FBI Announces $5,000 Reward for Series of South Florida Armed Robberies

The FBI announces a $5,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual responsible for a series of 11 armed robberies in South Florida over the past few months.

In each of the armed robberies, the robber enters the business armed with a handgun and demands money from an employee.

The robberies include:

Date/Time: May 12, 2012, at 11:04 p.m.

Location: Kwik Stop, 17200 West Dixie Highway

Date/Time: June 23, 2012, at 10:55 p.m.

Location: Shell Gas Station, 1420 East Sunrise Blvd

Date/Time: July 1, 2012, at 10:41 p.m.

Location: Petrolio Gas Station, 1554 South Federal Highway

Date/Time: July 13, 2012, at 12:18 a.m.

Location: Kwik Stop, 18198 NE 19th Avenue

Date/Time: July 15, 2012, at 9:45 p.m.

Location: Chevron Gas Station, 13005 Biscayne Blvd

Date/Time: August 3, 2012, at 9:40 p.m.

Location: Marina Discount Beverage, 2705 SW 15th Avenue

Date/Time: August 6, 2012, at 1:05 a.m.

Location: Chevron Gas Station, 4051 Stirling Road

Date/Time: August 14, 2012, at 4:26 p.m.

Location: Citgo Gas Station, 15200 Biscayne Blvd

Date/Time: August 15, 2012, at 7:00 a.m.

Location: Badoma Plaza, 1989 NE 19th Avenue

Date/Time: August 18, 2012, at 11:59 p.m.

Location: Kwik Stop, 18198 NE 19 Avenue

Date/Time: August 22, 2012, at 12:58 a.m.

Location: Citgo Gas Station, 2109 Griffin Road

Photos from the robberies are below.

The FBI, Broward Sheriff’s Office, North Miami Beach Police Department, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, North Miami Police Department, and the South Florida Violent Crime Task Force continue their investigation. The FBI and its South Florida Violent Crime Task Force are involved in this matter as part of an initiative to assist local law enforcement agencies combat violent armed robberies.

Anyone with information as to the identity of this suspect is urged to call the FBI at (305) 944-9101 or Crimestoppers.

Robbery of McDonald’s in Oakland Park

The FBI is releasing photographs (below) of an armed robbery of a McDonald’s Restaurant that took place Saturday (June 23, 2012) at approximately 11:00 p.m. at 1352 E Commercial Blvd. in Oakland Park, Florida.

The multiple armed robbers entered the restaurant, held several restaurant employees at gunpoint, and took money from cash registers and the store’s safe. Customers were in the restaurant at the time of the robbery. No one was injured. The amount of money taken will not be released at this time.

The FBI, Broward Sheriff’s Office, and the South Florida Violent Crime Task Force continue their investigation. The FBI and its South Florida Violent Crime Task Force are involved in this matter as part of an initiative to assist local law enforcement agencies combat violent armed robberies.

Anyone who has information about the robbery suspects is urged to call the FBI at (305) 944-9101 or Crimestoppers.

FBI Announces the Arrests of Two Suspects Allegedly Involved in Separate, Unreleated Bank Robberies in Plantation and Davie

Information Still Sought in March Robbery in Pembroke Pines

John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Miami Division of the FBI, announces the arrests yesterday of ‪two suspects alleged to have been involved in two separate unrelated bank robberies in South Florida. Bryan Whitehead, 31, of Miami, Florida, was arrested in connection with a bank robbery Monday (May 21, 2012) of the BB&T located at 450 N. Pine Island Road in Plantation, Florida. The arrest was made without incident by the city of Plantation Police Department in Plantation, Florida.

The second arrest was of David Brian Miller, 50, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in connection with a bank robbery on Monday (May 21, 2012) of the SunTrust Bank located at 4480 Weston Road, Davie, Florida. The arrest was made without incident by the South Florida Violent Crime/Fugitive Task Force in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Both individuals arrested are expected to face federal charges. It is anticipated that both will have their initial appearances in Federal Court Tuesday (May 22, 2012) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

The FBI, the Plantation Police Department, the Davie Police Department, the Broward Sheriff’s Office, and the South Florida Violent Crime/Fugitive Task Force continue their investigation.

Also, the FBI continues to seek the public’s assistance for any information regarding the March 29, 2012 robbery of a Pembroke Pines Wells Fargo Bank. There is a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the subject responsible for this robbery.

If anyone has information as to the identity of this bank robber, they are urged to call the FBI at (305) 944-9101 or Crimestoppers.

Florida Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Sex Trafficking of Minors and Production of Child Pornography

WASHINGTON—James Mozie of Oakland Park, Florida, was sentenced today to life in prison on charges of sex trafficking of minors and production of child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; and John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami Field Office.

Mozie, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas in the Southern District of Florida. In addition to the life prison term, Mozie was sentenced to 10 years of supervised release.

On December 20, 2011, Mozie was found guilty of all 10 counts against him, including sex trafficking of minors, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors, and production of child pornography.

At trial, seven different victims, many minor runaways at the time they met Mozie, testified that they worked or were recruited to work as prostitutes at Mozie’s residence, which he advertised as “The Boom Boom Room.” According to the trial evidence, The Boom Boom Room, also known as Lot 29, operated for more than one year as a house of prostitution. Mozie advertised the business through the use of mass text messages to his contacts, letting people know about the activities taking place at the house each night. When customers arrived, they paid a cover charge to the security guard working the front door. The females, many of them minors, worked in the house dancing for tips and engaging in sexual activity with male customers for money.

The seven victims, all minors when the offenses occurred, testified that when they first arrived at the residence, Mozie asked them to complete an application with information such as name, stage name, date of birth, and the sexual acts they were willing to perform. All of the minor victims testified that they provided their correct dates of birth to Mozie, who advised them not to tell customers that they were underage. Several of the minor victims testified that before working as a prostitute for Mozie, he required them to have sex with him as part of their “orientation,” which he explained was his way of “testing the merchandise.” They also testified that Mozie would take sexually explicit pictures of them, which he attached to the text messages advertising the brothel.

Previously, co-defendant Laschell “Shelly” Harris pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a minor and was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Co-defendant Willie David Rice pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to four years in prison.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Broward County, Florida Sheriff’s Office Minor Vice Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry Wallace and Corey Steinberg of the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Thomas Franzinger of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Suspect Arrested in Connection with Robbery and Homicide of an Armored Car Courier in Pittsburgh

John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Miami Division of the FBI, announces the arrest in Pompano Beach, Florida today, April 24, 2012, of Kenneth Konias, Jr., of Dravosburg, Pennsylvania, in connection with a robbery and homicide of an armored car courier in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on February 28, 2012.

The arrest was made without incident by the FBI, the Broward Sheriff’s Office, and the South Florida Violent Crimes Task Force.

The individual arrested is expected to face federal charges. The individual’s initial appearance is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. in the Federal Courthouse, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

All further inquires about this matter should be directed to FBI’s Pittsburgh Division.

Two More Defendants Sentenced in Florida Pill Mill Operation

Additional Defendants Sentenced in Broward and Palm Beach Counties in Operation Oxy Alley

Jan 20 – Miami – Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division; 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 José A. Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CID), announced the sentencing of two 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 two defendants sentenced today, 13 defendants have been sentenced to date on an indictment unsealed on August 23, 2010, which 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 thirty-two defendants were doctors.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra sentenced two defendants, both of whom had previously pled guilty in September and October 2011. Christopher Hutson, 31, of Wellington, pled guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy and Christine Chico-Blume, a doctor, 59, of Jupiter, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Christopher Hutson was sentenced to 108 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. Christine Chico-Blume was sentenced to 60 months in prison, to be followed by 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 were the result of work by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. DEA, FBI, 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.

More than 5,000 items seized in drug paraphernalia bust

LAUDERHILL, Fla. - Acting on complaints from parents, the Broward County Sheriff's Office (BSO) and the U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., seized more than 5,000 items of drug paraphernalia on Wednesday from the Broward County, Fla., Swap Shop.

HSI special agents along with the BSO Pompano Beach Selective Enforcement Team and Strategic Investigations Division were enforcing federal drug paraphernalia laws and seized 5,691 items from 11 vendors in violation of U.S. Code Title 21, Section 863.

BSO received numerous complaints from parents saying that middle school kids, who cannot legally buy cigarettes, were purchasing drug paraphernalia from Swap Shop vendors. While conducting the seizure, three minors went to one of the vendors hoping to buy pipes. Swap Shop management cooperated fully with this operation.

Included in the items seized were pipes hidden in highlighters and pipes disguised as lipstick and key chain flash lights.

Sawgrass

On February 27, 2009, Conversations with Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a discussion Deputy Sheriff Alex J. McDonald, Broward County Sheriff’s Office (ret.) about his novel – Sawgrass.

Program Date: February 27, 2009
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: Conversation with Sergeant Alex J. McDonald (ret.)
Listen Live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/02/28/Sawgrass

About the Guest
Alex J. McDonald retired in June 2007 after thirty seven years in law enforcement. He began as a police cadet with Ft. Lauderdale Police Department, in 1970. In 1974, two weeks out of high school, he was hired by Davie Police Department. He was one of the first police officers hired in the State of Florida who was under the age of twenty-one. In 1976, he became a police officer for the Deerfield Beach Police Department; and, in 1982 began his career as a deputy sheriff with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office (Florida).

During his career with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, he was a member of the Dignitary Protection team, a field training officer, lead defensive tactics instructor, firearms and driving instructor. An avid martial and competitive shooter, he has had numerous articles published in Police Marksman. Alex J. McDonald is the author of Sawgrass.

According to the book description of Sawgrass, “A missing cop is found dead in his car in an orange grove. Suicide or murder? The evidence points to murder but the bureaucrats want it to be suicide. Detective Sergeant Daniel Quinn is in charge of the investigation and sets out to prove murder. A second murder occurs and Quinn finds the two are connected. Quinn becomes embroiled in a drug smuggling investigation and is forced to battle politics, a smuggling group and even the DEA. All of this leads to a surprise ending.”

About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.

About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, law enforcement technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.

Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/02/28/Sawgrass

Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530