On December 20, 2024, U.S. District Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger sentenced Jameise Vaughn Christian, 22, of Washington, D.C., to 12 years and 10 months in federal prison. Christian was convicted of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robberies and brandishing a firearm during two armed jewelry store robberies in Paterson, NewContinue Reading
On December 18, 2024, Michael John Pellicione, 76, the owner of a Port St. Lucie gun shop operating from his residence, pleaded guilty to a five-count indictment for violating federal firearm record-keeping laws. Pellicione, a federal firearms licensee (FFL), admitted to failing to record the sale of five firearms inContinue Reading
On December 17, 2024, James Edward Daniels, 59, and Frederick Eugene Rudolph, 69, both of Miami, Florida, were convicted of conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death, multiple counts of kidnapping resulting in death, and kidnapping. The trial took place before U.S. District Court Judge Roy K. Altman. The convictionsContinue Reading
On December 18, 2024, Vernell Syrethia Lawson, 33, a former Miami-Dade Correctional Officer, and Gabrielle Nicole Bess-Mills, 35, appeared in court following an unsealed indictment accusing them of involvement in a criminal enterprise led by Terrance Carter, 31. The indictment alleges that Carter operated a drug trafficking organization that reliedContinue Reading
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that a federal jury has convicted Javier Mares (44, Bradenton) of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and over 50 grams of actual methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a convicted felon in possession ofContinue Reading
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that four Orlando-area residents have pleaded guilty for their roles in a drug distribution conspiracy involving approximately 89 kilograms of cocaine. Israel Miranda (36, Kissimmee), Abiezer Laboy-Lozada (36, Orlando), Jorge Antonio Gonzalez de la Fuente (31, St. Cloud), and Carlos Antonio Garcia GarciaContinue Reading
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that 23-year-old San’Drevious Jerome Lane of Sanford has pleaded guilty to carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and distributing narcotics near a playground. Lane faces a minimum sentence of six years, up to life, in federal prison, with his sentencing scheduledContinue Reading
On December 6, three of five defendants appeared in federal court in connection with an indictment charging conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, Hobbs Act robbery, and brandishing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The indictment alleges that on December 15, 2023, Ildemar Jose Chirinos-Torres, Briann RicardoContinue Reading
On Wednesday, December 18, 2024, Daniel James Riggs, 31, had his initial appearance in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on a complaint charging him with enticement of a minor and production of child pornography. According to the complaint, Daniel Riggs, of Fort Lauderdale, while a tennis coach for the minor victim, engagedContinue Reading
Calah Williams, 29, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, has been sentenced to three years in prison for defrauding multiple government agencies by filing fraudulent applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and unemployment insurance (UI) benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) ActContinue Reading