COLLIER COUNTY, FL – A Sarasota man will spend the next 15 years in prison for bringing enough fentanyl into Collier County to potentially kill tens of thousands of people. On Monday, 25-year-old Esteban Perez Jr. pleaded no contest to trafficking fentanyl (4 grams or more) and other narcotics-related charges,Continue Reading
James Flowers, Jr., one of two men arrested in connection with a violent 2023 home invasion in Bradenton, has been sentenced to 10 years in the Florida Department of Corrections. Flowers entered a plea of nolo contendere to home invasion robbery with a firearm and possession of a firearm byContinue Reading
SARASOTA, FL – A Sarasota man who orchestrated a staged shooting involving county paramedics in 2019 has been sentenced to 40 years in prison, followed by 20 years of probation. Tyran Young, 38, a thirteen-time convicted felon, was convicted of multiple charges including two counts of aggravated assault on aContinue Reading
Hillsborough County, FL – – A jury has found Angel Gabriel Cuz Choc guilty of first-degree murder in the brutal deaths of his girlfriend, Amalia Coc Choc De Pec, and her 4-year-old daughter. The killings occurred in April 2024 at their home in Dover. Investigators revealed that Cuz Choc hadContinue Reading
OCALA, Fla. – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced today that a federal grand jury has indicted Cornelius Alexander Thompson, 38, of Ocala, on charges of sexual abuse of a ward in federal custody and receipt of a bribe by a public official. If convicted on both counts, ThompsonContinue Reading
Punta Gorda, FL – A Charlotte County woman with a long criminal history has been sentenced to 15 years in prison as a Habitual Felony Offender (HFO) in connection with multiple drug trafficking cases. Samantha Jean James, 29, was adjudicated guilty after pleading straight to the court—meaning she waived herContinue Reading
A 31-year-old Collier County woman will spend the next decade in prison after pleading no contest to aggravated manslaughter of a child in the drowning death of an infant left unattended in a bathtub. Nicole Marie Laber entered her plea in Collier County Circuit Court today, following a Collier CountyContinue Reading
LEVY COUNTY, Fla.—A previously convicted sex offender who failed to register has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for communicating with a minor online and transmitting obscene material. Todd Thompson, 47, was arrested on March 11 after an investigation revealed he was communicating with a minor via a socialContinue Reading
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Diego Hernandez Martinez, 25, has been sentenced to 25 years in Florida State Prison for a DUI crash that killed two motorcyclists. The sentence, handed down by the Honorable Jonathan Sacks, also includes two and a half years of probation and a permanent driver’s license suspension. Hernandez Martinez pleadedContinue Reading
VOLUSIA COUNTY, FL—A Volusia County jury has convicted David Baker of robbery with a weapon and sexual battery following a two-day trial. The conviction stems from an incident on December 14, 2024, when Baker held a woman at gunpoint in the parking lot of a Daytona Beach motel. He thenContinue Reading