In closing, let us celebrate this Independence Day by appreciating the values of our Founding Fathers who built this great country that we live in. As Americans, we must always appreciate the freedom, opportunities, equality and justice that we enjoy each day. These liberties were established and defended by generations of brave men and women. As we celebrate our independence, let us all reflect on the military members who have served and continue to serve in our Armed Forces. Their tremendous courage and sacrifice has given us liberty.
My Office of Statewide Prosecution today filed charges against a Lee County man for one count of human trafficking. Shawn Anthony Lewis, 35, is currently incarcerated due to a conviction in a statewide prostitution ring. During the investigation of that prostitution ring, Collier County law enforcement officers discovered a human trafficking victim, who was allegedly forced to engage in prostitution in state and out of state. According to the investigation, Lewis used threats, intimidation and coercion to control the victim and force her into sexual activity in Collier, Lee, Sarasota, and Hillsborough counties. Lewis allegedly blackmailed the victim by threatening to send sexual videos of her to her family and the Department of Children and Families in order to try to get them to take her two-year-old child. We will not tolerate human trafficking in Florida, and my Office of Statewide Prosecution will continue to aggressively prosecute cases of human trafficking.
In closing, let us celebrate this Independence Day by appreciating the values of our Founding Fathers who built this great country that we live in. As Americans, we must always appreciate the freedom, opportunities, equality and justice that we enjoy each day. These liberties were established and defended by generations of brave men and women. As we celebrate our independence, let us all reflect on the military members who have served and continue to serve in our Armed Forces. Their tremendous courage and sacrifice has given us liberty.
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Attorney General Bondi's Weekly Briefing
On behalf of all of the attorneys general in the country, yesterday I provided a prescription drug abuse presentation to the Prescription Drug Abuse Working Group of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. As Co-Chair of the Substance Abuse Subcommittee of the National Association of Attorneys General, it was an honor to provide an overview of prescription drug abuse prevention measures, law enforcement efforts, drug-exposed newborns, and policy recommendations. Florida has worked diligently to shed its notorious distinction as the “pill mill capital of the nation,” and we are fortunate to have seen the first downward trend in prescription drug related deaths in almost a decade. I believe the knowledge and strategies we have implemented in Florida can help leaders throughout the nation tackle this epidemic. Also, this week Governor Scott signed the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act. This legislation will crack down on hit-and-runs by decreasing incentives to leave the scene of DUI related accidents. I commend Patty Cohen for her bravery in transforming her tragedy into action to protect others. Attorney General: Man allegedly choked disabled adult at group home, Action News Jax Law cracks down on hit-run drivers, Sun Sentinel Protecting Floridians Seminole County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Oviedo resident Herbert Roger Mathis, 39, pled guilty to 20 counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Seminole County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth R. Lester Jr. sentenced Mathis to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised sex offender probation. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Homeland Security/ICE, Altamonte Police Department, Oviedo Police Department and the Winter Springs Police Department recovered child pornography images from Mathis during a search warrant of Mathis' Oviedo home. Attorney General’s Office Arrests a Jacksonville Man for Abuse Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrested Mark Keith Griffin, 44, on a felony warrant for Abuse of an Elderly or Disabled Adult, a third degree felony. After receiving a referral from Department of Children and Family’s Adult Protective Services, the MFCU discovered Griffin allegedly choked a disabled adult resident while employed at Shady Pine Group Home in Duval County. He was terminated immediately following the incident. If convicted, Griffin faces five years in prison and $5,000 in fines. This case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office Obtains $225 Million Settlement in Business Development Scam Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General’s Office have obtained final judgments totaling $255 million in monetary relief against The Tax Club, Inc., a telemarketing operation, and its owners. The judgments also permanently enjoin The Tax Club and its owners from continuing certain telemarketing activities. The settlement resolves allegations that The Tax Club enterprise took more than $200 million from thousands of consumers, including Florida consumers, through an elaborate small-business development telemarketing scheme that involved twelve interrelated corporate entities, using dozens of different business names, all controlled by a small group of four individuals. Hillsborough County Doctor Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Traffic Over 28 Grams of Oxycodone Following a prosecution by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, Hillsborough County man Dr. Paul Awa, 62, was found guilty of Conspiracy to Traffic more than 28 grams of Oxycodone. While working at J.W. Wellness pain management clinic, Dr. Awa operated at three different locations in Hillsborough County prescribing Oxycodone to individuals from across Florida and those from out of state. The Tampa Police Department executed a search warrant after an investigation revealed that Dr. Awa was prescribing excessive amounts of Oxycodone and other controlled substances to his patients regardless of their injuries or complaints. Additionally, Dr. Awa performed only cursory physical examinations not deemed adequate enough to evaluate or confirm a patient’s reported injury. The Office of Statewide Prosecution works closely with law enforcement officers during the course of multi-circuit criminal investigations. Just this week, the Office of Statewide Prosecution, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and multiple local law enforcement agencies concluded an investigation, which resulted in the arrest of eight individuals for their involvement in an organized crime ring that swept the southeastern United States. Allegedly, they committed smash-and-grab burglaries.
According to the investigation, this group traveled throughout Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and eleven judicial circuits in Florida using stolen cars to crash through doors at major electronic stores, such as Best Buy, h.h.gregg, and Comp USA, in order to steal Apple products. Thanks to this strong partnership among law enforcement agencies and the Office of Statewide Prosecution, we will now move forward with the aggressive prosecution of these individuals. In closing, today marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day. My Mom still remembers. My Uncle Raymond was only 18 years old when he hit the beaches of Normandy, knowing only that a big battle lay ahead. And on that day, Raymond became my hero. He was critically injured as American troops stormed the beaches there; a few days later, in a makeshift hospital, he died. Mom still remembers being a little girl and seeing the military officers in uniform knocking on the door to tell my grandmother her 18-year-old son was killed. My grandmother fell to the floor. For every American, D-Day is a symbol of American resolve and courage, that we’re willing to offer our lives to secure the liberty and freedom of others. But personally, every time I hug a veteran, I think of Uncle Raymond. He will always be remembered, and he will always be loved. As many of you know, Florida was once notoriously considered the “Pill Mill Capital of the Nation.” We have worked diligently over the past three years to reverse the upward trend of prescription drug related deaths, which had been on the rise for nearly a decade. Yesterday, I was pleased to announce that prescription drug related deaths continue to decline. The decline in deaths caused by prescription drugs has remained steady over the past three years, thanks to a collaborative effort among law enforcement, prosecutors, legislators, regulators and more.
According to the 2013 Interim Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons Report by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission, which covers from January to June 2013, 975 deaths were caused by prescription drug use—a decline from 1,054 deaths caused by prescription drug use during the first six months of 2012. For the first time, the report captures deaths caused by synthetic drugs. Seventy-seven individuals died with synthetic drugs in their bodies, and 30 individuals’ deaths were caused by synthetic drugs. We must continue our efforts to protect Floridians. We now have statistics on deaths caused by synthetic drugs, and this information is crucial to both raising awareness about how deadly these drugs are and understanding just how many lives these drugs claim. This week my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit arrested a dentist on two charges of Medicaid Provider fraud. According to our investigation, Dr. Miranda Smith billed Medicaid more than $140,000 for dental services which were either unauthorized or not provided. What’s worse is many patients in pain and desperate need of care, allegedly underwent unnecessary dental work so Dr. Smith could bill Medicaid more. I want to thank the members of my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their tireless efforts to eliminate Medicaid fraud.
In closing, I ask that you take a moment this Memorial Day to honor the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. While we enjoy this long holiday weekend, we will remember those who dedicated their lives to military service and died so you and I could live free. Use this weekend to thank a veteran of the US Armed Forces for all the sacrifices they make to protect our liberty and ensure that the United States remains the greatest country. My Office of Statewide Prosecution is a member of the Illegal Gaming Task Force and is dedicated to partnering with law enforcement agencies to crack down on illegal gambling centers known as internet cafes. The Illegal Gaming Task Force is comprised of the Office of Statewide Prosecution, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Seminole County Sheriff Donald Eslinger, and Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson.
On Thursday, the Illegal Gaming Task Force served search warrants in five Florida counties targeting internet cafes owned by Ivan Vega and Peter Miller. Additionally, Ivan Vega was also arrested on a warrant from an earlier investigation conducted by State Attorney Willie Meggs of the 2nd Judicial Circuit. Vega was charged with keeping a gambling house, manufacture, sale, possession of coin operated devices, lottery, and plays at games of chance. Search warrants were executed in Duval, Columbia, Marion, Brevard, and Lake counties. During the execution of warrants, Illegal Gaming Task Force investigators seized computers, cash related to the illegal activity, banking records, and employee rosters. These warrants are a key step in investigating organizations claiming to be “internet cafes” but actually conducting illegal gaming. My Office of Statewide Prosecution will continue to collaborate with law enforcement on these cases. This week, as part of a delegation of five state attorneys general, I met with Mexican attorneys general and federal officials in Mexico City, Mexico to strengthen working relationships between government officials in both countries and bolster efforts to combat transnational crime. Just as those involved in criminal trafficking have no respect for the rule of law, they have no respect for jurisdictional boundaries. This type of criminal activity—trafficking in humans, drugs, weapons, and other illegal contraband—relies upon and propagates a wide network of interrelated activity. Countering these international criminal enterprises requires strong partnerships and coordinated effort by all who are affected. We receive the third highest number of calls to the National Human Trafficking hotline, and I am committed to exploring every means available to combat this horrific crime.
I was joined by California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto and New Mexico Attorney General Gary King. We met with Mexico Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam, President of the National Banking Commission Jaime Gonzalez Aguade, Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo, General Director of the Mexico Institute of Industrial Property Miguel Margain, and Commissioner of National Security Manuel Mondragon y Kalb. We also met with State Attorneys General from: Sonora, Baja California, Chihuahua, Campeche, Distrito Federal, Zacatecas and Jalisco. We discussed mutual cooperation in areas of technology, sharing of information and coordination of prosecutions to combat human trafficking, cybercrime and child pornography distribution. We specifically focused on increasing mutual strategic support to combat the problem of international money laundering. The delegation of attorneys general signed a letter of intent with the National Banking and Securities Commission of Mexico to establish a bi-national working group on money laundering enforcement. By entering into this agreement, we are collaborating on how to end the funding of widespread transnational criminal rings. I am grateful to the Mexican government and my fellow state attorneys general for their shared commitment to this goal. In closing, on Thursday I attended the memorial service for Windermere Police Officer Robert German. Officer German lost his life bravely serving his community. My prayers are with his family and friends as we all mourn this tragic loss. Officer German will forever be remembered for his courage and selflessness. Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act serves two purposes—it protects consumers from financial harm resulting from unfair business practices, and it levels the playing field so that legitimate, law-abiding businesses are not forced to compete with businesses that are skirting state law. My Consumer Protection Division enforces Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Practices Act, which covers a wide array of industries. Recently, we filed a lawsuit against Storage & Moving Services, Inc., doing business as Ryder Moving and Storage, and its owners, Jose Pino, Jodi Socher and Joshua Socher.
We received more than 100 complaints alleging that Ryder Moving and Storage picked-up customers’ belongings but never delivered them, collected money for services never provided, and refused to pay for damage to customers’ property. Allegedly, Ryder Moving and Storage enticed consumers to use its moving services by misrepresenting to them that the Hollywood, Fla.-based company was affiliated with the national moving company, Ryder System, Inc. when there is no connection. We are seeking a permanent injunction against the defendants, which would prohibit each of them from ever engaging in any business activity or operation in Florida involving or related to the marketing and sale of intrastate moving services. Additionally, we are seeking restitution for consumers and civil penalties. These customers entrusted their clothing, furniture and family heirlooms to this company, only to have them broken and, in many cases, lost. We will continue to shut down intrastate moving companies within the state of Florida that prey on our consumers.. READ ENTIRE WEEKLY RELEASE>> Attorney General Bondi's Weekly Briefing
I was honored to speak at the 2014 Addiction Health Summit and share Florida’s strategy for shutting down pill mills and preventing prescription drug abuse. I joined Deputy Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Michael Botticelli, former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Director of the University of Florida’s Drug Policy Institute Dr. Kevin Sabet, Deputy Director for the National Institute on Drug Abuse Dr. Wilson Compton, and other leaders on the forefront of drug control and policy. This summit brought together a variety of professionals who strive to prevent and address addiction, including: physicians, policymakers, advocates and people in recovery. I discussed what we’re doing to end the retail sale and distribution of synthetic drugs, as well as the work of Florida’s Statewide Task Force on Prescription Drug Abuse and Newborns. This Monday, I’m convening the Statewide Task Force on Prescription Drug Abuse and Newborns to discuss the 2014 progress report. I encourage you all to tune-in to the meeting online via the Florida Channel. Protecting Floridians Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office Announces Arrest of Hillsborough County Man for Medicaid Fraud TALLAHASSEE, Fla.– John Johnson was arrested by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office on a felony warrant from Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. According to an investigation by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Johnson allegedly billed the Medicaid program for more than $3,000 dollars worth of services never provided to a disabled patient in his care. Johnson was employed by Assure Solutions in Tampa, Fla. More Sadly, the Florida Highway Patrol reports that in 2012, three people were killed every week by a hit-and-run driver. Floridians deserve to feel safe while enjoying their communities. This week, I joined Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, Representative Bryan Nelson, other legislative leaders, and law enforcement to announce a legislative proposal, the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act, which will crack down on all hit-and-runs.
Under current Florida law, there is a minimum mandatory sentence of four years in prison for killing someone while driving under the influence. In contrast, a driver who leaves the scene of an accident that kills someone could face a much lighter sentence. In the case of cyclist Aaron Cohen, the driver who killed Aaron and left the scene received less than two years in jail. I thank Senator Diaz de la Portilla and Representative Nelson for their leadership on the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act, and I applaud Aaron Cohen’s widow, Patty Cohen, for her bravery in transforming her tragedy into action to protect others. |
State Attorney Pam Bondi
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