SENTENCING FOR FOREIGN RECRUITER IN MLB STEROIDS CASE
A South Florida man who admitted recruiting foreign baseball players for the operators of a steroid-dispensing clinic is set for sentencing in federal court. The maximum faced Tuesday by Juan Carlos Nunez is 10 years behind bars, but he will likely get less. Nunez admitted in court last year that he brought professional ballplayers from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela to Anthony Bosch and the now-closed Biogenesis of America in Coral Gables.
BROTHERS GUILTY OF FRAUD AT SYSTEMAX DUE FOR SENTENCING
Two brothers who were once top executives with the Systemax computer company are set for sentencing after pleading guilty to fraud and tax evasion for accepting bribes and kickbacks from companies doing business with Systemax. Carl Fiorentino faces over 12 years in prison and Gilbert Fiorentino could get up to five years at a hearing Tuesday. Records show their crimes included taking bags of cash in the company’s parking lot and diverting millions of corporate American Express points to personal use.
TAMPA TAX FRAUD ‘QUEEN’ TO BE RESENTENCED IN FEDERAL COURT
A federal prisoner who helped make Tampa famous for stolen identity tax refund fraud will be resentenced. Rashia Wilson is scheduled to appear in federal court Thursday. An appellate court decided a judge made technical errors when ordering her to prison for 21 years back in 2013. Prosecutors say Wilson dubbed herself the queen and first lady of tax fraud.
CENTRAL FLORIDA MAN ACCUSED OF HATE CRIME AFTER BAR FIGHT
A central Florida man faces hate crime charges after a bar fight during which he hit another man in the head with a bottle. Jail records show 44-year-old Jason Cuellar remains in the Volusia County Jail following the Friday night incident. Deputies say 24-year-old Kenneth Hodge was standing at the Hideout Lounge when Cuellar, who is white, told him “this bar is not for blacks.” The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports Hodge ignored the comment. That’s when Cuellar grabbed a beer bottle and hit Hodge on top of the head, cutting him.
PEDESTRIAN KILLED BY TRAIN
A Norfolk Southern freight train struck and killed a pedestrian near Jacksonville. The crash happened Monday night in a wooded area near the Trout River. The Florida Times-Union reports the engineer told authorities he saw the pedestrian near the track but couldn’t stop in time. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
