Thursday - September 19, 2024
News Tipoffs - Florida Editors Newsletter for Wednesday June 26, 2024 ( 17 items )  

Ala. U.S. Attorney: Court Sentences Two California Men Caught With Approximately Five Kilograms of Fentanyl to 70 Months Imprisonment
MOBILE, Alabama, June 26 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama issued the following news release: On June 17, 2024, United States District Court Judge, Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Zeshan Malik Fayyaz and Lener Daneski Jairon-Solis, each to 70 months imprisonment each for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. Documents filed with the Court established that on October 8, 2022 a cooperating source, along with a Mobile County Sheriff's  more

BLS Issues Report on State Employment and Unemployment - May 2024
WASHINGTON, June 26 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following report (No. USDL-24-1207) on June 25, 2024, entitled "State Employment and Unemployment - May 2024": * * * Unemployment rates were lower in May in 4 states, higher in 3 states, and stable in 43 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Thirty-three states and the District had jobless rate increases from a year earlier, 2 states had decrea  more

BLS: Alaska, Idaho and Montana Lead in Hires Rates, April 2024
WASHINGTON, June 26 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on June 25, 2024, from Economics Daily: * * * Alaska (5.4 percent), Idaho (5.3 percent), and Montana (5.1 percent) were among the states with the highest hires rates in April 2024. Hires rates increased over the month in 4 states, decreased in 2 states, and were little changed in 44 states and the District of Columbia. The largest increases occurred in Idaho (+1.0 percentage   more

Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Leon County
WASHINGTON, June 25 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release: TALLAHASSEE, Fla.- The State of Florida and FEMA have opened a Disaster Recovery Center in Leon County, to provide one-on-one help to people affected by the May 10 severe storms, straight-line winds and tornadoes. The center will remain open until further notice. Location: LeRoy Collins Leon County Library 200 West Park Avenue Tallahassee, Florida 32301   more

Fla. Auditor General Issues Operational Audit on Department of Corrections
TALLAHASSEE, Florida, June 25 -- The Florida Auditor General released the following operational audit (No. 2024-200) on June 20, 2024, involving the Department of Corrections - Incident Reporting, Maintenance Requests, Correctional Officer Timekeeping Records, and the State-Operated Institutions Inmate Welfare Trust Fund. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY This operational audit of the Department of Corrections (Department) focused on incident reporting, maintenance requests, correctional offi  more

Fla. U.S. Attorney: Family Members Sentenced in Methamphetamine Trafficking Investigation in Walton County
PENSACOLA, Florida, June 26 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida issued the following news release: A federal judge sentenced a husband, wife, and their son after previously having been found guilty by a federal jury for trafficking methamphetamine in Walton County. The sentences were announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. The defendants and their sentences were: * Philip Beck, 48, of DeFuniak Springs, Flor  more

Fla. U.S. Attorney: Former Panama City Doctor Agrees to $550,000 Consent Judgment to Resolve FCA and CSA Lawsuit
PENSACOLA, Florida, June 26 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida issued the following news release: Dr. Mustafa A. Hammad, M.D., a neurologist and pain management physician who formerly practiced medicine at the NeuroMedical Institute ("NMI") in Panama City, Florida, entered into a consent judgment and settlement agreement to resolve a pending lawsuit filed by the United States pursuant to the False Claims Act and the Controlled Substances Act. The judgment an  more

Fla. U.S. Attorney: International Gun Smuggler Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Federal Prison
ORLANDO, Florida, June 26 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza has sentenced Chrissie Fier Williams (39, Kissimmee) to three years and one month in federal prison for smuggling firearms internationally. Williams entered a guilty plea on January 2, 2024. According to court documents, on five separate occasions from January 28, 2021, through October 4, 2022, Williams prepared packages with hou  more

Fla. U.S. Attorney: Lake County Woman Pleads Guilty to COVID Fraud
OCALA, Florida, June 26 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Nicole Harding (38, Clermont) has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Harding faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to court records, between March 28 and April 14, 2021, Harding devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Association by submitting a   more

Fla. U.S. Attorney: Miami-Dade County Woman Arrested for Providing Contraband to Coleman Prisoner
OCALA, Florida, June 26 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Janai Chanel Stephens (38, Opa Locka) on a two-count indictment charging her with making a materially false statement or representation to a federal agency and providing contraband to a federal prisoner. If convicted, Stephens faces up to five years in federal prison. A federal grand jury indicted Stephe  more

Honoring Excellence: the Delta Lima Initiative
TYNDALL AFB, Florida, June 26 -- The U.S. Air Force Tyndall Air Force Base (325th Fighter Wing) issued the following news: By Airman 1st Class Zeeshan Naeem, 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs On Jan. 31, 2024, the 325th Security Forces Squadron inaugurated the Delta Lima initiative, a program where a carefully selected group of eight SFS defenders who exemplify the highest qualities of professionalism, dress and appearance, customs and courtesies and base defense capabilities, receive a brassa  more

Justice Dept.: Man Convicted of Violent Home Invasion Robberies to Steal Cryptocurrency
WASHINGTON, June 26 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: A federal jury in Greensboro, North Carolina, convicted a Florida man today for his lead role in an international conspiracy to break into U.S. citizens' homes, violently kidnap and assault them, and steal their Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Remy St Felix, 24, of West Palm Beach, was a leader of a robbery crew that targeted cryptocurrency ow  more

Justice Dept.: Two Men Sentenced for Orchestrating Multimillion-Dollar Cryptocurrency Securities Fraud and Wire Fraud Schemes
WASHINGTON, June 26 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: Two men were sentenced for manipulating the price of a security and scheming to defraud investors in connection with the purchase of Hydrogen Technology's cryptocurrency, HYDRO. Shane Hampton, 32, of Philadelphia, was sentenced today to two years and 11 months in prison. His co-conspirator, Michael Kane, 39, of Miami Beach, Florida, was sentenced yesterday to three years and nine months in prison. "Shane   more

Know the warrior: Army Staff Sgt. Derrick Thompson prepares to make his mark
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, June 24 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: Athletes and their family members, volunteers, and staff assembled to kick off the start of the 2024 Department of Defense Warrior Games at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, which began June 21, 2024. The DOD Warrior Games are an annual series of adaptive sports events and a platform for competition, but they are also an avenue o  more

Litigation: SEC Vs. Lufkin Advisors, Chauncey Forbush Lufkin III
WASHINGTON, June 26 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following litigation release (No. 9:23-cv-81289-RLR; S.D. Fla. filed Sept. 19, 2023) involving Lufkin Advisors LLC and Chauncey Forbush Lufkin III: * * * SEC Obtains Final Judgments Against Investment Adviser and Its President Charged with Fraud and Failing to Produce Records to SEC Examinations Staff * * * On June 25, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida entered final judgments against Luf  more

Palm Beach County: County Wins National Recognition for Universal Accessibility, Blind Sports Day Program
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida, June 26 -- Palm Beach County issued the following news: NACPRO's Universal Accessibility Award was presented to PBC Parks for its All Abilities Play Inclusion Program, which enables and encourages greater participation in parks and recreation by persons with disabilities. PBC Parks is a nationwide leader in universal accessibility, operating the CMAA Therapeutic Recreation Complex, which offers a state-of-the-art athletic center with adaptive sports equipment, an aquat  more

Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Ryder Conducts News Briefing on June 24
WASHINGTON, June 25 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following transcript of a news briefing on June 24, 2024, by Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder: * * * MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: Happy Monday. Just a few things and then I'll get to your questions. So, you probably saw over the weekend we announced that the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group departed the U.S. CENTCOM area of responsibility on Saturday. It will remain briefly in the U.S.-European Command AOR befor  more