On December 10, 2024, Blake Alfonso Kolessa, 27, of Greenacres, Florida, was sentenced to 180 months (15 years) in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks handed down the sentence after Kolessa pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute metonitazene, N-desethylContinue Reading
Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, in collaboration with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, has charged five members of an organized crime ring responsible for more than 200 thefts across Florida. The group targeted retailers such as T.J. Maxx, Ulta Beauty, Burlington, Target, and other similar stores, causing atContinue Reading
After a week-long trial, a Volusia County jury found 22-year-old McKenzy Nazien guilty of First-Degree Murder (Firearm) and Attempted First-Degree Murder (Firearm) on January 10, 2025. The charges stem from a deadly gunfight on September 1, 2022, outside a Port Orange apartment complex. Nazien, then 19, was involved in anContinue Reading
U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian entered a final judgment on January 8, 2025, forfeiting more than $20 million in foreign bribery and money laundering proceeds to the United States. The funds, totaling approximately $21.2 million, were seized as part of a civil forfeiture case filed by the Justice Department inContinue Reading
On Thursday, January 9, 2025, a judge sentenced Alexander Evans, 34, of Fort Myers, to 35 years in prison for his involvement in the fatal shooting outside a Naples nightclub in 2022. Evans pleaded no contest to charges of second-degree murder with a firearm, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon,Continue Reading
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Ricardo Fermin Sune-Giron, 34, of Guatemala, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, firearms trafficking, dealing in firearms without a license, and possessing firearms as an illegal alien. Sune-Giron faces up to 15 years in federal prison for the conspiracy and possession offenses andContinue Reading
32-year-old Austin Adams of Jacksonville has been sentenced to 3 years in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material. Adams pled guilty to that offense on September 24, 2024. Following his incarceration, he will serve 10 years of supervised release and will be required to register as a sexual offender.Continue Reading
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