United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg has announced the filing of a criminal complaint against 51-year-old Maria Lopez-Vega, a Mexican national, for allegedly being paid to transport undocumented aliens across the United States. If convicted, Lopez-Vega faces up to 10 years in federal prison. The complaint details that on FebruaryContinue Reading
On January 27, 2025, Vitalii Kryushenko, a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses, began serving a three-year prison sentence for refusing military service based on his religious beliefs. He is the first Jehovah’s Witness to be incarcerated for conscientious objection since the war between Ukraine and Russia began in February 2022. ArticleContinue Reading
On Monday, February 3, 2025, John Hagins was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by 22 years of probation after pleading no contest to Attempted Manslaughter (Firearm), Attempted Terrorism, and Written Threats to Kill or Do Bodily Injury. Hagins, a former flight student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), hadContinue Reading
A Duval County jury has found 24-year-old Xavier Salter guilty of Manslaughter in connection with the death of a man found inside a burned vehicle on Lenox Avenue in Jacksonville. State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced the verdict, and Salter now faces up to 15 years in Florida State Prison. TheContinue Reading
A Volusia County jury has found Robert Blue guilty of Second-Degree Murder (Firearm) following a three-day trial. The conviction stems from a shooting that occurred in the early morning hours of June 4, 2023, at a Daytona Beach party. According to evidence presented at trial, a local rapper, 32-year-old JaronContinue Reading
On January 30, 2025, 41-year-old Marvin Ellison Jr. was convicted of First-degree Murder after a trial for his involvement in the 2022 shooting death of 31-year-old Antwain Jamar Hart. Ellison was sentenced to Life in the Florida Department of Corrections by Judge James R. Baxley following the guilty verdict. Ellison’sContinue Reading
Florida State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced that a Duval County jury has found Roland Ball II guilty of First-Degree Murder, four counts of Attempted First-Degree Murder, one count of Attempted Second-Degree Murder, two counts of Shooting or Throwing Deadly Missiles, and one count of Harassing a Witness, Victim, or Informant.Continue Reading
After a two-day trial, a Volusia County jury found Dosia Stewart guilty of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm and pleaded guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Violent Career Criminal. The charges stem from a February 10, 2024, incident in which Stewart ambushed a victim outside a Daytona BeachContinue Reading
The Florida Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution has filed criminal charges against Charles and Kristin Black, owners of Legacy Pools in Brevard County, for allegedly operating a fraudulent pool construction scheme. The couple faces charges of scheme to defraud, filing false documents, and other related counts after an investigationContinue Reading
On January 21, 2025, 26-year-old Yaquelin Dominguez-Nieves of Sebring, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court in Miami to conspiring to smuggle migrants into the United States. Dominguez-Nieves, who entered the U.S. illegally, collected over $11,500 from the families of Cuban migrants with the promise of transporting them into the UnitedContinue Reading