Source: United States Department of Justice
Tallahassee, Florida – Joseph Primus Gainer, 44, of Panama City Beach, Florida, has been sentenced to six and a half years’ imprisonment following his guilty plea in federal court on charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and marijuana, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the sentence.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tallahassee, Florida – Lamar Bunch, 35, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker to two years and four months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Pensacola, Florida – Scott Oranje, 52, of Mary Esther, Florida, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the sentence.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A 33-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to federal prison for Child Sexual Abuse Materials charges. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould announced that a former Carrollton Farmers Branch Independent School District teacher was indicted for making false statements to federal agents during an investigation into his alleged inappropriate conversations with students using the school’s internal messaging platforms.
Source: United States Department of Justice
Jacksonville, FL – Gail Starks (63, Jacksonville) has been charged by federal indictment with theft of government money or property and making a false statement to a federal agency. If convicted on all counts, Starks faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Starks that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture in the amount of $397,120, the proceeds of the theft of government money. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorneys Joseph Nocella and Jamie McDonald announced today that Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) will lead the efforts of their Offices in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3, 2026 general election, including the early voting period that in New York lasts from October 24, 2026 through November 1, 2026.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Ocala, Florida – Weston Burney (34, Webster) has been charged by federal indictment with one count of receipt of a bribe by a public official and one count of providing contraband to a federal prisoner. If convicted, Burney faces a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment for the bribery offense and up to 10 years for the contraband offense. The indictment also notifies Burney that the United States intends to forfeit any property, real or personal, which constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to proceeds to the alleged offense. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Memphis, TN – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, in collaboration with more than 4,300 law enforcement partners, will host the 31st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 24th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.More than 4,400 collection sites will be set up across the country to dispose of unneeded, expired, and unused prescription medications. This is a…
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The owner of a telemedicine company was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for organizing and leading a $46.2 million Medicare fraud conspiracy that spanned more than six years. In addition to the prison term, the defendant was ordered to pay $17,942,402 in restitution to Medicare and $10,431,463 in forfeiture.
According to court documents, Christopher Harwood, 44, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, owned and operated a telemedicine company called TelevisitMD. Harwood and his co-conspirators targeted Medicare patients through aggressive telemarketing campaigns, inducing them to accept orthotic braces and genetic tests that they did not need.
Harwood paid doctors to approve orders for orthotic braces and genetic tests. These doctors did not follow Medicare’s rules for telemedicine visits, did not have real medical relationships with the Medicare patients, and often signed orders for orthotic braces and genetic tests without any meaningful interaction with the Medicare patients. Harwood then sold the signed doctors’ orders to durable medical equipment (DME) supply companies, laboratories, and marketers who were part of the scheme.
Harwood also owned and operated multiple DME supply companies based in Florida that he used to bill Medicare millions of dollars for orthotic braces that Medicare patients did not want or need.
In total, Harwood caused $46.2 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, and Medicare paid $17.9 million based on those claims. Harwood personally profited more than $10.4 million from the fraud scheme.
In March 2026, Harwood pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office; and Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda Bennett of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Owen Dunn of the Fraud Division’s Health Care Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Fraud Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.