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
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