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
On Tuesday December 10, 2024, 30-year-old Travis Bryant accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to 10 years of incarceration, followed by sex offender probation. The plea agreement and sentence was based on 11 counts of child exploitation offenses that Bryant was charged with. Bryant’s sentencing stemmed from his FebruaryContinue Reading
A 33-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for a fatal shooting at Rusty’s Bar and Grill in Naples on March 12, 2021. Jason Nicholas Ortiz was convicted of second-degree murder in September following a Collier County Sheriff’s Office investigation. Deputies responded to Rusty’s Bar and Grill, locatedContinue Reading
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that a federal jury has convicted James Patrick Sychowski, 48, of Tarpon Springs, of possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. Sychowski faces up to 15 years in federal prison, with a sentencing hearing yet to be scheduled. He was indicted on May 17,Continue Reading