U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Jonathan Nicola, 23, of Sanford, Florida, to 15 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute two kilograms of fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Nicola had pleaded guilty on April 30, 2024. According to courtContinue Reading
Alan W. Filion, 18, of Lancaster, California, pleaded guilty today to four counts of making interstate threats to injure individuals, in connection with over 375 swatting incidents spanning from August 2022 to January 2024. Filion, who faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison per count, used hoax threatsContinue Reading
Alan Joseph Clark, Jr., 45, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to a term of 240 months (20 years) in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to six counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States AttorneyContinue Reading
After a brief jury trial, 45-year-old Lawyel Louis Sloan was found guilty of Criminal Mischief for his actions during a 2022 road rage incident in Sumter County, Florida. The altercation, which escalated into a dangerous confrontation, led to a conviction for the felony offense. The incident occurred on November 9,Continue Reading
In the courtroom of Judge Cary F. Rada, a jury found Dayzha Duncan, 28, guilty on charges of Battery, Burglary of a Dwelling, Petit Theft, and Assault, leading to a 10-year prison sentence. Duncan’s conviction follows her arrest in March 2022 after Leesburg Police Department’s investigation into a reported battery.Continue Reading
On Thursday, November 7, 2024, Judge Daniel B. Merritt sentenced 31-year-old Isaac Troy Lemons to 14.8 years in the Florida Department of Corrections for Manslaughter and Sale of a Controlled Substance. The sentencing follows a guilty verdict reached in August for Lemons’ involvement in the 2015 death of 18-year-old DylanContinue Reading
Omar Lewis has been sentenced to life in prison for Second-Degree Murder. Lewis previously pleaded guilty to the charge on Oct. 17, 2024. On July 19, 2018, 30-year-old Jessie Sumlar was found stabbed to death in his Northside apartment after his mother called the apartment complex to have someone checkContinue Reading
Royce Gillham, a Florida man and general manager of a biofuel company in Fort Pierce, has pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme that generated over $7 million in fraudulent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) renewable fuel credits and sought more than $6 million in fraudulent tax credits related to biodieselContinue Reading
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Andrea Rubiano, 49, of Riverview, has pleaded guilty to charges of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce and making false statements to a federal agent. Rubiano faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, though a sentencing date has yetContinue Reading
For over three decades, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Eritrea have faced persistent persecution, with more than 270 members having been imprisoned and many enduring torture since 1994. Currently, 64 Jehovah’s Witnesses are detained, none of whom have been formally charged or convicted of any crime. Eritrea is located in the HornContinue Reading