On January 21, 2025, 26-year-old Yaquelin Dominguez-Nieves of Sebring, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court in Miami to conspiring to smuggle migrants into the United States. Dominguez-Nieves, who entered the U.S. illegally, collected over $11,500 from the families of Cuban migrants with the promise of transporting them into the UnitedContinue Reading
Daniel Adam Rhodes, 44, was sentenced on January 13, 2025, to 20 years in state prison after pleading guilty to two counts of human trafficking, one involving great bodily harm, permanent disability, or disfigurement, and manslaughter. Rhodes is required to register as a sex offender for life. The charges stemContinue Reading
A 69-year-old woman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of financially exploiting an elderly couple in Naples, Florida. The investigation, conducted by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), revealed that Lynn Marie Keller had stolen over $100,000 in jewelry, cash, and a new carContinue Reading
Four South Florida residents were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in the distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine, including incidents resulting in fatal overdoses. On January 16, Gito St Fort, 35, of West Palm Beach, was sentenced to 320 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to distribution ofContinue Reading
On January 13, 2025, Henry Abdo, 47, of Lebanon, pleaded guilty in federal court to orchestrating a $6 million Ponzi scheme through his company, Titanium Capital LLC. Abdo falsely marketed Titanium as a “zero-risk” foreign-exchange investment fund, claiming it guaranteed fixed returns for investors. Court records revealed that Titanium hadContinue Reading
On January 15, 2025, Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, 36, a Nigerian national, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to operating a transnational inheritance fraud scheme that defrauded over 400 elderly and vulnerable victims across the United States. Court documents revealed that Ogbata was partContinue Reading
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has published a final rule outlining the framework for phased enforcement of REAL ID requirements by federal agencies. Beginning May 7, 2025, only state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards that meet REAL ID Act security standards will be accepted for official purposes, including boarding commercialContinue Reading
On Tuesday, January 14, 2025, Judge Richard A. Howard sentenced 62-year-old James Darryl Batson, a habitual felony offender, to 30 years in prison after he was convicted of multiple crimes stemming from a series of burglaries in 2023. Batson’s conviction was the result of his involvement in the burglary andContinue Reading
On January 12, 2025, Kevin Paul McMains, 44, of Milton, Florida, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of theft of government money and two counts of making false statements to federal agencies. U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks imposed the sentence forContinue Reading
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