Southern District of Florida

MIAMI – Guilherme Cipriani, 41, of Scottsdale, Arizona, has been arrested on federal charges of smuggling diamonds into the United States and providing a false statement to a federal agency.

As alleged in a Miami federal grand jury’s indictment, on November 10, 2022, Cipriani tried to smuggle 14 loose cut diamonds and 53 rough uncut diamonds into the U.S. through Miami International Airport (MIA). It is also alleged that Cipriani lied when he told a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent at MIA that he was not transporting commercial merchandise into the country and had spent zero dollars on commercial merchandise while abroad.

Agents from Homeland Security Investigations arrested Cipriani in Arizona, where he made his first court appearance to face the Miami federal indictment. 

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami made the announcement.

HSI Miami and HSI Brasilia investigated the case. HSI Arizona; CBP; the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT) Resident Legal Advisor in Brasilia and Office of International Affairs; and Brazil Federal Police provided significant assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefan Diaz Espinosa is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney William T. Zloch is handling asset forfeiture.

An indictment contains mere allegations.  All defendants are 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 at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-20123.

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MIAMI – A foreign national was sentenced today to an additional year and nine months in prison for using a stolen identity during her earlier prosecution for her role in the submission of fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $9.2 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

According to court documents, Tanika Candy Hospedales, 44, of Trinidad and Tobago, applied for and received a PPP loan in May 2020 on behalf of her company using the name and personal identifying information of another person, Keyaira Bostic, without authorization. Hospedales sought a fraudulent PPP loan of $84,515 on behalf of her company, I Am Liquid Inc., and referred other conspirators to the scheme who sought $3,345,895 in fraudulent loans, for a total intended loss of $3,430,410. 

During an investigation into her involvement in PPP loans, Hospedales falsely identified herself to law enforcement as Keyaira Bostic. Hospedales was charged with wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud in connection with fraudulent PPP loans, and the charging documents identified her as Keyaira Bostic. On Nov. 21, 2021, during her trial before a jury on the PPP fraud charges, Hospedales falsely testified that her name was Keyaira Bostic. The jury convicted Hospedales.

During these proceedings, Hospedales provided false information to the probation office regarding her identity and surrendered a U.S. passport in the name of Keyaira Bostic that she had fraudulently obtained in 2012. On Feb. 3, 2022, the court sentenced Hospedales on her trial conviction for PPP fraud to three years and eight months in prison, three years of supervised release, and entered a written judgment against Hospedales in the name of “Keyaira Bostic.” A subsequent investigation confirmed that Hospedales was not, in fact, Keyaira Bostic. Law enforcement obtained visa records that demonstrate that in March 2003, Hospedales entered the United States from Trinidad and Tobago on a temporary visa under her true name. 

Hospedales pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for using a false identity during her earlier prosecution. Her term of imprisonment, which will be served consecutively to her earlier sentence for PPP fraud, is followed by three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Philippe Furstenberg of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The IRS-CI, FBI, and DSS investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Turken for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Philip Trout of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted 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.

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A foreign national was sentenced today to an additional year and nine months in prison for using a stolen identity during her earlier prosecution for her role in the submission of fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $9.2 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

According to court documents, Tanika Candy Hospedales, 44, of Trinidad and Tobago, applied for and received a PPP loan in May 2020 on behalf of her company using the name and personal identifying information of another person, Keyaira Bostic, without authorization. Hospedales sought a fraudulent PPP loan of $84,515 on behalf of her company, I Am Liquid Inc., and referred other conspirators to the scheme who sought $3,345,895 in fraudulent loans, for a total intended loss of $3,430,410. 

During an investigation into her involvement in PPP loans, Hospedales falsely identified herself to law enforcement as Keyaira Bostic. Hospedales was charged with wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud in connection with fraudulent PPP loans, and the charging documents identified her as Keyaira Bostic. On Nov. 21, 2021, during her trial before a jury on the PPP fraud charges, Hospedales falsely testified that her name was Keyaira Bostic. The jury convicted Hospedales.

During these proceedings, Hospedales provided false information to the probation office regarding her identity and surrendered a U.S. passport in the name of Keyaira Bostic that she had fraudulently obtained in 2012. On Feb. 3, 2022, the court sentenced Hospedales on her trial conviction for PPP fraud to three years and eight months in prison, three years of supervised release, and entered a written judgment against Hospedales in the name of “Keyaira Bostic.” A subsequent investigation confirmed that Hospedales was not, in fact, Keyaira Bostic. Law enforcement obtained visa records that demonstrate that in March 2003, Hospedales entered the United States from Trinidad and Tobago on a temporary visa under her true name. 

Hospedales pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for using a false identity during her earlier prosecution. Her term of imprisonment, which will be served consecutively to her earlier sentence for PPP fraud, is followed by three years of supervised release.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Philippe Furstenberg of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The IRS-CI, FBI, and DSS investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Philip Trout of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Turken for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.

MIAMI – The last of eight defendants involved in a crystal methamphetamine distribution ring has been sentenced.    

U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks sentenced Rudy Salinas, 31, of Rancho Bucamanca, California to over nine years in federal prison. During prior hearings, Judge Middlebrooks sentenced Salinas’s co-conspirators to the following federal prison sentences: 

• Alexander McKay, 37, of West Palm Beach, Fla. – eight years;
• Daniel Armstrong, 39, of Oakland Park, Fla. – six and one half years;
• Stacy Boyd, 49, of Lake Worth Beach, Fla. – five years;
• Ryan Haughey, 37, of West Palm Beach, Fla – four years;
• Billy Rigney, 35, of West Palm Beach, Fla. –four years;  
• Nikoli Moore, 30, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – two and one half years;
• Christopher Vega, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – five years on this offense, plus one year for violating his supervised release in a separate drug case.

The eight defendants pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute crystal methamphetamine throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties from April to November 2022.

Salinas served as the primary source of supply. He distributed multi-pound quantities of crystal methamphetamine to Armstrong and McKay who, in turn, distributed it to Boyd, Vega, Haughey, Rigney, and Moore, for further distribution across South Florida. Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized over five kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from the defendants.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, announced the sentence imposed by Judge Middlebrooks.

DEA Miami Field Division, West Palm Beach District Office investigated the case, with assistance from West Palm Beach Police Department, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Broward County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Boynton Beach Police Department, Miami-Dade Police Department, and Margate Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Ralston prosecuted it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture.

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-80176.

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MIAMI – This week, Marshal Vivian Harris, 37, of Davie, Florida, and Wisler Majeure Jacques, 40, of Margate, Florida, appeared in federal court in Miami following their arrests for dealing firearms without a license and possession or transfer of a machine gun. 

According to court documents, federal agents began investigating Harris and Jacques in February. It is alleged that during that time, Jacques sold about 27 “ghost guns” and 48 auto sears to investigators.

Ghost guns are untraceable firearms with no serial numbers. Ghost guns are often sold disassembled, requiring buyers to build them at home. Auto sears (also called switches) are small devices that, when added to a handgun, turns the handgun into a machine gun.

According to the charges, Jacques obtained the ghost guns from Harris before selling them to law enforcement.  On April 25, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Harris’ home. During the search, agents found 3D printing equipment and a computerized mill machine that was designed to manufacture firearms parts, as well as several partially completed ghost guns, according to the charges.

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, announced the charges.

ATF Miami Field Division investigated this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Gerarde is prosecuting it.

This case and prosecution was carried out by members of the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force. The South Florida HIDTA, established in 1990, is made up of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies who, cooperatively, target the region’s drug-trafficking and money laundering organizations. The South Florida HIDTA is funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which sponsors a variety of initiatives focused on the nation’s illicit drug trafficking threats.

An indictment contains mere allegations, and all defendants are 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 at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case numbers 23-mj-02790 and 23-mj-02789.

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MIAMI – A federal district judge in West Palm Beach has sentenced 61-year-old Suzanne Ellen Kaye to 18 months in prison for threatening to shoot FBI agents in videos that she posted on social media. A jury found Kaye guilty in June 2022.

On January 16, 2021, FBI’s National Threats Operation Center received an online tip with information that Kaye may have been at The United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. ten days earlier (January 6) or knew of others who were there. The tip was referred to the FBI office in West Palm Beach for further investigation.

On January 28, 2021, two West Palm Beach FBI agents contacted Kaye by telephone and asked to interview her. Kaye agreed and requested that it take place at her house. On January 31, 2021, before any interview, Kaye posted three videos on social media. In each publicly available video, Kaye informed her audience that the FBI wanted to question her about her visit to Washington, D.C. on January 6. On video, Kaye announced that she would “shoot their [expletive] a--” if FBI agents showed up at her house.

FBI learned about Kaye’s social media postings on February 8, 2021, when they received a second online tip with one of the videos. Agents arrested Kaye at her home on February 17, 2021.     

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 sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg.

FBI Miami, West Palm Beach Resident Agency investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Dispoto and Shannon O’Shea Darsch prosecuted 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 at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 21-cr-80039.

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An indictment was unsealed today in Miami charging two U.S. citizens and a South African national with conspiring to manipulate the market for HYDRO, a virtual asset created by the Hydrogen Technology Corporation. Two other individuals were also charged in separate charging documents for their roles in the scheme filed in the Southern District of Florida.   

According to court documents, from around June 2018 through April 2019, Michael Kane, 38, of Miami; Shane Hampton, 31, of Philadelphia; and George Wolvaardt, 38, of Johannesburg, South Africa, allegedly conspired to manipulate the market for HYDRO, a token on the Ethereum blockchain platform, and defraud market participants by creating the false appearance of supply and demand for HYDRO to induce other market participants to trade at prices, quantities, and times that they otherwise would not have traded. The defendants allegedly used a trading bot to place thousands of orders that they did not intend to execute, or “spoof orders,” and thousands of orders where the bot bought and sold tokens to itself through the same account, or “wash trades.” The co-conspirators allegedly reaped $2 million in profit through their sales of HYDRO at artificially inflated prices.  

As alleged in the indictment, Kane was the co-founder and CEO of Hydrogen Technology and Hampton was the Chief of Financial Engineering for the company. Wolvaardt was the Chief Technology Officer for Moonwalkers Trading Limited, a self-described “market-making” firm that purportedly designed the trading bot and was hired by Kane and Hampton to manipulate the market for HYDRO.

Relatedly, Tyler Ostern, 29, of Coos Bay, Oregon, the former CEO of Moonwalkers, and Andrew Chorlian, 29, of New York, New York, a blockchain engineer at Hydrogen Technology, were also charged for their participation in the scheme.

Kane, Hampton, and Wolvaardt are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit securities price manipulation, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and two counts of wire fraud. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy to commit securities price manipulation count and 20 years in prison on each of the other charged counts. Ostern and Chorlian are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit securities price manipulation and wire fraud. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Andrew Jaco and Assistant Chief Scott Armstrong of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Morales for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov. To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/victim-rights-derechos-de-las-v-ctimas.

An indictment and information are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MIAMI – Delvin Thomas, 44, of West Palm Beach, Florida, the former chairman of the Riviera Beach Housing Authority, has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in December 2022 to one count of extortion under color of official right. Thomas also must forfeit $9,400.

In 2019, Thomas was the chairman of the Riviera Beach Housing Authority. In about April 2019, the Riviera Beach Housing Authority was looking to purchase a parcel of real estate located in Riviera Beach for future use as low-income rental property. Thomas introduced a real estate broker to the person at the Riviera Beach Housing Authority responsible for purchasing the property. The broker would serve as the buyer’s agent for the real estate transaction.  

The Riviera Beach Housing Authority contracted to purchase the property, with the buyer’s agent set to receive a 3% commission on the price. After the contract was entered into, Thomas informed the buyer’s agent that he (Thomas) was to receive 50% of the commission.

At the real estate closing, the buyer’s agent’s company was paid a commission of $18,930, and Thomas reminded the agent about Thomas’s 50% cut ($9,400). To hide the unlawful payment, Thomas contacted a third party who agreed to help.

That third party deposited two checks issued to the third party’s business bank account -- one for $6,400, the other for $3,000. The checks falsely stated in their memo sections that the payments were for “Company Branding” and “Marketing Services.” Then, the third party issued two checks from that account to the account of Sire Development Group, LLC -- a company owned by Thomas. Those checks falsely stated in their memo sections that the payments were for “Consulting Services.”  

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 sentence imposed in West Palm Beach federal court by U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Mara.

FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey N. Kaplan prosecuted 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 at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

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The former National Treasurer of Venezuela and her husband were each sentenced today to 15 years in prison for their roles in a multibillion-dollar bribery and money laundering scheme.

According to court documents, Claudia Patricia Díaz Guillen, 49, and her husband, Adrian José Velásquez, 43, accepted and laundered over $136 million in bribes from co-conspirator Raúl Gorrin Belisario, a Venezuelan billionaire businessman who owned Globovision news network. Gorrin allegedly paid bribes to Díaz, including through Velásquez, to obtain access to purchase bonds from the Venezuela National Treasury at a favorable exchange rate, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars of profit. The conspiracy involved bulk cash hidden in cardboard boxes, offshore shell companies, Swiss bank accounts, and international wire transfers allegedly sent by Gorrin for Díaz and Velásquez’s benefit, including to purchase multiple private jets and yachts, and to fund a high-end fashion line started by Díaz and Velásquez in South Florida.  

“As a result of the Department of Justice’s relentless efforts, the defendants will serve lengthy prison terms for their roles in a massive bribery and money laundering scheme in which Díaz abused her role as the Venezuelan National Treasurer,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “As this prosecution demonstrates, the Criminal Division never wavers in its determination to hold accountable corrupt officials who subvert the rule of law and use our financial system to launder money related to their illicit schemes.”

“The sentences imposed against former Venezuelan National Treasurer Díaz and her husband send a clear message:  The United States will not tolerate its financial systems being used as personal money laundering tools by corrupt foreign officials,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. 

“The significant sentencings and judgments imposed today against Díaz and Velásquez Figueroa demonstrate that individuals who use their positions of trust to launder illicitly obtained funds through the U.S. financial systems will be held accountable,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami Field Office. “HSI Miami’s El Dorado Task Force South will continue to work with our global partners to pursue those individuals and organizations who are involved in these multibillion-dollar conspiracies and money laundering schemes.”

Díaz and Velásquez were each convicted after trial in December 2022 of money laundering offenses.  Gorrin was first charged by indictment in August 2018 and remains charged in the superseding indictment as a co-conspirator in the same money laundering scheme. He is currently a fugitive residing in Venezuela.

HSI Miami, FBI Miami, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG) investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in this matter. The department appreciates the significant cooperation provided by authorities in Spain and Switzerland’s Federal Office of Justice.

Trial Attorneys Paul Hayden and Michael Culhane Harper of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kurt Lunkenheimer and Joshua Paster for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.

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

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 April 14, Marques Deon Jones, 40, from Orange County, pled guilty to kidnapping, aggravated assault on a federal law enforcement officer, and two felon in possession of a firearm charges, stemming from a two-day crime spree in Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce, Florida.  

On August 14, 2022, Jones pistol-whipped an employee of a Port St. Lucie group home located near SE Walton Road, before forcing the employee to leave with him in the employee’s vehicle. While inside the vehicle, Jones continued to beat the employee, threatening the employee that if he saw police, he would kill the employee and force police to kill him in a shoot-out. A group home supervisor, who witnessed Jones’ threats, the physical assault and the ensuing abduction, notified Port St. Lucie Police Department, who was able to identify Jones and issued a warrant for Jones’ arrest.  

The following day, on August 15, 2022, a U.S. Marshals Service warrants unit located Jones, standing outside of a home in Fort Pierce. As the task force officers approached, they observed Jones retrieve a firearm from a parked car, turn, and attempt to flee. Jones later admitted to police that he retrieved the firearm because he wanted officers to shoot and kill him. Jones was arrested without injury.  According to court documents, Jones was previously been convicted, in Orange County, of Domestic Battery and Aggravated Battery Causing Great Bodily Harm, both felonies.

Jones is scheduled for sentencing on June 29, before U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon and faces a possible maximum sentence of life in prison.

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

The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, ATF Fort Pierce, with assistance from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Port St. Lucie Police Department and the Fort Pierce Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Breezye Telfair.

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-14069.

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MIAMI — A 60-year-0ld Miami man in charge of monitoring the compliance of federal inmates in home confinement is headed to federal prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a woman he monitored.  

Benito Montes de Oca Cruz worked as a site supervisor for Riverside House, a federal Bureau of Prisons contractor responsible for providing custodial, supervisory, and disciplinary oversight to federal inmates in home confinement. As part of monitoring compliance, Cruz visited inmates at their homes.  

On December 28, 2020, Cruz visited a woman who was serving part of her 51-month sentence at home. While there, Cruz engaged in sexual contact with the victim, including touching her sexually while they were both naked.

Law enforcement received information on this illicit activity and promptly investigated. Evidence against Cruz included a video that captured the illegal activity and DNA that Cruz left behind.  

The full sentence imposed by United States District Judge Robert N. Scola was four months’ imprisonment, to be followed by one year of supervised release (with the first 120 days of supervised release in home confinement). In determining the sentence, Judge Scola noted the serious nature of the offense but also considered Cruz’s lack of prior criminal history, among other factors. Cruz must surrender to the federal Bureau of Prisons on June 1.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge James Boyersmith of the Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General (DOJ-OIG), announced the sentence. 

DOJ-OIG investigated this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm prosecuted 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 at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 22-cr-20459.

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MIAMI – A federal magistrate judge in Fort Lauderdale has unsealed an indictment today charging Carl Henry Charles, 43, of Miramar, Fla., and Patrick Charles, 41, of Lake Worth, Fla., for fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in COVID-19 pandemic relief loans and advances from the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program.

According to the indictment, from March 2020 through December 2021, Carl Charles and his brother, Patrick Charles, submitted applications to the SBA for EIDL program loans seeking nearly $5 million for purported businesses that did not exist before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and did not have any revenue or other business activity. As a result of the false and fraudulent applications, the SBA disbursed approximately $2.5 million in loan proceeds and advances to the defendants, who in turn used the funds to enrich themselves and others.

The indictment charges each defendant with multiple counts of wire fraud. If convicted, Carl Charles faces up to 80 years in prison and Patrick Charles faces up to 60 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Mark H. Morini Jr. of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Southern Field Division; and Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Investigations Division’s Eastern Region, made the announcement. 

FBI Miami, TIGTA, and SBA-OIG investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Snider for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Samad Pardesi and Ariel Glasner of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Stone 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.

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

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.  For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.

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 23-cr-60072.

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An indictment was unsealed today charging two Florida men for fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in COVID-19 pandemic relief loans and advances from the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. 

According to court documents, from March 2020 through December 2021, Carl Charles, 43, of Miramar, and his brother, Patrick Charles, 41, of Lake Worth, together with their accomplices, submitted applications to the SBA for nearly $5 million in EIDL loans, making false statements regarding the businesses’ revenues, creation dates, and number of employees. As a result of the false and fraudulent applications, the SBA disbursed over $2.5 million in loan proceeds and advances to the defendants and others.

Carl Charles is charged with four counts of wire fraud and Patrick Charles is charged with three counts of wire fraud. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Mark H. Morini Jr. of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) Southern Field Division, and Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General (SBA-OIG) Investigations Division’s Eastern Region made the announcement. 

The FBI, TIGTA, and SBA-OIG are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Ariel Glasner and Samad Pardesi of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Snider for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

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

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

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

MIAMI – Catherine Shannon Dunton, 54, has pled guilty in federal district court in Fort Pierce to tampering with a consumer product.

From approximately February 28 to April 18, 2022, Dunton, a Florida licensed Registered Nurse (RN), worked at an outpatient surgical center in Jensen Beach, Martin County, Fla. as a circulating nurse. While working at the center, Dunton took vials of fentanyl, a narcotic painkiller in liquid form, and self-administered it by injection. To avoid detection, she replaced the fentanyl from nearly 450 vials with saline solution, and then returned the adulterated vials to the center for use during outpatient surgical procedures.

At sentencing, Dunton faces up to 10 years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is set for June 27, at 10:30 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Justin C. Fielder of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), Miami Field Office, announced the guilty plea.

FDA-OCI Miami investigated the case, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana M. Acosta is 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 22-cr-14073.

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MIAMI – It was a busy week for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section, which held three significant events over a four-day period in early April.

“This is something you just don’t see very often,” said LEC/COS Chief J.D. Smith. “We’ll usually host one big event per week, with other smaller ones interspersed throughout. But to host this many large events and to be spread out over our agency’s footprint was a real challenge.”

Smith and crew first hosted a Farm Share Drive-Thru Food Distribution at Wells Recreational Center in Riviera Beach, Fla. Groceries and resource materials were given to nearly 500 families. These food drives—held each Tuesday—have gone on for years and helped thousands of South Florida residents.

Next up was a Re-Entry Simulation also held at Wells Recreational Center on April 5. More than 100 community stakeholders attended the event to get a better perspective on what former inmates face when attempting to re-enter society.

“This will be unlike any training you’ve experienced,” Smith told participants. “I went through it twice and it was physically and mentally challenging both times. You’re going to get various types of customer service. Not everyone is going to be helpful.”

Stations had been set up prior to the participants’ arrival and were labeled bank, employer, transportation, and counselor, among others. Each participant had a folder with bio, background situation, education level, and limited resources to navigate the course. They had to find housing, pay rent, pass drug tests, acquire health care, and try not to end up back in “jail,” which was located in a corner of the gymnasium.

“You have to be able to play the game,” said Re-entry and Community Outreach Specialist Keisha Bazile. “This training is a unique way to bring light to the hardships of re-entering society. Hopefully, it will spark compassion in those who come in contact with returning citizens.”

Most participants had no clue what they were in for as the event unfolded. It was intended to be frustrating to navigate, exactly how it is for returning citizens. Several threw up their hands in disgust because customer service wasn’t as helpful as they thought it should be. The point of the training was to open the minds of the community stakeholders in hopes that the system can change … that the path for returning citizens can be made easier, which benefits everyone.

“Most attendees are apprehensive at the beginning of the training because it’s set up to be difficult,” said Bazile. “But once it was over, several people expressed how much they enjoyed it. For me, that’s a success.”

The week culminated with the 3rd Spring Classic Youth & Cops Basketball Tournament at the Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex in Miami Gardens, Fla. Ten teams participated and were comprised of law enforcement personnel and local kids who had been recruited via community outreach efforts.

“Each year I’m amazed at the talent we see from both the adult players and the kids,” said Smith. “The games are very entertaining to watch but for me the most special thing to see is how the adults and kids interact and work together as teammates.”

Miramar Police Department took the title with a win over North Miami Police Department. The basketball was great, but in the end, it was about creating and fostering relationships.

“The main goal of this tournament is to develop a level of togetherness between youth and law enforcement,” said Bazile. “Usually, law enforcement interacts with youth when they are in trouble. However, this gives them an opportunity to meet under different circumstances. It’s about building trust.

Law Enforcement Coordination Specialist Mark McKinney unpacks frozen chickens in preparation for a recent Farm Share Drive-Thru Food Distribution where more than 500 families were served.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida gives closing remarks following a Re-Entry Simulation held at Wells Recreational Center in Riviera Beach, Fla. The simulation gave community stakeholders a view into what former inmates face when trying to re-integrate into society.  

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida takes a moment to pose with the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s basketball team during the recent 3rd Spring Classic Youth & Cops Basketball Tournament at the Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex in Miami Gardens, Fla.   

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MIAMI – Damian Davis, 41, has been sentenced in federal district court to 24 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for bank and wire fraud as part of a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) out of loan proceeds. These loans are guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Additionally, the Honorable William P. Dimitrouleas ordered Davis to pay over half a million dollars in restitution.

In June and July 2020, Davis applied for PPP loans in the name of the following three companies, which he owns; Wolf of Flagler, LLC, in the amount of $128,400; Crates Tavern, LLC, in the amount of $183,780, and Fifth Marketing Group, LLC, in the amount of $274,365. As a result of these loan applications, Davis received a total of $586,545 in PPP funds, which he used for his personal benefit.

For example, in one of the companies’ loan applications, Davis listed a loan amount of $274,365 and an average monthly payroll of $109,746, he falsely certified the companies’ number of employees and payroll payments. Also, he falsely certified that the funds would be used to support the ongoing operations of the company. After receiving the PPP loan proceeds, Davis did not make any payroll, rent, utility, or mortgage interest payments. Instead, he used the PPP funds to purchase a car. On August 28, 2020, Davis wired $31,000, from the PPP loan proceeds for the alleged purchase of “equipment.” However, Davis did not buy any equipment, he purchased a 2001 Blue BMW M3.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe of the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Dimitrouleas.

IRS-CI Miami investigated the case, with assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Investigations Division’s Eastern Region. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bertila Lilia Fernandez prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Stone is handling asset forfeiture.

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

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. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here. 

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 22-cr-60186.

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MIAMI – A West Palm Beach federal district judge has sentenced 34-year-old fraudster Elizabeth Genna Suarez (formerly known as “Elizabeth Mirson Suit”) to 18 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release. The sentence comes after a jury’s verdict finding Suarez guilty of wire fraud and the trial judge’s later ruling that Suarez had lied on the stand and submitted fake character letters to the court.       

From August 2018 to November 2019, Suarez executed a scheme to defraud Piper’s Angels Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals with cystic fibrosis and their families. During that time, Suarez was married to the foundation’s executive director and used her access to the foundation money to divert it to herself. For example, Suarez used her copy of the foundation’s corporate credit card in July 2019 to make an $8,000 deposit on a cosmetic surgical procedure, pay $1,680 for a cosmetic laser procedure, and spend $800 on a necklace.    

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 sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks.   

FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Chase prosecuted it. Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Raemy Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture. 

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 22-cr-80185.

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MIAMI – A Palm Beach County man was sentenced on Friday in federal court to 41 months in prison following his earlier guilty plea to buying and selling more than 2.6 million Medicare beneficiary identification numbers, along with other personal identifiers.

In one of the first prosecutions brought under The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), Charles William McElwee, 36, was sentenced to 41 months imprisonment following his guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to violate MACRA by buying and selling beneficiary identification numbers. 

Among other things, MACRA makes it illegal to buy, sell, or distribute without lawful authority Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary numbers. (Title 42, United States Code, Section 1320a-7b(b)(4)).

As part of his plea, McElwee admitted that he and his co-conspirators used “data mining” and “social engineering techniques” to collect Medicare beneficiary information, which McElwee then advertised and sold online. The trafficked information included beneficiary names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, and Medicare beneficiary identification numbers. According to the indictment, some of the illicit transactions involved foreign actors, including sellers in the Philippines and buyers in Egypt. 

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Region; and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the sentence.

HHS-OIG Miami and FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Juenger prosecuted it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture.

Medicare beneficiaries who believe they have been a victim of medical identity theft can file a complaint with the HHS-OIG hotline by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477) or with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

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 22-cr-60202.

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Two men were sentenced yesterday for their participation in a COVID-19 fraud scheme, which involved fraudulent applications for $1.6 million in loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Dumarsais Blaise Jr., 45, of Stonecrest, Georgia, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison. His brother, Alexander Blaise, 41, of Plantation, Florida, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.

According to court documents, Dumarsais Blaise and Alexander Blaise worked together to submit fraudulent PPP applications. Dumarsais Blaise used his expertise as a tax preparer to create fake tax documents that were submitted in support of the fraudulent applications. The conspiracy involved fabricating information about three purported companies, two of which did not exist. For the third company, the brothers falsely inflated the number of employees and payroll costs, claiming the company employed 41 people when in fact it employed only one person.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Kyle A. Myles of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG) Atlanta Region, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffery Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The FDIC-OIG and FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Edward Emokpae of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kiran Bhat for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the PPP. Since the inception of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 200 defendants in more than 130 criminal cases and has seized over $78 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/ppp-fraud.

MIAMI – A federal magistrate judge has unsealed indictments brought against 10 defendants in 10 separate cases for their alleged involvement in the illegal trafficking of migratory birds under Operation Ornery Birds II.

The cases brought against the 10 defendants are:

United States v. Alain Armando Hernandez, case no. 22-cr-20535.

United States v. Daniel Hernandez Matos, case no. 22-cr-20536.

United States v. Alejandro Hernandez Valero, case no. 23-cr-20119.

United States v. Julio Cesar Santana Menduina, case no. 22-cr-20537.

United States v. Andres Hernandez Rivera, case no. 22-cr-20538.

United States v. Felix Yoan Diaz Montesinos, case no. 23-cr-20120.

United States v. Yoander Cruz Sardina, case no. 22-cr-20589.

United States v. Conrado Torres Aleman, case no. 23-cr-20121.

United States v. Armando Espino Gonzalez, case no. 22-cr-20590.

United States v. Onelio Rene Hernandez, Jr., case no. 22-cr-20591.

In 1918, Congress enacted the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) for the protection of migratory birds. Now in its 100th year, the MBTA prohibits, among other things, the pursuit, hunting, taking, capture, killing, possession, sale, barter, purchase, shipping, exportation, and importation of migratory birds. Migratory birds are listed at Title 50, Code of Federal Regulation, Section 10.13.

According to the indictments, the defendants acquired the protected wildlife through a variety of means, including the employment of baited bird traps spread throughout the region as collection points and the barter, purchase, and sale of specimens among like-minded individuals employing internet sales sites frequented by traffickers. They also unlawfully transported the captured wildlife between buyers and sellers across the country.

According to the allegations contained in the indictments, the various defendants offered to buy, sell, or barter a variety of MBTA protected birds, including specimens of Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea), Blue Grosbeaks (Passerina caerulea), Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (Pheucticus ludovicianus), Painted Buntings (Passerina ciris), Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), and Lazuli Buntings (Passerina amoena), all highly prized for their colorful plumage and singing abilities.

Federal agents from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recovered more than 500 illegal specimens from the defendants. After a determination that the release of the seized wildlife was safe and appropriate, the USFWS returned as many of the birds to the wild as possible. Some of the birds did not survive.

If convicted of the charges, the defendants each face a possible maximum statutory sentence of 2 years in prison for each count of trafficking migratory birds and criminal fines of up to $250,000 per count.  

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Director Edward Grace of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Office of Law Enforcement, acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, Major Alberto Maza, Regional Commander of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Division of Law Enforcement, South B Region, announced the charges.

USFWS, HSI Miami, and FWC investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-FitzGerald is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Stone 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.

The public is encouraged to report any instances of illegal wildlife trapping and trafficking to the United States Fish & Wildlife Service at 305-526-2620 or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at 888-404-3922 or by email or text to Tip@MyFWC.com.

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 listed above.

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MIAMI – Mario Henry Garcia, 65, of Miami has pled guilty to one count of fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents, as well to one count of aggravated identity theft.

Garcia operated a business, Mar Financial, through which he provided a variety of tax preparation, divorce, and immigration services. In particular, the Defendant would assist clients preparing immigration applications (form I-485) to adjust their status to that of a legal permanent resident.  Often those clients would have to provide an Affidavit of Financial Support (form I-864) from a financial sponsor guaranteeing to support the applicant while they were in the United States.  When a client of the Defendant did not have anyone to act as their financial sponsor, the Defendant would steal the personal identifying information and supporting documents of a sponsor for a prior legitimate application without the sponsors’ knowledge or consent, in exchange for a fee. 

The Defendant was released on bond. On February 1, 2023, the Defendant failed to appear at his arraignment in this case.  The Defendant absconded and left the country traveling on a Peruvian travel document.  The Defendant was detained in Panama after arriving on a flight from Costa Rica and returned to the United States.

U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga set the sentencing hearings for Garcia for June 14.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, announced the guilty plea.

HSI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne is 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.

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MIAMI – Gregory Dennis, 45, a former police officer with the City of Miami Police Department, has pled guilty to wire fraud in connection with two fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans he submitted to a Small Business Administration (SBA) approved PPP lender while he was still employed with the City of Miami Police Department.

On March 28, 2021, Dennis submitted a false and fraudulent PPP loan application claiming to be a sole proprietor operating a cleaning service. The PPP loan application falsely represented his business’ 2020 gross income and in support of the application, he submitted a false and fraudulent IRS Form 1040, including a Schedule C, for tax year 2020. As a result of the false and fraudulent application, Dennis obtained a $20,833 PPP loan from a California-based SBA approved PPP lender. 

On April 10, 2021, Dennis submitted a second false and fraudulent PPP loan application, this time seeking a second draw PPP loan. Once again, Dennis claimed to be a sole proprietor operating a cleaning service, and this second draw application also fraudulently represented his business’ 2020 gross income. This second draw application also was supported by the same false and fraudulent 2020 IRS Form 1040 and Schedule C that was used to fraudulently obtain the first PPP loan. Again, the fraudulent application was approved successfully, and Dennis received an additional $20,833 in second draw PPP loan proceeds from the same California-based lender.

Dennis is scheduled for sentencing on June 13, at 1:15 p.m. before U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas in Fort Lauderdale, where he faces a possible maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Investigations Division’s Eastern Region, announced the guilty plea.

The FBI’s Miami Area Corruption Task Force, which includes task force officers from the City of Miami Police Department’s Internal Affairs Section, and SBA-OIG investigated the case. U.S. Attorney Lapointe thanked the City of Miami Police Department and the Miami-Dade County Office of Inspector General for their invaluable assistance with this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Raemy Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture.

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

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. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here. 

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 23-cr-60063.

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MIAMI – A federal grand jury has indicted, Maylin Salado Garcia, “Salado Garcia,” 34, Niubis Garcia, “Niubis Garcia,” 52, Oscar Enrique Pujadas, “Pujadas,” 32, and Sirce Rodriguez Rosales, “Rosales,” 38, residents of Miami, Fla., for their alleged participation in a wire fraud scheme to defraud the federal government out of more than $250,000 of funds intended for workforce development programs. The charges include conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit theft of government funds, theft of government funds, theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, and aggravated identity theft.

According to the indictment, the defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly executed a scheme to enrich themselves by obtaining reimbursement of monies from federally funded programs and depositing the reimbursed federal funds into personal and corporate bank accounts they controlled for their own personal use.  In furtherance of the scheme, the defendants and their co-conspirators used stolen personal identifying information (PII) to create false and fraudulent employee files (“participant files”) and wage records. These fake participant files and wage records were used as proof of employment showing that individuals were employed at companies the defendants and their co-conspirators owned and controlled, as well as other companies.

According to court documents, Salado Garcia worked at Transition, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation located in Miami-Dade County; first as a program supervisor, and then as executive director. Transition received federal grants of money through the state of Florida, which were used to provide job training and placement services in the community. Transition worked with, for example, the Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department’s (MDCR) Boot Camp Reentry Program, a federally funded program designed to provide education and training to inmates transitioning out of prison. From around April 2017 and February 2019, while employed at Transition, Salado Garcia allegedly created participant files and wage records using stolen PII to obtain federal funds for work that was never performed and, in some cases, to employees who were not employed at listed companies, and the few that did, received lower hourly wages than what Salado Garcia recorded in the participant files. 

It is also alleged that Salado Garcia represented in the participant files that the employees purportedly worked at companies owned by her co-conspirators; her mother, Niubis Garcia, and her significant other, Pujadas. Additionally, Salado Garcia entered false payroll information into the Transition’s web-based payroll processor, including bank accounts owned by her and her co-conspirator, Rosales, to receive direct deposit payments from the federally funded programs which were intended for the purported employees. In addition, Rosales provided Salado Garcia with stolen PII to create the fraudulent participant files, while Pujadas also cashed the fraudulently obtained reimbursement checks at a check cashing store.

Salado Garcia, Niubis Garcia, and Rosales made their initial appearances last week before U.S. Magistrate Judge Otazo-Reyes. If convicted, Salado Garcia faces a maximum sentence of up to 87 months in addition to 24 months consecutively in prison, Niubis Garcia faces a maximum sentence of up to 51 months in prison, and

Rosales faces a maximum sentence of up to 57 months in prison.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Southeast Region, announced the charges. 

DOL-OIG investigated the case, with assistance from Miami-Dade County Office of the Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Yisel Valdes is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda 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.

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-20116.

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MIAMI – Anthony Wayne Santiago, 28, of Novi, Mich.; Jacob Dominic VanDyke, 25, of Muskegon, Mich.; Johnathan Scott Fleak, 32, of Pryor, Okla.; Aaron Ray Iuliano, 27, of Ravenna, Ohio; and Michael Paul Gianfrancesco, 39, of Livingston, Tenn., all have pled guilty and been sentenced to conspiracy to distribute child sexual abuse material and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of children under the age of 13 years.

From September to October 2021, the five defendants entered and participated in a private chat room within a social networking application. Each had to distribute CSAM of children under the age of 13 to enter the chat room. These defendants all distributed and solicited CSAM and discussed the sexual abuse of children among more than 50 other individuals. The children in the images and videos were as young as 4 years old.

Today, Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks sentenced the last of three defendants charged in the conspiracy. Michael Paul Gianfrancesco, who had previously distributed CSAM through multiple other social networking accounts, was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison. Aaron Ray Iuliano was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Jacob Dominic Vandyke to 13.3 years in prison. Previously, Judge Middlebrooks sentenced Johnathan Scott Fleak, who distributed CSAM through another online message boards, to 15 years in prison. Anthony Wayne Santiago, a registered sex offender who was on a GPS monitor at the time of his arrest, had been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, and Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.

HSI West Palm Beach Office and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case as part of a joint effort of the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Schiller and Brian Ralston prosecuted it.

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 22-cr-80127.

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MIAMI — Miami resident Ari P. Weingrad, 51, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for willfully failing to pay over employment taxes to the IRS.

Weingrad owned and operated two car rental companies, Rent Max Miami Inc., and Rent Max North Inc., both of which had locations throughout Florida. As the sole owner and chief executive officer of Rent Max Miami and as the co-owner and president of Rent Max North, Weingrad knew he was responsible for collecting, accounting for, and paying over payroll taxes withheld from his employees’ wages to the IRS. Between 2011 and 2016, however, he withheld employment taxes from his employees’ wages, and he failed to pay them over to the IRS. These employment taxes included income taxes as well as Medicare and Social Security taxes.

In total, Weingrad failed to pay approximately $850,000 in employment taxes owed to the IRS, including both the employer’s and employee’s share of employment taxes. Instead, he caused Rent Max Miami to spend corporate funds to pay discretionary expenses, including a $50,000 cashier’s check to himself, $45,000 in cashier’s checks payable to his wife, and expenses related to a 55-foot yacht.

Weingrad had also failed to pay employment taxes for a previous business. In imposing a sentence at the high end of the guideline range, the Court stated that Weingrad’s failure to pay employment taxes was a serious offense that impacts employees as well. The Court stated that the sentence needed to promote respect for the law and provide deterrence to employers. The Court immediately remanded the defendant into custody.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg, Tax Division, U.S. Department of Justice; and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line, IRS, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore.

IRS-CI, Miami Field Office, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana Maria Martinez for the Southern District of Florida, and Trial Attorney Patrick Elwell of the Tax Division, U.S. Department of Justice, prosecuted 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 22-cr-20342.

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MIAMI – A U.S. citizen, Emraan Ali (“Ali”), has been sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release by the Honorable Beth Bloom for conspiring to provide material support to ISIS. Ali entered a guilty plea on November 22, 2022. 

On March 20, 2015, Ali, aka Abu Jihad Al-Trinidadi Al-Amriki, took his family from Trinidad and Tobago to Brazil, and thereafter to Turkey and Syria with the purpose of joining ISIS. Before leaving Trinidad and Tobago to join ISIS, Ali set up a financial system whereby he could receive funds in Syria, collected $15,000 in cash, falsely told his children they were going on vacation, and melted down gold to be converted to jewelry so he would have money and financial support once he was in Syria. Ali also made efforts to make Trinidadian authorities believe he was not leaving Trinidad so they would not interfere with his efforts to provide material support to ISIS.

Upon arriving in Turkey, Ali and his family stayed in Istanbul and then traveled to Gaziantep, Turkey. While in Gaziantep, Ali contacted coconspirators to arrange for travel across the Turkey-Syria border to join ISIS. Shortly thereafter, Ali and his family were driven from Gaziantep to the Syrian border in a van. Once at the border Ali and his family, including small children, got out of the van and ran across the border into Syria on foot.

Once they arrived in ISIS controlled territory, ISIS registered Ali and his family, who thereafter joined a settlement in Manbij, Syria, where they lived while Ali awaited ISIS military training. From July through November 2015, Ali went to Raqqa, Syria, for ISIS religious and military training with other English speakers. The training included instruction on the operation of various automatic weapons such as the AK-47 assault rifle and PKC machine gun. Following this training, Ali was assigned an ISIS census number in the “12000” series - the series reserved for military enlistees. He was given boots, socks, and a gun barrel.  Ali also registered with ISIS the M4 weapon he had personally acquired. 

After he completed military training, Ali was assigned to the Anwar al-Awlaki katibah (battalion) in Raqqa and received an ISIS identification card under the kunya (alias) of “Abu-Jihad al-Trinidad al-Amriki” or “Abu Jihad TNT.” Between September and November 2015, Ali’s son, Jihad Mohammed Ali, then 15 years old, began attending ISIS religious and military training in Raqqa, after which he also was assigned to the Anwar al-Awlaki katibah. Eventually, Ali was discharged from the Anwar al-Awlaki katibah for medical reasons, and he moved his family to another location in Raqqa, which had become the de facto ISIS capital.

Ali thereafter continued to provide material support to ISIS and contribute to its economy while in Raqqa, approximately between 2015 and 2017. First, Ali worked in residential construction for ISIS. Ali’s construction work helped create homes for ISIS members, including fighters and their families who occupied territories ISIS claimed from Syria. Like others who received housing to help the occupation, Ali also received free housing upon his arrival in Syria and his entry into ISIS military training. In addition, Ali worked to create buildings for ISIS operations. Ali also became a merchant, thereby supporting ISIS and its members. Ali began buying and selling livestock, cars, weapons, weapons accessories, and telephones to and from other ISIS members.

Ali also assisted ISIS’s military goals by purchasing and selling weapons and weapons accessories to ISIS members to use in their fighting, preferring superior American-made accessories to those manufactured by China. Ali also provided money remitting services to other Trinidadian ISIS fighters in Syria, serving as a “hawalder,” or money transfer broker. He also donated his own money to ISIS members to support the ISIS cause.

Eventually, in late 2017, Ali left Raqqa with his family and moved to Mayadin, Syria, which had become the new headquarters for ISIS after the Coalition Forces retook Raqqa. While in Mayadin, Ali was assigned to an ISIS housing battalion, or katibah, and received an ISIS identification card. Consistent with ISIS’s bureaucratic structure, Ali also received a monthly stipend or payment in the amount of $35 US per adult and $28 US per child in his household. In addition, Ali was again provided free housing by ISIS.

In 2018, Ali moved his family to Hajin, Syria, where ISIS assigned him to construct a well to provide the ISIS community with potable water. When ISIS came under attack in Hajin, Ali moved his family to Al-Shafah, Syria, where he ran a store that sold various goods. While in Hajin, Ali donated some of the store’s profits to other ISIS members, thereby furthering ISIS’s goals.

Between late 2018 and early 2019, after ISIS was targeted in Al-Shafah, Ali moved his family to Baghuz, Syria, the last ISIS stronghold before its collapse in 2019. In fact, in March 2019, just before his surrender on March 19, Ali urged other Trinidadian ISIS members to refuse to surrender to the Coalition Forces. Ali did this in the hope that Coalition Forces would allow ISIS members to simply relocate.

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, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom.

FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Stratton for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case, with assistance from the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

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-20123.

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MIAMI – A 53-year-old West Palm Beach licensed attorney has been arrested with possession of child pornography. Michael T. Dolce will appear in a West Palm Beach federal court tomorrow for his initial appearance.

According to the filed criminal complaint affidavit, on March 15, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Dolce’s West Palm Beach apartment. They discovered Dolce actively downloading child pornography using peer-2-peer software. Nearly 2000 images and videos of child pornography were recovered from his devices.

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 charges.  

FBI Miami, West Palm Beach Resident Agency investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller is prosecuting the case.

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

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-08161.

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MIAMI – Alfredo Hudson, 36, a former correctional officer with the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) has pled guilty to wire fraud in connection with two fraudulent loan applications under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisette M. Reid.

On June 12, 2020, Hudson submitted a false and fraudulent PPP loan application claiming to be a self-employed individual operating a recreation business under the name “Alfredo Enterprise.” The PPP loan application falsely represented Alfredo Enterprise’s monthly payroll and included a false and fraudulent IRS Form 1040, Schedule C for tax year 2019. As a result of the false and fraudulent application, Hudson obtained a $10,104 PPP loan from a Georgia-based lender. 

On April 25, 2021, Hudson submitted a second false and fraudulent PPP loan application, this time claiming to be a sole proprietor operating a barbershop under the tradename of “Alfredo Enterprise.” The second draw PPP loan application also fraudulently represented Alfredo Enterprise’s 2019 gross income. In support of the application, Hudson submitted a different false and fraudulent IRS Form 1040, Schedule C, for tax year 2019. Once again, the fraudulent application was approved, and Hudson obtained approximately $11,251 in PPP loan proceeds from a Florida-based lender.

Subsequently, Hudson submitted a false and fraudulent PPP loan forgiveness application to the Small Business Administration (SBA) seeking repayment forgiveness for the PPP second draw loan he received from the Florida-based lender. As a result of this false and fraudulent forgiveness application, the SBA excused the defendant from any repayment obligation on the second draw PPP loan.

Hudson is scheduled for sentencing on May 24, at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman. He faces a possible maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Small Business Administration, Investigations Division’s Eastern Region (SBA-OIG), announced the guilty plea.

FBI Miami and SBA-OIG investigated the case, with assistance from the Florida Department of Corrections’ (FDC) Office of Inspector General (OIG). Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm is prosecuting the case.

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

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. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here. 

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 23-cr-20060.

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MIAMI – Aurelio Luis Perez, a 55-year-old Miami resident, has pled guilty to retaliating against a witness in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1513(b)(2).  Perez faces a maximum term of imprisonment of up to 20 years.

Perez assaulted a federal cooperating witness at a local club on September 4, 2021, just several days after the victim was identified as a government witness in a federal criminal trial. Specifically, Perez followed the victim into the restroom and assaulted him at the urinal while yelling, “This is for snitching” in Spanish. As a result of the assault, the witness suffered inflammation, bruising, lacerations to his lip, and a cracked front tooth. The victim did not know Perez. Court records indicate that Perez was a close associate of another individual under investigation at the time of the attack. Perez’s associate was subsequently charged for his role in allegedly distributing over $230 million of adulterated HIV medication. 

U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola will sentence Perez on June 5 in Miami, Florida.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Region; and Special Agent in Charge Kyle A. Myles of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), Atlanta Region, made the announcement. 

HHS-OIG Miami and FDIC-OIG investigated the case.  Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Abraham of the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Alexander Thor Pogozelski of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

An indictment contains mere allegations, and all defendants are 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 at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 22-cr-20253.

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MIAMI - Jennifer Pamela Izzo, 35, of Coral Springs, Florida, has been sentenced to 51 months in prison for embezzling $94,500 from her former employer, a trucking maintenance company based in Fort Lauderdale. She also exploited her position at the company when filing a COVID-19 assistance loan on its behalf, attempting to fraudulently divert government funds for her own personal benefit. Although the loan was never granted, she stood to gain as much as $150,000 in additional illicit funds.

In August 2019, the auto-maintenance company hired Izzo as its financial bookkeeper, entrusting her with direct access to the vendor accounts and the company credit cards, including the cards issued in the names of individual employees. However, from October 2019 through April 2020, Izzo orchestrated a sophisticated scheme to defraud her employer by creating fictitious vendor accounts that she secretly controlled.] Throughout her employment, she carried out dozens of unauthorized transactions using the company’s credit cards, re-routing the stolen funds from the fake vendors, and ultimately into her own bank account.  

During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Izzo also abused her position of trust when she was asked to file an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) on behalf of the company, seeking federal funds to help cover its payroll expenses. But rather than listing the company’s bank account in the unsuccessful application, Izzo listed her own personal bank account as the intended beneficiary.

Izzo pled guilty on December 20, 2022, to two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. While awaiting sentencing, Izzo’s bond was revoked and she was remanded into federal custody when the district court found probable cause to believe that Izzo had stolen money from yet another company that had just recently hired her. In addition to her sentence, Izzo has been ordered to pay back in the form of restitution all of the $94,500 stolen from her previous employer.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, and Chief of Police Patrick Lynn of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department (FLPD) announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Robin L. Rosenberg.

USSS Miami and FLPD investigated the case, with assistance from the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG). Assistant U.S. Attorney Eduardo Gardea Jr. prosecuted the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Stone and Sara Klco are handling asset forfeiture.

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

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. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here. 

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 22-cr-60155.

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MIAMI – A Miami federal grand jury has charged Alan Paul Brooks, of Aventura, with mail fraud and money laundering.

According to the indictment, from June to December 2022, Brooks engaged in a scheme to steal funds payable to a health system in Louisiana. As alleged, Brooks caused a change of mail address to be filed for a U.S. post office box that received checks for the Louisiana health system. The address change diverted checks that were mailed to the post office box to the defendant’s home in Aventura. 

It is also alleged that Brooks created fictitious operating names for a Florida shell company that he controlled. These fictitious operating names matched those of the Louisiana health system’s regional medical centers. Brooks also opened bank accounts in Aventura using the fictitious operating names and deposited into those accounts over $3 million in checks that were payable to the actual regional medical centers, according to the charges. After depositing the checks, Brooks moved the funds to other accounts that he controlled.  

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Kyle A. Myles of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), Atlanta Region; Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office; acting Inspector in Charge Juan A. Vargas of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division; Chief of Police Michael Bentolila of the Aventura Police Department, announced the charges.

FDIC-OIG, USSS Miami, USPIS Miami, and Aventura Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael N. Berger is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon 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.

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-20117.

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MIAMI – Marlin Jean, 31, has been sentenced to 88 months in prison for stealing other people’s identities to fraudulently obtain $826,332 in COVID-19 related unemployment benefits from the State of California. The stolen benefits came from federal funds provided to state unemployment agencies to help Americans economically harmed by the global pandemic.

From August 2020 through October 2021, Jean spearheaded a scheme to use the stolen identities of dozens of Florida and California residents (among others) to fraudulently open accounts in their names with the California Employment Development Division (“EDD”). Jean then directed the EDD to mail the unemployment benefits, issued in the form of pre-paid debit cards, to addresses throughout South Florida. Acquaintances collected the cards for Jean to use for his personal benefit. Jean committed this crime soon after completing a federal sentence on a separate 2016 fraud conviction.

Jean pled guilty on December 21, 2022, to one count of possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices and one count of aggravated identity theft. In addition to his prison sentence, Jean has been ordered to pay $826,332 in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman.

HSI Miami investigated the case, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Miami Beach Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eduardo Gardea Jr. prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster is handling asset forfeiture.

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act provided hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds for unemployment insurance benefits to be distributed by the states directly to their residents.

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. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.

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 22-cr-20018.

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MIAMI – Wendy C. Kilheffer, 77, of Big Pine, Florida was sentenced today in Key West federal district court for violating the Endangered Species Act by shooting and killing a Key deer.   

On November 16, 2022, several Florida Keys residents discovered a Key deer lying on the ground with its antlers entangled in rope. Kilheffer arrived on the scene and -- despite having zero veterinary training or related experience -- decided that the deer was in distress and would not survive. Kilheffer went to her vehicle, secured a high caliber handgun, shot the deer in the head at close range, and killed it. According to witnesses, the deer’s death was not immediate.

When law enforcement later questioned Kilheffer, she denied even being at the scene. Video surveillance and eyewitness statements refuted her lie.

Kilheffer pled guilty and now has a federal conviction. She must serve one year of probation, pay a $4,000 criminal fine, complete 100 hours of community service, and strictly abide by all laws and regulations involving human interaction with the Key deer.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and acting Resident Agent in Charge Robert Register of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Office of Law Enforcement, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

Congress enacted the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) to conserve endangered and threatened species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. The term “endangered species” means any species, or part thereof, which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.  Title 16, United States Code, Section 1532(6). The Florida Key deer is included within the list of designated endangered species, set forth in Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 17.21(c)(1).

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Miami investigated this case, with assistance from Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the National Fish & Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-FitzGerald prosecuted this 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 22-cr-10023.

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MIAMI – Angelo Victor Fernandes, a 34-year-old cruise ship employee from Goa, India, was sentenced in federal district court to 188 months in prison for distributing child sexual abuse material. 

Between January 16 and April 30, 2022, Fernandes sent 13 child pornography videos through an instant messaging application to Daniel Scott Crow. Fernandes also communicated with Crow about arranging for Crow to travel to engage in sexual activity with minor children. During a separate communication with an unidentified person, Fernandes talked about sexual abuse of minor children and his ability to obtain children for sex.

Crow pled guilty to one count of enticement of a minor and one count of production of child pornography in case number 22-cr-14035. He was sentenced on December 12, 2022, to 30 years in prison.

United States Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, announced the sentence.

HSI Fort Pierce Office investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Hudock prosecuted 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 this case, or you believe you or a family member may have been a victim, 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 at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 22-cr-14046.

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MIAMI – A federal district judge in Ft. Lauderdale has sentenced David J. Varrone, 56, of Weston, Florida, to 108 months’ imprisonment for his role in organizing an elaborate credit and investment Ponzi scheme through his company, The Credit Engineers, Inc.

In addition, Judge Raag Singhal ordered Varrone to pay over $3,5 million in restitution and entered a forfeiture judgment on Varrone’s Weston home and a bank account containing COVID-19 relief funds that Varrone had fraudulently obtained.

Varrone previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. From 2018 through 2021, Varrone and his company offered individuals with good credit a short-term investment program tied to a purported hedge fund that guaranteed investment returns and fully repaid investments in 36 months or less. To obtain funds, Varrone helped victims apply for the high interest, short term loans and the victims “leased” the proceeds to The Credit Engineers and Varrone. 

In fact, there was no hedge fund and the victims’ funds were never invested as promised. Instead, the proceeds were used to enrich Varrone and to repay earlier victims. The scheme funneled over $6.4 million of misappropriated victims’ funds into Varrone’s accounts.

Additionally, Varrone fraudulently applied for and received approximately $650,000 in CARES Act, Economic Injury Disaster Relief Loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.  The loans were intended to keep small businesses afloat and retain employees during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

David J. Varrone’s wife, Sherry D. Varrone, also pled guilty to her role in the conspiracy in case number 22-cr-60196. She is scheduled for sentencing on April 3, in Ft. Lauderdale before U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Commissioner Russell C. Weigel III of the Florida Office of Financial Regulation (OFR), Bureau of Financial Investigations (BFI), Miami Region, made the announcement.

OFR-BFI Miami investigated the case, with assistance from the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG) and the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor Jones prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Stone is handling asset forfeiture.  

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

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. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here. 

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 22-cr-60197. 

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MIAMI – A federal grand jury in Miami has indicted Ryan James Crawford, a/k/a “Brody,” 30, with eight counts of wire fraud for running a fraudulent cryptocurrency and stock investment scheme.

According to the charges, from around June 2020 through March 2022, Crawford tricked victims into investing about $800,000 in his scheme by: falsely claiming to be a highly successful licensed stockbroker who had made tens of millions of dollars through similar cryptocurrency and stock investments; falsely claiming to have access to enough money to timely repay potential investors; falsely claiming that he had developed an artificial intelligence trading software that “never lost,” and misrepresenting the investment as low-risk and high reward, among other things.

It is alleged that Crawford did not return any victim funds, or generate the exponential returns he promised. Rather, on some occasions, he simply diverted investors’ funds and cryptocurrency for his own personal use, including to pay for luxury rental cars and gambling at the casino.

Crawford was arrested in Colorado and made his initial federal court appearance on March 13, in Denver federal court.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, acting Special Agent in Charge Maged Behnam of the FBI, Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, and Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III of the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), announced the charges.

FBI Miami, USSS Miami, and Miami-Dade Police Department Cyber Crimes Investigative Unit investigated the case, with assistance from the Florida Office of Financial Regulation (OFR). Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Hauser is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Stone 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.

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-20100.

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MIAMI – Daniel Hernandez, 51, a former South Florida regional manager for a leading national bank has been sentenced to 120 months in prison for participating in a conspiracy to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) out of loan proceeds. These loans are guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

Hernandez conspired with Erich Alfonso Barata, Armando De Leon, and others to submit over 90 fraudulent PPP loan applications. The applications were primarily submitted to two banks, Hernandez’s employer at the time, and his previous employer, another leading national bank.  

Hernandez also conspired to submit fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications through the SBA, but most of the applications were declined.

Hernandez and his co-conspirators attempted to defraud the PPP and EIDL programs out of approximately $25 million. The conspiracy caused approximately $15 million in losses.  The investigation has recovered over $800,000 so far.

Daniel Hernandez pled guilty on December 21, 2022, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. De Leon and Alfonso Barata previously pled guilty for their roles in the conspiracy. De Leon was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment on February 21.  Alfonso Barata is scheduled to be sentenced on April 18.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Kyle A. Myles, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), Atlanta Region; acting Special Agent in Charge Maged Behnam of the FBI, Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Small Business Administration, Investigations Division’s Eastern Region (SBA-OIG), announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore.

FDIC-OIG, FBI Miami, and SBA-OIG investigated the case, with assistance from the Florida Department of Revenue. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli S. Rubin is prosecuting the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster is handling asset forfeiture.

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

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. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here. 

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.

An indictment contains mere allegations, and all defendants are 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 at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 22-cr-20529 (Hernandez), 22-cr-20420 (De Leon), and 22-cr-20487 (Alfonso Barata).

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MIAMI – Two Miami residents, Carlos Orlando Ledesma, 57, and Nadia Esperanza Ledesma, 46, have pled guilty to conspiring to export nearly 600 stolen outboard engines to Mexico through a Miami-based freight forwarding company.  

Previously, on February 22, co-defendants Roberto Marrero-Cisneros, 65, from Miami, and Osmani Valdivia Perez, 55, from Lehigh Acres, also pled guilty to the same conspiracy charge. 

Nadia Ledesma is the President of Netcycle Trading Corp., a freight forwarding company in Miami, and Carlos Ledesma is the warehouse manager.  According to court documents, from 2015 to 2018, Carlos and Nadia Ledesma received almost 600 stolen outboard engines for export to Mexico.  Dozens of individuals delivered the stolen engines.  The engines had visible damage from the thefts, and cables and lines had been cut rather than properly detached.  The individuals delivered the stolen engines in non-commercial vehicles without bills of sale or any other documentation for the engines. 

According to court documents, Marrero-Cisneros created false serial number stickers to place on the stolen outboard engines.  Nadia and Carlos Ledesma, and their co-conspirators, created false bills of sale and submitted false export information to the United States. 

Many of the stolen engines were directed to Tomas Vale Valdivia, a co-conspirator who was then in Mexico.  Later, on January 28, 2020, Vale Valdivia was sentenced to 57 months for alien smuggling, in a separate case before U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams. 

Vale Valdivia is the nephew of defendant Osmani Valdivia Perez.  Valdivia Perez made many cash payments to co-conspirators in this case, on behalf of Vale Valdivia.  The cash payments included payments to Netcycle for the fees for exporting the stolen outboard engines, payments to Marrero-Cisneros for the false serial numbers, and payments to the individuals who stole the outboard engines.

U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr. set the sentencing hearings for Marrero-Cisneros and Valdivia Perez for May 8, and the sentencing hearings for Carlos and Nadia Ledesma for May 23.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, and Special Agent in Charge Zinnia P. James, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), Southeast Region, announced the guilty pleas.

HSI Miami and CGIS investigated the case, with assistance from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana Maria Martinez is prosecuting the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture.

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-20269. 

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MIAMI – Students from BridgePrep Academy of North Miami Beach took a field trip to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida to learn how to make better choices and participate in a courtroom mock trial.

The seventh graders gathered in the media room where Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section Chief J.D. Smith took them through presentations focused on the value of making smarter choices and having a plan for success.

“You should know every step you need to take to reach your goals,” said Smith. “Don’t be afraid to fail big. Think outside of the box and remember that a goal without a plan is just a wish.”

To drive home the point of making smarter choices Smith played prisoner testimonials which focused mostly on regret.

“I ruined my life,” said one prisoner. “I ruined it.”

Another testimonial showed a prisoner pleading for people to take his message seriously.

“I killed someone’s father,” he said. “This is my now moment but I took away that man’s now.”

The messages seemed to hit home with the students, especially when they were told where the Federal Detention Center was located.

“There are about 600 male inmates and 100 female inmates in the building next door,” said Smith. “You have a choice to be a good person or a bad person. Every day it starts all over again. Don’t let bad things determine your path in life.”

From there the students filled a federal judges empty courtroom where they played the roles of prosecutor, defense attorney, and bailiff, among others. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gilfarb played the role of judge as students argued a case involving the wrongful death of a university student who died during flag football practice.

Both the prosecutors and defense team made great cases, but in the end the evidence was too strong. The defendant was found guilty of negligent homicide.

Students said they enjoyed seeing what it was like to be on trial while others said it was a life changing experience. Many said they’d like to do it again. That’s what Smith likes to hear as he loves interacting with young people, trying to put them on the right path.

“These activities can be fun—and many times are—but I’m always focused on trying to help these students be the best citizens they can be,” he said. “As a former Detroit Police Supervisor, I’ve seen how tempting it can be to get in with the wrong crowd. One mistake can alter a life for good. If I can help change one person’s outlook then it’s worth it.”

Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section Chief J.D. Smith talks to BridgePrep Academy of North Miami Beach students about the importance of making good decisions. Students also participated in a mock trial during this field trip.  

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MIAMI – A federal judge in Miami has sentenced Eduardo Ulises Martinez (“Martinez”), a local art dealer, to 51 months in prison for illegally smuggling sculptures containing ivory, and for obstructing justice.

Ivory is a form of wildlife that comes from various mammals, including elephants, walruses, hippopotamuses, warthogs, narwals, and whales.  Ivory must be declared to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and made available for inspection prior to its importation and exportation from the United States. 

After a seven-day trial, a federal jury found Martinez guilty on 9 counts of smuggling items containing ivory in and out of the United States without declaring it or making the ivory available for inspection by the USFWS, and one count of obstruction of justice for soliciting false evidence, documents, and testimony from a witness during the ongoing investigation.

Martinez purchased numerous sculptures containing ivory from auction houses located in Spain, England, Canada, and Australia, later importing the sculptures into the United States for commercial purposes using various methods of concealment.  On some occasions, Martinez dismantled the sculptures into their ivory, bronze, and marble components and later shipped the individual components in different boxes to evade detection from law enforcement.  Martinez also shipped the components to various addresses that were not associated with his business or his home.  On other occasions, Martinez used third parties located in Spain and England to collect or receive the sculptures from auctions houses in Europe, creating the appearance that the sculptures would stay within the European Union, and thereafter directed the third parties to ship the ivory-containing sculptures to the United States.  On another occasion, Martinez concealed the entry of ivory into the United States by packing the ivory components in his luggage.  In every instance, Martinez, or others at Martinez’s direction, would fraudulently and falsely declare the contents of the shipping paperwork as bronze and marble, porcelain, bronze, or other false descriptions of the contents to evade inspection and declaration requirements. 

Once the sculptures arrived in the United States, Martinez would fix any imperfections in them prior to offering them for sale at a significant mark up.  In several instances, Martinez had new ivory parts carved for the illegally imported sculptures before offering them for resale. 

Martinez sold sculptures containing ivory to buyers in other countries and facilitated the transportation of those sculptures, knowing that they were intended to be exported from the United States.  Throughout the trial, the jury heard evidence via emails, messages, and audio files demonstrating that Martinez knew his actions were illegal, but he continued to engage in those actions for personal financial gain. 

After Martinez was stopped at the Miami International Airport on September 8, 2021, and was caught with ivory in his luggage, Martinez removed illegally imported ivory sculptures from his showroom and obstructed law enforcement’s investigation by approaching a witness on various occasions, asking the witness to provide false evidence and testimony. 

It was undisputed at trial that Martinez had never made a declaration of wildlife, including ivory, to the USFWS.  In addition to the 51-month sentence, the federal district court ordered Martinez to pay a $20,000 fine, serve three years of supervised release following his prison term, and entered a criminal forfeiture order of various sculptures containing ivory. 

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Stephen Clark of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Southeast Region, and acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, announced the sentence.

USFWS and HSI Miami investigated this case.  Assistant United States Attorneys Marty Fulgueira Elfenbein and Lindsey Lazapoulos Friedman prosecuted the case.  Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Paster is handling asset forfeiture. 

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-20137.

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MIAMI – Miami-Dade resident Ruben Montanez-Mirabal, 33, has pled guilty in federal district court to conspiring to commit bribery, conspiring to provide contraband in a federal prison, and providing contraband in a federal prison.

According to the two-count information and facts admitted at the change of plea hearing, from around November 2021 through late August 2022, Ruben Montanez-Mirabal, who was a registered nurse working for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) at the Federal Detention Center – Miami (“FDC-Miami”) in downtown Miami, solicited and obtained illegal payments from FDC-Miami inmates in exchange for bringing in and delivering to them prohibited objects, including controlled substances that had been soaked into sheets of paper. In exchange for violating his official duties by providing these drug-soaked papers and other prohibited items, Montanez-Mirabal accepted thousands of dollars in bribes from these inmates and their associates.  Along with these payments, Montanez-Mirabal also solicited and received other things of value from inmates, including the free use of a Lamborghini and a Rolls-Royce.

Montanez-Mirabal would bring these prohibited items into FDC-Miami and then either deliver them directly to the inmates or hide them in places where the inmate paying him would be able to recover the contraband.  Those inmates would then re-sell the pages to other inmates at a rate of $1,500 per page.  As admitted at the change of plea, Montanez-Mirabal made a number of these deliveries for inmates, including one delivery where he was observed hiding thirty-seven drug-soaked pages underneath a shelving unit in a mop closet accessible to the inmate paying him.  Investigators were able to recover these pages from the closet and laboratory testing revealed that the pages were laced with a synthetic cannabinoid-controlled substance and had the defendant’s fingerprints on them. 

Montanez-Mirabal also admitted that during the charged conduct, he was aware that inmates were reselling the pages for $1,500 each, and that he delivered between 100 and 140 such pages to inmates inside FDC-Miami in exchange for the bribes he received. 

United States District Judge Jose E. Martinez will sentence Montanez-Mirabal in Miami on May 16, at 11:30 a.m. Montanez-Mirabal faces up to 15 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, acting Special Agent in Charge Maged Behnam of the FBI Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge James Boyersmith, Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, Miami Field Office, announced the guilty plea.

FBI Miami and DOJ-OIG Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm 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 at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-20051.

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MIAMI – Aifa Seafood, Inc., (Aifa), a Florida corporation, and its president, Jiu Fa Chen, 57, of Parkland, Fla., have pled guilty to exporting falsely labeled spiny lobster from Florida to China.  

According to court documents, including a Joint Factual Statement submitted by the parties, from May through August 2019, Aifa purchased seafood products for export to China.  To meet the high demand for spiny lobster, Aifa imported lobster from Haiti for reexport to China.  Aifa reexported approximately 5,900 pounds of lobster and falsely labeled the product in shipping documents as “Live Florida Spiny Lobsters, Product of U.S.A.”

Aifa faces a sentence of up to five years’ probation and a fine of up to $500,000.  Chen faces a term of imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of $250,000, and a period of three years supervised release.  Judge Moreno set the sentencing hearing for both defendants on May 23, at 9:30 a.m.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Director Manny Antonaras of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Southeast Division, acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, and Major Alberto Maza, Regional Commander of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Division of Law Enforcement, South B Region, announced the convictions.

NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, HSI Key Largo, and FWC Division of Law Enforcement investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-FitzGerald is prosecuting the case.

If you have any information regarding this investigation, or other wildlife crimes, you may contact the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement Hotline: (800) 853-1964 and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-9453. Locally, environmental crimes, including wildlife violations and environmental justice matters may be reported to the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 305-961-9001 or USFLS.Environmental@usdoj.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 22-cr-20479.

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MIAMI – Terri Lynn Hankerson, 59, of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida has been sentenced to five months of imprisonment followed by five months of home confinement for stealing nearly $50,000 in Social Security benefits directed to her deceased father.  Hankerson must also pay restitution.

Hankerson’s father received Social Security benefits by direct deposit into a retirement account.  Hankerson was made a joint owner of this account about a year and a half before her father died in June 2016.  Hankerson did not notify the Social Security Administration or the bank of her father’s death.  Therefore, the Social Security Administration continued to make the monthly deposits, including cost of living adjustments, from July 2016 until it suspended the benefits in February 2020.  

Following her father’s death, Hankerson, spent nearly $50,000 in Social Security benefits at concerts, a local strip club, Miami Heat games, Costco, hotels, bars, and other places. 

After a four-day trial, a federal jury convicted Hankerson of stealing Social Security benefits years after her father died. 

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Rodregas W. Owens of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (SSA OIG), Atlanta Field Division, announced the sentence imposed by Senior United States District Court Judge James I. Cohn.

SSA OIG investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Thompson and then-Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jodi Raft prosecuted the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda is handling asset forfeiture.

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-60227. 

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MIAMI – A South Florida federal jury has convicted Fort Pierce resident Xavier Daughtry, 25, of carjacking and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Just before midnight on May 9, 2022, the victim parked her vehicle at a gas station on U.S. Hwy 1 in Fort Pierce.  After going inside the store, the victim returned to find Daughtry attempting to enter her vehicle.  The victim confronted Daughtry, who then raised a loaded .45 caliber pistol and pointed it at the victim’s face, telling her to back up.  Daughtry then got inside the vehicle and left the area.  Less than eight minutes later, Daughtry was apprehended by St. Lucie County Sheriff’s deputies and Fort Pierce police officers.  When apprehended, Daughtry was in the stolen vehicle and sitting on the pistol (which was loaded, with a round in the chamber, and the hammer cocked).

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and acting Special Agent in Charge Maged Behnam of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The case was investigated by FBI Miami, Fort Pierce Resident Agency, with assistance from ATF Fort Pierce Field Office, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fort Pierce Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Michael Porter and Justin Hoover.

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-14047.

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MIAMI – Christopher James Chappell, a 46-year-old former Captain with the Florida Highway Patrol, has pled guilty to accessing child sexual abuse material. 

As part of his guilty plea, Chappell admitted to watching a video depicting the sexual abuse of a prepubescent minor child while he engaged in sexual acts with another individual.  Chappell then sent a photo of his sexual encounter to a third individual in a group chat, which showed the child sexual abuse material playing in the background.    

U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith will sentence Chappell on May 19, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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 the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions 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.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and acting Special Agent in Charge Maged Behnam of the FBI Miami Field Office announced the conviction.

FBI Miami investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Lacee Elizabeth Monk is 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 22-cr-60148.

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MIAMI - Ralph Kevin Tovar, 31, a Hollywood, Fla., resident, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempted sex trafficking of a minor and attempted enticement and coercion of a minor to engage in sexual activity. 

According to trial evidence, between January and May 2022, Tovar engaged in negotiations with undercover officers to purchase sex with purported minors who were being advertised for commercial sex.  On May 6, 2022, Tovar met with an undercover officer and paid the agreed upon price to engage in sexual activity with both a 13-year-old and 15-year-old girl.

Following Tovar’s arrest, agents searched his cellphone and confirmed he had been attempting to purchase sex with minors since January 2022.

The Miami jury convicted Tovar, a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center employee, of two counts of attempted sex trafficking of a minor and one count of attempted enticement and coercion of a minor to engage in sexual activity.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, made the announcement.

HSI Miami investigated the case with the assistance of the Broward Sheriff’s Office and the Miami-Dade Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arielle Klepach and Eduardo Gardea, Jr. prosecuted 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 at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-20205.

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MIAMI – Nearly one in four students ages 12-18 experiences bullying. It can eat away at a student’s self-esteem and make attending school a serious challenge. That’s why staff from the Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida, regularly travel to area schools to shine a light on this behavior at an early age.

Most recently, more than 100 fifth and sixth graders gathered in the Academir Charter School East gymnasium in Doral, Fla., for a presentation about bullying, cyberbullying, and tips to stay safe on the internet.

According to research, one typically bullies because he or she likely was bullied themselves. And rather than stop the cycle of behavior, they choose to bully for fear of becoming a victim.

“When being bullied, don’t take the bait,” said Law Enforcement Coordination Specialist Darcey Lindsley. “Don’t get upset because that’s exactly what they want you to do. If someone says you’re ugly, respond with well I think you’re beautiful.”

And always report bullying. When it’s reported, there is a record of it.

“If you see something, get involved,” said Lindsley. “Be that person you want others to be toward you.”

In the past, bullying was usually face-to-face. Now it’s all over social media and many children become victims of it.

“Who knows what cyberbullying is?” asked Lindsley. Nearly every hand went up. “To be considered cyberbullying it needs to be minor against minor. After that it becomes harassment. Judges are taking this type of bullying very seriously. They aren’t necessarily slapping minors on the wrist anymore.”

Regarding internet safety, Lindsley stressed the need to always be skeptical about online chatting. That fellow 10-year-old on the chat quite easily could be a 40-year-old with bad intentions.

“You have to think,” said Lindsley. “Don’t slip up and don’t be so trusting. Don’t reveal too much as you never know who is on the other end of that instant message.”

Law Enforcement Coordination Specialist Darcey Lindsley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida, rewards a student with a piece of candy for a correct answer during a recent presentation on bullying, cyberbullying, and internet safety.

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MIAMI – Words have the power to uplift or destroy and that was the message staff from the Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida, recently brought to 7th graders at Charles R. Drew K-8 Center in Miami.

Power of Words focused on the importance of choosing one’s words carefully. The presentation went through real-life scenarios and the impact that using insulting and belittling language can have on people.

“It shows how hurtful words can sometimes lead to threats and assaultive behavior,” said Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section Chief J.D. Smith. “The presentation identifies the common warning signs and how to proactively identify potentially harmful interactions between students.”

Law Enforcement Coordination Specialist Mark McKinney conducted the training which involved videos, real cases, and plenty of class participation.

“If you’re choosing bad words, you’re going to get bad results,” said McKinney. “Hurtful words often lead to aggressive behavior. It can lead to suicide and what else? Anyone know?”

The message is that one never knows how deeply hurtful words cut.

“And just because you apologize doesn’t mean the other person will be able to forgive and move on,” said McKinney.

Research shows that early childhood experience may play a part in verbal abuse. Someone who witnesses this behavior at an early age may replicate it later—becoming an abuser for fear of becoming a victim.

“You have to learn to be comfortable with you,” said Latisha Robinson, a civics teacher at Charles R. Drew K-8 Center. “Life will hit you. Life is hard. But that’s reality. You don’t know what the person next to you is going through and the words you choose can make all the difference.”

Kindness was emphasized throughout the training.

“Be kind to everybody and be mindful of what is going on around you,” said McKinney. “Be aware of how to speak to someone who may be having a bad day. This will help you avoid negative responses.”

The training was valuable to Robinson because it gave her students a different perspective.

“This exercise gives our students that third lens to show them that they do use those words,” she said. “The message is to switch up, change, and make a difference.”

Law Enforcement Coordination Specialist Mark McKinney goes over a Power of Words presentation with a group of 7th graders at Charles R. Drew K-8 Center in Miami. The goal was to show students how hurtful words can escalate into violence and ways to identify potentially harmful student interactions.

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MIAMI – A federal judge in Key West, Florida has sentenced Elite Sky International, Inc. (Elite), a company that operates on Overseas Highway in Marathon, to a quarter million dollar fine and five years of probation for exporting falsely labelled spiny lobster and shark fins from Florida to China.

According to court documents, from November 2018 through October 2019, Elite purchased seafood products for export to China. To meet the high demand for spiny lobster, Elite imported lobster from Nicaragua and Belize for reexport to China. Elite reexported approximately 63,000 pounds of lobster and falsely labeled the product in shipping documents as “Live Florida Spiny Lobsters, Product of U.S.A.”  In a similar violation, Elite acquired shark fins from a licensed local fisherman in Florida and exported approximately 5,666 pounds of shark fins, falsely labeling he product either as “Live Florida Spiny Lobsters, Product of U.S.A.” or “Frozen Fish.”

The court ordered Elite to pay a total of $250,000 and placed it on probation for five years. Additionally, the court ordered, as special conditions of probation, that the company establish a corporate compliance program and retain third-party independent auditors to oversee their future activities.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Director Manny Antonaras of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Southeast Division, acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, and Major Alberto Maza, Regional Commander of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Division of Law Enforcement, South B Region, announced the sentence imposed by United States District Judge K. Michael Moore.

NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, HSI Miami, and FWC Division of Law Enforcement investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-FitzGerald prosecuted the case.

If you have any information regarding this investigation, or other wildlife crimes, you may contact the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement Hotline: (800) 853-1964 and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-9453. Locally, environmental crimes, including wildlife violations and environmental justice matters may be reported to the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 305-961-9001 or USFLS.Environmental@usdoj.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 22-cr-10011.

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MIAMI – After a two-week trial, a South Florida federal jury found Kejuan Brandon Campbell, Antonio Charles James Jr., and Dionte Alexander-Wilcox guilty on one count of conspiracy to kidnap, two counts of kidnapping, three counts of bank robbery, and three counts of carrying a firearm during a crime of violence.

The evidence at trial revealed that on October 11, 2020, Campbell, James, and Alexander-Wilcox conspired to commit a home invasion against a husband and wife – both of whom were over 60 -- because the couple’s estranged nephew had stolen $20,000 from Campbell earlier that day.  Wearing masks and gloves, and carrying firearms, the three defendants forced their way into the couple’s home, assaulted the husband, and forced both victims to lie on the floor by pointing guns at them. 

The defendants ransacked the couples’ home and took their phones and a wallet. Using the wife’s telephone, the defendants tried using CashApp to transfer $20,000 themselves, but the transactions were declined.  Campbell then forced the wife to travel with him to multiple stores to try to cash $20,000 in checks. The other two defendants kept the husband at home, holding him at gunpoint.  

After the stores declined to process the checks, the defendants stayed overnight at the victims’ home and planned to get the money from the couple’s bank the next morning.  During their stay, the defendants cooked, drank alcohol, and smoked marijuana.  They kept a gun pointed at the couple inside and did not allow them to speak to one another.  At one point, with gun in hand, Alexander-Wilcox forced the wife into a bedroom and raped her.   

The next morning, Campbell forced the wife to withdraw $20,000 from ATMs.  After returning the wife home, the defendants filled a couple of suitcases with the victims’ jewelry, as well as items on which the defendants might have left their DNA.  The defendants threatened to kill the victims if they called the police, locked the victims in a bathroom, took their house key, and left with the cash.  

U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn will sentence the defendants in Fort Lauderdale federal court on April 27, 2023, -- Campbell at 9:30 a.m., James at 10:00 a.m., and Alexander-Wilcox at 10:30 am.  They each face between 15 years and life in federal prison.    

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, acting Special Agent in Charge Maged Behnam of the FBI Miami Field Office, and interim Chief of Police Jose Vargas of the Miramar Police Department, announced the guilty verdict.

FBI Miami and Miramar Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Davie Police Department, Broward Sheriff’s Office, and Lauderhill Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorneys Ajay Alexander and Brooke Latta are prosecuting this case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is handling the asset forfeiture aspect of 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 21-cr-60011.

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