Tampa, Fla. – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Vicente Lopez Mero (67, Ecuador) to 19 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Lopez Mero pleaded guilty on...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jason Rigdon, 44, of Crawfordville, Florida, pleaded guilty July 9, 2025, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of multiple firearms by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. “I applaud the...

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Malcolm Jamal Norvilus, 39, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was sentenced July 1, 2025, to 120 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney...

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Calvin Eugene Williams, 35, of Panama City, Fla., has been indicted in federal court for trafficking in methamphetamine on two separate occasions. John P. Heekin, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges. Williams was indicted for possessing with the intent to distribute...

GAINESVILLE, FLA. – Khiri Jackson, 31, of Cross City, Fla., pled guilty in federal court to possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Methamphetamine...

PENSACOLA, FLA. – Today, United States Attorney John P. Heekin announced criminal charges against four defendants with an alleged scheme to unlawfully divert oxycodone, hydrocodone, and amphetamine. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. All the cases are...

Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced criminal charges against two defendants in connection with alleged schemes to defraud government benefit programs. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. “We are taking significant strides in our ongoing...

LITTLE ROCK—A federal jury convicted a Little Rock man who illegally possessed with intent to distribute approximately a quarter pound of fentanyl and five guns. Following a two-day trial and after just over an hour of deliberation, the jury convicted Montrell Austin, 41, of multiple federal drug and firearm crimes...

LITTLE ROCK—A federal jury convicted a Little Rock man who illegally possessed with intent to distribute approximately a quarter pound of fentanyl and five guns. Following a two-day trial and after just over an hour of deliberation, the jury convicted Montrell Austin, 41, of multiple federal drug and firearm crimes...

GAINESVILLE, FLA. – Ronald Carl Peavy II, 49, of Old Town, Fla., has been indicted in federal court for possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charge. Peavy is scheduled for...