United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced today that Zevion La’Quawn Collins, 30, of Jacksonville, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine. Collins faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, with the possibility of life imprisonment. A sentencing date hasContinue Reading
U.S. Magistrate Judge Embry J. Kidd has found Joshua Joseph Gray, 45, of New Smyrna Beach, and George Douglas Metz, 51, of Belleview, guilty of unlawfully video recording and failing to comply with official signs inside multiple Social Security field offices. Both were sentenced to pay a $3,000 fine andContinue Reading
U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza sentenced Antoine Johnson, 45, of Indialantic, to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Johnson was found guilty on August 8, 2024. The conviction stems from an incident on May 9, 2023, when Johnson was stopped by lawContinue Reading
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the indictment and arrest of 59-year-old Stephen Andrew Leedy of St. Petersburg on three counts of production of child sexual abuse material and two counts of coercing or enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. If convicted on all counts, Leedy faces a maximum penaltyContinue Reading
Olivier Ricardy Alexandre, 28, was sentenced to 240 months (20 years) in prison by U.S. District Court Judge David S. Leibowitz on January 3, 2025, following his guilty plea to charges of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Alexandre, who previously pled guilty to a two-countContinue Reading
Markenzy Lapointe, who has served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida for the past two years, has announced his resignation, effective January 17, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. In his resignation letter, Lapointe expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve in this important role, reflecting onContinue Reading
Florida State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced that a Duval County jury found Jerry Burns guilty of First-Degree Murder for the 2018 murder-for-hire of his wife, Velvet Burns. The State is seeking the death penalty, and the jury is set to return on December 16 to begin the penalty phase. BurnsContinue Reading
U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington has sentenced 67-year-old Paul Douglas Creighton of Ontario, Canada, to life in federal prison for producing child sexual abuse material and enticement of a minor. Creighton entered a guilty plea on August 19, 2024. According to the plea agreement and evidence presented at sentencing, betweenContinue Reading
A Florida man has been arrested and charged in connection with his actions during the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, where he allegedly assaulted law enforcement officers with deadly weapons, contributing to the violent disruption of a joint session of Congress. Joel Linn O’Donnell, 44, of Clearwater,Continue Reading
On December 19, 2024, Gabriella Oropesa, of Cooper City, Florida, was convicted for her role in a conspiracy aimed at intimidating and threatening employees of pro-life pregnancy help centers. Oropesa, along with her co-conspirators Caleb Freestone, Amber Stewart-Smith, and Annarella Rivera, targeted reproductive health facilities that offered counseling and servicesContinue Reading