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.

“Brazen Bandit” Bank Robber Sentenced to 52 Years in Prison

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office; Al Lamberti, Sheriff, Broward Sheriff’s Office; and Daniel C. Alexander, Chief, Boca Raton Police Department, announced today that Michael Anthony Price, 44, of Coconut Creek, Florida, was sentenced earlier today. U.S. District Court Judge William J. Zloch sentenced Price to 52 years in prison, to be followed by five years’ supervised release.

Price, dubbed the “Brazen Bandit,” was convicted of two counts of bank robbery, conspiracy to commit bank robbery, two counts of use of a firearm during a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a felony offense. According to evidence presented at trial, the first bank robbery took place on Friday, August 13, 2010, at the PNC Bank. Price, wearing a black baseball cap and sunglasses, entered the bank and approached a customer service consultant. Price stated he wished to open an account and then pointed a black revolver at the consultant. He then approached a teller station, placed a backpack on the counter, and pointed his firearm at a victim teller. He demanded money and told the teller that she had “15 seconds” to comply. While the gun was pointed at her, the teller placed the money in the defendant’s backpack. Price then left the bank.

The second bank robbery occurred on Wednesday, August 18, 2010, at the Amtrust Bank in Deerfield Beach. According to the evidence at trial, Price wore a black baseball cap, sunglasses, and a bandana covering his mouth when he entered the bank. He carried a black revolver in his hand. Price vaulted the teller counter and demanded money from multiple tellers at various stations, while brandishing the firearm. As Price was jumping back over the counter to flee with his loot, he shot a 67-year-old customer. After shooting the customer in the neck, Price left the bank, discharging two rounds from his revolver as he fled. The shooting victim is paralyzed from the neck down.

Co-defendant Greg Bryan Senser, 29, of Boynton Beach, who was the getaway driver for each of the robberies, pled guilty on February 25, 2011 before Judge Zloch and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 3, 2011.

U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer commended the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force, Broward Sheriff’s Office, and the Boca Raton Police Department for their excellent work on this matter. The FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force includes members from the FBI, BSO, U.S. Secret Service, and the police departments from the City of Miami, Miami Beach, and Miami-Dade. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Dispoto, Cynthia Stone and Jason Linder.

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.

337 Cops, 158 Departments and 826 Books

Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books added four additional police officers who have written books.

Robert P. Como served as a police officer with the Nassau County Police Department (New York) for twenty-one years. He was voted "Cop Of The Month" seven times, and has received the Excellent Police Duty Award. He holds a bachelor's degree in behavioral Sciences/Criminal Justice, and master’s degrees in Public Administration, and counseling. He has done individual, group, and family-systems counseling for mental health, substance abuse, and relational issues.

According to the description of his novel, Deadly Crossing, “Harbor Meadow, Long Island was a quiet New England style village...until the killings started. Deranged after a mishap aboard the Soundview: a monstrous 320 foot vessel which plies the waters between Long Island and Connecticut. a stalker begins an odyssey of murder. His weapon: a sharpened hook-device.”

John Westermann was a police officer for the Freeport Police Department (New York). Since leaving the job, he has written five novels. Once of his novels, Exit Wounds, was produced into a movie of the same name starring Steven Seagal. According to the Charlotte Austin Review, “Exit Wounds is a gritty police drama about men on the edge, and about the edge itself. One of the things I really liked about this work was that Orin’s assignment is not cut and dry. The reader has to guess right along with George and the rest of the cast exactly who Officer Orin Boyd is, and what he is up to.”

John S. Dempsey and Linda Forst have just released the 4th edition of their text on an Introduction to Policing.

John S. Dempsey was a member of the New York Police Department (NYPD) for 24 years. He served as a police officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. His primary assignments were patrol and investigations. He received seven citations from the Department for meritorious and excellent police duty. After retiring from the NYPD, Professor Dempsey served on the faculty of Suffolk County Community College, and the State University of New York Empire College, where he teaches criminal justice and public administration courses and mentors ranking members of law enforcement and criminal justice agencies. He is also the author of Introduction to Investigation.

Captain Linda Forst is retired from the Boca Raton Police Department in Florida. She spent the majority of her career in the Uniformed Division, where she served as the first female Field Training Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain. She was an investigator in Crimes Against Persons, specializing in sex crimes. She was assigned to Professional Standards for several years and spent time commanding Support Services. She is a graduate of University of Louisville's Sex Crime Investigation Course, Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command, and numerous investigative and management schools. She is also the author of The Aging of America: A Handbook for Police Officers.

According to the book description of their book, Introduction to Policing, is “a "must read" for anyone considering a career in law enforcement, this book provides a current, insider's look at the many rewards, and the often intense stress, that are part of police work. Written by two authors with extensive real-life experience in all ranks and assignments of policing, this text gives you a solid blend of practical information and theory that gives a firm foundation in the various roles of the police: who the police are, what they do, and how they do it. The book also addresses current topics that concern you most, such as homeland defense, community policing, and current technological advancements.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 377 police officers (representing 158 police departments) and their 826 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.