ORLANDO, Fla . – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the return of an indictment charging Shawndell Johnson (31, Melbourne) with distribution of controlled substances, possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla . – Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Elliott Dubenion (40, Jacksonville) to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison for distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Dubenion had pleaded guilty on September 27, 2023. According to court documents, agents with the Drug...

MIAMI – On January 12, a Miami federal court jury convicted a doctor of conspiracy to unlawfully dispense and distribute controlled substances, and six counts of unlawfully dispensing controlled substances. The conviction followed a seven-day trial before U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn. Under federal law, a physician is authorized...

MIAMI – A south Florida defendant pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a synthetic opioid, protonitazene. Will Catis, Sr. (Catis), 42, of Deerfield Beach, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal. According to the agreed upon factual proffer, on April 12, 2022...

ORLANDO , F la. – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the return of an indictment charging Jackie Jamal Hines (46, Melbourne) with possession with the intent to distribute five (5) kilograms or more of cocaine . If convicted, Hines faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up...

ORLANDO , Fla . – U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell sentenced Denisse Munoz-Mora (31, Mexico) to 18 months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute heroin. Munoz-Mora had pleaded guilty on October 25, 2023. Munoz-Mora’s conspirator, Irving Cepeda-Chico, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2021...

TAMPA, Fla . –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the charging of Maximo Espinosa (44, Kissimmee) with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and fentanyl. If convicted, Espinosa faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. Because Espinosa was on federal supervised release at...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla . – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard sentenced Andrew Tyler Harp (31, St. Augustine) to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon...

T AMPA , Fla . – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Santiago Gonzalez-Rodriguez (58, Louisville, KY) and Elier Sanchez-Suasteque (37, Lehigh Acres) with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute, and possession with the intent to distribute, five ( 5) kilograms...

DALLAS, TX - Three defendants were sentenced today to a combined 35 years in federal prison for their roles in the drug conspiracy that claimed the lives of three teenagers in North Texas. Jason Xavier Villanueva, 23, Robert Alexander Gaitan, 20, and Rafael Soliz, Jr., 23, were indicted in a...