resulted from an extensive investigation by the Organized
Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a joint federal, state, and local cooperative, which targeted a drug trafficking organization that also allegedly organized and conducted a large-scale illegal dogfighting operation throughout the Northern District of Florida between 2014 and 2019.
During the investigation, undercover operations were conducted to infiltrate the ring; execute multiple search warrants on properties allegedly involved in training, housing, and conducting illegal dogfights; and successfully raid a dogfight in progress.

If convicted, the charged defendants face penalties of up to five years imprisonment and fines up to $250,000, per count. Trial is set for February 3, 2020, at 8:15 a.m., at the United States
Courthouse in Tallahassee.

Participating in the investigation of the cases were the Drug Enforcement Administration, the
Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Marshals Service, the
U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Chattahoochee Police
Department, the Tallahassee Police Department, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, the Calhoun County
Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Florida Air National Guard
Counterdrug Program. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric
Mountin.

The OCDETF approach to combating drug trafficking is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt and dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize its assets.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Timothy J. Smith, 42, of Mobile, Alabama, was found guilty by a federal jury late Tuesday evening in the United States District Court in Pensacola of charges of theft of trade secrets and interstate extortionate communications. Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the
Northern District of Florida, announced the verdict today.

During trial, the jury received evidence that Smith was a software engineer in Mobile, Alabama.
StrikeLines, the victim in the case, is a Pensacola based company that uses commercial side scan sonar equipment to locate fishing reefs in the Gulf of Mexico and sells the coordinates using an interactive map on their website. StrikeLines also provides public coordinates for free to those interested in finding valuable spots to fish in the Gulf.

The evidence showed that, between April and November 2018, Smith obtained private information valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars from the local company by using sophisticated cyber techniques in order to gain the trade secrets and decrypt information of the company from its website. After hearing how Smith stole private sonar coordinates of reefs, the jury received testimony and exhibits showing how Smith then tried to extort the two owners of StrikeLines for more valuable fishing coordinates. During this entire time frame, the victims did not even know who
Smith was or why he was trying to harm them.

U.S. Attorney Keefe said: “The U.S. Attorney’s Office takes very seriously cyber crimes of all kinds, ranging from protecting our national security to the secrets of private companies. In our increasingly online society, cyber security is vital to all of us as we conduct Internet transactions and conversations so that we can be confident our identities and personal information are protected. Our office is pleased that the jury held the defendant to account for victimizing a small local business.”

The maximum penalties Smith now faces are up to 10 years in prison for the theft of trade secrets, and up to 2 years in prison for interstate extortionate communications.  The sentencing is scheduled for February 18, 2020, at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney
David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case as he is the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property
Coordinator and National Security Cyber Specialist for the Northern District of Florida.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

                Over $13.3 Million Will Support Crime-Fighting Efforts in the Northern District of Florida

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – The Department of Justice announced that it has awarded more than $376 million in grant funding to enhance state, local, and tribal law enforcement operations and to reinforce public safety efforts in jurisdictions across the United States. The awards, made by the
Department’s Office of Justice Programs, include $13,363,425 to support public safety activities the Northern District of Florida.

“Crime and violence hold families, friends, and neighborhoods hostage, and they rip communities apart,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “These programs help restore the health and safety of crime-ravaged communities by supporting prevention activities, aiding in the apprehension and prosecution of perpetrators, facilitating appropriate sentencing and adjudication, and providing communities and their residents the means for recovery and healing.”

The awards announced support an array of crime-fighting initiatives, including the quarter- billion-dollar Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grants Program, which funds public safety efforts in
929 state, local, and tribal jurisdictions. Funding also supports sex offender registration and notification, law enforcement-based victim services, the testing of sexual assault kits, and programs designed to address youth with sexual behavioral problems. Other awards will focus on wrongful convictions, intellectual property enforcement, innovative prosecution strategies and the safety and effectiveness of corrections systems.

“The vast majority of law enforcement in our country is conducted at the local level, strongly supported by federal partners. This is especially true in the Northern District of Florida, where we have forged strong partnerships will local agencies, and these grants will strengthen efforts to protect law-abiding citizens across the district,” said Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The following awards were made to organizations in the Northern District of Florida:

Bay County Commission - $25,724

City of Gainesville - $106,527

City of Panama City - $22,911

City of Pensacola - $25,219

City of Tallahassee - $153,335

Escambia County - $114,870

Escambia County Commissioners - $168,516

Florida Department of Law Enforcement - 10,551,399

Institute for Intergovernmental Research, Tallahassee - $500,000 and $1,607,819

Okaloosa County - $39,716

Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office - $16,276

Wakulla County Sheriff's Office - $19,140

Walton County Sheriff's Office - $11,973

For more information about OJP awards, visit the OJP Awards Data webpage.

The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine
T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training and technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims, and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information about
OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern
District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Robert Patrick Jensen, 49, of Gulf Breeze, Florida, entered a guilty plea last
Friday to the charges of acquiring controlled substances by fraud, and using a means of identification of another person in connection to the offense of acquiring controlled substances by fraud. The guilty plea was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern
District of Florida.

Documents introduced at the time of the guilty plea allege that between December 3, 2014, and July
7, 2016, on at least 35 separate occasions, Jensen presented fraudulent prescriptions to various pharmacies in the Santa Rosa County area to obtain tramadol and dextroamphetamine. During that time, Jensen worked as a physician at a medical facility in Gulf Breeze and shared office space with other physicians. Jensen forged another physician’s signature or used the physician’s pre-signed prescriptions without the physician’s authorization. On each occasion, Jensen used a means of identification of the physician without the physician’s authorization, namely, the physician’s specifically assigned Drug Enforcement Administration Registration number, to acquire tramadol and dextroamphetamine. In total, between the above-mentioned dates, Jensen used fraudulent prescriptions to acquire approximately 8,820 tramadol pills of varying strengths and approximately
180 dextroaphmetamine 30 mg pills.

Jensen faces up to four years’ imprisonment for the charge of acquiring controlled substances by fraud, and up to twenty years’ imprisonment for the charge of using a means of identification of another person in connection to the offense of acquiring controlled substances by fraud.  Jensen is scheduled to be sentenced on February 4, 2020.

“Society places a large measure of trust in the hands of licensed physicians, and it’s profoundly disturbing when a respected professional abuses that trust to illegally obtain controlled substances," U.S. Attorney Keefe said. “In addition, this doctor’s actions undermined the trust placed in him by his fellow physicians, pharmacists, and others in the medical profession.”

This case resulted from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Santa Rosa
County Sheriff’s Office, and the Gulf Breeze Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney J.
Ryan Love is prosecuting the case.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA – Two former ranking City of Lynn Haven officials, including the city manager, have been indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiring with three local business executives to process some $5 million in fraudulent invoices for Hurricane Michael cleanup work that was not performed. Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the indictments of former Lynn Haven City Manager Michael Edward White, 46; Lynn Haven Community
Services Director David Wayne Horton, 55; Erosion Control Specialists (ECS) owner David Mitchelle
White, 38; Greenleaf Lawn Care of Bay County owner Joshua Daniel Anderson, 43; and Shannon Delores
Rodriguez, a/k/a Shannon Delores Harris, 37, all of Panama City.

The 35-count indictment charges the defendants with conspiring to commit wire fraud, substantive counts of wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Michael White and Horton are also charged with substantive counts of theft concerning programs receiving Federal funds and honest services fraud. Michael White and David White are also charged with filing false claims to the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Horton is also charged with mail fraud concerning the defrauding of an insurance company.

“The greatest cost of public corruption is the potential widespread loss of public trust in our government. It is a dangerous virus that threatens to infect public service and public trust in it, and we are committed to stop the spread of that virus of corruption,” said Keefe, who last week announced indictments in an unrelated public corruption case. “Preventing, pursuing, prosecuting and punishing public corruption is among our highest priorities. The common thread in today’s case and in last week’s case is simply this: an egregious abuse of power and position by people in public service who betrayed their sacred duties – and those who sought to illegally scheme and conspire with them – to breach the public’s trust.”

“Abusing one's position for personal gain – especially in a time of crisis – is a blatant disregard to the oath that every government official takes,” said Rachel L. Rojas, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division.  “Federal assistance programs are established to help  individuals, families, and businesses that have suffered tremendous loss, and abusing these programs is egregious.  The FBI is committed to protecting these programs from fraud to ensure that honest citizens can receive the assistance they deserve when they need a helping hand the most."

“The Bay County Sheriff's Office will stand firm against corruption, and will continue to work with our partners in the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold those who would tarnish the reputation of Bay County accountable for their actions," Sheriff Tommy Ford said. "As Sheriff of
Bay County, I remain unwavering in my commitment to dedicate the resources needed to continue this fight against corruption."

The five defendants were arrested by agents and deputies of the Bay County Sherriff’s Office this morning. Michael White was arrested in Albertville, Alabama. The remaining defendants were arrested in Bay County.

The indictment alleges that after Hurricane Michael, on October 16, 2018, the City of Lynn Haven adopted a local state of emergency for post-disaster relief and planning and approved a resolution waiving the procedures and formalities otherwise required under Florida law to take action to ensure the safety, welfare, and health of the citizens of Lynn Haven. This included entering into contracts, incurring obligations, and expending public funds. The resolution delegated emergency powers to the mayor of Lynn Haven, or her designee City Manager Michael White, to discharge the duties and exercise powers for the post-hurricane activities. The emergency declaration was ended by Lynn Haven two weeks later. City Manager White entered into an emergency agreement with David
White and ECS to perform services for Lynn Haven related to post-hurricane assistance, with the understanding that invoices submitted for payment to Lynn Haven would be submitted to FEMA for reimbursement.

The indictment alleges that David White used ECS and Anderson used Greenleaf as a means to fraudulently obtain money from Lynn Haven by submitting invoices requesting payment for services allegedly provided by ECS and Greenleaf to the city, but which were false and fraudulent as to a number of material matters. City Manager White approved all ECS and Greenleaf invoices and directed city employees to immediately pay ECS and Greenleaf for those invoices. Horton also approved payment of these invoices and approved timesheets of employees that were submitted in support of
ECS and Greenleaf invoices to Lynn Haven and were then provided to FEMA. Horton also falsely verified the attendance of ECS employees at various claimed work locations in Lynn Haven. Lynn
Haven was defrauded of approximately $5 million.

The indictment also alleges that when ECS invoices were being assembled for submission to FEMA by
Lynn Haven for reimbursement, it was discovered that most of the ECS invoices that had been paid provided no details in support of the requested payments. When directed to provide supporting documentation for the monies requested and already paid, David White submitted false time sheets prepared by Rodriguez. The time sheets were false and fraudulent in that they included names of individuals who had not worked at the claimed location(s), were off that day, worked at other projects outside Lynn Haven, or had never worked for ECS at the time of the timesheet.
Additionally, in many invoices, the specific Lynn Haven locations of work claimed to have been done by ECS were false. Horton approved and falsely verified the timesheets claiming attendance of ECS workers at various Lynn Haven locations.

The indictment also alleges that David White billed Lynn Haven for clean-up activities by individuals  who  were  Greenleaf  employees,  working  out  of  ECS.  Anderson simultaneously submitted a false invoice to Lynn Haven for $50,004 for alleged debris cleanup at the same Lynn Haven locations. Michael White approved the payment to Anderson and issued a handwritten Lynn Haven check to Greenleaf totaling $66,402.58, which included $16,398.58 for alleged lawn services provided by Greenleaf after the hurricane.

The indictment alleges that ECS invoices were submitted to Lynn Haven for payment of services that were not authorized under the emergency contract and were for personal residences of some Lynn
Haven officials. These officials included Michael White and Horton. The performance of ECS post-hurricane debris removal and repairs at the residences of some Lynn Haven officials was concealed and not disclosed in the ECS invoices submitted by David White and approved by Michael
White, who caused Lynn Haven to pay the invoices.

The indictment also alleges that Michael White and Horton located numerous projects for ECS to handle that were outside the activities described in the Emergency Agreement. City Manager White and Horton had ECS employees wrap Christmas gifts, prepare locations for a Halloween party, and other miscellaneous acts that were not authorized under any agreement with Lynn Haven. Then, David
White submitted invoices that did not describe the actual activities performed, but instead falsely claimed the work was debris removal or cleaning activities in Lynn Haven. David White billed Lynn
Haven for a minimum of $35.00 per hour for ECS employees plus an ECS supervisor at $90 per hour for these unauthorized activities. Michael White approved these false invoices.

According to the charges, after the initial declaration of an emergency by Lynn Haven had been revoked and expired, Michael White and Horton sought to locate additional Lynn Haven projects that could provide money to David White and Anderson. One project was for ECS to conduct trash pickup, using a pickup truck and a trailer, at a cost of $300 per hour per crew throughout Lynn Haven. This action was implemented despite the ability of Lynn Haven waste trucks to pick up large amounts of household trash and deposit large amounts of trash at the dump at no increased cost to Lynn Haven.
False invoices were submitted by ECS for claimed trash pickup. For example, the indictment charges that a false invoice for hurricane cleanup in the amount of $332,387.76 was submitted to Lynn Haven by David White that falsely claimed trash pickup was conducted by ECS during a 14-day period starting on October 18, 2018. No documentation was submitted in support of this invoice. The claimed trash pickup did not occur, and there was no record of any trash being dumped at the Bay
County refuse location, City Manager White had not obtained approval from Bay County for ECS to use the account of Lynn Haven to dump items at the Bay County facility until at least October 31, 2018.

Another example of the fraud concerning trash pickups charged in the indictment came three months after Hurricane Michael, when a false invoice for hurricane cleanup in the amount of
$479,020.68 was submitted to Lynn Haven by David White that falsely claimed trash pickup was conducted by ECS during a 13-day period starting the day after New Year’s Day. The invoice also falsely claimed that between 11 and 13 crews were used to collect trash daily. The invoice falsely claimed trash pickup during this period totaling $32,278.68 per day for five days, $38,878.44 per day for seven days, and $45,478.20 for the last day. City Manager White approved and caused the payment of this invoice.

The indictment further alleges that while David White and ECS were providing services to Lynn
Haven, Michael White received things of value from David White, including repairs to, and debris removal from, the City Manager’s residence in Lynn Haven and his farm located outside Lynn Haven in
Bay County, and $300,000 for the purchase of Michael White’s farm and an automobile.  The repairs to, and debris removal from, the residence and farm of Michael White were billed to Lynn Haven with false invoices submitted by David White to Lynn Haven that falsely stated the work had been performed at locations in Lynn Haven. Michael White directed City employees to pay the invoices. Also, during the sale of Michael White’s farm to David White, Michael White solicited David White to provide bids for projects at specific prices for work at City parks, and to provide additional false bids, which David White did.

Similarly, the indictment alleges that while David White and ECS were providing services to Lynn
Haven, Horton received things of value from David White, including repairs to, and debris removal from, Horton’s residence in Lynn Haven. Additionally, Horton accepted payment of some of his travel, lodging, meals, entertainment, and food from David White on multiple occasions while David
White was providing services to Lynn Haven, and Horton was approving the invoices for payment and falsely verifying ECS timesheets claiming attendance of workers at City locations. Additionally, Horton sent a text message to David White requesting an invoice from ECS for work done at Horton’s residence after the hurricane, and instructed the invoice to be at least $3,500, if not more. David
White then provided to Horton an ECS invoice for $9,600 that was falsely marked, “Paid in Full.”
Horton submitted this invoice to an insurance company in support of his insurance claim for $9,600.
Horton had not paid ECS or David White any money at the time that Horton submitted the invoice as proof of his claim to an insurance company. The City had unwittingly paid ECS for the work on
Horton’s house through a false invoice.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bay County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen M. Kunz.

The maximum terms of imprisonment for the offenses are as follows: -     Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Wire Fraud, Honest Services Fraud, Mail Fraud, and Conspiracy to
       Commit Money Laundering: 20 years
-     Theft Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds: 10 years
-     Filing False Claims To Agency of the United States: 5 years

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA – A federal grand jury in Tallahassee has returned a far-reaching indictment that unveils a criminal network of 29 people who actively worked to defraud the federal government and taxpayers of hundreds of thousands of dollars. At the helm of the scheme, a County Executive
Director of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency is charged with orchestrating a broad-based conspiracy to steal government drought assistance funds and hide the actions through identify theft, tax evasion, and other federal crimes with a criminal network of more than two dozen other people.

The indictment, announced today by Lawrence Keefe, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of
Florida as part of a crackdown by his office’s enhanced Public Trust Unit, produced a sweeping roundup of 29 current and former federal, state, and local officials and local business people all connected in the scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The indictment alleges that Farm Service Agency director Duane Edward Crawson, 43, Bonifay, Florida, led the conspiracy that included a former Holmes County Clerk of Court and numerous other individuals who had served in positions of public trust and others in a variety of occupations.
Charges include conspiracy to commit wire fraud, theft of government funds, aggravated identity theft, income tax evasion, and obstruction of Internal Revenue laws.

“These individuals betrayed their duty as public servants and as citizens in a shallow but breathtakingly bold effort to lie, cheat, and steal from their fellow citizens and our federal government,” said Keefe. “This pattern of shameless criminality strikes at the very heart of our system of self-government and undermines public trust in the integrity of our basic institutions.
The United States Attorney’s Office and all our law enforcement partners will be relentless in pursuing and prosecuting all such violations of public trust.”

The indictment alleges that between May and December 2017, Crawson -- while employed as the County
Executive Director of the USDA’s Farm Service Agency for Bay, Holmes, and Washington counties in
Florida -- devised a kickback scheme in which he and his co-conspirators unlawfully obtained approximately $373,483 in taxpayer funds by submitting fraudulent drought assistance claims.

Crawson is alleged to have submitted fraudulent claims for livestock and farmland parcels that were not actually owned or leased by the conspirators, resulting in drought assistance funds being deposited into the conspirators’ bank accounts. The co-conspirators are alleged to have paid
Crawson a portion of the fraud proceeds in the form of cash kickbacks.

The defendants’ trial is scheduled for January 6, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. at the United States
Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida.

Each defendant faces the following potential penalties: - Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud: a maximum of 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
-     Theft of Government Funds: a maximum of 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

Besides Crawson, the defendants are:

•    Jeremiah Joe Rolling, 43, of Westville, Florida;       Investigator – Office of the State Public Defender

•    Jordan Ryan Hicks, 36, of Ponce De Leon, Florida;       Former Florida Department of Corrections Officer

•    Davey Eugene Mancill, 44, of Westville, Florida;       Mancill Masonry, LLC

•    James Stacey Paul, 46, of Bonifay, Florida;       Public Works - City of Bonifay, Florida

•    Kyle Martin Hudson, 39, of Westville, Florida;       Former Holmes County Clerk of Court

•    Christopher Marion Ammons, 31, of Ponce De Leon, Florida;       Heavy Equipment Operator

•    Danyel Michelle Witt, 44, of Bonifay, Florida;       Clerk – United States Postal Service

•    Sheryl Day Gillman, 52, of Bonifay, Florida;       Secretary - Florida Farm Bureau

•    Shyloe Rose Sachse, 40, of Bonifay, Florida;       Former Corrections Officer

•    Tillman Douglas Mears, 30, of Bonifay, Florida;       Public Works - City of Bonifay, Florida

•    Dawn Marie Crutchfield, 48, of Bonifay, Florida;       Medical Assitant

•    Justin Mikel Chopelas, 21, of Fayetteville, North Carolina;       Construction

•    Ronald Ryan Roof, 23, of Westville, Florida;       Specialist – Army National Guard

•    Megan Leann Roof, 22, of Caryville, Florida;       Hotel Clerk

•    Billy Coal Bradshaw, 35, of Bonifay, Florida;       Auto Parts Employee

•    James Erwin Mancill, 48, of Bonifay, Florida;       Auto Parts Employee

•    Joseph Matthew Crowder, 47, of Caryville, Florida;       Brick Mason – Mancill Masonry, LLC

•    Audrey Lynn Smith, 32, of Caryville, Florida;       Convenience Store Clerk

•    Brian Anthony Ammons, 44, of Ponce De Leon, Florida;       Heavy Equipment Operator

•    Taylor Ward Stripling, 28, of Westville, Florida;       Farm Laborer

•    Dawn Marie Roof, 44, of Chipley, Florida;       Licensed Practical Nurse

•    Daniel Olajuwon Boston, 33, of Chipley, Florida;       Brick Mason – Mancill Masonry, LLC

•    Chassity Lynn Lee, 31, of Bonifay, Florida;       Auto Parts Employee

•    Jennifer Marie McCabe, 30, of Bonifay, Florida;       Holmes County Council on Aging

•    Justina Rae Williams, 30, of Caryville, Florida;       Unemployed

•    Joseph Bailey Alexander, 22, of Chipley, Florida;       Poker Dealer

•    Douglas Edward Mixon, 60, of Westville, Florida;       Farmer

•    Dwayne Frazier White, 49, of Bonifay, Florida
      Former City of Bonifay Police Officer

Duane Crawson, Davey Mancill, James Paul, and Danyel Witt face an additional charge of aggravated identity theft, which carries a penalty of a minimum 2 years imprisonment consecutive to any other term of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. In addition, Crawson also faces charges of income tax evasion, carrying a maximum of 5 years imprisonment and a $100,000 fine; and obstruction of Internal Revenue laws, carrying a maximum of 3 years imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.

“The Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) was created to help stabilize the U.S. livestock industry and support producers whose grazing lands were significantly damaged by drought.
Those involved in fraud and abuse of USDA farm programs will be investigated by our office to the fullest extent. This is particularly applicable for USDA employees who violate the trust vested in them by American taxpayers,” said U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General
Special Agent-in-Charge Bethanne M. Dinkins. “In this joint investigation with the Internal Revenue
Service-Criminal Investigation, we worked together to identify those who sought to profit from the
LFP through illegal schemes. The USDA Office of Inspector General will continue to dedicate investigative resources and work with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of these programs and bring to justice those who commit fraud.”

The indictment culminates a 20-month investigation conducted by a partnership of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors at all levels of government, including the United States Department of
Agriculture-Office of Inspector General and the Internal Revenue Service- Criminal Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorney Jason R. Coody is prosecuting the case.

“Those who violate their oaths and abuse positions of trust in our community do so out of greed.
IRS Special Agents are uniquely skilled to follow the money trail and bring to light financial transactions conducted in such ways as to stay undetected,” stated Ron Loecker, Assistant Special
Agent in Charge for IRS Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office. “IRS is a committed partner of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Public Integrity Unit and we stand ready to ensure our public officials work honestly in communities throughout northern Florida.”

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe, of the Northern District of Florida, announced today that David C. Williams, 41, a Pensacola massage parlor business operator, pled guilty to charges of using interstate facilities for purposes of racketeering, transporting females for purposes of prostitution, harboring illegal aliens for commercial advantage or private financial gain, and being involved in a money laundering conspiracy.

Williams was arrested by the FBI in August of this year in connection with his operation of multiple Asian massage parlors in Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Along with the arrest of
Williams on these federal charges, over a dozen search warrants were executed at massage parlors linked to Williams in these three states. This included multiple federal search warrants in
Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, and Gainesville, all of which are located in the Northern District of
Florida. Over half a dozen seizure warrants were also executed on bank accounts linked to Williams.

“Human trafficking is high on the list of the most heinous crimes because its perpetrators treat people as property to be abused and monetized. Consequently, this office, and all of our law enforcement partners, will be vigilant and diligent in the prevention, pursuit, prosecution, and punishment of human trafficking,” stated United States Attorney Keefe.

During his guilty plea, Williams admitted operating Asian massage parlors that maintained Chinese females illegally present in the United States who were offering sexual acts at the parlors in return for money. The investigation revealed that Williams was using the now defunct website
“Backpage.com” to run tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of advertisements for his illicit businesses. Records obtained from financial institutions and airlines also confirmed that
Williams paid for the travel of the Chinese females throughout the United States and, particularly, to locations where he maintained illicit massage parlors. The records from financial institutions also revealed that Williams and his conspirators laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars through bank accounts that were opened in nominee names in an effort to distance Williams from the illegal activity.

“Human trafficking is a crime that happens all around us, often in plain sight, impacting the safety of our neighborhoods and our quality of life,” said Rachel L. Rojas, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “When human beings are treated as commodities, they are not only being abused physically, but emotionally and financially as well. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to collaborate at every level to disrupt and dismantle organizations responsible for this illegal activity."

“Tracing money obtained as the result of criminal acts is the specialty of IRS Criminal
Investigation agents, and to be able to do so in the aid of victims of human trafficking is additionally rewarding,” stated Mary Hammond, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal
Investigation’s Tamp Field Office. “Criminal enterprises such as this one are a blight in the communities in which they operate.”

“This criminal was profiting off human lives,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in
Charge K. Jim Phillips. “Human trafficking is a complicated, intricate crime and HSI has made it a priority to work with all our law enforcement partners to identify these perpetrators and bring them to justice.”

Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case following a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal
Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the
Pennsylvania State Police, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s
Office, the Gainesville Police Department, the Clearwater Police Department, the Florida State
Attorney’s Office, and the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Pennsylvania.

Williams faces up to ten years’ imprisonment on charges related to transporting females for purposes of prostitution and harboring them for financial gain. He also faces up to five years’ imprisonment for racketeering conduct and up to twenty additional years’ imprisonment for engaging in a money laundering conspiracy. As part of his guilty plea, Williams will also forfeit over
$125,000 in currency that was seized from his massage parlor locations and related bank accounts.
Sentencing has been set for February 7, 2020, at 1:00 pm at the United States Courthouse in
Pensacola.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of
Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

 Initiative emphasizes enforcing gun prohibitions based on domestic violence convictions and mental health denials                             

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

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

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

“The most effective way to reduce gun violence is through partnerships – federal, state, and local agencies working together to effectively enforce the laws,” said Lawrence Keefe, United States
Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. “This strategy has been successful in this area, including such cooperative initiatives as ALLinLEON and Protect Pensacola, which are making a meaningful difference to reduce gun violence in those communities. Project Guardian will go even further to enhance public safety.”

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

     Project Guardian’s implementation is based on five principles:

1) Coordinated Prosecution. Federal prosecutors and law enforcement will coordinate with state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecutors to consider potential federal prosecution for new cases involving a defendant who: a) was arrested in possession of a firearm; b) is believed to have used a firearm in committing a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime prosecutable in federal court; or c) is suspected of actively committing violent crime(s) in the community on behalf of a criminal organization.

2) Enforcing the Background Check System. United States Attorneys, in consultation with the Special
Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in their district, will create new, or review existing, guidelines for intake and prosecution of federal cases involving false statements (including lie-and-try, lie-and-buy, and straw purchasers) made during the acquisition or attempted acquisition of firearms from Federal Firearms Licensees.

Particular emphasis is placed on individuals convicted of violent felonies or misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence, individuals subject to protective orders, and individuals who are fugitives where the underlying offense is a felony or misdemeanor crime of domestic violence; individuals suspected of involvement in criminal organizations or of providing firearms to criminal organizations; and individuals involved in repeat denials.

3) Improved Information Sharing. On a regular basis, and as often as practicable given current technical limitations, ATF will provide to state law enforcement fusion centers a report listing individuals for whom the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) has issued denials, including the basis for the denial, so that state and local law enforcement can take appropriate steps under their laws.

4) Coordinated Response to Mental Health Denials. Each United States Attorney will ensure that whenever there is federal case information regarding individuals who are prohibited from possessing a firearm under the mental health prohibition, such information continues to be entered timely and accurately into the United States Attorneys’ Offices’ case-management system for prompt submission to NICS. ATF should engage in additional outreach to state and local law enforcement on how to use this denial information to better assure public safety.

Additionally, United States Attorneys will consult with relevant district stakeholders to assess feasibility of adopting disruption of early engagement programs to address mental- health-prohibited individuals who attempt to acquire a firearm. United States Attorneys should consider, when appropriate, recommending court-ordered mental health treatment for any sentences issued to individuals prohibited based on mental health.

5) Crime Gun Intelligence Coordination. Federal, state, local, and tribal prosecutors and law enforcement will work together to ensure effective use of the ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Centers
(CGICs), and all related resources, to maximize the use of modern intelligence tools and technology. These tools can greatly enhance the speed and effectiveness in identifying trigger-pullers and finding their guns, but the success depends in large part on state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners sharing ballistic evidence and firearm recovery data with the ATF.

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

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern
District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida Lawrence Keefe today announced the extradition of Adedeji Adeniran, a national of Nigeria, to the Northern
District Florida.

On Nov. 2, 2019, Nigeria extradited Adeniran, age 56, to the Northern District of Florida. He arrived in the United States on Nov. 3. Adeniran was the leader of a criminal group that committed a large bank fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud conspiracy that involved a loss of $4.1 million and involved 42 victim financial institutions. Between 2002 and 2004, members of the criminal group fraudulently obtained the identities of others and opened numerous bank accounts in the United
States. The group members deposited counterfeited or forged checks into those accounts and then wired the proceeds of the fraud to Hong Kong, Turkey, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates. The criminal group consisted of three cells, one in New York City, one in Chicago, and one in South
Florida. Adeniran is alleged to be the leader of the South Florida cell and coordinated the opening of fraudulent bank accounts, the deposit of forged or counterfeit checks into the accounts, the issuance of fraudulent checks and debit card withdrawals from the fraudulent accounts, and the transfer of monies to other accounts within and outside the United States. On May 2, 2005, a grand jury in the Northern District of Florida returned a 27-count indictment charging eight defendants with conspiracy to commit bank, mail, and wire fraud, and 26 counts of bank fraud. Adeniran is charged in 20 counts of the indictment. Adeniran fled the United States in 2005 and has remained a fugitive until this year. Based upon an extradition request of the United States, a Nigerian court issued a warrant for Adeniran’s arrest on Oct. 23, 2018. Adeniran was arrested by Nigerian authorities on March 21, 2019, and bail was denied.
Adeniran was found extraditable on May 21, 2019.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice issued a final surrender order on
Oct. 17, 2019, and Nigeria surrendered Adeniran to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Adeniran was arraigned in federal court on Nov. 4, 2019, at the U.S. Courthouse in
Tallahassee.

Adeniran is set for trial on Jan. 6, 2020, at 8:15 a.m. at the U.S. Courthouse in Tallahassee.

Adeniran faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine, and five years’ supervised release, on each of the 20 charged counts.

On March 30, 2006, while Adeniran was a fugitive outside the United States, the United States obtained the forfeiture of Adeniran’s residence in Miramar, Florida.

Five co-conspirators named in the indictment have previously pleaded guilty:

• Daphnee Philias pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud on Sept. 7, 2005.
• Stephen Adetona pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of bank fraud on
Sept. 13, 2005.
• Adeyinka Olushola Cheese pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud on Nov. 10, 2005.
• Fatai Taiwo pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud on Feb. 27, 2006.
• Anthony Goldman pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud on April 13, 2006.

Two other defendants remain fugitives.

This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Kunz is prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal
Division provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s extradition from Nigeria.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Mary E. Forehand, 40, of Tallahassee, Florida, has been sentenced to serve
15 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“Working together, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and federal agencies removed a serious and dangerous drug criminal from the streets of the community,” said U.S. Attorney Keefe. “Our agencies are committed to using our resources to assist local law enforcement however we can to enhance public safety.”

The charges arose from a joint investigation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the United
States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, who were investigating methamphetamine distribution in Northeast Tallahassee. Forehand was a target of the investigation based on prior information that she had been selling methamphetamine in the area for a considerable length of time. Law enforcement officers observed several purchases at a residence and obtained a warrant last November. A search of the residence turned up several ounces of methamphetamine, drug-trafficking paraphernalia, and two loaded firearms near the front door – a .22-caliber rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun.

“This sentencing is another example of how strong law enforcement partnerships impacted both violence and drug trafficking in our continued efforts to protect the public”, said ATF Special
Agent in Charge Daryl McCrary, “Our strong law enforcement partnerships continue to mitigate nefarious individuals from committing further acts of violence in communities”

Sheriff Walt McNeil said, “It’s partnerships like these that our community needs to help root out the drug problem in Leon County. Your local, state, and federal law enforcement are going All In to get those who continue to do harm in our community off the streets.”

Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Grogan prosecuted the case, which resulted in a guilty plea by Forehand. She was sentenced on October 28.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attor  ey’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

    BLAST (Building Lasting Relationships Between Police and Community) Program
Brings Law Enforcement and Communities Together

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Four of the region’s top law enforcement officials will speak with students at Rickards High School this Wednesday, November 6, as part of the police- community BLAST Program.
United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil, Tallahassee Police Chief
Steve Outlaw, and State Attorney Jack Campbell all will participate in the BLAST event that offers students an opportunity to meet representatives of the criminal justice community to ask questions, share their perceptions of law enforcement, and positively interact in a familiar setting.

During the four-hour program at Rickards, law enforcement officers will provide students with their perspective on responding to dangerous or uncertain circumstances and the importance of remaining calm and following the officers’ directions in these situations. Members of the media are welcome to attend and photograph/video most demonstrations of the BLAST (Building Lasting Relationships
Between Police and Community) Program demonstrations.

“This laudable program encourages productive interactions between citizens and officers to improve our community,” said Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, who will be one of the participants in the Tallahassee program. “Public safety is significantly enhanced when residents and law enforcement work as partners, and the BLAST Program is an excellent way to replace misgivings and apprehension with familiarity and trust.”

Agencies participating in the program include the ATF, DEA, FBI, United States Marshals Service, United States Secret Service, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, the Tallahassee Police
Department, and the Florida Highway Patrol.

Event:                         BLAST Program

Location:            James S. Rickards High School 3013 Jim Lee Road Tallahassee, FL 32301

Date:                           Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Time:                          9:15 am – 1:30 pm EST

Media:                       Please RSVP to USAFLN.Press.Office@usdoj.gov if you plan to attend.

The BLAST Program schedule will include the following discussion sessions, during which students will have a chance to participate in role-play with law enforcement officers. (Students with media permissions will be identified.)

• Federal Crimes Scenario: Students will evaluate video scenarios and learn about each phase of a federal criminal case, including investigation, prosecution, and sentencing. This session is open to the media, and videography and photography are permitted.

•  Domestic Violence Response / K-9 Demonstration: Students will participate in a scenario in which law enforcement officers respond to a domestic disturbance. Discussion includes the challenges officers’ face, rights of witnesses and suspects, and benefits of providing information to law enforcement.
This session is open to the media, and videography and photography are permitted.

• Traffic Stop Simulation: Students and officers engage, alternating the roles of civilians and officers, conducting a traffic stop. Discussion includes de-escalation and the uncertainty officers and vehicle occupants face during a traffic stop.
This session is open to the media, and videography and photography are permitted.

•  Use of Force: Facilitators and students will discuss when law enforcement officers may  use force and an officer’s reaction time when confronted with a life-threatening situation. This session is closed to the media. Reporters may try the simulator equipment after the event ends.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern
District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

 

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA –Lawrence Keefe, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, today announced the convictions of Erik M. Schabert, 48, a physician, and his ex-wife, Mika Kamissa Harris, 49, both of Gainesville, Florida, on health care fraud and money laundering charges involving more than $8 million. The convictions came after a three-week federal jury trial that involved more than 45 witnesses and over 850 exhibits introduced into evidence.

The jury heard evidence that, while owning and operating Reliant Family Practice in Gainesville, Harris and Schabert attempted to defraud health care benefit programs of more than $8 million by submitting fraudulent claims. Evidence showed that between January 2013 and July 2016, Reliant Family Practice received $4.4 million from Medicare and Blue Cross Blue Shield for chemical peels and dermabrasions following false diagnoses of rosacea and actinic keratosis. The jury heard evidence that Harris engaged in numerous financial transactions in which she laundered approximately $3.1 million dollars in proceeds from the health care fraud scheme.

"Americans struggle every day with the high costs of health care, and they are as much the victims of this kind of fraud scheme as the programs that suffered financial losses," Keefe said. "These convictions were the result of a concerted effort by federal law enforcement, and the United States Attorney’s Office will pursue these types of criminals as aggressively and diligently as possible."

"It’s not every day you see a crime so audacious that it results in a 90-count guilty verdict, but Erik Schabert and Mika Kamissa Harris earned their fate. Through a sizeable fraud scheme, these two offenders cheated federal health care programs and used the ill-gotten proceeds to fund their own lavish lifestyle," said Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. "Our agents, working diligently with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate such costly schemes to bring such criminals to justice."

Schabert was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care or wire fraud and 24 counts of health care fraud. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy and 10 years in prison for each of the health care fraud convictions.  Harris was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care or wire fraud and 49 counts of health care fraud.  Additionally, she was convicted of 40 counts of money laundering as a result of spending the fraudulently obtained proceeds on such things as paying off her home mortgage, adding a swimming pool and other home improvements, obtaining plastic surgery, and funding an annuity for herself.  Harris faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy, 10 years in prison for each of the health care fraud convictions, and 10 years in prison for each of the money laundering convictions.  Sentencing is scheduled for January 27, 2020, at 2:30 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville.

"The FBI views health care fraud as a severe problem that impacts every American," said Rachel L. Rojas, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. "Fraud and abuse take critical resources out of our health care system, and contribute to the rising cost of health care for everyone. This case is the result of a multi-agency investigation into a complex scheme, and the FBI and our partners will continue to allocate significant resources to investigate these crimes and prosecute those who defraud the American public."

Assistant United States Attorneys Justin M. Keen and Frank T. Williams prosecuted the case, which was jointly investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service– Criminal Investigation.

"The jury verdict represents one of the largest convictions of its kind in Gainesville and could have only been accomplished by the tremendous effort of all the agencies involved, to include the extensive cooperation of Blue Cross and Blue Shield," stated Ronald A. Loecker, Acting Special Agent in Charge for IRS Criminal Investigation. "Our agents, who are experts at following the money, provided a financial road map for the jury to see how the defendants profited from their extensive fraud. We will continue to provide our expert financial skills to investigating the most egregious crimes in an effort to protect the taxpayers and victims of fraud."

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe, of the Northern District of Florida, announced that on Tuesday of this week, Kiondi E. Jones, 36, of Pensacola, was found guilty by a
Pensacola federal jury on multiple charges involving drug trafficking and illegal firearms possession.

Evidence at trial revealed that on November 9, 2018, the Narcotics Unit of the Pensacola Police
Department executed a lawful search warrant at a residence on West Belmont Street in Pensacola.
Upon knocking and announcing their presence to execute the warrant, Jones jumped out of his bedroom window in an attempt to flee capture. Officers with the Pensacola Police Department were stationed as perimeter security and captured Jones as he attempted to make flight. Jones left behind in his bedroom trafficking amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana. In his bedroom, law enforcement also located a digital scale used to weigh the illicit drugs for distribution, adulterant to volumize the drugs for larger sale quantities, and hundreds of dollars in United
States currency.

The Pensacola Police Department also seized a loaded Colt .45 caliber pistol from Jones’s bedroom that was located next to the drugs and currency. The firearm was being used to protect the drug distribution business Jones was operating from the residence. Jones, who is a multi- convicted felon, did not have the right to lawfully possess this firearm nor the extra boxes of ammunition found in the bedroom. Jones has prior state court convictions for crimes such a drug trafficking, resisting arrest, and tampering with evidence.

“We are grateful for the work of the Pensacola Police Department and the effort of the men and women of the police force who risk their lives executing judicially authorized search warrants in an effort to combat illegal drug trafficking and firearm possession in our community,” said United
States Attorney Keefe. “As demonstrated by this prosecution, federal law enforcement working side-by-side with Pensacola Police Department is making the community safer.”

Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Kaitlin Weiss are prosecuting the case following a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the
Pensacola Police Department.

Based upon his multiple prior state court felony convictions, Jones faces up to thirty years’ imprisonment on the drug trafficking charges and up to life imprisonment on the firearm charges. A sentencing date has been set for January 21, 2020, at 10:30 am at the United States Courthouse in
Pensacola.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of
Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Ronald Roscoe, 56, of Traverse City, Michigan, was sentenced in federal court today to life in prison for attempted enticement of a minor, travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and transporting material involving sexual exploitation of minors. The sentence was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“It’s hard to imagine the level of depravity that leads someone to try to entice an adolescent into a sexual encounter,” Keefe said. “The depth of moral corruption behind this scheme is the reason the U.S. Attorney’s Office is unyielding in its prosecution of these predators.”

In September 2018, an undercover Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office investigator began chatting online to identify individuals interested in exploiting children. An individual, later identified as Roscoe, sent a private message via a social media platform to the investigator, who was posing as a 12-year-old girl. Over the next month, Roscoe discussed engaging in sexual activity with the investigator posing as the girl and about meeting “her” in Florida.

During the week of October 15, 2018, Roscoe informed the “girl” that he had purchased an airplane ticket to fly from Michigan to Florida to engage in sexual activity with her over the upcoming weekend. Law enforcement located a hotel in Destin where Roscoe had reserved a room. Roscoe was arrested at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport. A search of his cellular telephone revealed child pornography images and videos depicting children under age 12.

“This child predator thought he was traveling to Florida to have sex with a child,” said Micah
McCombs, Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge with Homeland Security Investigations. “Instead, he was stopped by HSI special agents and our partners at the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, highlighting the important work of the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.”

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s
Office, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was prosecuted by First Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Robert Thomas Darenberg, 34, of Jacksonville, was sentenced today to forty-eight months in federal prison for possession of child pornography. The Court ordered that
Darenberg pay $15,000.00 in restitution, serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison term, and register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. Lawrence Keefe, United States
Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence this afternoon.

In November 2018, law enforcement officers received information that Darenberg, then employed as an information technology specialist with the Middle District of Florida’s United States Attorney’s
Office, was in possession of child pornography. During the investigation, Darenberg was arrested on a criminal complaint and a federal search warrant was authorized resulting in the seizure of his personal computer and other digital media. A forensic review of Darenberg’s personal computer confirmed his attempts to encrypt and conceal files containing approximately 1,630 images of child pornography, including approximately 270 videos.

“This information technology specialist thought he could outsmart law enforcement, but thanks to the hard work of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Northern District of Florida United States
Attorney’s Office, and HSI, he is facing the same consequences as every other criminal,” said HSI
Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero.

Added U.S. Attorney Keefe: “Those who possess child pornography enable and participate in a despicable practice that preys on the most innocent among us. There is a special place for that kind of deviant mind – and for this defendant, that place is federal prison.”

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant
United States Attorney Jason R. Coody.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe, of the Northern District of Florida, and Okaloosa County Sheriff Larry Ashley announced today that a federal criminal complaint has been filed against William W. Sims, 23, of Fort Walton Beach. The criminal complaint alleges that Sims surreptitiously entered the vehicle impound lot of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office on or about the early morning hours of September 2, 2019, and broke into a seized Mercedes sports utility vehicle. The complaint alleges that, after retrieving something that was concealed in the seized vehicle, Sims used an accelerant to set the vehicle ablaze in the Sheriff’s Office lot. The fire department was forced to respond to extinguish the blaze.

“Individuals who feel enabled to attack a law enforcement agency present an extreme threat to our communities,” said Sheriff Ashley. “With the arrest of the suspect and the steadfast support of our federal partners and U.S. Attorney Larry Keefe, we are sending a clear message that these individuals will be pursued, apprehended, and ultimately held accountable.”

“When offenders attack a law enforcement agency, they attack the individuals who protect us and help maintain law and order in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Keefe. “The U.S. Attorney’s
Office will use all of the resources at its disposal to vigorously pursue and prosecute those who commit these types of crimes.”

Sims appeared in the United States District Court in Pensacola yesterday and was detained by the
United States Marshals Service pending further proceedings. Assistant United States Attorney David
L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case following a joint investigation by the Okaloosa County
Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of
Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – A federal grand jury in Tallahassee returned an indictment charging former
Holmes County, Florida, Clerk of Court, Kyle Martin Hudson, 39, of Westville, Florida, with wire fraud. The indictment was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern
District of Florida.

“A public office at all levels of government is a sacred public trust and anyone who breaches or betrays that trust will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Keefe. “As the people expect and deserve leaders who do their jobs with honesty and integrity, we will vigorously pursue and prosecute those few who commit crimes and place their self-interest above the public interest.”

The indictment alleges that, between October 2017 and August 2018, Hudson, while employed as the elected Clerk of Court for Holmes County, Florida, fraudulently obtained more than
$6,800 in taxpayer funds through the submission of fraudulent travel reimbursement claims.

Hudson will be arraigned in federal court on the charges on October 7, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. before
United States Magistrate Judge Michael Frank at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida.

Hudson faces the following potential penalty: •    Wire Fraud: a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine

This case resulted from an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Assistant
United States Attorney Jason R. Coody is prosecuting the case.

This case arose from an extensive investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Public Trust Unit, a comprehensive anti-corruption initiative designed to target and hold accountable elected, appointed, and employed public officials who abuse the sacred trust placed in them by citizens.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government's burden to prove guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Florida this week secured convictions in two separate trials involving child exploitation, including charges of production of child pornography and attempted enticement of a minor. The guilty verdicts, from trials in
Tallahassee and Gainesville, were announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the
Northern District of Florida.

“I am extremely proud of the Assistant United States Attorneys whose efforts made sure these two criminals receive severe and just punishment under the law,” said Keefe.

After a two-day trial, a Tallahassee jury convicted Brennon Kyle Holley, 41, of Pensacola, of attempted enticement of a minor. Holley came to the attention of law enforcement after he placed a
Craigslist.com advertisement seeking sex that said “age, relationship doesn’t matter.” A law enforcement officer posing as a 13-year-old Panama City girl named “Rhea” responded to the ad, and
Holley then engaged in sexually explicit phone and text conversations with Rhea. He also sent sexually explicit photographs in an attempt to entice and persuade her to engage in sexual activity with him. After four days of communication, and believing Rhea’s parents were out of town, Holley
“convinced” the girl to let him come to her house when he got off work in Pensacola in order to engage in sexual activity. Holley began the trip, but never arrived because his car broke down near
Fort Walton Beach.

Holley faces a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life imprisonment. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 13 at 1:30 pm at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee. The case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant United States
Attorney Aine Ahmed.

In the second case, Joseph Donald Roberts, 43, of Branford, Florida, was convicted of production, receipt, and possession of child pornography in the U.S. District Court in
Gainesville.

After a two-day trial, the jury convicted Roberts of using file sharing software to receive and share videos of child pornography. The trial jury made a special finding that the images included children younger than 12 years of age. In addition, Roberts was convicted of using his cell phone to create pornographic videos of a minor child.

Roberts faces a mandatory minimum 15 years up to 30 years in prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 16 at 2:30 pm at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville. The case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations, and was prosecuted by the district’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Coordinator, Assistant
United States Attorney Frank Williams.

“This child predator represents the very worst of our society,” said HSI Tampa Assistant Special
Agent in Charge Micah McCombs. “We hope that this verdict offers another step forward in the healing process for his young victims.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – A federal grand jury has returned a nine-count superseding indictment, unsealed today, against John Thomas Burnette, 42, of Tallahassee, Florida.

United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe of the Northern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney
General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Special Agent in
Charge Rachel Rojas of the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office made the announcement.

In December 2018, a federal grand jury charged Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox and Paige
Carter-Smith in a forty-four count indictment for conspiring to operate a racketeering enterprise that engaged in acts of bank fraud, extortion, honest-services fraud and bribery. That indictment also charged Maddox and Carter-Smith with substantive counts of bank fraud, false statements to financial institutions, extortion, honest-services fraud, use of interstate facilities to facilitate bribery, false statements to federal officers, conspiracy to interfere with the lawful function of the IRS, and filing false tax returns.

In May 2019, the grand jury returned a forty-seven count superseding indictment adding Burnette as a defendant and charging him with participating in the racketeering conspiracy and extortion, honest services mail fraud, the use of facilities in interstate commerce to facilitate bribery, and making false statements to federal officers. Maddox and Carter-Smith subsequently pleaded guilty to two counts of honest-services fraud and one count of conspiring to interfere with the lawful function of the IRS. The Government agreed at sentencing to dismiss other charges filed against
Maddox and Carter-Smith in that first superseding indictment.

The grand jury returned a nine-count second superseding indictment against Burnette only. The charges in the first superseding indictment to which Maddox and Carter-Smith pleaded guilty are undisturbed by the return of the second superseding indictment against Burnette. The second superseding indictment does not include any new counts against Burnette; the nine counts from the first superseding indictment are renumbered Counts One through Nine.

However, the second superseding indictment alleges additional acts of racketeering conspiracy.
Specifically, the second superseding indictment alleges that, in early 2014, Burnette caused a company to pay $110,000 in exchange for Maddox declaring a conflict and not voting at a Tallahassee
City Commission meeting. At that meeting, the Commission was slated to vote on an extension sought by a hotel development group to allow more time to meet certain City requirements to build a hotel close to a downtown hotel owned by Burnette. Maddox’s failure to participate resulted in a 2-2 tie vote by the Commission that denied the hotel development group the extension it sought and ended its project Burnette has waived arraignment on the second superseding indictment. The trial of this case is scheduled for November 4, 2019.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue
Service – Criminal Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen
M. Kunz, Gary K. Milligan, and Andrew J. Grogan of the Northern District of Florida’s Public Trust
Unit, and Trial Attorneys Simon J. Cataldo, Peter M. Nothstein, and Rosaleen O’Gara of the
Department of Justice, Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.

The maximum terms of imprisonment for the offenses are as follows:

•    20 years: Racketeering Conspiracy, Extortion, and Honest Services Fraud
•  5 years:   Use of Interstate Facilities in Furtherance of Bribery, Making False Statements to a
Federal Officer

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern a, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe for the Northern District of Florida today announced the sentencing of Caron Griffis, 44, of Melrose, Florida, after she pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Gainesville to a charge of theft of government money.

Griffis, who was employed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a supply technician at the Gainesville VA Medical Center, was responsible for purchasing supplies for the center from outside vendors. Griffis’ responsibilities required that government purchase cards be issued in her name. She was also responsible for completing internal purchase orders and reconciliation documents for each transaction that would be charged to her VA purchase cards.
For over a year, Griffis utilized her VA-issued purchase cards to obtain unauthorized items from retail stores, including Walmart and Office Depot, both in person and online. She also created false reconciliation forms in the VA computer system in an attempt to justify the transactions and avoid being caught.

In addition to receiving a sentence of one month in federal prison, five months home detention, and two-half years supervised release, Griffis was ordered to pay restitution to the VA in the amount of $26,456.11, to Office Depot in the amount of $6,260.47, and to Walmart in the amount of
$3,310.08.

Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the
Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG). David Spilker, Special Agent in Charge with VA-OIG, said, "Griffis’ deceitful actions violated the public’s trust and stole from
VA’s limited resources, which are needed to care for our nation’s veterans. The Inspector General’s
Office is committed to safeguarding the integrity of VA’s procurement programs."

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of

Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

 

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida Lawrence Keefe today announced a criminal complaint against Robert Odom, a crew member on a commercial fishing vessel who allegedly attacked and wounded the vessel’s captain with a pellet gun and long-blade knife as the vessel was underway in the Gulf of Mexico off Pensacola. The criminal complaint against Odom, 46, was lodged by the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service.

Odom is being held by the United States Marshals Service pending a detention and probable cause hearing on Thursday, October 3, 2019, at 2:30 pm CST at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.

According to the complaint, the vessel was at sea approximately 20-26 nautical miles south-southeast of Perdido Pass, with a captain and two crew members. While fishing shortly before 9:30 pm on Friday, September 27, Odom allegedly shot the captain in the chest with a pellet rifle and then, after a struggle, stabbed the captain twice, causing "immediate, profuse bleeding." Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers responded to a call for help, and Coast Guard personnel administered first aid to the captain. The captain was taken by helicopter to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. Odom was taken into custody by the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Love is prosecuting the case.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
 

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Robert Patrick Jensen, 49, and Michael T. Harris, 44, both of Gulf Breeze, Florida, appeared in federal court this week for their initial appearances after they were indicted by a federal grand jury in Pensacola on charges of acquiring controlled substances by fraud and identity theft. The indictments against the two doctors were announced by Lawrence Keefe, United
States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“These indictments show how pervasive our nation’s drug abuse problem is and how it can ravage any part of our society,” Keefe said. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to vigorously pursue drug crimes, wherever they occur.”

The indictment charging Jensen alleges that between December 3, 2014, and July 7, 2016, he knowingly acquired and obtained controlled substances – namely tramadol and dextroamphetamine – by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, and subterfuge. The indictment also alleges that between those same dates, Jensen knowingly and unlawfully used another person’s identification to acquire the controlled substances by fraud.

The indictment charging Harris alleges that between November 4, 2015, and August 11, 2016, he knowingly acquired and obtained controlled substances – methadone, morphine sulfate, oxycodone, and alprazolam – by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, and subterfuge.
The indictment also alleges that between those same dates, Harris knowingly and unlawfully used another person’s identification to acquire the controlled substances by fraud.

Jensen and Harris each face the following potential penalties: •    Acquiring controlled substances by fraud: a maximum of 4 years in prison; •    Identity theft: a maximum of 20 years in prison.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Santa Rosa
County Sheriff’s Office, and the Gulf Breeze Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney J.
Ryan Love is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Five individuals were arrested yesterday on a 44-count federal indictment charging violations of the dogfighting prohibitions of the federal Animal Welfare Act, and conspiracy to commit those violations.  

Shane Patrick Sprague, 35, of Pensacola, Florida, Derek Jedidiah Golson, aka Derek Jedidiah Murray, 38, of Pensacola, Florida, Haley Cook Murph, 24, of Milton, Florida, David Lee Moser, 36, of Waynesboro, Tennessee, and James “Tommy” Peek, 67, of Milton, Florida were indicted a the case involving C Wood Kennels in Pensacola, Florida.

The indictment alleges that defendants Sprague and Golson operated C Wood Kennels, a dogfighting operation that arranged dogfights, allowed fighting dogs to attack “bait” animals, and trafficked in fighting dogs with defendant Moser and others outside of Florida, including through an underground dogfighting website.  The indictment further alleges that defendant Peek acted as a source to supply fighting dogs to C Wood Kennels.

According to the indictment, defendant Murph’s role was that of a makeshift “veterinarian” for C Wood Kennels.  Although Murph at no time possessed a veterinary license, she offered to and did perform veterinary and surgical procedures on fighting dogs so the kennel could avoid the scrutiny of a licensed veterinarian.  The defendant also possessed veterinary equipment used to treat injured fighting dogs, including skin staplers, sutures, intravenous bags and lines, scalpels, and injectable animal steroids.

“As this case demonstrates, we are aggressively prosecuting dogfighters and those who support their inhumane criminal enterprises – including unscrupulous veterinarians or veterinary poseurs,” said Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.  “We thank our federal and local law enforcement partners who made this operation possible.”

“Dogfighting is a blight on humanity, one that has no place in the Northern District of Florida or anywhere else,” said U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe of the Northern District of Florida.  “We will continue to work with federal and local law enforcement agencies to root out this barbaric blood sport, in Florida and beyond.”

“The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act were designed to protect animals from being used in illegal fighting ventures, which often entail other forms of criminal activity involving drugs, firearms, and gambling,” said Special Agent in Charge Bethanne M. Dinkins of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG).  “Animal fighting is an investigative priority for USDA-OIG, and together with the Department of Justice we will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who participate in animal fighting ventures.”

The federal Animal Welfare Act makes it a felony to sponsor or exhibit an animal in an animal fighting venture and to possess, train, sell, purchase, transport, deliver or receive an animal for purposes of having the animal participate in an animal fighting venture.

This matter continues to be investigated by the USDA-OIG. Department of Justice Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Love are prosecuting the case. 

The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations.  The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Five individuals were arrested yesterday on a 44-count federal indictment charging violations of the dogfighting prohibitions of the federal Animal Welfare Act, and conspiracy to commit those violations. The arrests were announced by U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe of the Northern District of Florida and Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark for the
U.S. Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division.

Shane Patrick Sprague, 35, of Pensacola, Florida, Derek Jedidiah Golson, aka Derek Jedidiah Murray, 38, of Pensacola, Florida, Haley Cook Murph, 24, of Milton, Florida, David Lee Moser, 36, of
Waynesboro, Tennessee, and James “Tommy” Peek, 67, of Milton, Florida were indicted in the case involving C Wood Kennels.

The indictment alleges that defendants Sprague and Golson operated C Wood Kennels, a dogfighting operation that arranged dogfights, allowed fighting dogs to attack “bait” animals, and trafficked in fighting dogs with defendant Moser and others outside of Florida, including through an underground dogfighting website. The indictment further alleges that defendant Peek acted as a source to supply fighting dogs to C Wood Kennels.

According to the indictment, defendant Murph’s role was that of a makeshift “veterinarian” for C
Wood Kennels. Although Murph at no time possessed a veterinary license, she offered to and did perform veterinary and surgical procedures on fighting dogs so the kennel could avoid the scrutiny of a licensed veterinarian. The defendant also possessed veterinary equipment used to treat injured fighting dogs, including skin staplers, sutures, intravenous bags and lines, scalpels, and injectable animal steroids.

“Dogfighting is a blight on humanity, one that has no place in the Northern District of Florida or anywhere else,” said U.S. Attorney Keefe. “We will continue to work with federal and local law enforcement agencies to root out this barbaric blood sport, in Florida and beyond.”

“As this case demonstrates, we are aggressively prosecuting dogfighters and those who support their inhumane criminal enterprises – including unscrupulous veterinarians or veterinary poseurs,” said
Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark of the Justice Department’s Environment and
Natural Resources Division. “We thank our federal and local law enforcement partners who made this operation possible.”

“The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act were designed to protect animals from being used in illegal fighting ventures, which often entail other forms of criminal activity involving drugs, firearms, and gambling,” said Special Agent in Charge Bethanne M. Dinkins of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture-Office of Inspector General. “Animal fighting is an investigative priority for
USDA-OIG, and together with the Department of Justice, we will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who participate in animal fighting ventures.”

The federal Animal Welfare Act makes it a felony to sponsor or exhibit an animal in an animal fighting venture and to possess, train, sell, purchase, transport, deliver, or receive an animal for purposes of having the animal participate in an animal fighting venture.

This matter continues to be investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the
Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Love and Department of Justice Trial
Attorney Ethan Eddy are prosecuting the case. If convicted, each defendant faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website.  For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of
Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division announced today an expansive health care fraud enforcement operation across the Gulf Coast, involving charges against a total of 11 individuals across four federal districts for their alleged involvement in various schemes to defraud Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE and to obtain oxycodone and other controlled substances by fraud.  The conduct allegedly resulted in more than $515 million in fraudulent billings.  Those charged included physicians, licensed social workers, as well as other medical and business professionals.  In addition, in the state of Louisiana, 22 defendants, including 19 certified mental and home health professionals, have been charged with defrauding Medicaid out of approximately $300,000. These cases were investigated by Louisiana’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU).

Today’s enforcement actions were led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section in conjunction with its Medicare Fraud Strike Force (MFSF) partners, a partnership among the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and U.S. Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).  In addition, the operation includes the participation of IRS-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN) and various other federal law enforcement agencies and state MFCUs.  

The charges announced today aggressively target alleged schemes billing Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE (a health insurance program for members and veterans of the armed forces and their families) and private insurance companies for medically unnecessary services, such as psychotherapy and other behavioral health services, and items, including durable medical equipment and compounded medications.

“Fraud against our nation’s vital federal health care programs amounts to theft from American taxpayers,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “The Department of Justice, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and prosecute aggressively those who bill these programs for medically unnecessary services, whether in the Gulf Coast or elsewhere in the United States.”

“Medicaid welfare fraud not only jeopardizes resources from our most needy but it also steals from our taxpayers,” said Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.  “So I applaud my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and our law enforcement partners for their efforts to find, arrest and prosecute Medicaid welfare fraudsters.”

“Health care fraud steals valuable resources from those truly in need and tarnishes the hard-earned respect of honest health care providers who deliver legitimate health care for their fellow Americans every day,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon J. Fremin of the Middle District of Louisiana. “It is especially egregious when carried out by health care professionals who are betraying the trust given them by the community.  As demonstrated by this takedown, this office remains committed to working with our outstanding partners in the Strike Force including federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors in Louisiana and throughout the country to aggressively pursue those who defraud our health care systems.  Our message is consistent: we will bring every available resource to bear in seeking justice through investigations and convictions of those who commit health care fraud.  I want to commend the hard work of all who have been instrumental in this nationwide effort.”

“The charges announced today reinforce The U.S. Department of Justice’s mission to aggressively pursue those individuals and medical providers who attempt to prey on our most vulnerable citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser of the Eastern District of Louisiana.  “Our office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to seek justice for those impacted by Health Care Fraud schemes.”

“Law enforcement works tirelessly to detect health care fraud, and we will continue to use every lawful tool at our disposal to prosecute those who defraud public programs of their limited funds,” said U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe of the Northern District of Florida.  “This indictment is the next step in holding these two defendants accountable for their actions.”

“Healthcare Fraud continues to impact the cost of healthcare in America and is amplified when trusted professionals abandon their ethical code in the name of greed.  These unethical practices are damaging the lives of individuals and families throughout this country,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Holloman for the IRS-CI Atlanta Field Office.  “Medical professionals who illegally dispense prescription narcotics are no better than street level drug dealers and must be held accountable for their actions, therefore IRS-CI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the US Attorney's Office to address these public challenges.”

“Healthcare fraud harms patients and diverts taxpayer funds from vitally important federal healthcare programs that exist for the sole purpose of providing care to beneficiaries with medical needs,” said Special Agent in Charge C.J. Porter of the HHS-OIG Dallas Region.  “As this takedown demonstrates, we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to crack down on and bring to justice those who disregard the medical needs of patients and betray the public’s trust for their own personal enrichment.”

“Along with our partners, the FBI has dedicated significant time, manpower, and resources toward investigating criminal enterprises engaged in defrauding Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance companies and prescription drug schemes,” said Special Agent in Charge Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office.  “Organizations or individuals providing dangerous and unnecessary medical services to any citizen and billing fraudulently is unacceptable and will continue to be high priority investigations of the FBI.  The illegal prescribing and dispensing of oxycodone and other controlled substances for distribution to citizens who battle addiction will not be tolerated and adds to the escalating opioid epidemic in this country.”

“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service, with our investigative partners, is committed to thoroughly investigate and bring to justice anyone who defrauds TRICARE or endangers our nation's brave soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, retirees and military families,” said Special Agent in Charge Cynthia Bruce of the DCIS Southeast Field Office.  “Our agency is stepping up our efforts to combat the opioid problem facing our nation.  These complex and expansive fraud schemes diverted significant taxpayer funds that should be spent on critical medical care.”

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Among those charged in partnership between Strike Force attorneys and U.S. Attorney’s Offices are the following:

In the Southern District of Mississippi, three defendants have been charged.

Wade Ashley Walters, 52, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a co-owner of numerous compounding pharmacies and pharmaceutical marketing companies, was charged for his alleged role in a scheme to defraud TRICARE and other private health insurance companies by paying kickbacks to practitioners and marketers for the prescribing and referring of fraudulent prescriptions for medically unnecessary compounded medications that were ultimately dispensed by his pharmacies, as well as for his alleged role in a scheme to launder the proceeds of the fraud scheme.  The indictment alleges that, based on these fraudulent prescriptions, Walters caused TRICARE and other health care benefit programs to reimburse his and other compounding pharmacies more than $510 million.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Deputy Chief Dustin Davis and Trial Attorney Sara Porter of the Fraud Section, Trial Attorneys Amanda Wick and Stephanie Williamson of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Helen Wall of the Southern District of Mississippi.  

Gregory Auzenne, M.D., 49, of Meridian, Mississippi, and Tiffany Clark, 45, of Meridian, Mississippi, were charged for their alleged participation in a scheme to defraud TRICARE and other private health insurance companies by prescribing medically unnecessary compounded medications in exchange for kickbacks and bribes.  The indictment alleges that Auzenne and Clark caused the submission of over $1.6 million in fraudulent claims to TRICARE.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Jared Hasten and Sara Porter of the Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Helen Wall.

In the Middle District of Louisiana, four defendants have been charged.

J. Foster Chapman, D.O., 40, of Alexandria, Louisiana, was charged for his alleged participation in a scheme to prescribe medically unnecessary durable medical equipment, namely orthotics, to Medicare beneficiaries whom he never examined and in the absence of any doctor-patient relationship.  According to the indictment, Chapman concealed the fraud with falsified orders that stated, among other things, that he consulted with the beneficiaries and conducted diagnostic tests, which were not conducted.  The indictment alleges that Chapman caused the submission of over $4.8 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Justin M. Woodard of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen L. Craig of the Middle District of Louisiana.

Victor Clark Kirk, 70, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Marilyn Brown Antwine, 51, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the former CEO and COO, respectively, of a federally qualified health center, were charged for their alleged roles in a scheme to defraud Medicaid.  Specifically, the indictment alleges that Kirk and Antwine directed employees to falsely diagnose students with significant mental health disorders and subsequently submit false claims to Medicaid falsely claiming that psychotherapy services were provided, when in fact they were not.  According to the indictment, during the relevant time period, the health center’s claims for purported group psychotherapy services totaled more than $1.8 million.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Justin M. Woodard and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica M.P. Thornhill of the Middle District of Louisiana. 

In the Eastern District of Louisiana, three defendants have been charged.  

Aaron Denn, 34, of Metairie, Louisiana, was charged for his alleged role in a scheme to obtain and divert oxycodone pills to the black market.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jared Hasten.

Christie Lynn Browning, 40, of Metairie, Louisiana, was charged for her alleged role in a conspiracy to obtain oxycodone by fraud and to then distribute those oxycodone pills.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jared Hasten and Assistant U.S. Attorney Myles Ranier of the Eastern District of Louisiana.

In the Northern District of Florida, two defendants have been charged.

Helen Elizabeth Storey, 37, of Tallahassee, Florida, and Stephanie Lynn Fleming, 42, of Tallahassee, Florida, the owner of, and a licensed mental health counselor at, a Tallahassee-based counseling center, were charged for their alleged participation in a scheme to defraud Medicaid by submitting false and fraudulent claims for purported behavioral health services, including psychotherapy, that were not provided.  According to the indictment, Fleming and Storey submitted approximately $250,000 in false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Keen of the Northern District of Florida.

                                                                       *********

The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations.  The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force (MFSF), which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country.  Since its inception in March 2007, MFSF maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts and has charged nearly 4,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $14 billion.  In addition, HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

 

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19-1029

 

 

 

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division announced today an expansive health care fraud enforcement operation across the Gulf Coast, involving charges against a total of 11 individuals across four federal districts for their alleged involvement in various schemes to defraud Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE and to obtain oxycodone and other controlled substances by fraud.  The conduct allegedly resulted in more than $515 million in fraudulent billings.  Those charged included physicians, licensed social workers, as well as other medical and business professionals.  In addition, in the state of Louisiana, 22 defendants, including 19 certified mental and home health professionals, have been charged with defrauding Medicaid out of approximately $300,000. These cases were investigated by Louisiana’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU).

Today’s enforcement actions were led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section in conjunction with its Medicare Fraud Strike Force (MFSF) partners, a partnership among the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and U.S. Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).  In addition, the operation includes the participation of IRS-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN) and various other federal law enforcement agencies and state MFCUs.  

The charges announced today aggressively target alleged schemes billing Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE (a health insurance program for members and veterans of the armed forces and their families) and private insurance companies for medically unnecessary services, such as psychotherapy and other behavioral health services, and items, including durable medical equipment and compounded medications.

“Fraud against our nation’s vital federal health care programs amounts to theft from American taxpayers,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “The Department of Justice, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and prosecute aggressively those who bill these programs for medically unnecessary services, whether in the Gulf Coast or elsewhere in the United States.”

“Health care fraud steals valuable resources from those truly in need and tarnishes the hard-earned respect of honest health care providers who deliver legitimate health care for their fellow Americans every day,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon J. Fremin of the Middle District of Louisiana. “It is especially egregious when carried out by health care professionals who are betraying the trust given them by the community.  As demonstrated by this takedown, this office remains committed to working with our outstanding partners in the Strike Force including federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors in Louisiana and throughout the country to aggressively pursue those who defraud our health care systems.  Our message is consistent: we will bring every available resource to bear in seeking justice through investigations and convictions of those who commit health care fraud.  I want to commend the hard work of all who have been instrumental in this nationwide effort.”

“The charges announced today reinforce The U.S. Department of Justice’s mission to aggressively pursue those individuals and medical providers who attempt to prey on our most vulnerable citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser of the Eastern District of Louisiana.  “Our office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to seek justice for those impacted by Health Care Fraud schemes.”

“Law enforcement works tirelessly to detect health care fraud, and we will continue to use every lawful tool at our disposal to prosecute those who defraud public programs of their limited funds,” said U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe of the Northern District of Florida.  “This indictment is the next step in holding these two defendants accountable for their actions.”

“Healthcare fraud harms us all," said U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst of the Southern District of Mississippi.  "When individuals put their greed above the interests and well-being of our men and women in uniform and our veterans, this office will be there to swiftly bring them to justice.”

“Medicaid welfare fraud not only jeopardizes resources from our most needy but it also steals from our taxpayers,” said Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry. “So I applaud my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and our law enforcement partners for their efforts to find, arrest and prosecute Medicaid welfare fraudsters.”

“Healthcare Fraud continues to impact the cost of healthcare in America and is amplified when trusted professionals abandon their ethical code in the name of greed.  These unethical practices are damaging the lives of individuals and families throughout this country,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Holloman for the IRS-CI Atlanta Field Office.  “Medical professionals who illegally dispense prescription narcotics are no better than street level drug dealers and must be held accountable for their actions, therefore IRS-CI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the US Attorney's Office to address these public challenges.”

“Healthcare fraud harms patients and diverts taxpayer funds from vitally important federal healthcare programs that exist for the sole purpose of providing care to beneficiaries with medical needs,” said Special Agent in Charge C.J. Porter of the HHS-OIG Dallas Region.  “As this takedown demonstrates, we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to crack down on and bring to justice those who disregard the medical needs of patients and betray the public’s trust for their own personal enrichment.”

“Along with our partners, the FBI has dedicated significant time, manpower, and resources toward investigating criminal enterprises engaged in defrauding Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance companies and prescription drug schemes,” said Special Agent in Charge Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office.  “Organizations or individuals providing dangerous and unnecessary medical services to any citizen and billing fraudulently is unacceptable and will continue to be high priority investigations of the FBI.  The illegal prescribing and dispensing of oxycodone and other controlled substances for distribution to citizens who battle addiction will not be tolerated and adds to the escalating opioid epidemic in this country.”

“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service, with our investigative partners, is committed to thoroughly investigate and bring to justice anyone who defrauds TRICARE or endangers our nation's brave soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, retirees and military families,” said Special Agent in Charge Cynthia Bruce of the DCIS Southeast Field Office.  “Our agency is stepping up our efforts to combat the opioid problem facing our nation.  These complex and expansive fraud schemes diverted significant taxpayer funds that should be spent on critical medical care.”

*********

Among those charged in partnership between Strike Force attorneys and U.S. Attorney’s Offices are the following:

In the Southern District of Mississippi, three defendants have been charged.

Wade Ashley Walters, 52, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a co-owner of numerous compounding pharmacies and pharmaceutical marketing companies, was charged for his alleged role in a scheme to defraud TRICARE and other private health insurance companies by paying kickbacks to practitioners and marketers for the prescribing and referring of fraudulent prescriptions for medically unnecessary compounded medications that were ultimately dispensed by his pharmacies, as well as for his alleged role in a scheme to launder the proceeds of the fraud scheme.  The indictment alleges that, based on these fraudulent prescriptions, Walters caused TRICARE and other health care benefit programs to reimburse his and other compounding pharmacies more than $510 million.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Deputy Chief Dustin Davis and Trial Attorney Sara Porter of the Fraud Section, Trial Attorneys Amanda Wick and Stephanie Williamson of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Helen Wall of the Southern District of Mississippi.  

Gregory Auzenne, M.D., 49, of Meridian, Mississippi, and Tiffany Clark, 45, of Meridian, Mississippi, were charged for their alleged participation in a scheme to defraud TRICARE and other private health insurance companies by prescribing medically unnecessary compounded medications in exchange for kickbacks and bribes.  The indictment alleges that Auzenne and Clark caused the submission of over $1.6 million in fraudulent claims to TRICARE.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Jared Hasten and Sara Porter of the Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Helen Wall.

In the Middle District of Louisiana, four defendants have been charged.

J. Foster Chapman, D.O., 40, of Alexandria, Louisiana, was charged for his alleged participation in a scheme to prescribe medically unnecessary durable medical equipment, namely orthotics, to Medicare beneficiaries whom he never examined and in the absence of any doctor-patient relationship.  According to the indictment, Chapman concealed the fraud with falsified orders that stated, among other things, that he consulted with the beneficiaries and conducted diagnostic tests, which were not conducted.  The indictment alleges that Chapman caused the submission of over $4.8 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Justin M. Woodard of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen L. Craig of the Middle District of Louisiana.

Victor Clark Kirk, 70, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Marilyn Brown Antwine, 51, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the former CEO and COO, respectively, of a federally qualified health center, were charged for their alleged roles in a scheme to defraud Medicaid.  Specifically, the indictment alleges that Kirk and Antwine directed employees to falsely diagnose students with significant mental health disorders and subsequently submit false claims to Medicaid falsely claiming that psychotherapy services were provided, when in fact they were not.  According to the indictment, during the relevant time period, the health center’s claims for purported group psychotherapy services totaled more than $1.8 million.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Justin M. Woodard and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica M.P. Thornhill of the Middle District of Louisiana. 

In the Eastern District of Louisiana, three defendants have been charged.  

Aaron Denn, 34, of Metairie, Louisiana, was charged for his alleged role in a scheme to obtain and divert oxycodone pills to the black market.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jared Hasten.

Christie Lynn Browning, 40, of Metairie, Louisiana, was charged for her alleged role in a conspiracy to obtain oxycodone by fraud and to then distribute those oxycodone pills.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jared Hasten and Assistant U.S. Attorney Myles Ranier of the Eastern District of Louisiana.

In the Northern District of Florida, two defendants have been charged.

Helen Elizabeth Storey, 37, of Tallahassee, Florida, and Stephanie Lynn Fleming, 42, of Tallahassee, Florida, the owner of, and a licensed mental health counselor at, a Tallahassee-based counseling center, were charged for their alleged participation in a scheme to defraud Medicaid by submitting false and fraudulent claims for purported behavioral health services, including psychotherapy, that were not provided.  According to the indictment, Fleming and Storey submitted approximately $250,000 in false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Keen of the Northern District of Florida.

*********

The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations.  The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force (MFSF), which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country.  Since its inception in March 2007, MFSF maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts and has charged nearly 4,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $14 billion.  In addition, HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division announced today an expansive health care fraud enforcement operation across the Gulf Coast, involving charges against a total of 11 individuals across four federal districts for their alleged involvement in various schemes to defraud Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE and to obtain oxycodone and other controlled substances by fraud.  The conduct allegedly resulted in more than $515 million in fraudulent billings.  Those charged included physicians, licensed social workers, as well as other medical and business professionals.  In addition, in the state of Louisiana, 22 defendants, including 19 certified mental and home health professionals, have been charged with defrauding Medicaid out of approximately $300,000. These cases were investigated by Louisiana’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU).

Today’s enforcement actions were led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section in conjunction with its Medicare Fraud Strike Force (MFSF) partners, a partnership among the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and U.S. Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).  In addition, the operation includes the participation of IRS-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN) and various other federal law enforcement agencies and state MFCUs.  

The charges announced today aggressively target alleged schemes billing Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE (a health insurance program for members and veterans of the armed forces and their families) and private insurance companies for medically unnecessary services, such as psychotherapy and other behavioral health services, and items, including durable medical equipment and compounded medications.

“Fraud against our nation’s vital federal health care programs amounts to theft from American taxpayers,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “The Department of Justice, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and prosecute aggressively those who bill these programs for medically unnecessary services, whether in the Gulf Coast or elsewhere in the United States.”

“Health care fraud steals valuable resources from those truly in need and tarnishes the hard-earned respect of honest health care providers who deliver legitimate health care for their fellow Americans every day,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon J. Fremin of the Middle District of Louisiana. “It is especially egregious when carried out by health care professionals who are betraying the trust given them by the community.  As demonstrated by this takedown, this office remains committed to working with our outstanding partners in the Strike Force including federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors in Louisiana and throughout the country to aggressively pursue those who defraud our health care systems.  Our message is consistent: we will bring every available resource to bear in seeking justice through investigations and convictions of those who commit health care fraud.  I want to commend the hard work of all who have been instrumental in this nationwide effort.”

“The charges announced today reinforce The U.S. Department of Justice’s mission to aggressively pursue those individuals and medical providers who attempt to prey on our most vulnerable citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser of the Eastern District of Louisiana.  “Our office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to seek justice for those impacted by Health Care Fraud schemes.”

“Law enforcement works tirelessly to detect health care fraud, and we will continue to use every lawful tool at our disposal to prosecute those who defraud public programs of their limited funds,” said U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe of the Northern District of Florida.  “This indictment is the next step in holding these two defendants accountable for their actions.”

“Healthcare fraud harms us all," said U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst of the Southern District of Mississippi.  "When individuals put their greed above the interests and well-being of our men and women in uniform and our veterans, this office will be there to swiftly bring them to justice.”

“Medicaid welfare fraud not only jeopardizes resources from our most needy but it also steals from our taxpayers,” said Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry. “So I applaud my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and our law enforcement partners for their efforts to find, arrest and prosecute Medicaid welfare fraudsters.”

“Healthcare Fraud continues to impact the cost of healthcare in America and is amplified when trusted professionals abandon their ethical code in the name of greed.  These unethical practices are damaging the lives of individuals and families throughout this country,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Holloman for the IRS-CI Atlanta Field Office.  “Medical professionals who illegally dispense prescription narcotics are no better than street level drug dealers and must be held accountable for their actions, therefore IRS-CI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the US Attorney's Office to address these public challenges.”

“Healthcare fraud harms patients and diverts taxpayer funds from vitally important federal healthcare programs that exist for the sole purpose of providing care to beneficiaries with medical needs,” said Special Agent in Charge C.J. Porter of the HHS-OIG Dallas Region.  “As this takedown demonstrates, we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to crack down on and bring to justice those who disregard the medical needs of patients and betray the public’s trust for their own personal enrichment.”

“Along with our partners, the FBI has dedicated significant time, manpower, and resources toward investigating criminal enterprises engaged in defrauding Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance companies and prescription drug schemes,” said Special Agent in Charge Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office.  “Organizations or individuals providing dangerous and unnecessary medical services to any citizen and billing fraudulently is unacceptable and will continue to be high priority investigations of the FBI.  The illegal prescribing and dispensing of oxycodone and other controlled substances for distribution to citizens who battle addiction will not be tolerated and adds to the escalating opioid epidemic in this country.”

“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service, with our investigative partners, is committed to thoroughly investigate and bring to justice anyone who defrauds TRICARE or endangers our nation's brave soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, retirees and military families,” said Special Agent in Charge Cynthia Bruce of the DCIS Southeast Field Office.  “Our agency is stepping up our efforts to combat the opioid problem facing our nation.  These complex and expansive fraud schemes diverted significant taxpayer funds that should be spent on critical medical care.”

*********

Among those charged in partnership between Strike Force attorneys and U.S. Attorney’s Offices are the following:

In the Southern District of Mississippi, three defendants have been charged.

Wade Ashley Walters, 52, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a co-owner of numerous compounding pharmacies and pharmaceutical marketing companies, was charged for his alleged role in a scheme to defraud TRICARE and other private health insurance companies by paying kickbacks to practitioners and marketers for the prescribing and referring of fraudulent prescriptions for medically unnecessary compounded medications that were ultimately dispensed by his pharmacies, as well as for his alleged role in a scheme to launder the proceeds of the fraud scheme.  The indictment alleges that, based on these fraudulent prescriptions, Walters caused TRICARE and other health care benefit programs to reimburse his and other compounding pharmacies more than $510 million.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Deputy Chief Dustin Davis and Trial Attorney Sara Porter of the Fraud Section, Trial Attorneys Amanda Wick and Stephanie Williamson of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Helen Wall of the Southern District of Mississippi.  

Gregory Auzenne, M.D., 49, of Meridian, Mississippi, and Tiffany Clark, 45, of Meridian, Mississippi, were charged for their alleged participation in a scheme to defraud TRICARE and other private health insurance companies by prescribing medically unnecessary compounded medications in exchange for kickbacks and bribes.  The indictment alleges that Auzenne and Clark caused the submission of over $1.6 million in fraudulent claims to TRICARE.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Jared Hasten and Sara Porter of the Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Helen Wall.

In the Middle District of Louisiana, four defendants have been charged.

J. Foster Chapman, D.O., 40, of Alexandria, Louisiana, was charged for his alleged participation in a scheme to prescribe medically unnecessary durable medical equipment, namely orthotics, to Medicare beneficiaries whom he never examined and in the absence of any doctor-patient relationship.  According to the indictment, Chapman concealed the fraud with falsified orders that stated, among other things, that he consulted with the beneficiaries and conducted diagnostic tests, which were not conducted.  The indictment alleges that Chapman caused the submission of over $4.8 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Justin M. Woodard of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen L. Craig of the Middle District of Louisiana.

Victor Clark Kirk, 70, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Marilyn Brown Antwine, 51, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the former CEO and COO, respectively, of a federally qualified health center, were charged for their alleged roles in a scheme to defraud Medicaid.  Specifically, the indictment alleges that Kirk and Antwine directed employees to falsely diagnose students with significant mental health disorders and subsequently submit false claims to Medicaid falsely claiming that psychotherapy services were provided, when in fact they were not.  According to the indictment, during the relevant time period, the health center’s claims for purported group psychotherapy services totaled more than $1.8 million.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Justin M. Woodard and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica M.P. Thornhill of the Middle District of Louisiana. 

In the Eastern District of Louisiana, three defendants have been charged.  

Aaron Denn, 34, of Metairie, Louisiana, was charged for his alleged role in a scheme to obtain and divert oxycodone pills to the black market.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jared Hasten.

Christie Lynn Browning, 40, of Metairie, Louisiana, was charged for her alleged role in a conspiracy to obtain oxycodone by fraud and to then distribute those oxycodone pills.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jared Hasten and Assistant U.S. Attorney Myles Ranier of the Eastern District of Louisiana.

In the Northern District of Florida, two defendants have been charged.

Helen Elizabeth Storey, 37, of Tallahassee, Florida, and Stephanie Lynn Fleming, 42, of Tallahassee, Florida, the owner of, and a licensed mental health counselor at, a Tallahassee-based counseling center, were charged for their alleged participation in a scheme to defraud Medicaid by submitting false and fraudulent claims for purported behavioral health services, including psychotherapy, that were not provided.  According to the indictment, Fleming and Storey submitted approximately $250,000 in false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Keen of the Northern District of Florida.

*********

The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations.  The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force (MFSF), which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country.  Since its inception in March 2007, MFSF maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts and has charged nearly 4,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $14 billion.  In addition, HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

 

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – A federal grand jury returned an indictment, charging five defendants with federal drug trafficking offenses. The indictment was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The defendants are:

• Kadeem Ingram, 29, DeFuniak Springs, Florida;

• Kenneth Ingram, 59, DeFuniak Springs, Florida;

• Terrell Burdette, 63, DeFuniak Springs, Florida;

• Sidney McGhee, 30, DeFuniak Springs, Florida; and

• Francis Muldowney, 59, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

The indictment and arrests resulted from an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation which targeted a drug trafficking organization alleged to be responsible for the distribution of cocaine and cocaine base throughout the northcentral panhandle of Florida since the beginning of 2019.

The charged defendants face penalties ranging up to 40 years imprisonment and fines up to $10,000,000.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Lynn Haven Police Department, the Panama City Police Department, and the Panama City Beach Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Daffin.

The prosecution, part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Trask Force (OCDETF) OCDETF, is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to take down criminal organizations and seize assets.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html

 

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - Kevin Robert Lee, 35, of Tallahassee, was sentenced yesterdayto 66 months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to 20 counts of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and theft from a lending institution, as well as three counts of filing a false tax return. The crimes involved more than $800,000 in theft. The sentence was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Between June 2014 and November 2017, Lee was the lending director of FSU Credit Union (FSUCU), a Tallahassee-based credit union. As lending director, Lee’s position allowed him to open new customer accounts and approve lines of credit. He also served as treasurer of the Tallahassee Chapter of Credit Unions (TCCU), a non-profit organization that advocates legislation favorable to credit unions. In 2014, Lee used the name, date of birth, and social security number of the President of TCCU to create a second fraudulent account for that organization. Lee used the original TCCU account for fraudulent activity while leaving the new account for legitimate TCCU transactions. Lee also created two accounts using the names, dates of birth, and social security numbers of his college roommates and used them as "intermediary accounts" into which funds stolen from FSUCU customers were deposited. Lee transferred funds from inactive customer accounts to pay down the lines of credit to the intermediary accounts he created or deposited them into TCCU’s original bank account. He also used the stolen funds to pay off personal credit cards, make mortgage and car payments, and pay for his children’s private school tuition. In total, Lee stole over $800,000 from the FSUCU. Additionally, in February 2016, March 2017, and March 2018, Lee filed tax returns in which he failed to claim as income the funds he stole from FSUCU.

"One of the most important assets of American financial institutions is customers’ faith in their integrity, and this defendant used his position of trust to steal their funds and the credit union’s reputation," Keefe said. "This sentence should send a clear message that anyone who tries to violate the public’s trust will end up paying severe consequences."

Lee was sentenced to 66 months years in federal prison, followed by 5 years supervised release. Additionally, he was ordered to pay $979,839.49 in restitution to the FSUCU and its insurance company, and to the United States Internal Revenue Service. Additionally, Lee was also ordered to pay $11,589.48 in prosecution costs to the United States Internal Revenue Service.

Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, after being alerted by FSU Credit Union. Mary Hammond, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-CI, Tampa Field Office said, "This case was an outstanding example of the kind of state and federal cooperation that puts criminals behind bars. The agents of the IRS will not allow criminals to undermine the public’s confidence in upstanding institutions through their abuse of positions of trust."

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html

 

 

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Stephanie Lynn Fleming, 42, and Helen Elizabeth Storey, 37, both of Waldorf, Maryland (and formerly of Tallahassee, Florida), were arrested in Maryland after a federal grand jury in Tallahassee returned an indictment charging them with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, 75 counts of health care fraud, false statements in connection with a health care matter, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. The offenses are alleged to have been committed in the Northern District of Florida. The indictment was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The indictment alleges that Storey was the owner of North Florida Mental Health (NFMH), a Tallahassee-based counseling center that employed Fleming as one of its licensed mental health counselors. The indictment further alleges that beginning on or about April 15, 2016, Fleming and Storey submitted and caused to be submitted false and fictitious claims for payment and reimbursement to Florida Medicaid and its managed care organizations (MCOs) for psychotherapy, psychiatric diagnostic evaluations, and therapeutic behavioral services. In total, it is alleged that Fleming and Storey improperly obtained or attempted to obtain more than $250,000 from Florida Medicaid.

The indictment also alleges that in order for Fleming and NFMH to receive Florida Medicaid claim reimbursements:

• In or about February 2016, Storey made and submitted a materially false Florida Medicaid Provider Enrollment Application in which she falsely attested that Fleming (1) had not pled guilty or nolo contendere to a felony, (2) had no disciplinary action taken against any of her business or professional licenses held in Florida or any other state, and (3) had not surrendered a business or professional license in Florida or any other state.

• From about March 2016 to about March 2017, Fleming made and submitted a materially false Provider Agreement and a materially false Practitioner Network Application, in which she falsely attested that she had not pled guilty or nolo contendere to illegal conduct within the past ten years, and that she had not pled guilty or nolo contendere to a felony.

Fleming and Storey face the following potential penalties:

• Conspiracy to commit health care fraud: a maximum of 20 years prison;

• Health care fraud: a maximum of 10 years in prison per count;

• False statements in connection to health care matters: a maximum of 5 years in prison per count; and

• Aggravated identity theft: a 2-year mandatory minimum prison sentence per count, consecutive to any other sentence imposed.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Florida Attorney General’s Office – Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen is prosecuting the case.

"Law enforcement works tirelessly to detect health care fraud, and we will continue to use every lawful tool at our disposal to prosecute those who defraud public programs of their limited funds," U.S. Attorney Keefe said. "This indictment is the next step in holding these two defendants accountable for their actions."

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said, "Providing health care services without a valid license is not just a safety concern, it is illegal. Our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit worked closely with federal officials on this case to stop health care fraud and protect patients. Fraud of any kind will not be tolerated in Florida, and we will continue to work with our federal partners to protect the integrity of the Medicaid program."

Special Agent in Charge Omar Perez Aybar of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General said "Medicaid recipients deserve to receive services from licensed health care professionals. Those who submit materially false information on Medicaid agreements and applications, and enrich themselves through the submission of false claims, will be investigated and held accountable by our state and federal law enforcement partners."

The arraignment of Fleming and Storey is scheduled for September 26, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html

 

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Bryan S. Gaines, 46, of Milton, Florida, was sentenced today to 3 years’ probation and ordered to repay the government more than a quarter-million dollars after pleading guilty to theft of government money and making false statements. The sentence, handed down in the U.S. District Court in Pensacola, was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Gaines received disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Between at least 2011 and 2018, he falsely reported to the VA that he was not working and was unable to work, so he could receive benefits to which he was not entitled. In fact, Gaines had been working at an automotive repair business during that time. For this fraud, Gaines was sentenced to 3 years’ probation and ordered to pay $243,243.05 in restitution to the VA.

"Stealing from the VA is tantamount to stealing from each of the brave men and women who have served our nation in times of war and times of peace. Today’s sentence should serve as a strong reminder that this kind of contemptible behavior will not be tolerated, and will in fact be prosecuted to the full extent of the law," Keefe said.

David Spilker, Special Agent in Charge, VA OIG, stated, "Gaines stole VA’s resources from eligible veterans deserving of the financial assistance earned through their military service. VA OIG is committed to safeguarding the integrity of VA’s disability benefits programs."

Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes prosecuted the case following an investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of the Inspector General.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html

 

 

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe for the Northern District of Florida today announced the indictment and arraignment of Dustin Lee Norman, 23, of Trenton, Florida, after a federal grand jury in Gainesville returned an indictment charging him with Sexual Exploitation of a Child, Receiving Child Pornography, Possessing Child Pornography, and Sending Interstate Transmissions of Extortionate Communications.

The indictment alleges that between September 19, 2018, and October 19, 2018, Norman knowingly and intentionally used, persuaded, induced, or enticed a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the conduct. The indictment also alleges that during the same time period, Norman knowingly used a cell phone and the internet to transmit communications containing threats to injure the reputation of the minor female, who resided in the state of Washington, intending to extort images and videos of the minor female in various stages of undress, while naked, and while engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Norman faces the following penalties:

• Sexual exploitation of a child: a maximum of 30 years in prison and a 15-year mandatory minimum in prison;

• Receipt of child pornography: a maximum of 20 years in prison and a 5-year mandatory minimum in prison;

• Possession of child pornography: a maximum of 10 years in prison;

• Sending interstate transmissions of extortionate communications: a maximum of 2 years in prison.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Levy County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen is prosecuting the case.

Trial is scheduled for October 29, 2019, at 8:30 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html

 

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Kenneth Alexander, 46, of Tallahassee, was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of preparing false tax returns, theft of government funds, and aggravated identity theft. Alexander, a former linebacker on Florida State University’s 1993 national championship team, was also ordered to pay $1,057,753.40 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. The sentence was announced today by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Between 2012 and 2016, Alexander, the sole shareholder of Wizard Business Center tax preparation business in Tallahassee, prepared and filed false tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service for various individuals. Alexander falsely represented the taxpayers’ Schedule A itemized deductions, Schedule C and E losses, and marital status.

"The integrity of our system of taxation lies at the heart of what we do as a nation, and those who try to defraud the system will pay the price," Keefe said. "The trust of the American people relies on fair administration of our tax laws, and this defendant violated that trust and will now face the consequences."

"Mr. Alexander used his position as a trusted accountant and well-known FSU football player to file false tax returns as part of a complicated scheme involving obtaining false solar power credits and false deductions for his clients," said Special Agent in Charge Mary Hammond of IRS Criminal Investigation, Tampa Field Office. "Additionally, he represented these clients before the IRS regarding the false returns in furtherance of the scheme. This conduct undermines the credible professionals in the tax community and damages the many individuals who sought his counsel. The prison sentence of 54 months and restitution of more than $1 million underlines the significant consequences of failing to follow the law. The special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to hold accountable those unscrupulous tax professionals who attempt to manipulate clients and the tax system."

Assistant United States Attorney Gary Milligan prosecuted the case following an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the Emerald Coast Financial Crimes Task Force, which includes IRS Criminal Investigation and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Treasury Inspector General’s Office for Tax Administration.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html

 

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe, of the Northern District of Florida, announced today that a federal arrest warrant was executed on a Pensacola business owner for using interstate facilities for purposes of racketeering, money laundering conspiracy, and the harboring of illegal aliens for commercial advantage or private financial gain. The three count criminal complaint alleges that Pensacola resident David C. Williams, 41, was arrested in connection with his operation of multiple Asian massage parlors in Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Along with the arrest of Williams on these federal charges, over a dozen search warrants were executed at massage parlors linked to Williams in these three states. This included multiple federal search warrants in Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, and Gainesville, all of which are located in the Northern District of Florida. Over half a dozen seizure warrants were also executed on bank accounts linked to the allegations against Williams.

Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case following a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Gainesville Police Department, the Clearwater Police Department, the Florida State Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Pennsylvania.

A detention hearing for Williams has been set for August 20, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation by law enforcement that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html

 

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Suspended Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Charles Maddox and business associate Janice Paige Carter-Smith today each pleaded guilty to two honest services fraud counts and one tax fraud conspiracy count arising from a 47-count indictment. Maddox and Carter-Smith face up to 45 years in federal prison followed by supervised release, as well as $750,000 in fines. In addition, Maddox and Carter-Smith agreed to forfeit all interest in any property which was derived from proceeds of the crimes to which the defendants pled guilty and to a forfeiture money judgment in an amount to be determined by the Court.

The plea agreements were negotiated by the office of United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida Lawrence Keefe and the Public Integrity Section of the United States Department of Justice, and accepted by Senior United States District Judge Robert Hinkle. Maddox and Carter-Smith will be sentenced on November 19, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. at the U.S. Courthouse in Tallahassee.

"Public office is the highest form of public trust, and the pattern of criminal activity by these defendants violated the sacred trust of the people. When Maddox should have been looking out for the best interest of the citizens of Tallahassee, he was instead lining his own pocket with Carter-Smith’s help. This U.S. Attorney’s Office places the utmost priority on rooting out and pursuing public corruption, and will continue to do so in order to restore the public’s trust in its government and elected officials," Keefe said.

Maddox and Carter-Smith pleaded guilty to one count each of honest services wire fraud, honest services mail fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. In the statement of facts filed in support of his plea agreement, Maddox admits to having taken large sums of money in exchange for favorable actions on various issues that came before the City of Tallahassee. He participated in a scheme to defraud and deprive the City of Tallahassee and its citizens of its right to honest services through bribery. Carter-Smith admitted to participating with Maddox in these criminal acts.

A federal grand jury indicted Maddox and Carter-Smith in December, and a superseding indictment in May added defendant John Thomas Burnette in various counts.

"Abusing one's position for personal gain is a blatant disregard to the oath that every government employee takes," said Rachel L. Rojas of the FBI Jacksonville Division. "Corrupt public officials undermine the integrity of our government and violate the public’s trust, and rooting them out is among the most complex, tedious and significant work that the FBI does for the American public. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to work together to ensure those who commit fraud and corruption are brought to justice."

The guilty plea acknowledges the allegations contained in the indictment that Maddox and Carter-Smith conspired to operate two companies, Governance Inc. and Governance Services LLC, as one entity they referred to as "Governance." Governance was part of a racketeering enterprise that accepted bribes and extorted money from Governance clients under color of Maddox’s office through fear of the economic harm Maddox could inflict through his influential position as a City Commissioner. Maddox and Carter-Smith pleaded guilty to charges of defrauding a bank of more than $250,000 through two fraudulent short sales of real property, lying to federal agents about Governance and other matters, and violating federal tax laws by conspiring to interfere with the IRS and filing false tax returns.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. The case against Maddox and Carter-Smith was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen M. Kunz, Gary K. Milligan, and Andrew J. Grogan of the Northern District of Florida, and Trial Attorneys Simon J. Cataldo, Peter M. Nothstein, and Rosaleen T. O’Gara of the Department of Justice, Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

 

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, today announced the appointment of three new Assistant United States Attorneys: Lazaro Fields, Meredith Steer, and Kaitlin Weiss, assigned to the Tallahassee Criminal Division; and the additional appointment of Corey Aittama to serve as the Law Enforcement Coordinator for the Northern District of Florida.

Mr. Fields graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from the Florida State University College of Law, and magna cum laude from the Florida State University College of Education. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Fields was a litigation associate at Colson Hicks Eidson, P.A., where his practice focused primarily on complex commercial litigation and personal injury, products liability, and class action matters. Mr. Fields also clerked for United States District Judge Federico A. Moreno in the Southern District of Florida.

Ms. Steer earned her undergraduate degree from Penn State University and her law degree from George Mason University. After law school, Ms. Steer joined the United States Air Force JAG Corps, where she served on active duty for over 11 years. She began her career at Eglin Air Force Base, where she served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Florida. For the last two years, Ms. Steer was assigned as the Deputy Chief Counsel at Charleston AFB.

Ms. Weiss received a B.A. in International Studies from American University before obtaining her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ms. Weiss was an Assistant Attorney General practicing in the Criminal Appeals Division of the Florida Attorney General’s Office. While at the Attorney General’s Office, Ms. Weiss handled direct criminal appeals and post-conviction motions in the First District Court of Appeal and the Florida Supreme Court. Ms. Weiss began her legal career as an Assistant State Attorney in the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.

Mr. Aittama is a law enforcement veteran with 26 years of experience in local, state, federal, and military law enforcement. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney's Office, Mr. Aittama was a Law Enforcement Captain with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Inspector General. He has held positions on various task forces in Pensacola, Fort Walton Beach, Panama City, and Tallahassee, including the DEA Task Force, North Florida Healthcare Task Force, and Okaloosa Multi-Agency Drug Task Force. He begin his law enforcement career in the United States Air Force as a Security Forces officer at Eglin Air Force Base.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

 

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Michael Scott Burton, 52, of Decatur, Georgia, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison yesterday after he pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. The sentence was announced today by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Between January 2014 and December 2015, Burton conspired with others to defraud TRICARE and other insurance companies out of more than $6.5 million in fraudulent claims for prescriptions for compounded pain cream, scar cream, and wellness capsules. Burton agreed that co-defendant Brad T. Hodgson would forge prescriptions for compounded drugs for individuals who Burton knew were not patients of the Georgia doctor’s practice where Hodgson worked. Burton recruited sales representatives, including co-defendants Bradley D. Pounds and Heather E. Pounds, to obtain and provide Burton with the personal identifying information and insurance cards of individuals for whom the prescriptions could be issued in exchange for commission payments. Burton would forward that information to Hodgson, who would issue the prescriptions – even though he was not licensed to write prescriptions – and send them to Physician Specialty Pharmacy in Pensacola without the individuals ever seeing or speaking with a doctor. Burton also recruited co-defendant Marie Ann Smith to assist Hodgson with processing and submitting prescriptions. Physician Specialty Pharmacy then caused TRICARE and other insurance companies to be billed and paid Burton a 50% commission for each compounded drug prescription that was paid by insurance. By this conduct, Burton earned over $1.4 million in commissions from fraudulent prescriptions.

"Health care fraud is a crime that affects all Americans – but to perpetrate a scam that victimizes a program for our nation’s service members and their families is beyond appalling," Keefe said. "This conspiracy stole money meant to help those who have given so much to our nation, and the criminals behind it deserve the punishment they receive."

"The wide-spread corruption uncovered in this complex and multistate fraud scheme wasted millions of American taxpayer dollars, and furthermore, deprived U.S. military members and their families of legitimate prescription medications and other needed medical care," said Cynthia A. Bruce, Special Agent in Charge, DCIS-Southeast Field Office. "DCIS is committed to working with our investigative partners and the U.S. Attorney's Office to identify, investigate and bringing to justice anyone who defrauds the DoD and the American taxpayer."

For his role in the scheme, Burton was sentenced to 96 months in prison. He was also ordered to pay $$6,540,348.48 in restitution to TRICARE and pay a forfeiture money judgment of $1,480,931.74. In February, Bradley Pounds was sentenced to 21 months in prison, and Smith and Heather Pounds were sentenced to probation. In separate related cases, Hodgson is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty, and Andrew E. Fisher, the president and part-owner of Physician Specialty Pharmacy, is awaiting trial scheduled for September 3rd.

"Crimes like this increase the costs we all pay for healthcare and prescription drugs," said FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen. "I thank our FDLE Pensacola office for spearheading this complex investigation and our U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this case."

Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes prosecuted these cases following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Department of Financial Services-Bureau of Insurance Fraud, Florida Department of Health, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and Army Criminal Investigative Command.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl

 

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – A second round of concentrated and coordinated federal, state, and local law enforcement activity has produced 29 arrests of wanted suspects and the seizure of eight weapons, significant quantities of drugs, more than $7,500 in cash, and two stolen vehicles, United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe and Sheriff Walt McNeil announced today. The arrests and seizures were the result of ongoing work by a multi-agency strike force led by United States Marshals and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office under the ALLinLEON initiative.

"When we launched this operation last month, we knew it would not take long for our efforts to bear fruit. These most recent arrests are the result, and we know they will, in turn, lead to even bigger outcomes in the future," said Keefe, who is the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. "The hard work of so many dedicated law enforcement professionals have made the streets of Leon County safer now than they were a month ago."

Agencies participating in the latest round of arrests include the U.S. Marshals Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force, Leon County Sheriff’s Office – including the vice, SPIDER, K-9, aviation, and traffic units – Florida Department of Law Enforcement, State Attorney’s Office, and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The strike force launched with a large and visible operation in June, and has continued with lower profile activities leading up to last week’s coordinated operation.

"It’s multi-agency operations like this one that are driving the enforcement portion of ALLinLEON. Working together, with our law enforcement partners, is the only way we can rid our community of those who don’t want to contribute in a positive way," Sheriff McNeil said.

Results of last week’s joint operation include 29 total arrests; 8 firearms seized, including 3 listed as stolen weapons; the seizure of 136.5 grams of cannabis, 28.5 grams of cocaine powder, 38 grams of cocaine rock, 7 grams of meth, 499 grams of synthetic drugs, and $7,551.86 in currency; and the recovery of two stolen vehicles.

Among the individuals arrested in the operation are:

- Brandon Wolf, who was wanted by the State Attorney’s Office on multiple counts of aggravated possession of child pornography and fled to Alabama before being arrested by U.S. Marshals;

- Casey Goodson, who was wanted for multiple burglaries, grand theft, stolen property, and narcotics, and is now facing additional charges of aggravated assault on two law enforcement officers, as well as fleeing/eluding and grand theft;

- Nicholas Cofer, who was wanted by the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office for sexual assault on an incapacitate person;

- Kewon Bruce and Quinterry Hale, who were arrested when a warrant was served and officers discovered five firearms, cash, and several types of drugs.

The joint federal, state, and local strike force is a concerted effort to crack down on violent crime under the Sheriff’s ALLinLEON umbrella. That initiative has also engaged community volunteers to regularly take at-risk youth to places of worship, activated Neighborhood Crime Watch programs, and conducted other activities to target neighborhoods that are perennial hotspots for violence. The effort also aims to help connect individuals who are reentering the community from incarceration with education, job skills, and substance abuse treatment.

All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html