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FDLE arrests Gibsonton teen on child pornography possession

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Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement today arrested 18-year-old Kyrston Jackson, of 12512 Kings Crossing Dr., Gibsonton, on 10 counts of possession of child pornography.

The investigation was launched after FDLE agents received a cyber tip about more than 150 videos being uploaded to a file hosting service on the Internet. The cyber tip revealed that the videos depicted child pornography. The videos were of children under the age of 12. After several subpoenas and search warrants, agents determined Jackson was the user of the account. He was arrested at his home.

Jackson was transported to the Hillsborough County Jail on a $75,000 bond. The Office of Statewide Prosecution will prosecute the case.

Department of Citrus manager arrested on grand theft related to virtual currency activity

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Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Matthew McDermott, 51, of Davenport today on a grand theft charge stemming from a virtual currency operation. Virtual currency types include Bitcoin and Litecoin.

McDermott is also facing a charge of official misconduct. He is the Information Technology manager for the Florida Department of Citrus, which is charged with regulation of the state’s citrus industry. It is based in Bartow.

The investigation was launched after FDLE agents received a complaint from the Citrus agency’s Office of Inspector General. The complaint followed an audit of P-Card (purchasing card) activity that found McDermott had made more than $22,000 in purchases between July 2017 and December 2017. Among those purchases were 24 computer graphics cards known as Graphic Processing Units (GPUs).

In addition, the IG noted that utility bills for the agency had increased by 41% between October 2017 and January 2017. The increase amounted to nearly $825.00.

FDLE agents learned that McDermott was accessing a virtual currency exchange from multiple computers at the Department of Citrus and was part of a mining pool. A mining pool, or team, is used to solve mathematical equations in an effort to mine the virtual currency and win a reward. The pool combines its resources to help offset costs.

“Through the diligence of the executive management team at the Florida Department of Citrus, our agency was able to minimize losses to the state,” said FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen. “Thanks to the Citrus agency’s quick and appropriate action, we were able to investigate and arrest Matthew McDermott.”

Shannon Shepp, Executive Director of the Department of Citrus, said: “We are grateful for the swift and professional actions of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. This is a breach of ethics that is far outside the character of the Florida Department of Citrus and the industry we serve. Fortunately, our agency has internal controls that detected suspicious activity, and our Inspector General immediately notified the proper channels. We will continue to work with FDLE and the court system through this process.”

The Inspector General’s Office of the Florida Department of Citrus assisted with this investigation. McDermott will be booked into the Polk County Jail on a $5,000 bond. The State Attorney’s Office, 10th Judicial Circuit, will prosecute.

Registered sex offender arrested on 14 counts of child pornography

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Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Orlando Cybercrime Task Force today arrested Wesley Kenneth McVay, 40, of 1629 Larkin Ave., Orlando, on 14 counts of child pornography.

McVay previously had been convicted of sexual offense and is registered as a sex offender. He was also convicted on federal firearms charges in 2009.

During an undercover investigation, agents learned that software from a specific IP address was being used to download suspected child pornography. The IP address was linked to the Larkin Avenue address. After obtaining a search warrant, agents went to McVay’s home and conducted an on-scene forensic examination. They found evidence of child pornography on digital devices, which were seized for additional forensic analysis.

McVay was taken to the Orange County Jail with a no-bond status. The case will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida.

FDLE arrests man in identify theft scheme targeting teachers

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One suspect still at large

Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Office of Executive Investigations, with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, arrested Ralph Alonso Everett Jr. of Miami for organized scheme to defraud, reemployment assistance fraud and criminal use of personal identification. A second man, Isaiah Lewis also of Miami, is at large. The pair is accused of stealing the identities of teachers statewide and using their information to collect unemployment benefits.

The investigation began in 2016, after the DEO’s fraud investigation team identified a pattern of suspicious reemployment assistance claims. Losses to the State of Florida are in excess of $50 thousand.

The investigation identified over 100 employees associated with 65 different school board districts that had their identities illegally used to submit fraudulent reemployment assistance claims from February through December 2016. Although Everett and Lewis attempted to defraud DEO of over $200 thousand in fraudulent claims, DEO’s fraud identification team was able to identify the fraudulent activity which significantly reduced loss to the state.

Investigators believe Everett and Lewis defrauded DEO by filing fraudulent claims utilizing identities of school board employees across the state and several individuals from the healthcare sector. The money was disbursed from DEO into fraudulent bank accounts under the control of Everett and Lewis. The funds were subsequently withdrawn from ATMs throughout Miami.

FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen said, “Thanks to the swift, diligent work of the DEO team, FDLE agents and Department of Labor, these criminals were stopped in their tracks and losses to Florida citizens mitigated.”

Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of DEO said, “DEO is incredibly thankful for our partnership with FDLE to arrest criminals who steal from Floridians and the Reemployment Assistance Program. Our team is committed to safeguarding taxpayer dollars while providing Floridians a financial bridge to their next job.”

Everett was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on $80,000 bond while Lewis remains at large. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office of Statewide Prosecution will prosecute the case.

The investigation is on-going and there could be additional arrests.​

Altamonte Springs man arrested on 10 counts of child pornography

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Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Orlando Cyber Crime Task Force today arrested Timothy Young, 38, of 133 Oyster Bay Circle, Apt. 360, Altamonte Springs, on 10 counts of possession of child pornography.
After receiving a tip, FDLE agents launched an investigation and found that Young had downloaded images depicting child pornography. During the execution of a search warrant, agents conducted a forensic preview of digital devices and found at least 10 files of children who appeared to be under the age of 10 in sexual images.
Young was taken to the Seminole County Jail on a $350,000 bond. He will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office, 18th Judicial Circuit.

FDLE arrests Milton man for child pornography

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Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement today arrested Cesrow Reginald Freemont Crawley, 28, of 6553 Kennington Circle, Milton, for two counts of transmission of child pornography by electronic device.
Agents seized multiple devices for additional forensic analysis and future charges may be pending.
Crawley was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail. The case will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, 1st Judicial Circuit.

FDLE arrests Washington County man for child molestation

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The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has arrested Darren Keith Collins, 47, of 1631 Duncan Community Rd., Chipley, Florida, for one count each of lewd and lascivious molestation, victim under 12 years of age and contributing to the delinquency of a child.
An investigation determined that Collins intentionally touched a child under the age of 12 in a lewd or lascivious manner and also forced the child to touch him.
On November 30, 2017, Collins was booked into the Washington County Jail. The case will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, 14th Judicial Circuit.
Please visit the Secure Florida website to review tips for keeping your children safe online.

FDLE arrests former child protective investigator

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The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested former Department of Children and Families child protective investigator Jason Robert Kent, 44, for falsifying records. The DCF Office of Inspector General referred the case to FDLE and assisted in the investigation.
Kent’s case notes indicated that he conducted face to face interviews on seven child endangerment cases dating from December 2014 to April 2015. However, the investigation revealed that the subjects of the cases had not seen Mr. Kent before and had never spoken with him.
On November 27, 2017, an arrest warrant was obtained for Kent charging him with five felony counts of falsifying records. He was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail. The Jackson County State Attorney’s Office, 14th Judicial Circuit will prosecute the case.

FDLE’s Operation Gravity leads to arrest for fraud, grand theft

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Agents with Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Miami Regional Operations Center arrested Peggy Sue Juffre, 43, of 629 Southwest 167 Way in Pembroke Pines, Florida, for one count of organized fraud and one count of grand theft in the first degree.
According to investigators, Juffre embezzled nearly $300,000 from her employer, a fitness company based in the Miami area, between January 2015 and January 2016. FDLE’s investigation began after the business owner discovered the funds were missing, confronted Juffre, and reported the theft.
FDLE agents, with the assistance of the Office of the Statewide Prosecutor, obtained an arrest warrant for Juffre based on the results of the investigation. Juffre turned herself in to FDLE on Tuesday.
Juffre was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Bond has been set at $10,000.

FDLE arrests Lehigh Acres man for child pornography

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The Florida Department of Law Enforcement today arrested William Michael Lenahan, 40, of 860 Bumby Street, Lehigh Acres, Florida for 20 counts of possession of child pornography.
FDLE special agents, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the FDLE Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Lenahan’s home on November 1, 2017. Agents seized a computer and numerous computer related media devices. FDLE agents conducted a forensic examination on the computer owned by Lenahan. During the exam, agents recovered more than 1,600 videos and more than 200 images containing suspected child pornography that included very young children engaged in various sex acts.
Lenahan was arrested by agents and transported to the Lee County Jail. The case will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, 20th Judicial Circuit.
Please visit the FDLE website to review tips for keeping your children safe online.