Auto Added by WPeMatico

Bahamian Man Guilty of Alien Smuggling in Miami Court

Miami, FL – A Bahamian national has been found guilty of alien smuggling by a federal district judge in Miami. The case unfolded when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers spotted 31-year-old Shakerio Michael Jones traveling from The Bahamas toward the United States on December 19, 2024. The CBP officers, aboard an aircraft, alerted

Lakeland Owner Gets 18 Months for Tampa COVID Relief Fraud

Tampa, FL – A Lakeland man, Jeanty Cherilus, 54, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for wire fraud, as ruled by U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven. In addition to the prison term, Cherilus is required to forfeit $370,000, an amount equivalent to the proceeds from his fraudulent activities. Cherilus, who pleaded

Jamaican Woman Arrested in Florida for False Voting Claim

Panama City, FL – A 52-year-old Jamaican citizen, Jacqueline Dianne Wallace, has been charged with making a false claim of U.S. citizenship to register for the 2024 Florida Presidential Primary Election. The announcement was made by Michelle Spaven, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, following Wallace’s initial court appearance in Tallahassee. Wallace

Ohio Men Convicted in Tampa for Cocaine Distribution Plot

Tampa, FL – A federal jury has convicted Virgil Cooper, 42, of Cleveland, Ohio, and Angelo Jordan, 49, of Euclid, Ohio, on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Both men were also found guilty of attempting to possess with intent to distribute the same

Mississippi Man Sentenced 12 Years for Abuse Material in Orlando

Orlando, FL – A Mississippi man, Jonathan Patrick Maston, 59, has been sentenced to 12 years and 7 months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for transporting child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The sentencing was delivered by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron after Maston pleaded guilty on December 19, 2024.

MS-13 Leader Gets 17 Years for Fentanyl Operation in Florida

Fort Lauderdale, FL – An MS-13 gang member and leader of a transnational drug trafficking organization has been sentenced to 210 months in federal prison for orchestrating a fentanyl distribution ring, even while incarcerated. Mario Clifford Rivera, also known as “Chuky,” 32, was found guilty of using the U.S. Postal Service to distribute fentanyl smuggled

Florida Man Guilty in $10.9M Medicare Fraud Scheme in Tampa

Tampa, FL – A federal jury has convicted Lino Mallari Gutierrez, also known as “Joe Gutierrez,” of Palm City, on charges including conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud, conspiracy to violate the federal anti-kickback statute, five counts of health care fraud, and four counts of paying kickbacks in connection with a health care

Ukrainians Charged with Illegal Voting in Palm Beach Election

Miami, FL – Two Ukrainian nationals have been charged with illegal voting in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election during early voting in Palm Beach, Florida. Svitlana Demydenko, 53, and her daughter, Yelyzaveta Demydenko, 22, appeared in federal court in West Palm Beach to face charges related to the incident. Authorities revealed that the mother and

Miami Man Gets 15 Years for Multi-Million PPP Fraud Scheme

Miami, FL – Lazaro Verdecia Hernandez, a 37-year-old Miami resident, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for orchestrating a scheme to fraudulently obtain loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and laundering the proceeds. Hernandez, along with co-conspirator Heidi Cid, submitted over 63 fraudulent PPP loan applications. They manipulated the loan paperwork

Florida Exec Gets 13 Months for $1.6M Insider Trading Scheme

Miami, FL – A Parkland man has been sentenced to 13 months in prison and fined $10,000 for his involvement in an insider trading scheme that generated over $1.6 million in profits. Stephen George, 54, was also ordered to pay more than $200,000 in restitution and forfeit over $1.6 million. From November 2018 to April