Category: Legal Issues

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of a two-count indictment charging Trevor Hedge (56, Ocala) with attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and committing a felony offense involving a minor as a registered sex offender. If convicted on all counts, Hedge faces a minimum penalty of 20 years, up to life, in federal prison. Hedge is currently detained pending the resolution of his case. 

According to the indictment and court records, in May 2025, a deputy from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office posed online as a 13-year-old child (UC). Hedge messaged the UC and, after learning the UC’s age, engaged in a sexually explicit conversation. Hedge and the UC agreed to meet at a predetermined location in Marion County to engage in sexual activity. Hedge was arrested by law enforcement when he arrived at that location.

Hedge is a registered sex offender. He was convicted of first-degree sexual assault in 1993. 

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.

This case was investigated by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that John Don Bannister, Jr. (31, Clermont) has pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Bannister faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison on each count. Bannister is currently detained pending sentencing. A sentencing date has not yet been set. 

According to the plea agreement, on April 26 and May 4, 2023, in Lake County, Bannister produced CSAM with a 14-year-old child. An investigation by law enforcement showed that Bannister had been supplying vape pens and drugs to minors. In return for these items, Bannister asked the minors to provide him nude images and videos of themselves.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Mascotte Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

WASHINGTON – Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division ended a court-imposed decree initiated by the Carter administration, which limited the hiring practices of the federal government based on flawed and outdated theories of diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

In Luevano v. Ezell, the Court dismissed a consent decree based on a lawsuit initially brought by interest groups representing federal employees in 1979. The decree entered in 1981 imposed draconian test review and implementation procedures on the Office of Personnel Management—and consequently all other federal agencies—requiring them to receive permission prior to using any tests for potential federal employees, in an attempt to require equal testing outcomes among all races of test-takers.

“It’s simple, competence and merit are the standards by which we should all be judged; nothing more and nothing less,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “It’s about time people are judged, not by their identity, but instead “by the content of their character.””

“For over four decades, this decree has hampered the federal government from hiring the top talent of our nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division. “Today, the Justice Department removed that barrier and reopened federal employment opportunities based on merit—not race.”

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

GRAND RAPIDS – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey  announced that Scott Michael Elam, 43, of Caledonia, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and admitted to exploiting eleven girls.

“Mr. Elam is a sexual predator who took terrible advantage of numerous girls,” said U.S. Attorney VerHey. “This lengthy sentence sends a message about the seriousness of the conduct and the need to protect society from Elam and those like him. My office will continue to prosecute these offenders with all the resources we have.”

Elam admitted to selling alcohol, marijuana, and vape to numerous minors throughout the Western District of Michigan.  He offered discounts to girls who made sexually explicit pictures and videos of themselves and sent them to him, or had sex with him.

“The sentencing of Scott Elam, a convicted predator, delivers the full weight of justice for the horrific crimes he committed against children,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “Mr. Elam’s predatory actions are reprehensible and should never be tolerated. The FBI in Michigan will remain relentless in pursuing bad actors who exploit the most vulnerable among us. I want to thank the dedicated men and women of our FBI Grand Rapids Resident Agency, the West Michigan-based Child Exploitation Task Force (WEBCHEX), the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan, for their outstanding work and successful prosecution. Our community in Michigan, along with the American public should know the FBI will never waver in our mission to protect children and hold predators fully accountable for their actions.”

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Jonker ordered Elam to forfeit the Caledonia home where he had sex with one of the minors and that he used to provide contraband to others.

This case was investigated by the Kent County Sheriff’s Office and FBI.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Olivia Ghiselli and Jonathan Roth.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, county prosecutor’s offices, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC), federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation, and to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. Individuals with information or concerns about possible child exploitation should contact local law enforcement officials.

Other DOJ programs and initiatives for guidance https://www.justice.gov/our-work.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Levelle Joseph Harris (38, Kissimmee) has pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud. Harris faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count. Harris is also facing a forfeiture order of $640,911.85, which represents the total proceeds he obtained through his fraudulent conduct. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court records, Harris previously committed wire fraud in 2020 by fraudulently obtaining $1,283,029.81 in COVID relief funds. He then used some of the stolen funds to purchase a residential property. Harris was federally prosecuted and convicted of 14 counts of wire fraud relating to that conduct. The United States then sought the forfeiture of the residential property Harris had purchased with the stolen COVID relief funds. Before his sentencing in that case, Harris claimed he had sold the property and gave the proceeds to the United States. Agents later determined, however, that the sale was unlawful. Between February 7, 2022, and January 31, 2023, Harris devised another fraudulent scheme to avoid paying the criminal forfeiture by obtaining a mortgage on the property through false representations. He used the fraudulent mortgage proceeds to purchase the residence and pay off his criminal forfeiture. Through Harris’s mortgage fraud scheme, he fraudulently obtained another $640,911.85.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Harrington.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by visiting the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.  

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Kevin Eugene Leeks, Jr. (34, Leesburg) has been arrested on an indictment charging him with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted, Leeks faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. 

According to the indictment, Leeks has been a convicted felon since 2013. He has two prior felony convictions, including robbery with a deadly weapon. As a convicted felon, Leeks is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. On July 13, 2019, Leeks possessed a firearm and ammunition. 

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.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Orlando, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Christopher Fitzgerald Spivey, Jr. (41, Melbourne) to 20 years in federal prison for distributing controlled substances. The court also ordered Spivey to forfeit $10,500, the proceeds of his drug distribution. Spivey pleaded guilty on March 6, 2025.

According to the court records, on four occasions between November 5 and December 10, 2024, Spivey distributed fentanyl and methamphetamine to a confidential source. Following Spivey’s arrest, a search warrant was executed at his residence where law enforcement recovered additional fentanyl, drug processing materials, and five firearms. In total, Spivey was responsible for distributing or possessing with intent to distribute more than 1.2 kilograms of pure methamphetamine and over 130 grams of fentanyl.

Prior to Spivey’s conduct in this investigation, he was convicted of a aggravated assault upon a law enforcement officer, which subjected him to enhanced penalties.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman.

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Jose Santos Pardo (25, Homestead) to 14 months in federal prison for possession of contraband by a federal inmate. Santos Pardo pleaded guilty on March 25, 2025.

According to court records, Santos Pardo was an inmate at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Coleman) in 2022. He was assigned to a low security section of the prison where inmates are not confined by fencing. On the night of November 19, 2022, a correctional officer saw Santos Pardo running along the side of the road carrying two duffle bags and a trash bag. Staff members confronted Santos Pardo and searched the bags which contained drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and cellphones. During an interview with law enforcement, Santos Pardo admitted that he had picked up the bags from the road to bring them back to his housing unit. Inmates are prohibited from possessing these items because they threaten the order, discipline, and security of the prison, as well as the life, health, and safety of federal prisoners and staff.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.