Another Defendant Pleads Guilty in Pill Mill Operation in Broward and Palm Beach Counties

Twenty-Eight of 32 Operation Oxy Alley Defendants Have Pled Guilty

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office; Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division; and José A. Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CID), announced the guilty plea of yet another defendant on charges stemming from Operation Oxy Alley, a coordinated investigation into pill mills in Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

Today, Steven Goodman, 67, of St. Petersburg, Florida, pled guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge James M. Hopkins to a one-count superseding information, filed on March 28, 2012, charging him with conspiracy to defraud the United States, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. Sentencing is scheduled for August 27, 2012. With Goodman’s guilty plea today, 28 of the 32 defendants named in the indictment have pleaded guilty, including clinic owners Christopher and Jeffrey George. Twenty-seven defendants have already been sentenced.

The original indictment charged defendants Christopher and Jeffrey George, twin brothers who operated four pain management clinics in Broward and Palm Beach Counties, and others involved in the operation of pill mills. According to the indictment and statements made in court, from 2008 to early 2010, these pill mills distributed approximately 20 million oxycodone pills and made more than $40 million from the illegal sales of controlled substances. Thirteen of the 32 defendants were doctors.

Goodman is a pharmaceutical wholesaler who owned and operated Medical Arts Pharmacy, Inc., in St. Petersburg, Florida. According to the superseding information and the documents filed in court today, Goodman conspired to defraud and deceive the DEA. To execute the scheme, Goodman shipped large quantities of controlled substances to clinics owned and operated by the George brothers without first conducting due diligence activities as required by federal law.

The investigation and prosecution was the result of work by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The FBI, DEA, and IRS-CID were assisted by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the Hollywood Police Department, the Boca Raton Police Department, and the Davie Police Department. Coordination efforts also included cooperation by the Palm Beach State Attorney’s Office, Delray Beach Police Department, Jupiter Police Department, West Palm Beach Police Department, Boynton Beach Police Department, Medley Police Department, Homestead Police Department, North Miami Beach Police Department, and Sunny Isles Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul F. Schwartz, Lawrence D. LaVecchio, and Strider Dickson.

Miami Top Stories: Operation Oxy Alley

Three Additional Defendants Sentenced Today in Operation Oxy Alley

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office; Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division; and José A. Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CID), announced the sentencing of three additional defendants in connection with charges stemming from Operation Oxy Alley, a coordinated investigation into pill mills in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Including the three defendants sentenced today, 11 defendants have been sentenced to date on an indictment unsealed on August 23, 2010 that charged 32 defendants. The indictment alleged that defendants Christopher and Jeffrey George, twin brothers, operated, managed and financed four pain management clinics in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. According to the indictment and statements made in court, from 2008 to early 2010, these pill mills distributed approximately 20 million oxycodone pills and made more than $40 million from the illegal sales of controlled substances. Thirteen of the 32 defendants were doctors.

Today, U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra sentenced three defendants, all of whom had previously pled guilty in Oct. 2011 to one count of racketeering conspiracy. Jeffrey George, 30, of Wellington, was sentenced to 186 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Marc Anthony Naya, 26, of Boynton Beach, was sentenced to nine months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. Jason Leve, 33, of Wellington was sentenced to eight months in prison, to be followed one year of supervised release.

At present, 28 of the 32 defendants named in the indictment have pleaded guilty, including clinic owners Christopher and Jeffrey George. The sentencing hearings are scheduled to continue throughout January and February 2012.

The investigation and prosecution was the result of work by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. FBI, DEA, IRS-CID, were assisted by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the Hollywood Police Department, the Boca Raton Police Department, and the Davie Police Department. Coordination efforts also included cooperation by the Palm Beach State Attorney’s Office as well as contributions by the Delray Beach Police Department, Jupiter Police Department, West Palm Beach Police Department, Boynton Beach Police Department, Medley Police Department, Homestead Police Department, North Miami Beach Police Department, and Sunny Isles Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul F. Schwartz, Lawrence D. LaVecchio and Strider Dickson.

Two Men Indicted for Luring Women to South Florida, Drugging and Filming Them in Sexual Acts, and Then Selling the Recorded Footage

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office; and Keith F. Dunn, Chief, Miramar Police Department, announce the arrest of Lavont Flanders, Jr., 40, of Miami Gardens, and Emerson Callum, 45, of Miami, and the unsealing of a 22-count indictment charging them with conspiracy and attempt to commit human trafficking and human trafficking. Flanders was also charged with distribution of Xanax. The defendants are expected to make their initial appearances in federal court today at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ted E. Bandstra.

The indictment alleges that beginning as early as May 2006, Flanders would search for potential victims on websites mainly known for the posting of profiles of aspiring models and actresses. Flanders would then contact the potential victim online, falsely claiming to be a model scout or commercial business representative. Flanders would entice the women to travel to South Florida for a purported model audition. Once the women arrived in South Florida, Flanders would tell the women that they had to drink alcoholic beverages as part of their audition. Flanders would then provide alcoholic beverages that, unbeknownst to the victims, contained Xanax.

The indictment further alleges that, after the drug took effect, defendant Callum would engage in sexual acts with the victim while defendant Flanders video recorded. Callum is the president and sole director of Miami Vibes, which is a South Florida business that produces and distributes adult pornography. Callum included the recordings of the sexual acts with the victims in DVDs, which he sold online and at local businesses.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and the Miramar Police Department. Mr. Ferrer would also like to thank the Miami-Dade Police Department, the Hollywood Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Pembroke Pines Police Department, the Miami Gardens Police Department, and the Prince George’s County Police Department in Maryland for their assistance in this investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roy Altman and Barbara Martinez.

An indictment is only an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

Defendant Pleaded Guilty to Armed Robbery of South Florida Businesses

March 8, 2010 - Jeffrey S. Sloman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Hugo Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), James Loftus, Director, Miami–Dade Police Department, Rafael P. Hernandez, Jr., Chief, North Miami Beach Police Department, and Richard Naue, Chief, City of Coral Gables Police Department, announced that defendant Frankie Medrano, 29, formerly of West Palm Beach and Miami, has pleaded guilty to firearms charges related to his participation in 16 robberies occurring between May and July 2009.

On July 25, 2009, Medrano was arrested after he was identified as the perpetrator of a series of armed robberies in the South Florida area. Ultimately Medrano was charged by indictment with robbing 16 South Florida businesses, including eight (8) Subway sandwich shops, three (3) Quiznos sandwich shops, two (2) Radio Shack electronic stores, one (1) Payless Shoes store and one (1) Footlocker shoe store. Medrano was alleged to have used a firearm during 14 of the 16 charged robberies. Medrano was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

By the terms of his plea agreement, Medrano pled guilty to possessing a firearm during two of the charged robberies. Together, the counts carry a mandatory sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment. Medrano also agreed to pay restitution to the victims in all 16 robberies identified in the indictment. Sentencing has been scheduled for June 14, 2010, at 2:30 p.m. before U.S. District Court Judge Joan A. Lenard.

This prosecution was the result of a coordinated effort between the ATF, Miami-Dade Police Department, City of North Miami Beach Police Department, City of Coral Gables Police Department, West Palm Beach Sheriff’s Department, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Hollywood Police Department, Miramar Police Department, Hialeah Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony W. Lacosta.

Turner, Robar and Kennedy

May 1, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added three law enforcement officials from the State of Florida.

Allan Turner began his law enforcement career after he graduated high school and joined the Air Force becoming an Air Policeman. After four years in the military he joined the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (Florida) where he spent the bulk of his career as a criminal investigator. After resigning from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office he became a private investigator. Allan Turner is the author of four books: The Christian & the State; The Christian & Idolatry; The Christian & Calvinism; and, The Christian & War.

According to the book description of The Christian & War, “Since the Vietnam era, there has arisen, in America and the whole of Western society, a way of thinking that argues against all war. Consequently, a book discussing the question of a Christian's participation in war and other related issues in light of this emerging consensus seems not just appropriate but necessary.”

Neil Robar retired at the rank of lieutenant from the Hollywood Police Department (Florida), where he either commanded or worked in every division and unit. For five years he was the coordinator of the Institute of Police Technology and Management’s Traffic Crash Investigation and Reconstruction section. Neil Robar is now a private consultant in traffic crash investigation and reconstruction and he continues to teach at all levels in the area as an adjunct for the Institute of Police Technology and Management. Neil Robar is the author of Inspection of Motorcycles after Impact; Motorcycle Helmet Inspection after Impact and the co-author of Advanced Traffic Accident Investigation and Advanced Traffic Crash Analysis.

According to the book description of Advanced Traffic Crash Analysis, it is “filled with the latest technology, techniques and information in the field of traffic crash investigation. The IPTM’s Advanced Traffic Crash Analysis is an expanded and updated version of its predecessor, our popular Advanced Traffic Crash Investigation manual.”

Walter Kennedy served in the US Army from 1965 to 1968. Shortly after his discharge he joined the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (Florida). During his 17 year law enforcement career he has worked patrol, traffic and training. In 1983, he was awarded a Medal of Merit for Bravery. Between 1986 and 1992, he was a full-time instructor at the Institute of Police Technology and Management (Florida). Walter Kennedy is the author Conservation of Linear Momentum Using Vector Sum Analysis and Impact Velocity from Conservation of Linear Momentum for the Traffic Accident Investigator and reconstructionist.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 996 police officers (representing 417 police departments) and their 2107 police books in 32 categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.

Pelkington, Alexander and Erler

April 22, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added three law enforcement officials from the State of Florida.

Chief Joe Pelkington’s 43 year career in law enforcement began with the Tampa Police Department, in 1960. As a member of the Tampa Police Department, he commanded the Patrol Division, Detective Division and the Selective Enforcement Bureau. In 1985, he retired from the Tampa Police Department as a Deputy Police Chief. He then began an 18 year career with the Treasure Island Police Department (Florida) as their chief of police. Joe Pelkington is the author of Shades of Blue.

According to the book description of Shades of Blue, “The early 1960's were the years that segregation started to wane and civil disobedience tested police leadership. The police had broad discretion on the use of force including deadly force. Society demanded and pressured police to exhibit restraint and improve professional conduct. Police violence, tragedy, courage, dedication, compassion and misconduct are all revealed in this book. There are stories of police responding to dangerous encounters, humorous cases involving humans, animals and about police officers themselves.”

Dr. John Alexander is a senior fellow with the Joint Special Operations University. For more than a decade, Dr. John Alexander has been a leading advocate for the development of non-lethal weapons. At Los Alamos National Laboratory, he organized and chaired six major conferences on non-lethal weapons, served as a U.S. delegate to four NATO studies on the topic. He wrote many of the seminal articles on non-lethal weapons and was a member of the National Research Council Committee for Assessment of Non-Lethal Weapons Science and Technology.

Dr. John Alexander entered the U.S. Army as a private in 1956 and rose through the ranks to sergeant first class. He later attended Officer Candidate School and retired as a colonel of Infantry in 1988. During his varied career, he held many key positions in special operations, intelligence, and research and development. Academically, he holds an MA and a Ph.D. from Walden University. He has attended the Anderson School of Management, the Sloan School of Management, and the Kennedy School of Government.
Earlier in his life, Dr. John Alexander worked five years as a deputy sheriff for the Dade County Sheriff’s Department. He is the author of Winning the War: Advanced Weapons, Strategies, and Concepts for the Post-9/11 World and a co-author of The Warrior's Edge and Future War: Non-Lethal Weapons in Twenty-First-Century Warfare.

According to Publisher’s Weekly, Future War: Non-Lethal Weapons in Twenty-First-Century Warfare, “In a thoughtful examination of the future of military doctrine, Alexander takes a hard look at what options might be available to the American military in a world in which the rules of warfare have changed. Non-lethal weapons, he argues, will become more important for both political and practical reasons. Americans have grown increasingly aware of and sensitive to all casualties on any side in even the most just wars.”

Bob Erler, an ex-Green Beret, became a police officer Hollywood Police Department. One day he came home and found his wife and son had left him. Suffering from the effects of a high speed pursuit crash, Bob Erler went into depression. Later, on a day off, he came across a lady and her 12-year old daughter with no place to stay. He invited them to stay in his trailer but once there the lady told him she would call the police chief and tell him Bob was entertaining two women in his trailer unless he gave her $75.

Bob Erler shot the lady and her daughter dumping their bodies and calling the police station and saying "I've just shot two people, please catch me." From that day the suspect was known as "The Catch Me Killer." The next day he was assigned to investigate his own homicides. Bob Erler is the author of They Called Me the Catch Me Killer.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 987 police officers (representing 413 police departments) and their 2090 police books in 35 categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.

Hollywood Police and Others

Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books added three writers; one from the Hollywood Police Department (Florida), the Clinton Township Police Department (New Jersey) and the Chicago Police Department.

Lieutenant Ryan Melsky, of the Clinton Township Police Department authored Common Sense Wisdom for the New Officer. According to the book description, “Ryan Melsky knows how helpful hard-earned life lessons from veteran cops can be for young officers, so he decided to share them. This treasure chest of arm-around-the-shoulder advice will help keep you safe and make your career shine!”

Ernie Dorling was a Special Agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and is now a supervisory Special Agent with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. He was also a police officer with the Hollywood Police Department (Florida). Ernie has worked as a federal agent since 1978 with assignments in Washington, DC and Germany where he earned his Masters Degree in Public Administration. Ernest Dorling has authored two true crime books, With Consciousness of Guilt and Murder: A Family Affair.

According to the book description of With Consciousness of Guilt, “The first time Sam Consiglio assaulted a woman, he was 13-years-old. He would grab women by the breasts and run. When caught, he promised the police and his father he would never do that again. It’s probably the one promise Sam made to anyone that he actually kept. For over 25 years, Sam preyed upon unsuspecting women from Michigan to Florida to California. Using his wit and charming personality, he gained their confidence and trust before turning violent whenever he needed to satisfy his sexual urges. With almost every arrest, Sam was able to beat the police and the prosecutors as they tried in vain, to have him incarcerated. And with each failure of the courts to keep him behind bars, Sam grew more confident that no one could ever keep him locked up.”

One Amazon reader/reviewer remarked of Murder: A Family Affair, “a must read! Mug Shots on Court TV and A&E's City Confidential did a disservice to the truth in this case. Ernie Dorling's accuracy and writing style brings the characters alive. Everyone that I spoke to, said once they started reading; they couldn't put it down. Two women reading the book at the same time called each other every night to talk about every event in the book. Each chapter is more unbelievable than the one before.”

Thomas J. Cline, a 30-year member of the Chicago Police Department authored a collection of short stories about life as a police officer in Cop Tales. According to the book description, “Cop Tales is a unique, empathic look into the harsh realities and aberrant adventures of a big city patrolman. Whether as a recruit training at the academy, a rookie going through his baptism of fire, or an officer with years under his belt, Thomas Cline paints a vivid picture of his encounters, thoughts, and opinions.” Bill Nolan, the President of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 7 said of Cop Tales, “sometimes too revealing, nails what being a cop is really about including the laughs, triumph and tragedy.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 407 police officers (representing 174 police departments) and their 877 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.

Police Writers fly past 700

Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books exceed 700 books by 286 police officers with the addition of Rick Stone, Bill Hubbard and Kim Wozencraft.

Rick Stone joined the Dallas Police Department in July 1973. He served as a police officer, sergeant, lieutenant, captain and division commander. In 1988, he was one of nine national finalists for the job of Chief of Police. In 1989, he became the chief of police of Wichita, Kansas. In 1996, he became the chief of police of the Hollywood Police Department (Florida).

Rick Stone’s fiction novel, “Behind the Gold Star,” explores “Seven days in the life of a Police Chief struggling against bureaucratic stupidity, personal conflicts, and his department’s collection of screw-ups, nut cases, and weird happenings. Reflective of his big city experience, the Chief tries desperately to balance competing forces in the professional and political arena of a smaller agency. Full of surprising twists and turns, with enough sex and violence to be reflective of the front page of today’s newspaper, Behind the Gold Star will keep you hanging on every page and in the end, the characters give real meaning to the phrase, “It’s not over until the fat lady sings.”

In 1991, Sergeant Bill Hubbard was a member of the Lubbock Police Department, assigned to the identification section. What begins as a routine task sends Hubbard on a collision course with a corrupt forensic pathologist and “power-hungry district attorney.” As one reader said, “Well written, quick paced and quite a ride. It's easy to get lost in this book, until it sends a shiver down your spine when you remember this is a true story.”

Kim Wozencraft is a former undercover narcotics agent. She and her partner's exploits while employed by the Tyler Police Department are the inspiration behind her book, "Rush". Both Kim and her partner were eventually convicted of Federal civil rights crimes for making false drug cases against a number of people in Tyler. Both spent time in federal prison. Prior to going to prison in 1982, she and her partner (Craig Matthews) were married.

Additionally, police writer James O. Born announced the February release of his latest novel, “Fields of Fire.” In Fields of Fire, ATF agent Alex Duarte returns to use all his skills to locate and stop a serial bomber. According to author Michael Connelly, "With Field of Fire James O. Born certainly comes into his own. This book is chock full of insider knowledge and experience but there is so much more than that. There is a story and a character that should put this book at the top of any reader's stack. Alex Duarte is my kind of cop. I hope he sticks around for a long, long time."

Police-Writers.com now hosts 286 police officers (representing 118 police departments) and their 703 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors and international police officers who have written books.