United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida
United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida
21/11/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 21/11/2024 17:43
Middle District Of Florida Prosecutors Indict 72 Firearms And Violent Crime Defendants During Fourth Quarter Of 2024 As Part Of Project Safe Neighborhoods Strategy
Tampa, FL - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced today the results of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) strategy. During the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024, ending on September 30, 2024, the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida indicted 72 defendants. These individuals face federal firearms, narcotics, and violent crime charges. Law enforcement also seized more than 100 firearms associated with these cases. (See chart for case details)
The U.S. Attorney's Office also engaged in community outreach efforts aimed at violent crime prevention throughout the year. Members of the Office spoke with more than four hundred people as part of outreach efforts during the fourth quarter of 2024, including hundreds of students. Prosecutors also spoke to more than 80 recently released individuals at the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office DISMAS program at the Jacksonville Bridge Community Release Center.
"The residents of the Middle District of Florida deserve to work and live in communities safe from violence," stated U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg. "Over the past three fiscal years, the United States Attorney's Office has increased its number of violent crime and firearms prosecutions by more than 75%. We are committed to working with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate and federally prosecute perpetrators of violent crime."
PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice's violent crime reduction efforts. This evidence-based program has proven to be effective at reducing violent crime by engaging a broad spectrum of stakeholders working together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in communities and developing comprehensive solutions that reduce crime. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses on prevention and intervention efforts through community engagement and problem-solving partnerships, strategic enforcement of the most violent offenders, and locally based re-entry programs to reduce recidivism.
MDFL Fourth Quarter PSN Case Highlights
United States v. Latrel Jackson (Ft. Myers)
In August 2024, Latrel Jackson was sentenced to life in federal prison for conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire. According to court records, in November 2019, Jackson, along with a co-conspirator (now deceased), traveled from Chicago to Fort Myers to commit murder in exchange for $10,000. Jackson was hired by Marvin Harris, Jr. Harris was sentenced to 45 years in prison in connection with the crime. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fort Myers Police Department, with assistance from the Joliet (Illinois) Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff's Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
United States v. David Wayne Riddle (Jacksonville)
On September 9, 2024, David Wayne Riddle was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. According to court documents, in January 2023, Riddle was stopped by officers from the
Jacksonville Sherriff's Office for a seatbelt infraction. When officers encountered Riddle, they smelled marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. A search was conducted and a loaded Smith and Wesson pistol was recovered from under the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Riddle had multiple prior felony convictions for serious drug-related offenses and violent crimes making him prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
United States v. Jerome Junior Swopshire (Ocala)
In August 2024, Jerome Swopshire was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. According to court records, in August 2023, the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested Swopshire on outstanding state warrants. A search of Swopshire's backpack revealed a loaded semi-automatic pistol with an extended ammunition magazine, a digital scale (coated with cocaine residue), a jar of marijuana, and small plastic baggies used to distribute drugs. In Swopshire's vehicle, law enforcement recovered fentanyl and a spent 9mm shell that matched the ammunition in Swopshire's firearm. At the time, Swopshire had previous state felony convictions for robbery, child abuse, resisting an officer with violence, felony domestic battery, and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, the Ocala Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Angel Velazquez Delgado, Jesus Hernandez, Edgar Jimenez, Jesus Paulino, Jonathan Borja, and Jesus Andres were charged in Orlando with a series of federal firearms laws. According to court records, in May 2023, ATF began investigating a firearms trafficking organization led by Velazquez Delgado operating in Central Florida. These individuals purchased high-caliber firearms in the United States for resale to Mexican drug cartels. It is alleged that the firearms were purchased at the request of the cartels and transported to the cartels soon after purchase. Using the eTrace Firearm Recovery Notification Program, Mexican authorities were able to confirm the presence of at least one of the trafficked firearms in Mexico. On March 22, 2023, Mexican State Police and Mexican Military Personnel were involved in a shooting with suspected cartel members in Michoacan, Mexico. Two individuals were killed during the exchange of gunfire. After the shooting, a Barrett .50 caliber rifle purchased by Jesus Hernandez on November 8, 2022, was recovered. At some point during its operation, the trafficking organization began removing the serial numbers from the firearms to avoid tracing by law enforcement. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the Volusia Bureau of Investigations and the Deland Police Department.
United States v. Johnny Flores (Tampa)
In July 2024, Johnny Flores was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison for 3 counts of Hobbs Act robbery. According to evidence presented at trial, in February 2022, Flores robbed three Tampa businesses wearing a hooded sweatshirt and facial covering. During the robberies, he brandished and threatened the victims with a weapon, removed cash from the registers, and verbally and physically assaulted the victims. Flores was initially identified through video surveillance showing him leaving two of the robberies in a vehicle that was traced back to another individual who died prior to the trial. A second individual had dropped Flores off near the robbery. Although he testified that he did not know that Flores had committed a robbery, the individual testified that he had driven Flores to a location near the robbery. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Tampa Police Department.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
These cases are being prosecuted by the Assistant United States Attorneys in all five divisions throughout the Middle District of Florida. For additional information on Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit our website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/project-safe-neighborhoods-0.