U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven sentenced Benjamin Lara, 39, of Ruskin, to one year and one day in federal prison for mail fraud. The court also ordered Lara to pay $68,086.23 in restitution. Lara entered a guilty plea on November 13, 2023. Court documents revealed that Lara, while employed asContinue Reading
In Jacksonville, Nicole Danielle Devilbiss, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiring to produce and distribute animal crush videos, announced United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg. Devilbiss faces up to five years in federal prison with a sentencing date yet to be determined. Federal law defines animal crushing as the deliberate inflictionContinue Reading
U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has handed down a seven-year federal prison sentence to Geoffrey Gaston, a 29-year-old resident of Orlando. Gaston pleaded guilty to committing five armed robberies between September 12 and October 12, 2022. Gaston’s crime spree involved targeting 7-Eleven stores across different locations, as revealedContinue Reading
Antione Oshea Ladson, 29, of Orlando, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza to 10 years and 6 months in federal prison for drug trafficking and possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Ladson pleaded guilty on July 11, 2023. Court documents revealed that onContinue Reading
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced today that Carl Stephen Smith, Jr. (33, Green Cove Springs) has pleaded guilty to distributing child sexual abuse materials using the internet. Smith faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison. Smith was arrested on JanuaryContinue Reading
U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Andi Junior Jacques and Dickenson Elan to federal prison terms for their roles in a RICO conspiracy involving cyber intrusions and millions of dollars of tax fraud. Six co-defendants were previously sentenced for their roles in the offense and one will beContinue Reading
Tamiko L. Williams, a 48-year-old resident of Jacksonville, has pleaded guilty to theft of government money, according to United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg. Williams faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, with a sentencing date yet to be scheduled. As part of her plea agreement, WilliamsContinue Reading
On February 16, 2024, a Florida man was sentenced to prison on two felony charges linked to his involvement in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Daniel Paul Gray, 43, from Jacksonville, Florida, received a 30-month prison term, 36 months of supervised release, and was orderedContinue Reading
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg has announced the return of an indictment charging Jonen Castillo, a 23-year-old from Orlando, with smuggling firearms from the United States to Canada. If found guilty, Castillo could face up to 10 years in federal prison. The indictment also states the intention to forfeitContinue Reading
U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has handed down sentences to Jacob Spinoza, aged 50, and Veronica Jo Barback, aged 29, both residents of Weeki Wachee, for their involvement in a conspiracy to distribute dangerous drugs. Spinoza will serve nine years in federal prison, while Barback has been sentencedContinue Reading