U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington has sentenced Andre Adams, Jr., 43, of Bradenton, to 19 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and firearms offenses. Adams was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime,Continue Reading
Jarod Hawks, 43, of Port Orange, and John Padgett, 40, of Edgewater, were arrested today on multiple felony charges, including assault on a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon, for their alleged actions during the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach. Their alleged conduct disrupted a joint sessionContinue Reading
Richard Glenn Kantwill, 61, a dentist from Tampa, pleaded guilty today to sending more than 100 violent threats to public figures, including an election official, between 2019 and 2024. According to court documents, from September 2019 to July 2020, Kantwill used platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, email, and text messagesContinue Reading
Ping Li, 59, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for conspiring to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) without notifying the U.S. Attorney General. Alongside his prison term, Li was fined $250,000 and will serve three years of supervisedContinue Reading
Celestine “Skip” Aniekwu, 65, of Sunrise, Florida, was sentenced on Thursday, November 21, 2024, to 16 months in prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Aniekwu, who had been a fugitive for 15 years before surrendering earlier this year, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge RodneyContinue Reading
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that 61-year-old Pooran Ramjattan of Kissimmee, FL, has pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Ramjattan faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set. According to court documents,Continue Reading
Kendra Evone Johnson, 37, of Lutz, has been indicted on charges of international parental kidnapping and passport fraud. If convicted, Johnson faces up to 13 years in federal prison. The indictment alleges that in June 2023, Johnson submitted fraudulent passport applications for her two minor children, falsely claiming she hadContinue Reading
U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced five Bradenton residents to federal prison for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute the drug. Clemente Betancourt (29) received a sentence of 15 years and 8 months, while Estevan Betancourt (20), Adonis Bonilla (29),Continue Reading
U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced 22-year-old Leonardo Marino of Orlando to 22 years in federal prison for producing child sex abuse images. The court also ordered Marino to forfeit his smart phone that was seized on the date of his arrest. Marino entered a guilty plea on April 2, 2024. AccordingContinue Reading
A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida has returned a superseding indictment charging nine individuals involved in a large-scale operation to launder U.S. currency into cryptocurrency on behalf of drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia. The defendants are also charged with operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.Continue Reading