Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Ocala, Florida – Michael Jason Brooks (37, Citra) has been sentenced by United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber to one year and one day in federal prison for receiving a bribe as a public official and providing contraband to a federal inmate. Brooks pleaded guilty on November 12, 2025.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Orlando, Florida – James Bernard Grover (63, Deltona) was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza to life in federal prison for coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. A federal jury found Grover guilty on February 27, 2026.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Ocala, Florida – Tyrone Pierson (29, Ocala) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber to 11 years and 8 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Pierson pleaded guilty on January 2, 2026. Pierson’s co-defendant, Reshawn Graham, pleaded guilty on April 2, 2026, and is currently scheduled for sentencing on June 25, 2026.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Ocala, Florida – Ismael Osbaldo Pedro Tomas (24, Guatemala) has pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Pedro Tomas faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
Source: United States Army
ANSBACH, Germany — USAG Ansbach holds its next Community Leaders’ Information Forum (CLIF) Wednesday, June 17, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Von Steuben Community Center.
The CLIF is held quarterly and open to the USAG Ansbach community. The intent is to enable communication between Ansbach community spouses, unit FRG leaders, Garrison leadership, and key service partners.
The CLIF will be live-streamed on the Garrison Facebook page at Facebook.com/USAGAnsbachCommunity.
The CLIF addresses garrison services, community updates, and provides community members the opportunity to interact directly with directorates and service providers. Information is shared, feedback is heard, and conversation is encouraged.
The March 2026 CLIF slides are available at: https://go.mil/ansbach-clifslidesmarch2026. Updated slides for June 2026 will be made available here.
Source: United States Army
ANSBACH, Germany — USAG Ansbach holds its next Community Leaders’ Information Forum (CLIF) Wednesday, June 18, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Von Steuben Community Center.
The CLIF is held quarterly and open to the USAG Ansbach community. The intent is to enable communication between Ansbach community spouses, unit FRG leaders, Garrison leadership, and key service partners.
The CLIF will be live-streamed on the Garrison Facebook page at Facebook.com/USAGAnsbachCommunity.
The CLIF addresses garrison services, community updates, and provides community members the opportunity to interact directly with directorates and service providers. Information is shared, feedback is heard, and conversation is encouraged.
The March 2026 CLIF slides are available at: https://go.mil/ansbach-clifslidesmarch2026. Updated slides for June 2026 will be made available here.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Baltimore, Maryland – A former Maryland correctional officer learned his fate in federal court, today, stemming from an incident in which his colleague assaulted an inmate. U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Jermaine Sturgis, 41, of Laurel, Delaware, to 33 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for conspiring to obstruct justice and making false statements to a federal officer.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Francisco Javier Ravelo, of Coral Gables, was sentenced to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release, during which he is not permitted to have any unsupervised contact with animals. Ravelo was sentenced in connection with his involvement with online groups dedicated to distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys in violation of the federal Animal Crushing statute.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Jermaine Sturgis, 41, a former lieutenant at Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI) in Westover, Maryland, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, Maryland to 33 months in prison and one year of supervised release for his role in a conspiracy to obstruct an investigation into the assault of an inmate.
Sturgis, of Laurel, Delaware, conspired with other correctional officers to cover up evidence that a fellow ECI officer unlawfully assaulted an inmate. A jury convicted Sturgis in December 2025 for conspiring to obstruct justice and destroy records and for making false statements to a federal officer.
“When a correctional officer tampers with evidence or obstructs an investigation into fellow officers, it undercuts the public’s trust in the criminal justice system, thwarts lawful efforts to protect the civil rights of inmates, and threatens the safety of both inmates and other officers,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to holding accountable correctional officers who violate the laws they are sworn to uphold.”
“This defendant obstructed a lawful investigation by helping conceal the truth about a violent assault. Our system depends on public officials carrying out their duties honestly and lawfully. Unfortunately, Mr. Sturgis failed to comply with this mandate so now he must pay the price,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “Our Office remains committed to prosecuting any individual who engages in such an abuse of trust. No one is above the law.”
“Jermaine Sturgis not only lied about the assault on an inmate but directed a conspiracy to cover up that assault by deleting evidence. Sturgis focused on shielding himself from the consequences of his crimes at the expense of the inmate he swore to protect,” said Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “The FBI will vigorously investigate and hold accountable law enforcement officers who exploit their authority and violate the public’s trust.”
According to trial testimony, on July 12, 2021, after one of Sturgis’s junior officers used excessive force against an inmate, Sturgis and other officers conspired to delete a video recording that showed the inmate’s injuries and other evidence that the officer’s use of force against the inmate had been unlawful. During the three-year investigation, Sturgis also made false statements to the state and federal investigators.
Judge Maddox previously sentenced four former ECI correctional officers who had pleaded guilty for their involvement. Samuel Warren was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for assaulting the inmate and obstruction of justice; Neil Daubach was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison for witness tampering and obstruction of justice; David Quillen was sentenced to two years of probation with six months home detention for conspiracy and obstruction of justice; and Daric Evans was sentenced to two years of probation with three months home detention for conspiracy.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Aubin for the District of Maryland and Trial Attorney Anita Channapati of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case. The Baltimore Division of the FBI, with assistance from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, conducted the investigation.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Greenbelt, Maryland – A Virginia man received a prison term, today, stemming from an identity theft scheme. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Jade Ingalls, 45, of Arlington, to 42 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for false use of a passport and aggravated identity theft in connection with the scam.