WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release: TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Come to work for FEMA and help your community recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. FEMA is conducting local hiring for more than 600 jobs in Gainesville, Melbourne Beach, Sarasota and Tallahassee, Florida. Local Hire employees are typically local residents who aid in the recovery of their community and help fellow neighbors in the recove  more

JACKSONVILLE, Florida, Oct. 23 -- 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 Carnisha Maurica Rogers (30, Jacksonville) with four counts involving conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, and four counts of false representation of a Social Security number involving a line of credit scheme and COVID relief fraud through the Paycheck Protection   more

TAMPA, Florida, Oct. 23 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release on Oct. 22, 2024: U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Matias Sanchez Cardosa, Jr. (53, Orlando) to 14 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Cardosa entered a guilty plea on June 10, 2024. According to court documents, on March 4, 2024, a confidential informant (CI) working with the Drug Enforce  more

TAMPA, Florida, Oct. 23 -- 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 Rose Esquilin Rios (34, Winter Haven) with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, Esquilin Rios faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Esquilin Rios that the United States intends to forfeit $368,207, which are alleged to be trac  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Oct. 22, 2024: * * * Evaded Over $1.7M in Taxes * * * A Florida man pleaded guilty today to evading the payment of more than $1.7 million he owed for tax years 2004 through 2014. According to court documents and statements made in court, David Albert Fletcher, of Deltona, owned and operated several furniture liquidations businesses in Florida, including Century Liquidators. For tax years 2004 through   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Oct. 22, 2024: * * * Defendant Fraudulently Received Almost $500,000 of $2M Sought from IRS * * * A Florida woman was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison, one year of supervised release and ordered to pay $485,290.03 in restitution to the United States for filing false tax returns with the IRS to obtain tax refunds. According to court documents and statements made in court, between 2018   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news: Last month, in the wake of Hurricane Helene, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III ordered over 1,500 active-duty soldiers assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps to assist with disaster response and recovery. Austin's response augmented thousands of National Guardsmen, who were similarly mobilized to mitigate the storm's devastating effects, propelling the military to the forefront of yet another climate-driven em  more

ROBINS AFB, Georgia, Oct. 23 -- The U.S. Air Force Reserve Command issued the following news: By Tech. Sgt. Brad Tipton, 927th Air Refueling Wing MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay area endured a historic period of Hurricane activity, enduring Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the span of two weeks. Amid the devastation from western Florida to the southern Appalachia mountains, members of MacDill AFB's Air Force Reserve 927th Air Refueling Wing united in both preparation and recovery   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Transportation Command issued the following news release: SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- U.S. Transportation Command's Defense Personal Property Management Office (DPMO), in coordination with the military services and U.S. Coast Guard, has selected the following additional installations to begin servicing Global Household Goods (GHC) shipments during the month of October: 1. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama 2. Eglin Air Force Base, Florid  more