FORT MYERS, Florida, Oct. 9 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Lester John Parker, Jr. (55, Lehigh Acres) on a 15-count indictment related to his alleged involvement in a multi-million-dollar COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. Parker's charges include one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, five counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laun  more

FORT MYERS, Florida, Oct. 9 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Thakur Sukhdeo (38, Lehigh Acres) with wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions. If convicted, Sukhdeo faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count and up to 10 years in federal prison for each illegal monetary transaction count. The indic  more

OCALA, Florida, Oct. 9 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida has reached an agreement with Dr. Mark A. Nowacki, M.D. to resolve allegations that his medical practice, Mark A. Nowacki, M.D., P.A., violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide auxiliary aids and services to p  more

TAMPA, Florida, Oct. 10 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Julio Deleon (38, Brownsville, TX) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Deleon faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison. Deleon is scheduled to be sentenced on January 9, 2024.   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release: Hurricane Milton will be catastrophic; FEMA is working in close coordination with state and local officials Ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall, FEMA Administrator Criswell will travel to Florida tonight to work alongside state and local officials as they prepare for the impacts of this catastrophic storm. Floridians in the storm's path must continue following  more

RANDOLPH AFB, Texas, Oct. 8 -- The U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command issued the following news: 26 U.S. Navy MH-60R Seahawks and approximately 200 personnel from Naval Station Mayport and Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida relocated to Maxwell Air Force Base in preparation for Hurricane Milton that is expected to impact Florida later this week. The aircraft and personnel will remain at Maxwell AFB until it is safe to return to Florida. This move is being made to protect th  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- The Naval Sea Systems Command issued the following news: Minds will meet machine when 14 academic institutions from across the nation compete in person in the Cyber Resiliency and Measurement Challenge Oct. 22-23 at the University of Mary Washington's (UMW) Dahlgren Campus in King George, Virginia. Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) selected the following teams: Catholic University College of William and Mary George Mason University Loyola Univers  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news: Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has been receiving daily updates on the response efforts to Hurricane Helene as well as preparations for Hurricane Milton. This morning, in advance of Hurricane Milton making landfall in Florida, Secretary Austin convened a meeting with Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chi  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- The U.S. Navy issued the following as-written remarks on Oct. 8, 2024, by Carlos Del Toro at the USS Richard McCool commissioning: * * * Good morning, everyone! It is an absolute honor to be here with you today in Pensacola, Florida--"The Cradle of Naval Aviation"--to commission our fleet's newest warship, the USS Richard M. McCool, Jr. (LPD 29), the first ship named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Captain Richard M. McCool, Jr, United States Navy. Congressman Gaetz  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news: The United States continues to stand with Ukraine as the country stands against Russian aggression, said senior Defense Department officials briefing the press on background. President Joe Biden was supposed to go to a meeting of the coalition supporting Ukraine but remained in the U.S. to direct support for areas in the path of Hurricane Milton which is set to make landfall in Florida later today. The senior def  more

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Maryland, Oct. 9 -- Vice President Kamala Harris answered questions before the Air Force Two departure on Oct. 7, 2024: * * * THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hi. So, I just got off the phone with Administrator Criswell at FEMA, and I cannot stress enough to all the folks in Florida, in the Tampa area: Please listen to evacuation orders. Please listen to your local officials, because I know a lot of folks out there have survived these hurricanes before -- this one is going to be very, v  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (TNSfact) -- The White House issued the following fact sheet on Oct. 8, 2024: * * * Update: Biden-Harris Administration Continues Life-Saving Preparations for Hurricane Milton * * * The Biden-Harris Administration continues to mobilize a whole-of-government effort to prepare for the impacts of Hurricane Milton, including pre-positioning resources and personnel and expediting debris removal efforts in Florida. These actions supplement the ongoing response and recovery effor  more