Southern District of Florida

MIAMI – On Oct. 15, Lakeisha Black a/k/a/ “Lakeisha Pierce,” pled guilty in federal court in Fort Lauderdale to conspiracy to make false statements to the Small Business Administration in connection with myriad fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

From July 2020 through June 2021, Black charged between $2,000 and $6,000 to prepare fraudulent PPP loans for at least 14 other individuals, including three former Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputies, who all previously pleaded guilty to the conspiracy in separate cases and have been sentenced. In total, Black is responsible for over $400,000 in fraudulent PPP loans. 

The sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith. Black faces up to 5 years in prison for the conspiracy. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe; Special Agent in Charge Brian Tucker, Eastern Region, Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau;  Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office; Sheriff Gregory Tony of Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

FRB-OIG, DCIS, BSO, and FBI Miami investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Latoya C. Brown and Trevor C. Jones are prosecuting it.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud.  The Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors, as well as those who committed multiple instances of pandemic relief fraud. The Strike Force uses prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Additional information regarding the Strike Force may be found at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-covid-19-fraud-strike-force-teams.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-60137.

###

MIAMI – On Oct. 15, a federal jury found Rafael Antonio Saldana, 39, of Miami-Dade County, guilty of three counts of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, attempted production of visual depictions involving sexual exploitation of minors, receipt of visual depictions involving sexual exploitation of minors, and possession of visual depictions involving sexual exploitation of minors.

In the summer of 2023, Saldana solicited sexually explicit images from three minor victims and attempted to meet in person for the purposes of engaging in sexual conduct. The three minor victims were aged 14-years-old, 16-years-old, and 17-years-old at the time of the communications. Ultimately, Saldana coordinated a time and location to meet with the 14-year-old victim at a local McDonald’s to then return to Saldana’s home to engage in sexual activity.  On July 13, Saldana arrived across the street from the McDonald’s and directed the 14-year-old victim to meet him, as planned. He was arrested that day. The investigation revealed Saldana possessed over sixty images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors.

U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian is scheduled to sentence Saldana on Jan. 7, 2025, after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office; and Director Stephanie V. Daniels of the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), made the announcement.

HSI Miami and MDPD investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Audrey Pence Tomanelli and Arielle Klepach are prosecuting the case.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-mj-03384.

###

MIAMI –Issa Asad, 51, of Southwest Ranches, Fla., and Q Link Wireless LLC, of Dania Beach, Fla., pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud and commit offenses against the United States in connection with a years-long scheme to steal over $100 million from a celebrated federal program providing discounted phone service to people in need. Asad, Q Link’s CEO, also pleaded guilty to laundering money from a separate scheme to defraud a different federal program meant to aid individuals and businesses hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Asad and Q Link each pleaded guilty to Count 1 of an Information, which charges them with conspiring to commit wire fraud and to steal government money, and also with conspiring to defraud the United States, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. Asad pleaded guilty as well to Count 2 of the Information, which charges him with money laundering in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957. Both defendants also pleaded guilty to the Information’s forfeiture allegations. U.S. District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II accepted the guilty pleas and set the Defendants’ sentencing hearings for Jan. 15, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.

Asad’s plea agreement contains a joint recommendation that he serve the statutory maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment on Count 1. The statutory maximum sentence on Count 2 is 10 years’ imprisonment. Asad’s exact sentence will be determined by the Court after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

Asad and Q Link also agreed to pay jointly $109,637,057 in restitution to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) no later than the time of their sentencing hearings. Asad separately agreed to pay $1,758,339.25 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and to a forfeiture judgment against him of at least $17,484,118.00.

“Issa Asad and his company, Q Link Wireless, purposefully defrauded two critical federal programs helping individuals and businesses suffering financial hardship, unlawfully taking hundreds of millions of dollars for their own use and profit, while obstructing the United States’ ability to help people who, unlike the Defendants, needed it,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “The plea agreements in this case impose extraordinary and unprecedented financial penalties, as they should. They also reflect our Office’s commitment to ensuring that individuals who orchestrate business scams are punished personally, not just corporations. That Asad cheated two different programs meant to help people in need makes this prosecution even more imperative. We will continue to investigate and prosecute vigorously all types of fraud, whether perpetrated by individuals or businesses, and seek justice for victims of these scams.”

“Brazen fraud schemes that prey on vulnerable populations and target federal telephone and broadband subsidy programs, designed to ensure that low-income consumers can access critical telecommunications services, demand the most serious punishments like the ones included in today’s plea agreement,” said FCC Inspector General Fara Damelin. “This result was made possible by dedicated investigators and our investment in a robust data analytics capability. The FCC OIG is committed to using all of our resources, and working with our outstanding law enforcement partners, to investigate and hold accountable those who abuse the FCC’s public subsidy programs and to protect all those who rely on them to stay connected.”

“Stealing over $100 million for programs meant to support people in times of need is a crime against the entire nation.” said Juan A. Vargas, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division. “Asad and Q Link’s guilty pleas send a clear message: those who cheat the government for personal gain will be held accountable.”

“This is precisely the type of conduct IRS Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners are committed to deterring,” said Kareem Carter, Executive Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (CI), Washington, D.C. Field Office.  “These crimes are far from victimless, as they financially harm taxpayers and erode public trust in our government. I want to extend my gratitude to our law enforcement partners for their unwavering commitment to safeguarding the integrity of federal relief programs and ensuring that the system works for those it was designed to help.”

“SIGPR is proud to have played a significant role teaming with its law enforcement partners in exposing Q Link Wireless LLC and CEO Issa Asad for operating schemes to defraud the FCC and the SBA’s federal program meant to aid individuals and businesses hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to using some of the proceeds outside the U.S.,” said Brian Miller, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR).

According to court records, the cases arose out of the Defendants’ scheme to defraud the FCC’s Lifeline program. Lifeline makes basic communications services more affordable for low-income consumers. It provides subscribers a deep discount on qualifying monthly cellphone service, broadband Internet service, or bundled voice-broadband packages purchased from participating telecommunications providers. The discount helps ensure that low-income consumers can afford 21st century connectivity services and the access they provide to jobs, healthcare, and educational resources.

During their guilty pleas today, the Defendants agreed that they purposefully conspired to defraud this program. Specifically, beginning as early as 2012 and continuing through at least 2021, Q Link, directed by Asad, its CEO, cheated the Lifeline program by making repeated false claims for reimbursement, taking and retaining Lifeline funds that it was not entitled to receive, providing false information about its Lifeline customers, and deceiving the FCC about its compliance with program rules. Asad directed these illegal activities and conspired with others to commit the fraud.

Among other things, according to court records, the Defendants engaged in multiple tricks designed to mislead the FCC about how many people were actually using Q Link’s Lifeline phones, and to prevent customers who did not want the phones from ending their relationship with Q Link (which would have prevented Q Link from billing the program for them). The Defendants manufactured non-existent cellphone activity and engaged in coercive marketing techniques to get people to remain Q Link customers. On one occasion, for example, the Defendants devised the following automated script to be played for Q Link customers: “Hello, your Medicaid, Food Stamp and Lifeline benefits are about to get cancelled. To avoid cancelation of these benefits, press 1 now to indicate that you wish to remain enrolled in these government programs. Press 2 if you wish to speak to a representative about your government benefits. To opt out of any future calls, press 3.” The Defendants used this false and threatening script to coerce customers into accepting Lifeline services. In another recorded call in which a similar script was deployed, a customer who called to cancel due to a non-working cellphone asked the Q Link customer service representative “do you want me to throw it in the garbage?” The representative responded instead: “Just make sure you continue to use the device at least once every 30 days.”

Upon learning that the FCC was investigating their Lifeline billing, the Defendants created and provided false records to the FCC to conceal the scam and to continue collecting reimbursement. As part of this plan, the Defendants, with the help of others, simply manufactured cellphone activity on behalf of Q Link customers who were not using their cellphones. At no point did Q Link amend past Lifeline claims for customers who were not using their cellphones or return any of the Lifeline payments.

The plea agreements state that a reasonable estimate of the total actual loss to the FCC that resulted from the conduct of the Defendants and their co-conspirators was $109,637,057. As part of his plea, Asad admitted that he personally received approximately $15 million from Q Link as a result of the fraud.

Meanwhile, Asad defrauded another federal government program, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), by making false statements about Q Link’s business. Congress created the PPP program during the Covid-19 pandemic to authorize forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses. Asad, in Q Link’s name, executed a fraudulent scheme to obtain, and keep, PPP proceeds. To further the scheme, he made false statements about Q Link’s business, including a false claim that Q Link’s Lifeline reimbursements substantially decreased as a result of the pandemic. According to court records, Asad spent the proceeds of this PPP loan on the construction of a new home. Over $140,000 in PPP funds were used to make donations to a local university, purchase items at a jewelry store and to pay Asad’s property taxes on his residence.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) also assisted with this matter.

As part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery investigated the COVID-19 fraud related to this case with its other law enforcement partners. The PRAC was established to promote transparency and facilitate coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Young, Dan Bernstein, and John Shipley are prosecuting the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Pastor and Sara Klco are handling asset forfeiture. 

Present or former Q Link subscribers who seek more information may follow this link at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/united-states-v-issa-asad.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20363.

###

MIAMI — A former U.S. Air Force member was charged in an indictment unsealed today in the Southern District of Florida with sexually assaulting another service member at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom, in May 2019.

The indictment charges James Loubeau, 36, of Miami, with one count of sexual abuse and two counts of abusive sexual contact. Loubeau made his initial court appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

According to the indictment, on May 4, 2019, Loubeau sexually assaulted the victim at Royal Air Force Mildenhall. Loubeau was later discharged from the Air Force in March 2020. The charges were brought under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA), which establishes U.S. jurisdiction over certain offenses committed abroad by, among others, persons who served with the armed forces but who are no longer subject to military prosecution.

If convicted, Loubeau faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Michael Koellner of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI); and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI’s Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The Air Force OSI and FBI are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Arielle Klepach for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Ryan Lipes of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case.

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

###

A former U.S. Air Force member was charged in an indictment unsealed today in the Southern District of Florida with sexually assaulting another service member at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom, in May 2019.

The indictment charges James Loubeau, 36, of Miami, with one count of sexual abuse and two counts of abusive sexual contact. Loubeau made his initial court appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

According to the indictment, on May 4, 2019, Loubeau sexually assaulted the victim at Royal Air Force Mildenhall. Loubeau was later discharged from the Air Force in March 2020. The charges were brought under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA), which establishes U.S. jurisdiction over certain offenses committed abroad by, among others, persons who served with the armed forces but who are no longer subject to military prosecution.

If convicted, Loubeau faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Michael Koellner of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI); and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI’s Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The Air Force OSI and FBI are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Ryan Lipes of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Arielle Klepach for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

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

MIAMI – On Oct. 8, a federal jury found Erik Hadad, 58, guilty of carjacking a customer of the car dealership his family operated. 

According to evidence introduced at trial, Hadad and members of his family operated Guru Auto Sales (Guru), a car dealership that sold the victim a 2020 Honda Accord in October 2023. The victim, a 24-year-old Haitian immigrant, was not given a copy of the sales paperwork he signed. In making the purchase, the victim understood that he was paying a finance company. What the victim was not aware of was that there was an agreement between the finance company and Guru, and if the victim was late on a payment within the first two months of the loan, then the finance company could demand the approximately $13,800 it paid for the loan back from the dealership. That part of the agreement mattered because the victim’s first payment bounced after he set up autopay, with the victim paying the first installment late and with a late fee in late November 2023. Because of that, the finance company sent Guru a letter on Dec. 14, 2023 saying that Guru needed to buy the loan back and owed about $13,000 for the contract—the amount the finance company paid less the amount the victim had paid at that point.

The carjacking occurred on Dec. 19, 2023, five days after Guru received a letter from the finance company informing them that they needed to buy back the loan. The victim was current on his account that day, and Guru was expressly told they couldn’t repossess the car. Nevertheless, that morning, the victim was followed by a black BMW. When he reached a red light, Hadad, whom the victim had never met before, got out of the black BMW in the middle of the intersection and approached the victim’s Honda, ripping off the paper temporary tag and aggressively yelling at the victim to get out of the car. The victim was able to get away when the light turned green, but Hadad eventually caught up to the victim and continued aggressively screaming for the victim to get out of the car. Hadad lifted his shirt to reveal that he had a gun holstered in his waistband, which led the victim to surrender his keys. The victim called the police shortly thereafter, and Hadad was arrested on scene. Hadad was found to be armed with a loaded Smith & Wesson pistol, holstered in his waistband.

U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore is scheduled to sentence Hadad on Jan. 9, 2025, after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, made the announcement.

ATF Miami Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary A. Keller and Brianna Coakley are prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20220.

###

MIAMI – Two of three St. Lucie County men, responsible for a string of robberies of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carriers for their Postal keys, were sentenced to federal prison yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge K. Michael Moore sitting in Ft. Pierce, Fla.

"The defendants brazenly terrorized loyal public servants, U.S. Postal Service letter carriers working in Florida, at gunpoint for their postal keys with the intent to steal mail from collection boxes. Their sentencing shows that the safety of U.S. Postal Service employees is of the utmost importance,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “Armed assaults on letter carriers negatively impact our entire community, which relies on the U.S. Postal Service for the safe delivery of the mail.”

“The prison sentences handed down to these defendants should serve as a reminder that violent acts committed against U.S. Postal Service employees providing service to the community will not be tolerated and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, along with our law enforcement partners, will ensure that those committing these acts will be pursued and justly punished for their crimes,” said Juan A. Vargas, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division.

Bernard Jerome Davis III, 20, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., was sentenced to 192 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years’ supervised release, after pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, two counts of armed Postal/U.S. property robbery, a single count of brandishing a firearm during and in furtherance of a crime of violence, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and Hobbs Act robbery.  

Jalen Dennis Elliott, 19, of Port St. Lucie, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 2 years’ supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and Hobbs Act robbery.

Jamal Travon Brown Weathers, 23, of Fort Pierce, pleaded guilty on June 12, and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 24, in Ft. Pierce.

According to the court record, to include factual proffers in support of the defendants’ guilty pleas, between Nov. 19, 2022, and Oct. 21, 2023, Brown Weathers, Davis and Elliott robbed at least six USPS letter carriers in St. Lucie, Brevard, Orange and Miami-Dade counties in Florida.

On Nov. 19, 2022, a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail inside an apartment complex in Port St. Lucie. While the carrier was at the mailboxes, Brown Weathers demanded “Give me the key.” Brown Weathers then grabbed and started yanking the letter carrier’s keys, which were attached to her uniform pants. Brown Weathers then brandished a semi-automatic handgun and demanded “Give me the f------ key. You got five seconds to give up the key.” At that point the letter carrier unhooked her arrow key and handed it over to Brown Weathers, who fled in a vehicle driven by Davis. The vehicle, belonging to Brown Weathers’ mother, was later chased by a St. Lucie County Sheriff’s deputy in Fort Pierce. The occupants fled and a K-9 deputy recovered the firearm used in the robbery along the path of flight.

A Postal arrow key is an accountable property assigned to U.S. Post Office(s) that is only authorized to be used by USPS employees in an official capacity. A Postal arrow key is used by USPS employees to open mail receptacles within a geographic area to collect and deliver mail.

On May 12, 2023, Brown Weathers and Davis robbed two USPS letter carriers at gunpoint in the Middle District of Florida. At approximately 12:13 p.m., a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail in Melbourne, Fla., when Davis approached the letter carrier with a black firearm and demanded the letter carrier’s Postal arrow key. Once the letter carrier handed over the key, Davis fled the scene in a Nissan Altima that he rented. At approximately 1:20 p.m., another USPS letter carrier was on his mail delivery route in Orlando, Fla., when a Nissan Altima stopped behind his Postal vehicle. Brown Weathers exited the Nissan Altima, ran towards the letter carrier while holding a black firearm, grabbed the letter carrier by the shirt, and demanded the letter carrier give him the arrow key. The letter carrier removed the arrow key from his belt loop and gave it Brown Weathers, who fled in the vehicle rented and driven by Davis.

On Aug. 1, 2023, a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail in Fort Pierce when a white Pontiac Grand Prix began to follow her and pulled up behind her USPS vehicle. The letter carrier observed Davis carrying a black semi-automatic firearm and walking toward the Postal vehicle.  Fearing a robbery, the letter carrier quickly drove away and called 911. The same white vehicle followed another letter carrier, who also called 911.

On Oct. 11, 2023, a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail in Fort Pierce when Davis approached the driver’s side of the Postal vehicle brandishing a black semi-automatic handgun and demanded that the letter carrier give him the key. Once the letter carrier handed the Postal arrow key to Davis, he entered a white vehicle and drove away.

On Oct. 21, 2023, a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail in an apartment community in Miami Beach, Fla. when she was confronted by Davis who shouted, “give me the keys.” Davis ripped the keys, including a Postal arrow key, from the letter carrier's hand, causing an injury. Davis then fled to a waiting black BMW SUV, driven by Elliott.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Inspector in Charge Juan A. Vargas of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division, Chief Wayne A. Jones of the City of Miami Beach Police Department, Sheriff Keith Pearson of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Chief Diane Hobley-Burney of the Fort Pierce Police Department, Sheriff John W. Mina of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and Sheriff Wayne Ivey of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement. 

The USPIS, Miami Beach Police Department, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Pierce Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the case. The Port St. Lucie Police Department provided assistance. Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Lineberger is prosecuting the case.

This case is the result of Project Safe Delivery (PSD), a joint U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service initiative aimed at countering postal crime and safeguarding postal employees. Announced in May 2023, in direct response to a rise in threats and attacks on letter carriers and mail theft incidents, PSD seeks to protect Postal employees and the mail stream, prevent incidents through education and awareness, and enforce the laws that protect our nation’s mail stream.  Since the launch of PSD, postal inspectors, working with law enforcement partners, have arrested more than 287 individuals for postal-related robberies through June 30, 2024. In the first six months of the fiscal year, the number of arrests for postal-related robberies rose 72% versus the same period the previous year, while the number of postal-related robberies dropped 21%. Meanwhile, the number of mail theft complaints received during that period decreased 35%, suggesting the PSD approach is achieving the intended result.

Customers are encouraged to report stolen mail as soon as possible by submitting an online complaint to the Postal Inspection Service at www.uspis.gov/report or calling 877-876-2455. The Postal Inspection Service is authorized to issue monetary rewards for the forcible assault, robbery or attempted robbery of any custodian of any mail, money, or other property of the United States under the control and jurisdiction of the Postal Service.  Additionally, individuals are encouraged to report allegations of Postal Service employee misconduct, including attempts to corrupt a Postal Service employee, to the USPS OIG at 1-888-877-7644 or www.uspsoig.gov.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-14053.

###

MIAMI – United States Attorney Markenzy Lapointe reminds the public to be vigilant of hurricane relief fraud in the wake of Hurricane Helene and other natural disasters.

“Throughout hurricane season and in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, I urge the public to be wary of fraudsters looking to exploit victims of hurricanes and other natural disasters through identity theft schemes, solicitations for fake charities, or other types of fraud. Report suspected disaster fraud to the National Center for Disaster Fraud by calling (866) 720-5721 or by going online at www.justice.gov/DisasterComplaintForm,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida.

On Sept. 26, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend Region and quickly caused major devastation there and across states including Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and others. As we have seen in the wake of previous national disasters, fraudsters will target victims of the storm along with citizens across the country who want to do what they can to assist individuals affected by the storm. Unfortunately, criminals exploit disasters for their own gain by sending fraudulent communications through email or social media and by creating deceiving websites designed to solicit contributions.

The public should exercise diligence before giving contributions to anyone soliciting donations or individuals offering to assist those affected by Hurricane Helene. Solicitations can originate from phone calls, texts, social media, e-mail, door-to-door collections, flyers, mailings, and other similar methods. Before making a donation to benefit victims of Hurricane Helene, individuals should adhere to certain guidelines, including:

• Make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf.

• Do not be pressured into making contributions as reputable charities do not use such tactics.

• Do not respond to any unsolicited communications (e.g., e-mails and texts), and never click links contained within those messages because they may be targeting your personal information, to include bank and credit card account information, and other identifiers such as dates of birth and social security numbers.

• Rather than clicking on a purported link to a charity, verify its legitimacy by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming whether the organization is a valid charity.

• Beware of organizations with copy-cat names similar to but not exactly the same as those of reputable charities.

• Avoid cash donations if possible. Pay by credit card or write a check directly to the charity. Do not make checks payable to individuals.

• Know that legitimate charities do not normally solicit donations via money transfer services, and their website will normally end in .org rather than .com.

• Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.

The U.S. Department of Justice established the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to deter, investigate, and prosecute fraud in the wake of disasters. More than 50 federal, state, and local agencies participate in the NCDF, which reminds the public to be aware of and report any instances of alleged fraudulent activity related to relief operations and funding for victims. Complaints of fraud may be reported online at www.justice.gov/DisasterComplaintForm. Complaints may also be reported to the NCDF at (866) 720-5721, a hotline that is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

###

Note: View DEA Administrator Anne Milgram's remarks (YouTube).

Charges against five pharmaceutical distributor executives and five pharmaceutical sales representatives and brokers have been unsealed in the Southern District of Texas, Southern District of Florida, Eastern District of Missouri, and Eastern District of North Carolina as part of a larger enforcement action related to the unlawful distribution of nearly 70 million opioid pills and over 30 million doses of other commonly abused prescription drugs to alleged Houston-area pill-mill pharmacies. Three Houston-area pharmacy operators were also charged in the Southern District of Texas for their role in the schemes. Nine individuals have pleaded guilty.

According to court documents, the opioids allegedly distributed — oxycodone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone — were available in numerous strengths and forms, but the distributors allegedly sold the drugs almost exclusively in their most abused, most powerful immediate-release pill forms — i.e., the ones that sold for the most money on the black market. The distributors also allegedly sold prescription drug potentiators — alprazolam, carisoprodol, and promethazine with codeine syrup — known for their reputation of enhancing the high from the opioids. The distributors allegedly charged their Houston customers far more for the drugs than what a legitimate pharmacy could or would pay.

“The defendants, including pharmaceutical drug distributors, allegedly exploited the opioid crisis for profit — selling dangerous and addictive drugs to pill-mill pharmacies at above-market prices, knowing that the drugs would end up on the black market,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The drugs had a staggering black-market value of over $1.3 billion. These charges represent the Justice Department’s largest criminal enforcement action targeting executives, brokers, and alleged pill-mill pharmacy owners for unlawfully distributing opioids and other commonly abused drugs. Our message is clear: we will not hesitate in our pursuit of those involved in dumping addictive pharmaceutical drugs onto the streets.”

As alleged in the charging documents, the defendants mostly targeted pill-mill pharmacies in and around Houston — a nationally recognized “hot zone” for diversion of pharmaceutical opioids onto the black market. The distributors sought to thwart the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)'s oversight function in several ways, including by following what one defendant called a “blueprint” for avoiding detection: high prices, low purchasing limits for the controlled drugs, and compliance measures that only served appearances. In addition, the distributors were all located outside Texas, far removed from their Houston-area pill-mill pharmacy customers and the communities ravaged by their alleged offenses.

“The defendants in the charges announced today are alleged to be responsible for significantly contributing to the devastation caused by the opioid crisis by knowingly supplying pill-mill pharmacies and coaching pharmacy operators on how to evade law enforcement detection. According to the charging documents, they knowingly sold bulk narcotics to drug traffickers and to pharmacies they knew were selling to drug traffickers,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “As alleged, these defendants — owners, CEOs, executives, brokers — put profits over the health and safety of the American public. No one is above the law. If you contribute to the opioid epidemic, if you profit from the devastation of communities, we will hold you accountable. I commend the collaboration between DEA’s Diversion Control Division, our field divisions in St. Louis, Miami, Atlanta, Phoenix, Louisville and Houston, and our other state and federal law enforcement partners whose dedication to this investigation led us here today.”

“The distributors that sourced pills into the Houston area may be located across the country in Arizona, Florida, Maryland, California, North Carolina, and elsewhere, but they targeted Houston, helping to make it a known ‘hot zone’ for drug diversion,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. “This office will always support the prosecution of individuals who try to thwart law enforcement and oversight by operating across state lines, posing as legitimate businesses, while in reality poisoning our district by targeting pill mills with precisely the drugs at the heart of our country’s addiction crisis. While there remain others who will be held accountable in the future, these cases build on this district’s history of systematically dismantling pill-mill clinics, pharmacies, and the often-violent drug-trafficking organizations, responsible for selling these pills in our community.”

“The use of protocols outside of common industry practice has contributed to the current opioid epidemic. To boost their profits, bad actors facilitate the distribution of opioids without medical necessity, threatening the lives and health of the public and the integrity of the Medicare program,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our agency, working with our law enforcement partners, will continue to thoroughly investigate such schemes.”

“The FBI is dedicated to stopping dangerous controlled drugs from ending up in the wrong hands in communities across the country,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “These charges are another example of our continued multi-prong attack on those who contribute to the opioid crisis. The FBI and our partners investigate crimes at every level from the wholesaler pharmaceutical companies supplying the local pill-mill pharmacies to those selling the dangerous drugs on the street and black-market. We will not let anyone cash in and take advantage of people dealing with a drug addiction.”

“Supplying diverted prescription drugs undermines FDA safeguards designed to protect the public, compromising public safety for personal gain,” said Assistant Commissioner Justin Green of the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI). “This investigation is a clear demonstration that the FDA will not stop pursuing and bringing to justice those who put the public health at risk.”

“Today’s charges are a reminder of the continued danger of the opioid epidemic and the resolve of the investigative and legal teams,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service's Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “Anyone, including corporate executives, who knowingly facilitates opioid abuse will be held accountable for their greed and total disregard for safety.”

According to court documents, the following individuals were charged as part of today’s enforcement action:

• Sheldon Dounn, 71, of Plantation, Florida, was charged for allegedly brokering the sale of millions of opioid pills and other commonly abused prescription drugs, mostly to Houston-area independent pharmacies that then sold the pills on to the black market. He was indicted in the Southern District of Texas with five counts of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances; two counts of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense, and possess with intent to distribute and dispense, controlled substances; and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States in connection with a scheme to unlawfully distribute and dispense nearly 10 million opioid pills to pharmacies in Houston and Florida. Richard “Dick” Osbourne, 78, of Memphis, Tennessee, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Texas to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense, and possess with intent to distribute and dispense, controlled substances, and Courtney Rotenberry, 45, of Savannah, Tennessee, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Texas to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of conspiracy to use a communications facility to further the commission of a drug felony, in connection with the same scheme. According to court documents, Osbourne was the president of Wholesale Rx, while Rotenberry served as sales manager and, for a brief period, managed day-to-day operations at the company, including purported compliance. She also handled some of the company’s pharmacy accounts. As alleged, Dounn brought Wholesale Rx what he called the “model” — a “blueprint” for staying “under the radar” of regulators and law enforcement through over-market prices, low purchasing limits, and perfunctory compliance in hopes of making a “lot of money” — which was based on Dounn’s experience as a pharmaceutical sales broker. Dounn allegedly brokered sales of commonly abused prescription drugs from Wholesale Rx to his pharmacy customers in Houston. Dounn also allegedly sold the same pills from at least two other wholesalers to his Houston-area customers and some Florida customers, often in addition to the drugs the pharmacies purchased from Wholesale Rx. Rotenberry also falsely represented to the DEA that Wholesale Rx preformed meaningful due diligence on its Houston-area pharmacy customers when Wholesale Rx did not. If convicted, Dounn faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each unlawful distribution-related count and five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States. Osbourne faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Rotenberry faces a maximum penalty of five years on the conspiracy to defraud the United States count and four years on the conspiracy to use a communications facility to further the commission of a drug felony count.
• Hernan Alvarez, 52, of Phoenix, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Texas to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances in connection with a scheme to distribute over 18.6 million commonly abused opioid units. As alleged, Alvarez, the president of DEA-registered pharmaceutical distributor Salus Medical LLC (Salus), along with his co-conspirators, aimed to generate profits by selling commonly abused opioids and other drugs into the Houston market. Despite a meeting with DEA officials in 2017, during which Alvarez and his sales manager were informed of distributors’ obligations to provide effective controls against diversion and were trained on red flags for Salus to look out for, Alvarez targeted certain Houston-area pharmacies because those pharmacies were willing to pay over-market prices for commonly abused prescription drugs. Alvarez knew that these Houston-area pharmacies were able to pay inflated prices for the drugs because the pharmacies unlawfully sold them, for cash, mainly to street-level drug dealers. Alvarez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. 
• Joshua Weinstein, 50, of Miami, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Florida to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense, and possess with intent to distribute and dispense, controlled substances; and Derrick “Chad” Atkinson, 40, of Lumberton, North Carolina, was charged by information in the Eastern District of North Carolina with the same, in connection with a scheme to distribute over 7 million hydrocodone, oxycodone, and hydromorphone pills. As alleged, Weinstein was the president of a pharmaceutical drug wholesaler headquartered in Miami, and Atkinson was a sales representative who serviced many of the company’s Houston-area pharmacy accounts. Weinstein, Atkinson, and their co-conspirators allegedly sold commonly abused prescription drugs at a large markup into the Houston market, while implementing purported compliance measures that mostly facilitated, instead of prevented, diversion. According to court documents, in or around 2017, after Atkinson was hired, the company’s sales of commonly abused prescription drugs to Houston-area pharmacies dramatically increased. In addition to serving as president of the Miami wholesaler, Weinstein served as a sales representative for an alleged Houston-area pill-mill pharmacy, for which Weinstein secured an increase in the pharmacy’s purchasing limits for commonly abused prescription drugs and picked non-controlled substances the pharmacy needed to purchase to meet the wholesaler’s required controlled-to-non-controlled substance purchasing ratio. Weinstein faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. If convicted, Atkinson faces the same.
• Jason Smith, 43, of Plantation, Florida, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Florida to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense, and possess with intent to distribute and dispense, controlled substances. Joseph Pesserillo, 38, of The Villages, Florida, and Cassandra Rivera, 40, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, were charged by information in the Southern District of Florida with one count of conspiracy to use a communications facility to further the commission of a drug felony. All three defendants were charged in connection with a scheme to facilitate the distribution of tens of millions of commonly abused prescription drugs from Salus and three other pharmaceutical drug wholesalers. According to court documents, Smith owned and operated Proven Rx Sales LLC (Proven), a purported pharmaceutical consulting company that helped mid-level distributors sell commonly abused prescription drugs to Houston-area pill-mill pharmacies. Smith dealt primarily with the owners and upper management for Proven’s distributors, while Proven sales representatives Pesserillo and Rivera allegedly serviced the accounts of pill-mill pharmacies in the Houston area. Smith faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. If convicted, Pesserillo and Rivera each face a maximum penalty of four years in prison.
• Eric Bailey, 59, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Missouri to one count of possession with intent to distribute hydrocodone and oxycodone, in connection with a scheme to distribute over 11 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills. According to court documents, Bailey, the owner and operator of Emed Medical Company LLC (Emed), a pharmaceutical drug distributor, controlled Emed’s purchase and sale of controlled substances — including purchasing the commonly abused prescription drugs sold to Houston-area pharmacies — setting prices, approving new customers, and setting purported compliance protocols. In December 2021, Bailey was notified by a drug manufacturer that unless Emed implemented improved due diligence programs, the manufacturer would no longer sell Emed controlled substances. Bailey received compliance recommendations but did not implement them. Instead he purchased from a new drug manufacturer thousands of oxycodone and hydrocodone pills with the intent to distribute them to Emed’s Houston-area pharmacy customers that he knew would unlawfully distribute them. Bailey faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
• Velencia Griffin, 42, Kendal Lyons, 29, and Andre Reid, 44, of Houston, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Texas to conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense, and possess with intent to distribute, controlled substances. Griffin, Lyons, and Reid operated Houston-area pharmacies that purchased commonly abused controlled pharmaceutical drugs ordered through Sheldon Dounn. Griffin, Lyons, and Reid each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

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

DEA, HHS-OIG, FBI, USPS-OIG, FDA-OCI, and MFCU investigated the case, with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security, General Services Administration Office of Inspector General, Broward Sheriff’s Office, Houston Police Department, and other federal and state law enforcement agencies.

Today’s enforcement action was led and coordinated by Trial Attorneys Drew Pennebaker and Devon Helfmeyer and Assistant Chief Aleza Remis of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section's Health Care Fraud Unit. Trial Attorneys Drew Pennebaker and Devon Helfmeyer are prosecuting the cases, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Fyffe for the Southern District of Texas is assisting with forfeiture. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of Texas, Southern District of Florida, Eastern District of Missouri, and Eastern District of North Carolina assisted with the prosecutions.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

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

Atkinson information

Bailey information

Smith information

Weinstein information

MIAMI – The former Comptroller General of Ecuador was sentenced today to 10 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $16.5 million for his role in a multimillion-dollar international bribery and money laundering scheme in which he received over $10 million in bribes and laundered those bribes payments in South Florida.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between 2010 to 2015, Carlos Ramon Polit Faggioni, 73, solicited and received over $10 million in bribe payments from Odebrecht S.A., the Brazil-based construction conglomerate. Polit, in his position as Comptroller General of Ecuador, was responsible for protecting public funds against fraud and rooting out corruption. Instead, Polit took bribes from Odebrecht in exchange for removing fines and not imposing fines on Odebrecht’s projects in Ecuador. Additionally, in or around 2015, Polit received a bribe from an Ecuadorian businessman in exchange for assisting the businessman with obtaining certain contracts with the state-owned insurance company of Ecuador. From in or around 2010 and continuing until at least 2017, at the direction of Polit, another member of the conspiracy caused proceeds of Polit’s bribery scheme to “disappear” by using Florida companies registered in the names of friends and associates, often without the associates’ knowledge. The conspirators also used funds from Polit’s bribery scheme to purchase and renovate real estate in Florida.

On April 23, Polit was convicted at trial of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, three counts of concealment money laundering, and two counts of engaging in transactions in criminally derived property.

Odebrecht S.A. pleaded guilty in December 2016 to conspiring to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with a broader scheme to pay nearly $800 million in bribes to public officials in 12 countries, including Ecuador.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The HSI Miami Field Office investigated this case. IRS Criminal Investigation provided substantial assistance.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance. The Justice Department also thanks the assistance with the investigation of law enforcement authorities in Ecuador, Brazil, Panama, and Curacao.

Senior Litigation Counsel Michael N. Berger for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Jil Simon and Assistant Chief Alexander Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff and Sandra Demirci for the Southern District of Florida are handling asset forfeiture.

The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-20114.

###

The former comptroller general of Ecuador was sentenced today to 10 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $16.5 million for his role in a multimillion-dollar international bribery and money laundering scheme in which he received over $10 million in bribes and laundered those bribes payments in South Florida.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between 2010 to 2015, Carlos Ramon Polit Faggioni, 73, solicited and received over $10 million in bribe payments from Odebrecht S.A., the Brazil-based construction conglomerate. Polit, in his position as Comptroller General of Ecuador, was responsible for protecting public funds against fraud and rooting out corruption. Instead, Polit took bribes from Odebrecht in exchange for removing fines and not imposing fines on Odebrecht’s projects in Ecuador. Additionally, in or around 2015, Polit received a bribe from an Ecuadorian businessman in exchange for assisting the businessman with obtaining certain contracts with the state-owned insurance company of Ecuador. From in or around 2010 and continuing until at least 2017, at the direction of Polit, another member of the conspiracy caused proceeds of Polit’s bribery scheme to “disappear” by using Florida companies registered in the names of friends and associates, often without the associates’ knowledge. The conspirators also used funds from Polit’s bribery scheme to purchase and renovate real estate in Florida.

On April 23, Polit was convicted at trial of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, three counts of concealment money laundering, and two counts of engaging in transactions in criminally derived property.

Odebrecht S.A. pleaded guilty in December 2016 to conspiring to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with a broader scheme to pay nearly $800 million in bribes to public officials in 12 countries, including Ecuador.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The HSI Miami Field Office investigated this case. IRS Criminal Investigation provided substantial assistance.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance. The Justice Department also thanks the assistance with the investigation of law enforcement authorities in Ecuador, Brazil, Panama, and Curacao.  

Trial Attorney Jil Simon and Assistant Chief Alexander Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Senior Litigation Counsel Michael N. Berger for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Grosnoff and Sandra Demirci for the Southern District of Florida are handling asset forfeiture.

The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.

MIAMI – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida remains a leader in COVID-19 pandemic relief prosecutions, holding a range of actors accountable for these crimes. Over this summer alone, the district has charged 17 individuals with COVID-19 relief fraud cases, with scheme amounts totaling over $21 million.

In 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. In 2022, the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office was selected to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. Together, with federal, state and local law enforcement partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office targets fraudsters that took advantage of programs that offered assistance during the pandemic. Since the pandemic, more than 185 people have been charged in the Southern District of Florida for schemes involving more than around $220 million.

“These defendants have in common a willingness to exploit federal programs created to help people in a global pandemic for their own gain,” stated U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to uncover COVID-19 related financial fraud schemes and hold people accountable – regardless of their role in the community. We will not allow limited federal tax dollars, which were intended to provide a lifeline to small businesses as they struggled to stay afloat during the economically devastating pandemic lockdown, to be stolen to support criminal actors.”

“The Department of Justice remains committed to the prosecution of those who engaged in COVID-19 benefits program fraud and the return of recovered funds to the American taxpayers. I appreciate the dedication of the prosecutors and investigators who brought these people to justice and worked to protect the integrity of our federal benefits programs,” said Mandy Riedel, Director of COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement.

The following cases were charged this summer.

Cases Against Federal Employees

A number of federal employees and former federal employees have been charged with COVID loan schemes, including:

• U.S. v. Malaina Chapman, Case No. 24-CR-20321: Chapman, 37, of Hialeah, Fla., a former SBA employee, was indicted in July 2024. The indictment alleges that, while employed by the SBA, Chapman became involved in multiple schemes to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, as well as to defraud local credit unions and local and state programs designed to assist those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic pay their rent. United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG) and the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG) investigated this case.  This case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Bernstein.

“Fraudulent exploitation of SBA's pandemic relief programs diverts critical resources from the small businesses that truly need them,” said Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Special Agent in Charge of the SBA OIG’s Eastern Region. “Our office is committed to protecting taxpayer funds and ensuring that individuals who attempt to defraud SBA programs are brought to justice. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s office and our law enforcement partners for their collaboration and dedication to justice.”

Unemployment Insurance Fraud

A number of defendants in Florida were charged with defrauding the California Employment Development Department of millions of dollars by making false claims for unemployment with the personally identifiable information of the victims of identity theft. These cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL OIG), SBA OIG, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

This includes:

• U.S. v. Harold Eubanks and Myotha Francois, Case No. 24-CR-20335: handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Cruz.

• U.S. v. Kenneth Dikari Stevens, Jr. and Giovanni Kymani Paul Matthews, Case No. 24-CR-20293: handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Cronin and Aimee Jimenez.

• U.S. v. Zachary Ramyard, Case No. 24-CR-20382: handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joesph Egozi.

“These cases represent the continued commitment of the FBI and many other federal agencies to identify and hold accountable those who engaged in COVID relief fraud,” said Jeffrey B. Veltri, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Field Office. “The intent of these programs was to provide a financial safety net to eligible businesses during a time of economic duress – not as a way for criminals to fund their lifestyles. While the relief programs have ended, our pursuit of the fraudsters has not. The amount of fraud we’ve seen is staggering. We continue to work hard every day to investigate these fraud schemes and protect the public from being swindled.”

“This funding was intended to mitigate the risk to Americans and businesses impacted by an unprecedented global pandemic but was stolen by individuals for their own personal gain” said Anthony Salisbury Special Agent in Charge Homeland Security Investigations in Miami “Criminally taking advantage of  programs designed to help our communities will not be tolerated. HSI and their partners will vigilantly pursue all those who seek to exploit these programs to ensure that Americans properly in need of this kind of support have access.”

COVID-19 Procurement Fraud

This office continues to investigate and pursue individuals who capitalized on the pandemic by illegally profiting on personal protective equipment (PPE), including:

• U.S. v. Nabil Nahlah, Case No. 24-CR-20434: Nahlah, 49, of Miami Beach, Fla., was charged with one count of fraud against the United States, arising from his efforts to sell millions of dollars of PPE to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to allegations contained in the charging documents filed Sept. 25, Nahlah, through his company The Noble Attorney, made bids on various procurement requests from the VA for items like medical masks and examination gloves. Nahlah won the contracts by making false and fraudulent representations to the VA, namely by claiming that his firm was an authorized distributor or reseller of the PPE manufacturers and that he had the qualifying PPE in stock and available for immediate delivery. Nahlah furthered the scheme to defraud the VA by creating a fake web domain and email address for a PPE manufacturer and using it to submit a phony authorized distributor letter to the VA. Once awarded the lucrative contracts, Nahlah shipped non-conforming PPE to the VA, including counterfeit medical masks. This case was investigated by the VA Office of Inspector General’s (VA OIG) and the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Juenger.

• U.S. v. Rodrigo Mera, Case No. 24-CR-20148: In August 2024, Mera pled guilty to stealing gloves and other PPE from his employer during the pandemic. Mera admitted he sold the stolen PPE under false pretenses and profited over $1 million. This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service (USSS).  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Bernstein.

“The charges included in today’s announcement highlight the VA Office of Inspector General’s dedication throughout the pandemic to protect veterans and VA employees from those who would exploit the opportunity for fraudulent gain,” said Special Agent in Charge David Spilker with the VA OIG Southeast Field Office. “The VA OIG remains steadfast in our commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure the integrity of VA’s vital supply chain.”

“The FDA continues to monitor the marketplace to ensure that medical devices are safe and effective for American consumers,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin Fielder, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations’ Miami Field Office. “Today’s announcement should serve as a reminder that the FDA is continuing to collaborate with our fellow law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who place profits above the public health.”

Cases Against COVID-19 Loan Preparers

A number of loan preparers have been charged, including:

• U.S. v. Pete Andrew Cohen, Case No. 24-CR-60017: Cohen, 56 of Miramar, Fla., was the president of Taxez Taxez Taxez Incorporation in Miramar.   From June 2020 through June 2021, the defendant caused the filing of approximately $3 million in fraudulent PPP loan applications that falsely and fraudulently inflated the number of employees and payroll figures for the applicants. The defendant also arranged for PPP loan borrowers to create false and fraudulent payroll information using a payroll service. Cohen pled guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 17, before U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith. This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG). This case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Michael N. Berger.

• U.S. v. Marc Prince, Case No. 24-CR-20214: Prince, 41 of Miramar, reached out to various small business owners, directly or indirectly, to offer to obtain PPP loans. From June 2020 through April 2021, Prince caused the filing of approximately $3 million in fraudulent PPP loan applications that falsely and fraudulently inflated the number of employees and payroll figures for the applicants. Prince charged a fee, typically, of around 20 percent of the value of the PPP loan. Prince pled guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 17, before U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles.  This case was investigated by IRS-CI, FDIC-OIG, and HSI.  This case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Michael N. Berger.

“These charges demonstrate the FDIC OIG's commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate allegations of fraud in COVID-19 relief programs and other financial crimes that threaten to undermine the safety and soundness of our Nation's financial institutions,” said Special Agent in Charge Kyle A. Myles, of the FDIC OIG Atlanta Region.

“It has been four years after the enactment of a key pandemic-era law and IRS-CI still continues to investigate cases related to the CARES Act,” said Matthew D. Line, Special Agent in Charge of the IRS-CI Miami Field Office. “These cases cover a wide range of criminal activity, including tax, money laundering, fraudulently obtained loans, credits and payments meant for American workers, families, and small businesses. In the last year alone, IRS-CI has opened nearly 700 new COVID fraud investigations nationwide that collectively add up to $5 billion. If you committed fraud, know that we are working hard every single day to find you and hold you accountable.”

Theft of Employee Retention Credit Checks

This office has charged the theft of employee retention checks, for example:

• U.S.  v. Madelein Olivia, Case No. 24-CR-20323: Olivia, 52, of Miami, was indicted by a grand jury for stealing a $7 million Employee Retention Credit (ERC) check issued to a victim business where she was not employed.  ERC checks are refundable tax credits for certain eligible businesses and tax-exempt organizations that had employees and were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) investigated the case.  This case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Altanese Phenelus.  

An indictment, information, and complaint contain mere allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

For more information regarding the Department of Justice’s response to the pandemic visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Additional information regarding the Strike Force may be found at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-covid-19-fraud-strike-force-teams.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under the case numbers referenced above.

###

Note: View the indictment here.

A federal grand jury in Miami late this afternoon returned an indictment charging Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, with attempting to kill former President Donald J. Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15.

“Violence targeting public officials endangers everything our country stands for, and the Department of Justice will use every available tool to hold Ryan Routh accountable for the attempted assassination of former President Trump charged in the indictment,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will not tolerate violence that strikes at the heart of our democracy, and we will find and hold accountable those who perpetrate it. This must stop.”

“This alleged attempted assassination of the former President at his golf course was a direct attack on our democracy. Political violence has no place in this country — not then, not now, not ever,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “The charges today reflect the Department’s continued resolve to deploy every available resource to ensure public officials remain safe and to hold accountable those who target public officials to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Routh is charged with attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, which strikes at the very heart of our democratic system,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI is continuing our investigation into this alleged plot and will use the full weight and resources of the FBI to uncover and provide as much information as possible about what led to the events in West Palm Beach. In our country, we have to hold accountable people who resort to violence.”

According to allegations in a complaint affidavit and a factual proffer filed with the court, former President Trump was golfing at Trump International on Sept. 15, and a Secret Service agent conducting a perimeter security sweep saw the partially obscured face of a man — later identified as Routh — in the brush along the fence line near the sixth hole. The agent observed the barrel of a rifle aimed directly at him. As the agent began backing away, he saw the rifle barrel move, and the agent fired at Routh.

A witness saw Routh running across the road from the golf course and getting into a black Nissan Xterra. Based on information provided by the witness, Routh was later apprehended heading northbound on I-95 by officers from the Martin County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

Court documents allege that in the area where Routh had been hiding in the tree line, FBI agents located an SKS semiautomatic rifle with a scope attached and an extended magazine. The serial number on the rifle was obliterated and unreadable. Hanging from the fence was a backpack and a reusable shopping bag that each contained a plate capable of stopping small arms fire.

According to the allegations filed with the court, FBI agents found documents that contained a handwritten list of dates in August, September, and October and venues where the former President had appeared or was expected to be present. Cell records for two of the cell phones found in the Nissan Xterra showed that on multiple days and times from Aug. 18 to Sept. 15, Routh’s cell phone accessed cell towers located near Trump International and the former President’s residence at Mar-a-Lago.

According to the factual proffer filed with the court, a civilian witness contacted law enforcement stating that Routh had dropped off a box at his residence several months ago. Included in the box was a handwritten letter from Routh addressed “Dear World,” which stated, among other things, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you.”

Routh was charged with attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer (a Secret Service Agent), felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. At a detention hearing on Sept. 23, Routh was ordered to remain in federal custody pending trial. If convicted, Routh faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

According to court records, Routh was convicted of felonies in North Carolina in December 2002 and March 2010.

The FBI is investigating the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Secret Service.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-80116.

###

Note: View the indictment here.

A federal grand jury in Miami late this afternoon returned an indictment charging Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, with attempting to kill former President Donald J. Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15.

“Violence targeting public officials endangers everything our country stands for, and the Department of Justice will use every available tool to hold Ryan Routh accountable for the attempted assassination of former President Trump charged in the indictment,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will not tolerate violence that strikes at the heart of our democracy, and we will find and hold accountable those who perpetrate it. This must stop.”

“This alleged attempted assassination of the former President at his golf course was a direct attack on our democracy. Political violence has no place in this country — not then, not now, not ever,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “The charges today reflect the Department’s continued resolve to deploy every available resource to ensure public officials remain safe and to hold accountable those who target public officials to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Routh is charged with attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, which strikes at the very heart of our democratic system,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI is continuing our investigation into this alleged plot and will use the full weight and resources of the FBI to uncover and provide as much information as possible about what led to the events in West Palm Beach. In our country, we have to hold accountable people who resort to violence.”

According to allegations in a complaint affidavit and a factual proffer filed with the court, former President Trump was golfing at Trump International on Sept. 15, and a Secret Service agent conducting a perimeter security sweep saw the partially obscured face of a man — later identified as Routh — in the brush along the fence line near the sixth hole. The agent observed the barrel of a rifle aimed directly at him. As the agent began backing away, he saw the rifle barrel move, and the agent fired at Routh.

A witness saw Routh running across the road from the golf course and getting into a black Nissan Xterra. Based on information provided by the witness, Routh was later apprehended heading northbound on I-95 by officers from the Martin County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

Court documents allege that in the area where Routh had been hiding in the tree line, FBI agents located an SKS semiautomatic rifle with a scope attached and an extended magazine. The serial number on the rifle was obliterated and unreadable. Hanging from the fence was a backpack and a reusable shopping bag that each contained a plate capable of stopping small arms fire.

According to the allegations filed with the court, FBI agents found documents that contained a handwritten list of dates in August, September, and October and venues where the former President had appeared or was expected to be present. Cell records for two of the cell phones found in the Nissan Xterra showed that on multiple days and times from Aug. 18 to Sept. 15, Routh’s cell phone accessed cell towers located near Trump International and the former President’s residence at Mar-a-Lago.

According to the factual proffer filed with the court, a civilian witness contacted law enforcement stating that Routh had dropped off a box at his residence several months ago. Included in the box was a handwritten letter from Routh addressed “Dear World,” which stated, among other things, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you.”

Routh was charged with attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer (a Secret Service Agent), felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. At a detention hearing on Sept. 23, Routh was ordered to remain in federal custody pending trial. If convicted, Routh faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

According to court records, Routh was convicted of felonies in North Carolina in December 2002 and March 2010.

The FBI is investigating the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Secret Service.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

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

Ukrainian Nationals Extradited from Thailand

MIAMI - Two Ukrainian nationals made their initial appearance yesterday on a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Miami charging them with crimes related to labor-staffing companies they operated in Florida. The two men were extradited from the Kingdom of Thailand to the United States last week.

According to the superseding indictment, between August 2007 and July 2021, Oleg Oliynyk, Oleksandr Yurchyk and others owned and operated a series of labor-staffing companies in South Florida, including Paradise Choice LLC, Paradise Choice Cleaning LLC, Tropical City Services LLC and Tropical City Group LLC. The indictment alleges that the defendants, through these staffing companies, facilitated the employment in the hospitality industry of non-resident aliens who were not authorized to work in the United States. In addition, Oliynyk and Yurchyk allegedly conspired to defraud the IRS by, among other things, not withholding Social Security, Medicare and income taxes from these workers paychecks, and causing false corporate tax returns for the labor-staffing companies to be filed with the IRS.

Both defendants were charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to harbor non-resident aliens and induce them to remain in the country and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy to defraud the United States charge, a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the conspiracy to harbor aliens and induce them to remain in the United States charge and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the money laundering conspiracy charge. Each count also carries the possibility of a fine and supervised release upon completion of any sentence of incarceration. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Oliynyk and Yurchyk. The United States also thanks the Embassy of the United States in Thailand - Regional Security Office and Thai law enforcement partners including the Royal Thai Police and Office of the Attorney General for their valuable assistance.

Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark for the Southern District of Florida and Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Matthew C. Hicks and Wilson R. Stamm of the Tax Division and are prosecuting the case.

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

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 21-cr-10009.

###

MIAMI – Following a nine-day trial, a federal jury in the Southern District of Florida convicted Shannima Yuantrell Session, also known as Shalamar, 47, of Lake Placid, Florida, on 13 charges for sex trafficking nearly a dozen women and girls. Session compelled some of his victims to commit commercial sex acts between July 2011 and July 2013, and he compelled other victims to commit commercial sex acts between February 2016 and February 2019.

“Vindicating the rights of human trafficking victims and other vulnerable persons ranks among the highest priorities of our office,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “Human trafficking is a crime of exploitation. We will not allow human traffickers to prey upon others for profit, as humans are not commodities but rather demand our united protection. Our office’s dedicated prosecutors, victim witness coordinators, and support personnel will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to combat human trafficking and bring offenders to justice.”

“The defendant used despicable and horrific means to terrify and coerce nearly a dozen women and girls to engage in commercial sex,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to protecting vulnerable victims from such cruel exploitation. This prosecution reflects that commitment. It is a testament to the courageous young women who cooperated with law enforcement to expose, prosecute and hold accountable this defendant for the years of misery he inflicted on scores of women.”

“This verdict is a step towards justice for the nearly dozen victims who were forced by Shannima Yuantrell Session into sex trafficking and endured his reign of horrendous and abusive control,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “It is a testament to the cooperation and commitment of several law enforcement agencies including the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. We will continue working with these and other partners to dismantle human trafficking networks that operate in the shadows and brutalize their victims.”

Evidence presented during the trial established that Session made promises of legitimate work and housing assistance to women and girls struggling with unstable living accommodations, substance abuse and neglect or who otherwise led unstable lives. Session’s promises were often false and empty, designed to provide him the opportunity to learn about a victim’s vulnerabilities while misrepresenting himself as caring and empathetic. Session then exploited the victims’ vulnerabilities to compel their commercial sex acts in squalid trailers housing migrant workers or in local orange groves.

At times, Session used food and housing to control and coerce the victims. For example, he would not permit one of his victims to eat if the victim did not follow his instructions. Often, Session required his victims to engage in sexual activity with him after they had spent a night having compelled sexual intercourse with up to 18 men.

Further, the evidence presented during the trial demonstrated that Session resorted to extreme physical violence to compel and intimidate certain victims. He violently punched some of the victims in the back of their heads in order not to leave marks on their bodies. Once, Session dragged a victim to a shower and beat her in the back of her head with a metal nutcracker until she fell limp to the floor. Session also choked another victim to the point that she lost consciousness, beat another victim with a baseball bat and brutalized yet another so badly that her nose ring fell out due to the force of the assault. In addition, Session took multiple victims to a nearby lake, where he held their heads underwater and threatened to drown them if they did not do as he ordered.

The evidence also showed that Session used a firearm to intimidate and control his victims. He consistently kept a firearm in his possession, and frequently displayed it to victims or referred to it when talking with them. Once, Session pointed a firearm at a victim while he was driving and threatened to “kill” her after she asked him how he would feel if someone treated his daughter the way he treated her. Fearing for her life when Session stopped the car and began walking to the passenger side door, the victim jumped out of the car and ran towards nearby woods. In response, Session fired a shot into the air while he called out the victim’s name.

Finally, the evidence indicated that Session manipulated and took advantage of some victims’ substance abuse problems to compel their commercial sex services. For example, Session provided victims with cocaine and methamphetamine to give them sufficient energy to engage in commercial sex acts with multiple migrant men at nearby trailers.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 19. Session faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison as well as mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Miami Field Office, Ft. Pierce Resident Agency, investigated the case, with assistance from the Highlands County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Hoover for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Leah Branch and Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

Court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 22-cr-14074.

###

Following a nine-day trial, a federal jury in the Southern District of Florida convicted Shannima Yuantrell Session, also known as Shalamar, 47, of Lake Placid, Florida, on 13 charges for sex trafficking nearly a dozen women and girls. Session compelled some of his victims to commit commercial sex acts between July 2011 and July 2013, and he compelled other victims to commit commercial sex acts between February 2016 and February 2019.

“The defendant used despicable and horrific means to terrify and coerce nearly a dozen women and girls to engage in commercial sex,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to protecting vulnerable victims from such cruel exploitation. This prosecution reflects that commitment. It is a testament to the courageous young women who cooperated with law enforcement to expose, prosecute and hold accountable this defendant for the years of misery he inflicted on scores of women.”

“Vindicating the rights of human trafficking victims and other vulnerable persons ranks among the highest priorities of our office,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “Human trafficking is a crime of exploitation. We will not allow human traffickers to prey upon others for profit, as humans are not commodities but rather demand our united protection. Our office’s dedicated prosecutors, victim witness coordinators, and support personnel will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to combat human trafficking and bring offenders to justice.” 

“Today’s verdict is a step towards justice for the nearly dozen victims who were forced by Shannima Yuantrell Session into sex trafficking and endured his reign of horrendous and abusive control,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “This verdict is a testament to the cooperation and commitment of several law enforcement agencies including the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. We will continue working with these and other partners to dismantle human trafficking networks that operate in the shadows and brutalize their victims.”

Evidence presented during the trial established that Session made promises of legitimate work and housing assistance to women and girls struggling with unstable living accommodations, substance abuse and neglect or who otherwise led unstable lives. Session’s promises were often false and empty, designed to provide him the opportunity to learn about a victim’s vulnerabilities while misrepresenting himself as caring and empathetic. Session then exploited the victims’ vulnerabilities to compel their commercial sex acts in squalid trailers housing migrant workers or in local orange groves.

At times, Session used food and housing to control and coerce the victims. For example, he would not permit one of his victims to eat if the victim did not follow his instructions. Often, Session required his victims to engage in sexual activity with him after they had spent a night having compelled sexual intercourse with up to 18 men.

Further, the evidence presented during the trial demonstrated that Session resorted to extreme physical violence to compel and intimidate certain victims. He violently punched some of the victims in the back of their heads in order not to leave marks on their bodies. Once, Session dragged a victim to a shower and beat her in the back of her head with a metal nutcracker until she fell limp to the floor. Session also choked another victim to the point that she lost consciousness, beat another victim with a baseball bat and brutalized yet another so badly that her nose ring fell out due to the force of the assault. In addition, Session took multiple victims to a nearby lake, where he held their heads underwater and threatened to drown them if they did not do as he ordered.

The evidence also showed that Session used a firearm to intimidate and control his victims. He consistently kept a firearm in his possession, and frequently displayed it to victims or referred to it when talking with them. Once, Session pointed a firearm at a victim while he was driving and threatened to “kill” her after she asked him how he would feel if someone treated his daughter the way he treated her. Fearing for her life when Session stopped the car and began walking to the passenger side door, the victim jumped out of the car and ran towards nearby woods. In response, Session fired a shot into the air while he called out the victim’s name.

Finally, the evidence indicated that Session manipulated and took advantage of some victims’ substance abuse problems to compel their commercial sex services. For example, Session provided victims with cocaine and methamphetamine to give them sufficient energy to engage in commercial sex acts with multiple migrant men at nearby trailers.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 19. Session faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison as well as mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Miami Field Office, Ft. Pierce Resident Agency, investigated the case, with assistance from the Highlands County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Hoover for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Leah Branch and Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

MIAMI - An indictment has been unsealed charging 12 defendants, including members of international criminal gangs MS-13, Sur-13, and the Mexican Mafia, with drug offenses in and around Broward and Miami-Dade Counties in the Southern District of Florida.

The twelve-count indictment charges Edgar Garcia-Velasquez, a/k/a “Diablo,” 34, a citizen of Honduras, Francisco Rangel, a/k/a “Casper,” 41, of Calif., Gabriela Rodriguez-Carrillo, 42, of Calif., Luis Portillo, a/k/a “Shadow,” a/k/a “Sombra,” 35, of Miami, Jose Puga, a/k/a “Stranger,” 45, of Calif., Malinda Martinez, 42, of Fort Myers, Fla., Karina Martinez-Vazquez, 34, of Miami, Rafael Gutierrez, a/k/a “Rafy,” 28, of Miami, Jose Hernandez, a/k/a “Blue Demon,” a/k/a “Labomba3,” 39, of Belle Glade, Fla., Loupe Loredo, a/k/a “L3g3nd,” 39, of Lake Wales, Fla., Felipe Gonzalez,  a/k/a “Wicked,” 41, of Calif., and  Hugo Cruz, a/k/a “Houdini,” 33, of LaBelle, Fla., with conspiring with each other, their co-defendants, and others to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.

The indictment charges Garcia-Velasquez, Rodriguez-Carrillo, Puga, Gonzalez, and Martinez Vazquez, with conspiring with each other, their co-defendants, and others to possess with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.

Garcia-Velazquez, Rodriguez-Carrillo, Martinez, Portillo, Gutierrez, Puga, Loredo, and Martinez Vazquez face additional charges for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.

Arrests of the defendants began on Sept. 12, at various locations, and thereafter they began making their initial appearances in the Southern District of Florida. If convicted, all of the defendants face up to life imprisonment.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami; Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division; and Sheriff Gregory Tony of the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) made the announcement.

HSI Fort Lauderdale, FBI Miami, ATF Fort Lauderdale, DEA Miami, and BSO investigated this case with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Fort Myers, FBI Los Angeles, and FBI Fort Myers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bertila Fernandez is prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

An indictment contains allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

You may find a copy of this press release (and any update) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-60174.

###

MIAMI – On September 16, a tribal member pleaded guilty in federal court to assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to bodily harm, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

According to court records, on April 26, Sutanga Rex Cypress, 42, was arguing with the victim when Cypress brandished a firearm. Cypress then pointed the gun at the victim and shot the victim in the abdomen. The victim was airlifted to the hospital due to the severity of the injuries sustained by the gunshot.  

Sentencing is set for December 9, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra. Cypress faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for one count and up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the remaining counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines along with other mitigating, aggravating and statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office, and Chief Roland Pandolfi of the Miccosukee Police Department made the announcement.

FBI Safe Trails, Miami and Miccosukee Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Latoya C. Brown and Vanessa E. Bonhomme are prosecuting the case.  

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20195-JB.

###

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida will co-host two upcoming Town Hall events in support of United Against Hate Week (which officially runs September 23-27). United Against Hate Week is orchestrated as a call for local civic action, to stop the hate and biases that pose a dangerous threat to the safety and civility of our diverse South Florida communities.

“Hate crimes don’t just harm individuals, they fracture communities. Preventing and prosecuting hate crimes are one of the highest priorities for our office. Hate can divide us, but coming together as a community unites us,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe. “These outreach programs are critically important to building trust, fostering community, and promoting awareness. Our office remains deeply committed to fighting hate in our communities and in the courtroom.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office will co-host a public outreach event and interactive discussion focused on identifying and reporting hate crimes on September 25, at 6:00 p.m., at the Coral Gables Public Library located at 3443 Segovia Street. Participants will include members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, Miami-Dade Police Department, City of Miami Police, Miami Hate Crimes Task Force, Miami Dade County Community Advocacy Advisory Boards, and Coral Gables Police Department. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office will co-host another public outreach event and interactive discussion addressing hate crimes on October 8, at 6:00 p.m., at the Pride Center located at 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. Participants will include members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, Broward State Attorney’s Office, Broward Sheriff’s Office, Broward Hate Crimes Task Force, Wilton Manors Police Department, and Fort Lauderdale Police Department.

Additional Hate Crimes Town Halls are being planned throughout the Southern District of Florida in October and November.

United Against Hate is a Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating unlawful acts of hate by educating the public about federal hate crimes and anti-discrimination statutes. The program encourages the reporting of hate crimes, hate incidents, and unlawful discrimination to a local, county, and/or state law enforcement agency and the Department of Justice. For more information about the Department of Justice’s United Against Hate Program, visit https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/spotlight/united-against-hate.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and FBI are working with our local counties to establish Hate Crimes Task Forces to guide and unite communities against hate. For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office efforts to fight hate crimes and resources to fight hate crimes in your community, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/hate-religious-crimes.

To register for the upcoming Town Halls visit  https://events.humanitix.com/hates-crimes-town-hall (Miami Hate Crimes Town Hall) TownhallHateCrime.eventbrite.com (Broward Hate Crimes Town Hall).

To report a hate crime to the FBI, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI, submit a tip at https://tips.fbi.gov/home, or contact your local FBI field office. 

Civil rights violations occurring in the Southern District of Florida can be reported to the U.S. Attorney’s Office using the complaint form located at or the U.S. Department of Justice at https://civilrights.justice.gov.

###

MIAMI – On Sept. 16, Hubert Ramon Santiesteban, 55, pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and attempt to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

According to the court record, Santiesteban, of Sebring, Fla., negotiated the purchase of 30 kilograms of cocaine. In April of 2023, Highlands County Sheriff’s Office detectives witnessed Santiesteban and his co-conspirator prepare for the transaction at Santiesteban’s residence. Santiesteban and his co-conspirator then showed the undercover members of law enforcement, during a FaceTime call, large amounts of U.S. currency that they planned to use to purchase the cocaine. Highlands County Sheriff’s deputies searched Santiesteban’s residence and property and located $418,000 hidden in a van on the property.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 12, before U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon. Santiesteban faces up to life in federal prison, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Markenzy Lapointe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division; and Paul Blackman, Highlands County Sheriff, made the announcement. 

DEA Miami Field Division and Highlands County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hudock is prosecuting it.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case no. 24-cr-14034.

###

MIAMI – On Sept. 13, Blaine Korbin Hulten, 23, pled guilty to production of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of minors.

According to the court record, Hulten, of Fort Pierce, Fla., had sex with a 13-year-old minor and a 16-year-old minor, and recorded the sex act with the 16-year-old victim. Social media records contained Hulten’s conversations with both minor victims, as well as evidence that Hulten was aware they were under the age of 18. Hulten distributed the recording of his 16-year-old victim using a social media platform.

Hulten is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 18, before U. S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg. Hulten faces up to 30 years in federal prison, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Markenzy Lapointe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office; and William D. Snyder, Martin County Sheriff, made the announcement. 

HSI Fort Pierce and Martin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hudock is prosecuting it.

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

If you have information regarding the sexual exploitation of a minor, please contact the HSI tip line at 1-866-347-2423.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case no. 22-cr-14027.

###

MIAMI – On Sept. 16, Jacob Elijah Groover, 26, of Fort Pierce, Fla., was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison to be followed by two years’ supervised release by U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon, after previously pleading guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

In October of 2022, during the execution of a car stop related to a drug investigation, Martin County Sheriff’s Office deputies found a Glock 19 9mm firearm under the driver’s seat of the car Groover was driving. Groover admitted that the firearm was his, and that he knew he was previously convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Markenzy Lapointe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office; and William D. Snyder, Martin County Sheriff, made the announcement. 

HSI Fort Pierce and Martin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) provided assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hudock prosecuted this case.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-14052.

###

MIAMI - Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, has been charged by a criminal complaint in the Southern District of Florida with firearms charges related to an incident at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15.

Routh was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession and receipt of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and made his initial appearance today before Magistrate Judge Ryon M. McCabe in the federal courthouse in West Palm Beach. A detention hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 23. The investigation remains ongoing.

According to allegations in the criminal complaint, a Secret Service agent walking the golf course perimeter saw what appeared to be a rifle poking out of the tree line. After the agent fired a service weapon in the direction of the rifle, a witness saw a man later identified as Routh fleeing the area of the tree line. Routh was later apprehended by officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

The complaint alleges that in the area of the tree line from which Routh fled, agents found a digital camera, a backpack, a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope and a black plastic bag containing food. The serial number on the rifle was obliterated.

According to the complaint, Routh was convicted of felonies in North Carolina in December 2002 and March 2010.

The FBI is leading the ongoing investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Secret Service are providing assistance.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case. 

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Note: View the criminal complaint here. 

###

Note: View the criminal complaint here. 

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, has been charged by a criminal complaint in the Southern District of Florida with firearms charges related to an incident at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15.

Routh was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession and receipt of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and made his initial appearance today before Magistrate Judge Ryon M. McCabe in the federal courthouse in West Palm Beach. A detention hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 23. The investigation remains ongoing.

According to allegations in the criminal complaint, a Secret Service agent walking the golf course perimeter saw what appeared to be a rifle poking out of the tree line. After the agent fired a service weapon in the direction of the rifle, a witness saw a man later identified as Routh fleeing the area of the tree line. Routh was later apprehended by officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

The complaint alleges that in the area of the tree line from which Routh fled, agents found a digital camera, a backpack, a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope and a black plastic bag containing food. The serial number on the rifle was obliterated.

According to the complaint, Routh was convicted of felonies in North Carolina in December 2002 and March 2010.

The FBI is leading the ongoing investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Secret Service are providing assistance.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case. 

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Today, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe announced that the Southern District of Florida has launched its own Whistleblower Non-Prosecution Pilot Program (Whistleblower Program). The Whistleblower Program is designed to encourage voluntary self-disclosure by individual participants in certain types of non-violent criminal conduct involving corporations, to include financial crimes, corporate crimes, health care fraud, and public corruption.

In exchange for self-disclosing, fully cooperating with authorities, and paying any applicable victim compensation, restitution, or forfeiture, including returning any ill-gotten gains, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida (USAO-SDFL) will enter into a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) where certain specified conditions are met. One of those conditions is that the government was not previously aware of the criminal conduct that is the subject of the disclosure. The Whistleblower Program provides transparency regarding the circumstances in which the USAO-SDFL prosecutors will offer NPAs to incentivize individuals (and their counsel) to provide original and actionable information. Incentivizing the disclosure of information will: (i) help law enforcement investigate and prosecute criminal conduct that might otherwise go undetected or be difficult to prove; and (ii) encourage companies to create compliance programs that help prevent, detect, and remediate misconduct.

“By providing clarity on the requirements and the benefits of self-disclosure, the USAO-SDFL seeks to incentivize individuals and their counsel to provide actionable and timely information. Such disclosures will, in turn, help us continue to bring fraud, misconduct and corruption to light and better protect the diverse communities we serve,” stated U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “We encourage people who qualify for the Whistleblower Program to take advantage of the opportunity to come clean, cooperate, and get on the right side of the law.  Our message is clear: contact us before we contact you. Anyone with information can voluntarily self-disclose by emailing USAFLS.WhistleblowerProgram@usdoj.gov.”

This announcement comes on the heels of Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Lisa Monaco’s keynote remarks at the American Bar Association's 39th Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime, where she outlined the Justice Department’s approach to corporate criminal enforcement: holding individuals accountable; targeting resources to combat the most serious white-collar criminal conduct; and pursuing tough penalties for repeat corporate offenders. DAG Monaco highlighted the Justice Department’s “carrots and sticks” approach of encouraging companies and individuals to self-report corporate crimes and other financial misconduct and imposing the most significant penalties on those most culpable. 

To reinforce these efforts, DAG Monaco announced a new Justice Department Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program, which offers rewards to those who did not meaningfully participate in criminal activity but have information related to one of the following areas: (1) certain crimes involving financial institutions, from traditional banks to cryptocurrency businesses; (2) foreign corruption involving misconduct by companies; (3) domestic corruption involving misconduct by companies; or (4) health care fraud schemes involving private insurance plans.  Additional information regarding the Awards Program is available here.

For the Corporate Whistleblower Awards Program, the whistleblower must discover and report financial and corporate misconduct not otherwise known to the government – akin to the successful whistleblower programs operated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). If the information a whistleblower submits results in a successful prosecution that includes criminal or civil forfeiture, the whistleblower may be eligible to receive an award of a percentage of the forfeited assets.

The USAO-SDFL is committed to carrying out the Department’s mission by upholding the rule of law and protecting victims. For individuals who are aware of crimes being committed, to include fraud and public corruption, and want to make a disclosure, the USAO-SDFL is providing them an avenue to recompense their victims in exchange for a possible NPA. This practice will advance the interests of justice, deter misconduct, and provide victim compensation.

The Office’s Whistleblower Program policy is publicly available on the Southern District of Florida website at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

USAO-SDFL Whistleblower Non-Prosecution Pilot Program flyer

###

U.S. Justice Department Designates Communities Under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Act, Prioritizing Firearms Prosecutions of Domestic Violence Offenders

MIAMI – Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has approved an initial set of 78 communities across 47 states, territories, and the District of Columbia for designation under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022. 

The Justice Department - through its United States Attorney’s offices (USAOs) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Field Divisions - will partner with each designated jurisdiction to develop a plan to reduce intimate partner firearm violence and to prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders prohibited under 18 U.S. Code Section 922(g) from owning firearms. 

Communities have been designated in close coordination with community stakeholders. They include rural areas, suburban areas, urban areas, and Tribal communities. The Justice Department used data to identify communities that could benefit from increased focus on intimate partner violence resources and where the local jurisdiction is committed to partnering with the Department to increase the use of federal tools to prosecute offenders under 18 U.S.C. 922(g). The designation represents the partnership and coordination between the department and the local jurisdiction to ensure federal resources are being leveraged effectively to address intimate partner firearm violence.

Metro Miami-Dade County is the designated jurisdiction in the Southern District of Florida. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to combat violent crime, to include domestic violence.

The Justice Department anticipates additional jurisdictions to be designated as USAOs continue coordination with their local stakeholders.  All USAOs, with or without specific community designations under Section 1103, will continue to combat intimate partner firearm violence and prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders as part of their Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy and in support of the Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime.   

###

MIAMI - A South Florida attorney, who was recently disbarred, has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering in U.S. District Court for embezzling approximately $650,000 of client funds.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office announced the unsealing of an indictment charging John Spencer Jenkins, 54, formerly of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. As alleged in the indictment, Jenkins, while working as a lawyer, was entrusted with $643,399.35 in proceeds from a client’s estate that were supposed to be distributed to the client’s heirs. Instead of disbursing the funds to the decedent’s heirs, the indictment alleges Jenkins had the funds deposited into his firm’s Interest on Trust Account only to then take the funds for his own personal gain, laundering the funds through another account in the process.

Jenkins was arrested yesterday in Philadelphia, Pa., on the Southern District of Florida indictment. Jenkins is scheduled to have his initial hearing at 1:30 p.m., today, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Philadelphia.

Jenkins is charged with three counts of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and three counts of money laundering, each of which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. If Jenkins is convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

FBI investigated this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller is prosecuting the case.

An indictment contains mere allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-60172.

###

MIAMI – On Sept. 11. a federal jury found Orlando Chavez, 43, a convicted child molester, guilty of naturalization fraud and using a fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate.

According to testimony and evidence presented during the two-day trial, Chavez was born in Cuba. On July 14, 2017, he submitted an Application for Naturalization to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). On his application, and under penalty of perjury, Chavez falsely responded “No” to two questions: “Were you EVER involved in any way with any of the following: Forcing or trying to force, someone to have any kind of sexual conduct or relations?”; and “Have you EVER committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense of which you were not arrested?” On April 19, 2018, Chavez was interviewed by a USCIS officer and provided the same responses to the same questions while under oath and penalty of perjury. In a ceremony on April 30, 2018, Chavez took the Oath of Allegiance and was naturalized as a United States citizen. On May 19, 2018, Chavez used his fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate as proof of United States citizenship to apply for a passport from the U.S. Department of State.       

In Oct. 2019, Chavez was convicted of two counts of child abuse for conduct against a minor victim under 12 years of age between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2014. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison, five years of probation and was ordered to attend a sex offender treatment program.  Chavez was not arrested for these offenses until after he was naturalized.

U.S. District Judge Roy Altman is scheduled to sentence Chavez on Jan. 8, after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  In addition to any sentence imposed, Chavez’s citizenship will be automatically revoked.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Field Office Director Garrett Ripa of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and District Director Brett R. Rinehart of the USCIS Miami and Caribbean District made the announcement.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Shaw and Assistant U.S. Attorney Yisel Valdes for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. The case was presented by ICE’s ERO division in Miami as part of Operation False Haven, an ongoing national initiative designed to identify and prosecute child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtained United States citizenship.   

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl. 

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20035. 

###

Defendant Allegedly Led the Sinaloa Cartel with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera for Decades and Continued for Years Since El Chapo’s Arrest

MIAMI – Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, 76, a citizen of Mexico, was arraigned this morning in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on 17 counts related to drug trafficking, firearms offenses, and money laundering. This fifth superseding indictment relates to El Mayo’s decades-long leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world and conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl. El Mayo was previously charged with running a continuing criminal enterprise, as well as murder conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana manufacture and distribution conspiracy, as well as other drug-related crimes.

El Mayo was ordered detained pending trial and was transferred yesterday to the Eastern District of New York from the Western District of Texas, following his arrest in New Mexico on July 25. 

“El Mayo, the co-founder and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, has been charged with overseeing a multi-billion-dollar conspiracy to flood American communities with narcotics, including deadly fentanyl,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We allege that El Mayo built, and for decades led, the Sinaloa Cartel’s network of manufacturers, assassins, traffickers, and money launderers responsible for kidnapping and murdering people in both the United States and Mexico, and importing lethal quantities of fentanyl, heroin, meth, and cocaine into the United States. Now, El Mayo joins the many other Sinaloa Cartel leaders who have faced charges in an American courtroom for the immeasurable harm they have inflicted on families and communities across our country.”

“For years, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada Garcia and the Sinaloa Cartel he led manufactured illicit fentanyl and peddled it across our country, profiting off of the pain of countless American communities,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Thanks to the dedicated work of brave Homeland Security Investigations Agents and their federal partners, the United States is disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking operations across the world, ensuring Cartel kingpins like Mr. Zambada Garcia are brought to justice, and keeping Americans safe from the scourge of fentanyl.”

“For decades, the Sinaloa Cartel has profited from poisoning and killing Americans, and fueling violence on both sides of our southern border,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “Today’s arraignment of Zambada Garcia is the latest step in a whole-of-government effort to strike back against one of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations and protect our communities from the fentanyl epidemic.”

“Today’s arraignment is another forceful reminder of the FBI’s commitment to pursuing justice for the American lives lost to the violence and trafficking of deadly drugs, like fentanyl, associated with Zambada Garcia and those he directed as a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI will not stop in our pursuit of those who engage and facilitate the cartel’s sophisticated operations that cause immense harm to Americans and poison communities across our country.”

“Defeating the Sinaloa Cartel is DEA’s top operational priority and today, with the capture and additional charges filed against Ismael Zambada Garcia we are that much closer,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “Better known as ‘El Mayo’, Zambada Garcia is the co-founder and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most ruthless and dangerous cartels in Mexico and responsible for the unprecedented drug crisis facing the United States. With Zambada Garcia no longer in power we have struck at the heart of the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations. He may have eluded capture for three decades, but today he is seeing what it means to face justice in America. Let this be a reminder to his associates and others, American lives depend on DEA remaining laser focused on destroying the cartels, their networks, and their global supply chain and that is what we will continue to do.”

“Zambada Garcia will now face the American justice system,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “His arrest means that he will now have to face charges for leading the Sinaloa Cartel’s multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise that funneled drugs onto our streets and violence and despair into our communities. But our work is not done. We will go after the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and the drug trafficking organizations around the world.”

“Zambada Garcia’s day of reckoning in a U.S. courtroom has arrived and justice will follow,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “If convicted, never again will he deliver fentanyl, cocaine, and other deadly drugs and associated violence into our country or make millions as hundreds of thousands of innocent lives are lost.  It is my hope that the countless family members and friends of victims who succumbed to his cartel’s poisons, and the countless members of law enforcement who fearlessly risked their lives fighting this scourge, should take comfort in knowing that Zambada Garcia will be held accountable for his multitude of crimes.”

“Today’s arraignment sends a clear message to drug traffickers around the world — we will find you and bring you to justice,” said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “The men and women of HSI are working diligently with our partners around the globe to investigate, intercept and halt the flow of illegal drugs into the United States and keep illegal drugs off our streets.”

“The arraignment of this individual is a result of the relentless work of law enforcement partners at all levels to stem the tide of illegal drugs and drug related violence in our country,” said Superintendent Steven G. James of the New York State Police (NYSP). “Strong partnerships are key, and as a result, a dangerous international drug trafficking operation, and the organized crime perpetuated by it, has been shut down. The State Police will continue to tenaciously work in conjunction with our partners to seek out those who deliberately put others in danger.”

El Mayo was first indicted in the Eastern District of New York in 2009 and most recently in a fifth superseding indictment in February. As alleged, El Mayo was a co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel together with his co-defendant Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as El Chapo, and together they ran the Sinaloa Cartel together from Mexico until El Chapo’s arrest in 2016. Following a trial, El Chapo was convicted in the Eastern District of New York in 2019 and sentenced to life plus 30 years in prison.

According to allegations in the superseding indictment, from 1989 to 2024, El Mayo led a continuing criminal enterprise responsible for the importation and distribution of massive quantities of narcotics and which generated billions of dollars in profits. To ensure the success of the Sinaloa Cartel, El Mayo employed thousands of people in South and Central America, throughout Mexico and in the United States. Through a complex, layered structure, El Mayo was able to assure transportation routes for the narcotics he sold from source of supply to distribution on the streets of the United States. El Mayo also employed groups of “sicarios” or hit-men, who at his orders carried out kidnappings and murders in Mexico and elsewhere — including murders in the United States — to eliminate anyone who threatened this valuable narcotics pipeline and to retaliate against rivals and those suspected of cooperating with the U.S. government. The billions of dollars generated from the drug sales were then transported and laundered back to Mexico. 

As set forth in the superseding indictment and other court filings, the Sinaloa Cartel, under El Mayo’s leadership, expanded its drug business into fentanyl manufacturing and distribution no later than 2012 and is responsible for the distribution of many thousands of kilograms of fentanyl into the United States. El Mayo also allegedly expanded the power and influence of the Sinaloa Cartel by making millions of dollars each year in corruption payments and conducting regular campaigns of brutal violence, including retaliatory murders that were allegedly committed on his orders as recently as just weeks prior to his arrest.

If convicted, El Mayo faces a mandatory minimum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

FBI, DEA, and HSI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Goldbarg for the Southern District of Florida; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Robert M. Pollack, Adam Amir, and Lauren A. Bowman for the Eastern District of New York; and Trial Attorneys Melanie Alsworth and Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, Central District of California, Southern District of California, and Western District of Texas provided substantial assistance.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

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

###

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, 76, a citizen of Mexico, was arraigned this morning in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on 17 counts related to drug trafficking, firearms offenses, and money laundering. This fifth superseding indictment relates to El Mayo’s decades-long leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world and conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl. El Mayo was previously charged with running a continuing criminal enterprise, as well as murder conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana manufacture and distribution conspiracy, as well as other drug-related crimes.

El Mayo was ordered detained pending trial and was transferred yesterday to the Eastern District of New York from the Western District of Texas, following his arrest in New Mexico on July 25. 

“El Mayo, the co-founder and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, has been charged with overseeing a multi-billion-dollar conspiracy to flood American communities with narcotics, including deadly fentanyl,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We allege that El Mayo built, and for decades led, the Sinaloa Cartel’s network of manufacturers, assassins, traffickers, and money launderers responsible for kidnapping and murdering people in both the United States and Mexico, and importing lethal quantities of fentanyl, heroin, meth, and cocaine into the United States. Now, El Mayo joins the many other Sinaloa Cartel leaders who have faced charges in an American courtroom for the immeasurable harm they have inflicted on families and communities across our country.”

“For years, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada Garcia and the Sinaloa Cartel he led manufactured illicit fentanyl and peddled it across our country, profiting off of the pain of countless American communities,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Thanks to the dedicated work of brave Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Agents and their federal partners, the United States is disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking operations across the world, ensuring Cartel kingpins like Mr. Zambada Garcia are brought to justice, and keeping Americans safe from the scourge of fentanyl.”

“For decades, the Sinaloa Cartel has profited from poisoning and killing Americans, and fueling violence on both sides of our southern border,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “Today’s arraignment of Zambada Garcia is the latest step in a whole-of-government effort to strike back against one of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations and protect our communities from the fentanyl epidemic.”

“Today’s arraignment is another forceful reminder of the FBI’s commitment to pursuing justice for the American lives lost to the violence and trafficking of deadly drugs, like fentanyl, associated with Zambada Garcia and those he directed as a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI will not stop in our pursuit of those who engage and facilitate the cartel’s sophisticated operations that cause immense harm to Americans and poison communities across our country.”

“Defeating the Sinaloa Cartel is DEA’s top operational priority and today, with the capture and additional charges filed against Ismael Zambada Garcia we are that much closer,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “Better known as ‘El Mayo’, Zambada Garcia is the co-founder and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most ruthless and dangerous cartels in Mexico and responsible for the unprecedented drug crisis facing the United States. With Zambada Garcia no longer in power we have struck at the heart of the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations. He may have eluded capture for three decades, but today he is seeing what it means to face justice in America. Let this be a reminder to his associates and others, American lives depend on DEA remaining laser focused on destroying the cartels, their networks, and their global supply chain and that is what we will continue to do.”

“Zambada Garcia’s day of reckoning in a U.S. courtroom has arrived and justice will follow,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “If convicted, never again will he deliver fentanyl, cocaine, and other deadly drugs and associated violence into our country or make millions as hundreds of thousands of innocent lives are lost. It is my hope that the countless family members and friends of victims who succumbed to his cartel’s poisons, and the countless members of law enforcement who fearlessly risked their lives fighting this scourge, should take comfort in knowing that Zambada Garcia will be held accountable for his multitude of crimes.”

“Zambada Garcia will now face the American justice system,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “His arrest means that he will now have to face charges for leading the Sinaloa Cartel’s multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise that funneled drugs onto our streets and violence and despair into our communities. But our work is not done. We will go after the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and the drug trafficking organizations around the world.”

“Today’s arraignment sends a clear message to drug traffickers around the world — we will find you and bring you to justice,” said HSI Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger. “The men and women of HSI are working diligently with our partners around the globe to investigate, intercept and halt the flow of illegal drugs into the United States and keep illegal drugs off our streets.”

“The arraignment of this individual is a result of the relentless work of law enforcement partners at all levels to stem the tide of illegal drugs and drug related violence in our country,” said Superintendent Steven G. James of the New York State Police (NYSP). “Strong partnerships are key, and as a result, a dangerous international drug trafficking operation, and the organized crime perpetuated by it, has been shut down. The State Police will continue to tenaciously work in conjunction with our partners to seek out those who deliberately put others in danger.”

El Mayo was first indicted in the Eastern District of New York in 2009 and most recently in a fifth superseding indictment in February. As alleged, El Mayo was a co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel together with his co-defendant Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as El Chapo, and together they ran the Sinaloa Cartel together from Mexico until El Chapo’s arrest in 2016. Following a trial, El Chapo was convicted in the Eastern District of New York in 2019 and sentenced to life plus 30 years in prison.

According to allegations in the superseding indictment, from 1989 to 2024, El Mayo led a continuing criminal enterprise responsible for the importation and distribution of massive quantities of narcotics and which generated billions of dollars in profits. To ensure the success of the Sinaloa Cartel, El Mayo employed thousands of people in South and Central America, throughout Mexico and in the United States. Through a complex, layered structure, El Mayo was able to assure transportation routes for the narcotics he sold from source of supply to distribution on the streets of the United States. El Mayo also employed groups of “sicarios” or hit-men, who at his orders carried out kidnappings and murders in Mexico and elsewhere — including murders in the United States — to eliminate anyone who threatened this valuable narcotics pipeline and to retaliate against rivals and those suspected of cooperating with the U.S. government. The billions of dollars generated from the drug sales were then transported and laundered back to Mexico. 

As set forth in the superseding indictment and other court filings, the Sinaloa Cartel, under El Mayo’s leadership, expanded its drug business into fentanyl manufacturing and distribution no later than 2012 and is responsible for the distribution of many thousands of kilograms of fentanyl into the United States. El Mayo also allegedly expanded the power and influence of the Sinaloa Cartel by making millions of dollars each year in corruption payments and conducting regular campaigns of brutal violence, including retaliatory murders that were allegedly committed on his orders as recently as just weeks prior to his arrest.

If convicted, El Mayo faces a mandatory minimum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

FBI, DEA, and HSI investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Melanie Alsworth and Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Robert M. Pollack, Adam Amir, and Lauren A. Bowman for the Eastern District of New York; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Goldbarg for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, Central District of California, Southern District of California, and Western District of Texas provided substantial assistance.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

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

MIAMI – A federal indictment was unsealed today charging four Miami area residents with obtaining over $1 million from illegal securities trading. As described in the indictment, the defendants shared confidential information within a close circle of family members and friends, then used that information to buy stock or options at a lower price and sell at a profit after the information became public. 

The indictment charges Federico Nannini, 26, Mauro Nannini, 63, Alejandro Thermiotis, 26, and Francisco Tonarely, 25, all of Miami, Fla., with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, twelve counts of securities fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1348, and twelve counts of securities fraud, in violation of 15 U.S.C. §§ 78j(b) & 78ff. All four defendants were arrested, and initial hearings commenced this afternoon.

According to the indictment, which includes forfeiture allegations, the scheme unfolded in this way:

In approximately June 2022, Federico Nannini began advising Coral Gables based MasTec Inc. (MasTec) about the company’s proposed acquisition of Infrastructure and Energy Alternative Inc. (IEA). At the time, both MasTec and IEA traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market.

Immediately after, Federico Nannini began sharing confidential information about the acquisition with Mauro Nannini and Thermiotis. Federico Nannini, Thermitois, and Tonarely had attended high school together in Pinecrest, Fla.

Mauro Nannini bought shares the day after Federico Nannini received access to financial information about the proposed acquisition. Thermiotis also passed the confidential acquisition information to Tonarely, shortly after Tonarely texted him: “I want to make some money right now . . . What we do?” After Thermiotis passed the confidential information to Tonarely, he texted: “Not a soul okay.” According to the indictment, Tonarely responded back: “Obviously . . .  You told me not to.”  Days later, Tonarely’s family member signed a letter sponsoring Thermiotis’s membership at a Miami yacht club.

As the acquisition progressed, Federico Nannini updated his father and close friend about the transaction. Thermiotis, in turn, continued to update Tonarely.

At one point in July 2022, when Federico Nannini became worried the acquisition would not go through, Mauro Nannini sold his IEA stock, according to the indictment. 

When Federico Nannini received confidential financials that indicated the acquisition was going forward, he texted Thermiotis: “Its going thru . . . Holy shit bro.” Thermiotis responded: “Don’t text . . .But lfg.” At that point, Mauro Nannini began to buy back his position in IEA stock and options.

When MasTec’s acquisition of IEA was reported publicly on July 25, 2022, Mauro Nannini, Thermiotis, and Tonarely all sold their shares and option contracts in IEA at a profit. Two days later, on July 27, 2022, Federico Nannini texted Thermiotis a picture of a Rolex Daytona, saying “You wanna hook it up for the boy. I know it’s a little over budget but this is the one.” Thermiotis responded: “Haahaha yeah but give it a bit . . . Prices should come down a bit on everything.”

A conviction for securities fraud, in violation of 15 U.S.C. §§ 78j(b) & 78ff, carries a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment; conspiracy to commit securities fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, carries a maximum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment; and securities fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1348, carries a penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment.

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

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement. 

U.S. Attorney Lapointe commended the investigative efforts of FBI Miami. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Young, Eli Rubin, Alexandra Comolli are prosecuting this case, with assistance from Yisel Valdes. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda is handling asset forfeiture. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) also filed civil actions today against the four defendants. 

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-CR-20398.

###

MIAMI –Colombian nationals Andres Fernando Medina Rodriguez, 40, and Ciro Alfonso Gutierrez Ballesteros, 31, were sentenced today to 420 and 360 months in prison, respectively, for conspiring and attempting to murder U.S. soldiers by detonating a car bomb outside a military base near the Colombia-Venezuela border.

“Our most urgent mission and highest priority is to hold those accountable who target Americans, to include the brave men and women who serve as members of our uniformed services domestically and around the world,” stated U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “As seen by the prison sentences imposed upon defendants Medina Rodriguez and Gutierrez Ballesteros today, individuals who threaten the safety and security of the United States and our fellow Americans will face the full force of our nation’s criminal justice system.” 

“Crime doesn’t stop at our borders and neither does the FBI’s commitment to investigate criminal acts against our military overseas,” stated Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI’s Miami Field Office. “We work closely with our international partners and security services around the globe to conduct complex investigations and acquire evidence from abroad for criminal prosecutions in the United States. This capability is vital to our work. In this case, I especially want to thank the Fiscalía General de la Nación de Colombia, the Colombian National Police, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, the DOJ Office of International Affairs, the DOJ Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Section, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Embassy Bogotá for their diligence and professionalism throughout this investigation.”

According to court records, Medina Rodriguez and Gutierrez Ballesteros, in concert with members of the 33rd Front, an extremist faction of Las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias (“FARC”), targeted American troops stationed at the Colombian 30th Army Brigade Base in Cúcuta, Colombia. Medina Rodriguez used his status as a medically discharged Colombian army officer to gain access to the base, where he conducted photographic and video surveillance of the areas where the U.S. soldiers were located.

Approximately ten days before the attack, Medina Rodriguez and Gutierrez Ballesteros delivered a white SUV to their co-conspirators in the 33rd Front, who loaded it with an improvised explosive device.

On June 15, 2021, Medina Rodriguez drove the bomb-laden SUV to the 30th Army Brigade Base, parking it in front of the location where U.S. and Colombian military personnel worked. Gutierrez Ballesteros, riding a motorcycle, escorted Medina Rodriguez. Medina Rodriguez activated the bomb’s timer device and left the area on foot before fleeing on the motorcycle driven by Gutierrez Ballesteros. Three U.S. Army soldiers and forty-four Colombian military personnel were injured in the blast. 

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the FBI Legal Attaché in Bogotá, Department of Defense, Fiscalía General de la Nación de Colombia, and Colombian National Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Browne and Abbie D. Waxman of the Southern District of Florida, and Trial Attorney David C. Smith from the Justice Department’s National Security Division represented the United States at sentencing. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy A. Hummel and Andy R. Camacho contributed significantly to the investigation and prosecution of this matter.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá worked with Colombian authorities to secure the arrest and extradition of Gutierrez Ballesteros and Medina Rodriguez.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 22-cr-20054.

###

Colombian nationals Andres Fernando Medina Rodriguez, 40, and Ciro Alfonso Gutierrez Ballesteros, 31, were sentenced today to 35 and 30 years in prison, respectively, for conspiring and attempting to murder U.S. soldiers by detonating a car bomb outside a military base near the Colombia-Venezuela border.

According to court documents, Medina Rodriguez and Gutierrez Ballesteros, in concert with members of the 33rd Front, an extremist faction of Las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias (FARC), specifically targeted American troops stationed at the Colombian 30th Army Brigade Base in Cúcuta, Colombia. Co-conspirator Andres Fernando Medina Rodriguez used his status as a medically discharged Colombian army officer to gain access to the base, where he conducted photographic and video surveillance of the areas where the U.S. soldiers were primarily located.

Approximately 10 days before the attack, Medina Rodriguez and Gutierrez Ballesteros delivered a white SUV to their co-conspirators in the 33rd Front, who loaded it with an improvised explosive device.

On June 15, 2021, Medina Rodriguez drove the bomb-laden SUV to the 30th Army Brigade Base, eventually parking it in front of the location where U.S. and Colombian military personnel worked.  Gutierrez Ballesteros, riding a motorcycle, escorted Medina Rodriguez.  Once inside, Medina Rodriguez activated the bomb’s timer device and left the area on foot before fleeing on the motorcycle driven by Gutierrez Ballesteros.  Three U.S. Army soldiers and 44 Colombian military personnel were injured in the blast. 

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI National Security Branch made the announcement.

The FBI with assistance from the FBI Legal Attaché in Bogotá, the Fiscalía General de la Nación de Colombia and the National Police investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Browne and Abbie Waxman for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney David C. Smith for the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy A. Hummel and Andy R. Camacho for the Southern District of Florida also contributed significantly to the investigation and prosecution.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá worked with Colombian authorities to secure the arrest and extradition of Gutierrez Ballesteros and Medina Rodriguez.

MIAMI – On Aug. 29, a federal jury found Gary Lincoln Davis, 52, of Atlanta, Ga., guilty of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine. 

According to testimony and evidence presented during the four-day trial, Davis was introduced by a cocaine importer to a confidential source working for the government. Davis then met with this confidential source at the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport in April 2022, to plan for a 90-kilogram cocaine shipment to be flown into the United States from Colombia. When that shipment did not come to fruition, Davis remained in contact with the confidential source—who Davis knew only as an international drug pilot—and agreed to source fentanyl for the confidential source.

Davis then worked with his own network of drug traffickers in the Miami area and, on Dec. 13, 2022, Davis sold 84 grams of fentanyl to the confidential source for $4,900 in Miami.

Thereafter, Davis continued to work with his own network of suppliers to set up larger deals, including the sale of a full kilogram of fentanyl.

On March 7, 2023, Davis delivered a sample of fentanyl from one of his suppliers to a second confidential source, as proof of the fentanyl purity and potency that he would deliver in the full kilogram deal.

Davis continued in his attempts to push forward with a larger fentanyl deal, and told the confidential sources that, in connection with those plans, he had already procured 364 grams of fentanyl from one of his suppliers.

Throughout his interactions with the confidential sources, Davis also asked the confidential sources to provide him with multiple-kilogram loads of cocaine, which he said he would cook into crack cocaine and distribute in Georgia.

On April 18, 2023, Davis met with one of the confidential sources and picked up a backpack he believed contained 6 kilograms of cocaine. Davis also delivered a sample of fentanyl from another supplier to the confidential source. As Davis left the meeting, he observed law enforcement approaching him and sprinted across six lanes of traffic, evading pursuit, and ultimately absconded back to Georgia. The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) located and apprehended Davis in the Atlanta area several months later.

U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian is scheduled to sentence Davis on Dec. 5,  after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the guilty verdict.

FBI Miami investigated this case with substantial assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), and USMS. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marc Chattah and Sterling M. Paulson are prosecuting the case. 

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-CR-20329.

###

MIAMI – Gal Haimovich, 49, of Israel, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit export control and smuggling violations for his role in a scheme to illegally ship aircraft parts and avionics from U.S. manufacturers and suppliers to Russia, including for the benefit of sanctioned Russian airline companies. As part of his plea agreement, Haimovich admitted that his scheme involved deceiving U.S. companies about the true destination of the goods at issue, and that the defendant and others attempted to conceal the scheme by submitting false information in export documents filed with the U.S. government. A sentencing hearing has been set for Nov. 22.

According to court documents, Haimovich owned an international freight forwarding company that was an affiliate in a group of companies that did business in various countries, including the United States and Israel. Haimovich, through those companies, operated as a freight forwarder of choice for individuals and entities seeking to illegally export goods to Russia in violation of U.S. export control laws. Between at least March 2022 and May 2023, Haimovich facilitated the export of aircraft parts and avionics, including those with missile technology applications, from the United States, through the Southern District of Florida, to various third-party transhippers on behalf of Russian customers. These Russian end customers routinely instructed Haimovich to deceive the U.S.-based manufacturers and suppliers about the ultimate destination of the goods.

For example, between April 2022 and April 2023, after the United States imposed additional restrictions on the export of goods to Russia in response to the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Haimovich arranged for more than 160 shipments to companies in the Maldives and United Arab Emirates that were responsible for the illicit transshipment of the goods to Russia. One such shipment, of an air data module, occurred in August 2022. Haimovich, who had been hired by Siberia Airlines (doing business as S7 Airlines) to deliver the aircraft component to Russia, directed a co-conspirator to falsely inform the U.S. supplier that the part was destined for the Maldives; in fact, Haimovich knew that the part was destined for Russia for the benefit of S7 Airlines.

Haimovich also agreed that, between March 2022 and May 2023, he billed Russian customers, including Siberia Airlines (doing business as S7 Airlines), more than $2 million to have aircraft parts and avionics illegally exported from the United States to Russia. In connection with Haimovich’s plea, he agreed to the entry of a forfeiture money judgment in the sum of $2,024,435 and to forfeit various aircraft parts and components.

The Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement and the FBI investigated the case.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the U.S. Commerce Department and Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI National Security Branch made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Browne for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Christopher M. Rigali of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

This case is being coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20374.

###

Gal Haimovich, 49, of Israel, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit export control and smuggling violations for his role in a scheme to illegally ship aircraft parts and avionics from U.S. manufacturers and suppliers to Russia, including for the benefit of sanctioned Russian airline companies. As part of his plea agreement, Haimovich admitted that his scheme involved deceiving U.S. companies about the true destination of the goods at issue, and that the defendant and others attempted to conceal the scheme by submitting false information in export documents filed with the U.S. government. A sentencing hearing has been set for Nov. 22.

According to court documents, Haimovich owned an international freight forwarding company that was an affiliate in a group of companies that did business in various countries, including the United States and Israel. Haimovich, through those companies, operated as a freight forwarder of choice for individuals and entities seeking to illegally export goods to Russia in violation of U.S. export control laws. Between at least March 2022 and May 2023, Haimovich facilitated the export of aircraft parts and avionics, including those with missile technology applications, from the United States, through the Southern District of Florida, to various third-party transhippers on behalf of Russian customers. These Russian end customers routinely instructed Haimovich to deceive the U.S.-based manufacturers and suppliers about the ultimate destination of the goods.

For example, between April 2022 and April 2023, after the United States imposed additional restrictions on the export of goods to Russia in response to the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Haimovich arranged for more than 160 shipments to companies in the Maldives and United Arab Emirates that were responsible for the illicit transshipment of the goods to Russia. One such shipment, of an air data module, occurred in August 2022. Haimovich, who had been hired by Siberia Airlines (doing business as S7 Airlines) to deliver the aircraft component to Russia, directed a co-conspirator to falsely inform the U.S. supplier that the part was destined for the Maldives; in fact, Haimovich knew that the part was destined for Russia for the benefit of S7 Airlines.

Haimovich also agreed that, between March 2022 and May 2023, he billed Russian customers, including Siberia Airlines (doing business as S7 Airlines), more than $2 million to have aircraft parts and avionics illegally exported from the United States to Russia. In connection with Haimovich’s plea, he agreed to the entry of a forfeiture money judgment in the sum of $2,024,435 and to forfeit various aircraft parts and components.

The Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement and the FBI investigated the case.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI National Security Branch, and Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the U.S. Commerce Department made the announcement.

Trial Attorney Christopher M. Rigali of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Browne for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

This case is being coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.

MIAMI – A U.S. District Judge sentenced William Power McCaughan, Jr., a Miami attorney and former prosecutor, to 190 months’ imprisonment following his plea of guilty to one count of production of child sexual abuse material.

According to the agreed upon factual proffer in support of McCaughan, Jr.’s guilty plea in May, over a course of years McCaughan, Jr. chatted with others using the Kik application regarding child sexual abuse material. Specifically, McCaughan, Jr. chatted with another individual and received a video of that individual’s 11-year-old niece fully nude while exiting the shower. Also, McCaughan, Jr. chatted with at least two minor victims regarding sexual acts. McCaughan, Jr. asked one minor victim for sexually explicit images, even telling the minor victim how to position himself and what parts of his adolescent body to capture in the image.

McCaughan, Jr. was sentenced on Aug. 28. A restitution hearing is scheduled for Nov. 19.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abbie D. Waxman and Lauren Astigarraga-Little prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon is handling asset forfeiture.

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

Anyone with information regarding suspected child abuse, exploitation and sextortion is encouraged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-20325.

###

MIAMI – A Colombian national was extradited to the United States on Friday to face charges related to kidnapping and assaulting two members of the U.S. military who were on temporary duty in Bogotá, Colombia.

Kenny Julieth Uribe Chiran, 35, of Bogotá, made her initial court appearance today in Miami, Florida, before Magistrate Judge Eduardo Sanchez of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

According to court documents, Uribe Chiran and her co-conspirators targeted, incapacitated, and kidnapped two U.S. soldiers in Bogotá in order to rob them of their valuables.

Uribe Chiran is charged with kidnapping an internationally protected person, conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person, assaulting an internationally protected person, and conspiracy to assault an internationally protected person.

Uribe Chiran is the last of the three co-defendants to be extradited to the United States. Arango Castellanos was extradited in May 2023 from Colombia to the United States, pleaded guilty in January to the charges in the indictment, and was sentenced in May to 48 years and nine months in prison. Silva Ochoa was extradited in April from Chile to the United States and is currently scheduled for trial in November.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI is investigating the case, and the U.S. Marshals Service escorted Uribe Chiran from Colombia to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Miami Field Office, the Office of the Legal Attaché Santiago, and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Uribe Chiran. The United States also thanks Colombian law enforcement authorities for their valuable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bertila Fernandez for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Clayton O’Connor and Elizabeth Nielsen of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-20474.

###

A Colombian national was extradited to the United States on Friday to face charges related to kidnapping and assaulting two members of the U.S. military who were on temporary duty in Bogotá, Colombia.

Kenny Julieth Uribe Chiran, 35, of Bogotá, made her initial court appearance today in Miami, Florida, before Magistrate Judge Eduardo Sanchez of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

According to court documents, Uribe Chiran and her co-conspirators targeted, incapacitated, and kidnapped two U.S. soldiers in Bogotá in order to rob them of their valuables.

Uribe Chiran is charged with kidnapping an internationally protected person, conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person, assaulting an internationally protected person, and conspiracy to assault an internationally protected person.

Uribe Chiran is the last of the three co-defendants to be extradited to the United States. Arango Castellanos was extradited in May 2023 from Colombia to the United States, pleaded guilty in January to the charges in the indictment, and was sentenced in May to 48 years and nine months in prison. Silva Ochoa was extradited in April from Chile to the United States and is currently scheduled for trial in November.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI is investigating the case, and the U.S. Marshals Service escorted Uribe Chiran from Colombia to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Miami Field Office, the Office of the Legal Attaché Santiago, and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Uribe Chiran. The United States also thanks Colombian law enforcement authorities for their valuable assistance.

Trial Attorneys Clayton O’Connor and Elizabeth Nielsen of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bertila Fernandez for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

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

MIAMI – A U.S. District Judge sentenced Xavier Latrell Smith, 34, to 360 months’ imprisonment and his co-defendant Jayla Denice Welch, 22, to 170 months’ imprisonment, for sex trafficking a minor from Texas to Louisiana to Florida.

In March, Smith and Welch, who are both from Texas, were convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor to engage in sexual activity, and coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. In addition, Smith was convicted of two counts of commission of a sex offense by a registered sex offender.

Smith, a registered sex offender, and Welch lured the minor victim to engage in sexual acts with false promises of a better life. Smith and Welch then posted commercial sex ads of the minor victim online as they travelled with the victim from Texas to Louisiana to Florida, where she was trafficked and engaged in prostitution. Smith and Welch collected the money the victim received from the unlawful sexual acts.

The minor victim was rescued from a hotel room reserved and paid for by Smith and occupied by Welch and the minor victim. Smith’s cellular device rang when agents called the TextNow number associated with the minor victim’s commercial sex ads. After the minor victim was rescued, law enforcement reviewed Smith and Welch’s phones and recovered records of them photographing, posting and maintaining the commercial sex ads of the minor victim in six different cities. Welch and Smith both paid for and reserved hotel rooms that the minor victim used for the illegal sexual activity with the commercial sex customers.

Smith was sentenced on Aug. 23.  Welch was sentenced on June 21. A restitution hearing is scheduled for Smith on Sept. 27.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office, and Director Stephanie V. Daniels of the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, in partnership with MDPD’s Human Trafficking Squad, and the South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abbie D. Waxman, Bertila Lilia Fernandez, and Arielle Klepach prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eloisa Fernandez is handling asset forfeiture.

To report suspected human trafficking or to obtain resources for victims, please call 1-888-373-7888; text “BeFree” (233733), or live chat at HumanTraffickingHotline.org.  The toll-free phone, SMS text lines, and online chat function are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  Help is available in English, Spanish, Creole, or in more than 200 additional languages.  The National Hotline is not managed by law enforcement, immigration or an investigative agency. Correspondence with the National Hotline is confidential and you may request assistance or report a tip anonymously. To learn more about the hotline, visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. 

To learn more about the U.S. Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking visit www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-20122.

###

MIAMI – On Sept. 5, the United States unsealed an indictment charging 27 defendants, including Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority employees, commercial charter boat operators, and a former City of Marathon employee, with federal drug and firearm offenses in and around the Florida Keys and Miami-Dade County.

The thirteen count indictment charges John Robert Strama Jr., 42, of Marathon, Fla., Rusty John Stiglitz, 39, of Marathon, Fla., Daniel Fernando Ramirez, 43, of Key West, Fla., Daniel Delgado, 38, of Miami Springs, Fla., Orlando Rene Gonzalez, 29, of Hialeah, Fla., Alfred Michael Nunez, 34, of Marathon, Fla., Elvis Lazaro Ruiz, 31, of Marathon, Fla., Pedro Luis Lugo Jr., 36, of Marathon, Fla., Nyran Antonio Ross, 32, of Marathon, Fla., and Tyrell Lamar Williams, 36, of Marathon, Fla., with conspiring with each other, their co-defendants, and others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more grams of cocaine in Monroe and Miami-Dade Counties.

The indictment charges Louis Charles Arvelo, 38, of Boca Raton, Fla., Andrew Hamill Hunt, 36, of Marathon, Fla., Kevin Andrew Yeider, 46, of Marathon, Fla., Jose Enrique Olivo Sanchez, 34, of Marathon, Fla., Kenyatta Scott Jr., 32, of Key West, Fla., Macarthur Junior Sheppard, 36, of Marathon, Fla., Alberto Ravelo Jr., 34, of Hialeah, Fla., Allison Annmarie Thomas, 29, of Marathon, Fla., Kizmet Yatz Qualls, 51, of Marathon, Fla., James Dean Chatelain, 34, of Marathon, Fla., with conspiring with each other, their co-defendants, and others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more grams of cocaine in Monroe and Miami-Dade Counties.

The indictment further charges Michael David Corbosiero, 68, of Boca Raton, Fla., Michael Joseph Rodamer, 63, of Key Colony Beach, Fla., Robert Roy Taute Jr., 50, of Marathon, Fla., Bairon Aceituno Machado, 34, formerly of Marathon, Fla., Lazaro Jesus Hernandez, 35, formerly of Marathon, Fla., Anthony Velez Llanes, 38, of Little Torch Key, Fla., and Tyler Jameson Macmillan, 33, of Big Pine Key, Fla., with conspiring with each other, their co-defendants, and others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine in Monroe and Miami-Dade Counties. The indictment also specified various real estate properties, vessels, and vehicles are subject to criminal forfeiture.

Strama, a convicted felon, also faces additional federal charges for cocaine distribution, using a child under the age of 14 to engage in drug trafficking and avoid detection and apprehension, and possessing a firearm and ammunition after a previous felony conviction.

Stiglitz, Ramirez, Gonzalez, Nunez, Ross, Sheppard, and Chatelain face additional federal charges for cocaine distribution. Ross, Williams, Sheppard, and Scott also face additional federal charges for cocaine distribution within 1,000 feet of playgrounds in Florida City, Fla., and Marathon, Fla.

On Sept. 5, the defendants started to be taken into custody at various locations and began making their initial appearances in the Southern District of Florida. If convicted, Strama, Stiglitz, Ramirez, Delgado, Gonzalez, Nunez, Ruiz, Lugo, Ross, and Williams face up to life imprisonment. Scott and Sheppard face up to 80 years in prison. Arvelo, Hunt, Yeider, Olivo, Ravelo, Thomas, Qualls, and Chatelain face up to 40 years in prison. Corbosiero, Rodamer, Taute, Machado, Hernandez, Llanes, and MacMillian face up to 20 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office made the announcement.

FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case with assistance from Homestead Police Department, Miami-Dade Police Department, FBI Detroit Field Office, and U.S. Probation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. McLaughlin is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Maranda is handling asset forfeiture.

An indictment contains mere allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/ or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20386.

###

MIAMI – A couple from Lake Worth, Fla., pled guilty to distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a baby and for being felons in unlawful possession of firearms.

Today, Samantha Yi, 32, pled guilty to a superseding indictment charging Yi and her boyfriend Darnell Mendez with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. Mendez, 31, pled guilty to the same offenses on July 25. Their guilty pleas follow a long-term joint investigation by the Boynton Beach Police Department (BBPD), the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) after the death of a 10-month-old infant in Boynton Beach who ingested fentanyl.

On March 31, 2022, PBSO responded to a 911 call of an infant in distress. The infant was transported to Bethesda Hospital East in Boynton Beach, Fla., with her mother. On April 1, 2022, the baby was transferred to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Fla. On April 5, 2022, the baby died. An autopsy conducted by the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner determined that the baby’s death was caused by fentanyl intoxication and that her manner of death was homicide. 

The BBPD conducted a homicide investigation during which law enforcement recovered fentanyl at the baby’s home. The investigation determined that the baby’s mother and father were addicts and had been abusing fentanyl regularly in the kitchen of their apartment. The investigation also determined that the baby was teething and ingested fentanyl on March 31, 2022, while in the care of her mother, and while her father was at work. The mother was arrested by the BBPD and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child by culpable negligence.

DEA joined the investigation to identify the drug dealers that were responsible for the distribution of the fentanyl that killed the baby. Through data and information retrieved from the mother’s cellphone, law enforcement was able to identify Yi as the drug dealer. The investigation uncovered months of electronic communications exchanged between Yi and the mother involving drug transactions in which the mother was the customer. The investigation further determined that Yi’s boyfriend, Mendez was also involved in the distribution of fentanyl. Investigators were able to determine that on March 30, 2022, the mother met with Yi in Boynton Beach to purchase fentanyl, and that fentanyl was ingested by the baby resulting in her death.

As part of the joint investigation, DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), BBPD, and PBSO conducted an operation involving two undercover officers who purchased fentanyl from Yi and Mendez. The undercover operation culminated in the arrests of Yi and Mendez on March 6, at their residence in Lake Worth, where law enforcement discovered 14 firearms. As part of their pleas, Yi and Mendez admitted being felons unlawfully in possession of firearms.

Both defendants face a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 20 years to a maximum sentence of life. A sentencing hearing for Mendez is set for Oct. 29. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled for Yi.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of DEA, Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of ATF, Miami Field Division, Chief Joe DeGiulio of BBPD, and Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of PBSO announced the guilty pleas.

The Office of State Attorney Dave Aronberg for the 15th Judicial Circuit – Palm Beach County provided invaluable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam McMichael and Shannon O’Shea Darsch are prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-80041. 

###

MIAMI - On Sept. 3, Patrick Ward, 39, of Saint Lucie County, Fla., was sentenced to 75 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for trafficking fentanyl. 

The sentence comes after Ward previously pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl on three separate occasions. According to the court record, on July 6, July 13, and August 18, of 2022, Ward sold a total of 47 grams of fentanyl in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, and Acting Chief Richard R. Del Toro, Jr., of the Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD) announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon. 

DEA Miami Field Division and PSLPD investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Porter prosecuted it.

According to the DEA’s National Drug Threat Assessment, synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, are poisoning our nation. Fentanyl has proven to be a deadly poison that does not discriminate. Its victims include every gender, race, age, and economic background, and its debilitating effects are the same across all demographics.  Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Even in small doses, fentanyl can be deadly. Just one fentanyl pill can kill, as noted in DEA’s One Pill Can Kill campaign. As little as two milligrams, about the size of 5 grains of salt, can be fatal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths. Over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Florida has seen an exponential increase in overdoses associated with fentanyl. In 2022, more than 5,622 people died from overdoses involving fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in Florida.

For more information visit:  https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MEC/Publications-and-Forms/Documents/Drugs-in-Deceased-Persons/2022-Annual-Drug-Report-FINAL-(1).aspx; https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/fentanyl.html#; and https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/fentanyl. 

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-14001.

###

MIAMI – On Aug. 29, Dorian Velasquez, 43, a convicted child molester, pled guilty to naturalization fraud for having unlawfully obtained United States citizenship.

According to court documents, Velasquez was born in Guatemala. On April 11, 2014, he submitted an Application for Naturalization to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). On his application, and under penalty of perjury, Velasquez responded “No” to the question “Have you EVER committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were NOT arrested?” On July 24, 2014, Velasquez was interviewed by a U.S.CIS officer and provided the same response to the question while under oath and penalty of perjury. In a ceremony, on July 25, 2015, Velasquez took the Oath of Allegiance and was naturalized as a United States citizen.       

In October 2019, Velasquez pled guilty to four counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on a child and was ordered to register as a sex offender. Velasquez committed the crimes over a period of four years, between July 19, 2011 and July 19, 2015. Velasquez was not arrested for these offenses until after he was naturalized.

Velasquez is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 19 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, as well as the automatic revocation of his United States citizenship. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Field Office Director Garrett Ripa of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and District Director Brett R. Rinehart of USCIS Miami and Caribbean made the announcement.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Shaw for the Southern District of Florida is prosecuting the case.  The case was presented by ICE’s ERO division in Miami as part of Operation False Haven, an ongoing national initiative designed to identify and prosecute child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtained United States citizenship.   

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl. 

Rated court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20202. 

###

The Dassault Falcon 900EX Aircraft Was Illegally Exported from the United States and Used for the Benefit of Maduro and His Representatives

MIAMI - The Justice Department today announced the seizure of a Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft owned and operated for the benefit of Nicolás Maduro Moros and persons affiliated with him in Venezuela. The aircraft was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred to the Southern District of Florida at the request of the United States based on violations of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.

“This morning, the Justice Department seized an aircraft we allege was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Department will continue to pursue those who violate our sanctions and export controls to prevent them from using American resources to undermine the national security of the United States.”

“The United States’ seizure of the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft illustrates our unrelenting commitment to enforcing U.S. export control laws and imposing U.S. sanctions for any violations,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “This successful seizure was the result of planning, coordination, and execution by the United States government, with invaluable assistance by the authorities in the Dominican Republic. Our office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to work to forfeit this plane and all other assets that circumvent the law.”

“Let this seizure send a clear message: aircraft illegally acquired from the United States for the benefit of sanctioned Venezuelan officials cannot just fly off into the sunset,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the Department of Commerce.  “It doesn’t matter how fancy the private jet or how powerful the officials – we will work relentlessly with our partners here and across the globe to identify and return any aircraft illegally smuggled outside of the United States.”

“The seizure of this aircraft is another significant action by Homeland Security Investigations working with our domestic and international partners against the illegal activities of the Maduro regime,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. “The efforts here highlight HSI’s global reach and our continued commitment to enforce US sanctions and stemming the flow of illicit proceeds being generated from high level foreign public corruption.”

In August 2019, the President issued Executive Order 13884, which prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with persons who have acted or purported to act directly or indirectly for or on behalf of, the Government of Venezuela, including as a member of the Maduro regime. To protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, the Department of Commerce has also imposed export controls for items intended, entirely or in part, for a Venezuelan military or military-intelligence end user. 

According to the U.S. investigation, in late 2022 and early 2023, persons affiliated with Maduro allegedly used a Caribbean-based shell company to conceal their involvement in the illegal purchase of the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft (which at the time was valued at approximately $13 million) from a company based in the Southern District of Florida.  The aircraft was then illegally exported from the United States to Venezuela through the Caribbean in April 2023. Since May 2023, the Dassault Falcon, bearing tail number T7-ESPRT, has flown almost exclusively to and from a military base in Venezuela and has been used for the benefit of Maduro and his representatives, including to transport Maduro on visits to other countries.   

The Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Miami Field Office is investigating the case, along with the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Dorado Task Force Miami.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Paster and Jorge Delgado for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are handling the matter. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan D. Stratton and Ajay J. Alexander for the Southern District of Florida also provided assistance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and HSI in Santo Domingo provided significant assistance in working with authorities in the Dominican Republic. The United States thanks the Dominican Republic for its assistance in this matter.

The burden to prove forfeitability in a forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.

###

The Justice Department today announced the seizure of a Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft owned and operated for the benefit of Nicolás Maduro Moros and persons affiliated with him in Venezuela. The aircraft was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred to the Southern District of Florida at the request of the United States based on violations of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.

“This morning, the Justice Department seized an aircraft we allege was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Department will continue to pursue those who violate our sanctions and export controls to prevent them from using American resources to undermine the national security of the United States.”

“Let this seizure send a clear message: aircraft illegally acquired from the United States for the benefit of sanctioned Venezuelan officials cannot just fly off into the sunset,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the Department of Commerce.  “It doesn’t matter how fancy the private jet or how powerful the officials – we will work relentlessly with our partners here and across the globe to identify and return any aircraft illegally smuggled outside of the United States.”

“The United States’ seizure of the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft illustrates our unrelenting commitment to enforcing U.S. export control laws and imposing U.S. sanctions for any violations,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “This successful seizure was the result of planning, coordination, and execution by the United States government, with invaluable assistance by the authorities in the Dominican Republic. Our office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to work to forfeit this plane and all other assets that circumvent the law.”

“The seizure of this aircraft is another significant action by Homeland Security Investigations working with our domestic and international partners against the illegal activities of the Maduro regime,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. “The efforts here highlight HSI’s global reach and our continued commitment to enforce US sanctions and stemming the flow of illicit proceeds being generated from high level foreign public corruption.”

In August 2019, the President issued Executive Order 13884, which prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with persons who have acted or purported to act directly or indirectly for or on behalf of, the Government of Venezuela, including as a member of the Maduro regime. To protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, the Department of Commerce has also imposed export controls for items intended, entirely or in part, for a Venezuelan military or military-intelligence end user. 

According to the U.S. investigation, in late 2022 and early 2023, persons affiliated with Maduro allegedly used a Caribbean-based shell company to conceal their involvement in the illegal purchase of the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft (which at the time was valued at approximately $13 million) from a company based in the Southern District of Florida.  The aircraft was then illegally exported from the United States to Venezuela through the Caribbean in April 2023. Since May 2023, the Dassault Falcon, bearing tail number T7-ESPRT, has flown almost exclusively to and from a military base in Venezuela and has been used for the benefit of Maduro and his representatives, including to transport Maduro on visits to other countries.   

The Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Miami Field Office is investigating the case, along with the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Dorado Task Force Miami.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Paster and Jorge Delgado for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are handling the matter. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan D. Stratton and Ajay J. Alexander for the Southern District of Florida also provided assistance.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and HSI in Santo Domingo provided significant assistance in working with authorities in the Dominican Republic. The United States thanks the Dominican Republic for its assistance in this matter.

The burden to prove forfeitability in a forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.

MIAMI – Two West Palm Beach residents pled guilty to being felons in possession of firearms following a shooting at the Palm Beach Gardens Mall (The Gardens Mall) on Valentine’s Day.

Yesterday, Kamarcio Mitchell, 29, pled guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

On Aug. 1, Devon Jamal Graham, 29, pled guilty to possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance containing fentanyl and cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

On Feb. 14, both Mitchell and Graham were at The Gardens Mall in possession of a firearm. Mitchell was on the second level of The Gardens Mall near a retail store. Mitchell followed Graham onto the escalator and was manipulating an object under his shirt. Mitchell was then fired upon by Graham and shot. Mitchell fled the mall to the parking lot, leaving a trail of blood. A loaded firearm that had been disassembled was found in the parking lot by police, near the blood trail. Mitchell was later treated for his injury at a local hospital. Upon his later arrest on a federal warrant, authorities discovered Mitchell in possession of a distribution quantity of fentanyl after he unsuccessfully tried to toss the drugs.

Two firearms were recovered from the vehicle Graham traveled in to the mall, along with a bag containing 35 capsules with a mixture containing fentanyl and a pill bottle with approximately 16 grams of cocaine.

The recovered firearms had previously travelled in interstate commerce.

Mitchell’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 21, at 9:30 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon in Fort Pierce. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years to a maximum sentence of life in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Graham on Oct. 29, at 9:30 a.m., before Judge Cannon. Graham faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years to a maximum sentence of life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, U.S. Marshal Gadyaces S. Serralta of the U.S. Marshals Service, Chief Dominick Pape of the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department, and Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office announced the guilty pleas.

The Office of State Attorney Dave Aronberg for the 15th Judicial Circuit – Palm Beach County provided invaluable assistance. Assistant United States Attorneys John McMillan and Shannon O’Shea Darsch are prosecuting the case.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-80022.

###

MIAMI – Dustin Sean McCabe, 49, of Ocala, Fla., had his initial appearance yesterday on an indictment charging him with one count of seaman’s manslaughter, one count of making false statements, and three counts of wire fraud.

As alleged in the indictment, McCabe purchased a 48-foot vessel named the Southern Comfort in March 2020 and falsely claimed to the U.S. Coast Guard that he had purchased it for recreational purposes when, in truth and in fact, he purchased it to conduct paid scuba charters. In furtherance of those charters, McCabe refitted the Southern Comfort in ways that included removing the vessel’s main deck engine controls. He then operated the vessel as a passenger vessel by conducting paid scuba divers on March 28 and March 29, 2020, without authorization. The indictment further alleges that on March 29, 2020, McCabe’s negligent operation of the Southern Comfort caused someone’s death, which led to his formal suspension from being able to provide paid services with the vessel.

The indictment further alleges that after McCabe lost the ability to operate his vessel for pay, he then used the business he operated under, Florida Scuba Charters, Inc., to engage in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fraud by applying for two loans that he fraudulently obtained and/or had forgiven.

McCabe was arrested by the Coast Guard’s Investigative Service (CGIS) Special Agents.

If convicted of seaman’s manslaughter, McCabe faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. If convicted of making false statements and wire fraud, McCabe faces a maximum penalty of five years and 20 years, respectively. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. Margelot of the CGIS Southeast Field Office made the announcement.

CGIS Southeast Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Lake Worth and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Office of Law Enforcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller and Coast Guard Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner Stiehl are prosecuting this case.

An indictment contains mere allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-CR-80103.

###

MIAMI – On Aug. 28, Arvin Joseph Mirasol, a citizen of the Philippines, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa Damian to 30 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to producing child pornography.  

On Feb. 25, a guest aboard the Symphony of the Seas cruise ship, which is owned by Royal Caribbean Group, discovered a hidden camera affixed to the counter under the sink in the guest’s bathroom. The guest reported the camera to ship security.

Mirasol, a stateroom attendant who serviced passenger cabins, was detained until the cruise ship docked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Once the ship docked, on March 3, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel boarded the ship and began their investigation. Mirasol’s electronics were seized and searched. Law enforcement discovered that Mirasol’s electronics contained numerous videos of children in various stages of undress.  The focus of the videos was on the children’s genital areas. One video showed Mirasol himself installing a camera in a guest’s bathroom. HSI agents were able to identify children depicted in the videos, ranging from 2 to 17 years of age.

According to the agreed upon factual proffer, Mirasol had been placing cameras in passenger cabins since December of 2023. Mirasol would enter the guests’ rooms while they were showering and hide under their beds so he could secretly record them exiting the shower.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of HSI, Miami, and Carlos Martel, CBP Director of Field Operations, made the announcement.

 
HSI Fort Lauderdale investigated the case with invaluable assistance from CBP.  Royal Caribbean Group security also provided assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Koontz prosecuted the case.

Anyone with information regarding suspected crimes which may have occurred on cruise ships, to include, sexual abuse and the offenses related to child pornography, is encouraged to contact the HSI tip line at 1-866-347-2423.

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-60046.

###