United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that a federal jury has convicted James Patrick Sychowski, 48, of Tarpon Springs, of possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. Sychowski faces up to 15 years in federal prison, with a sentencing hearing yet to be scheduled. He was indicted on May 17,Continue Reading
A 63-year-old man with a decades-long criminal history has been sentenced to eight years in prison following his arrest during a Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) operation targeting open-air drug markets in Immokalee earlier this year. John Wesley Tillman was apprehended in January as part of “Operation Fresh Air,” anContinue Reading
A young child sustained serious injuries during the annual Howl-O-Scream event at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida, after gaining access to an unsecured area of the park. The incident occurred when the child entered the unlocked and unattended Stanleyville Theater, where he accessed the stage and an acrobatic trampoline. HeContinue Reading
United States District Judge Wendy W. Berger sentenced Pablo Isila Euceda-Hernandez, 36, a Honduran national illegally residing in the United States, to 27 months in federal prison for his role in a large-scale conspiracy to commit wire fraud and tax fraud. In addition to the prison sentence, Euceda-Hernandez was orderedContinue Reading
Miguel Alejandro Pastran-Hernandez, 24, pled guilty on December 3, 2024, to charges of kidnapping a rideshare driver at gunpoint and forcing the victim to drive him from Texas to South Florida, with plans to execute a $3 million ransom plot. Pastran Hernandez now faces up to life in prison afterContinue Reading
State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced that 57-year-old Carla Temere Hill was found guilty by a Duval County jury of Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Hill now faces up to life in Florida State Prison. Sentencing will be handled by theContinue Reading
State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced that a Duval County jury has found Gary Lucas guilty of one count of Retail Theft and six counts of Petit Theft related to a series of liquor store thefts in mid-2024. The jury convicted Lucas for stealing over $1,400 worth of liquor from businessesContinue Reading
U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced four Florida residents for their involvement in a $54.3 million health care fraud scheme that exploited Medicare through unnecessary prescriptions and kickbacks. From 2018 to 2021, the defendants conspired to defraud Medicare by paying kickbacks and bribes to telemarketers and telemedicine providersContinue Reading
U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday has sentenced 28-year-old Jason Alan Wacker of Pasco County, Florida, to 10 years in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material. The court also ordered Wacker to forfeit two cellphones, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense. Wacker entered a guilty plea on August 12, 2024.Continue Reading
Javier Alejandro Anaya-Leal, 31, of Ruskin, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday to eight years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine and 500 grams of cocaine, as well as possession of controlled substances with intent toContinue Reading