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Volume 2, Issue 31 |
Friday, August 6, 2004 |
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Office of the Attorney General
PL-01, The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL 32399
Citizen Services
(850) 414-3990
Capitol Offices
(850) 245-0140
Fax
(850) 487-2564
Fraud Hotline
1-866-9-NO-SCAM
1-866-966-7226
Contact
Online Form
Web Page
http://myfloridalegal.com
Previous Issues
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Message from Attorney General Charlie Crist
On Thursday, I joined Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford and representatives of state and federal law enforcement to announce an important event in the war on drugs. A total of 14 individuals were arrested through Operation Full House on charges involving the operation of a major drug ring selling and trafficking in heroin, cocaine and Ecstasy.
This investigation covered 10 months and spanned the Jacksonville metro area of Duval and Clay counties, as well as the Orlando area and Miami-Dade County. Officers seized 11 kilos of cocaine, with a street value of $1.28 million, 2 kilos of heroin worth more than $150,000 and more than $75,000 in cash.
The investigation also uncovered a plot by three of those arrested to murder another individual. The drug arrests thwarted that plot and provided information about yet another homicide involving one of the four suspects.
Much of this criminal activity took place in an area of Jacksonville known as an “open-air market,” near three public schools and a community center. Heroin, cocaine and murder should be nowhere near our public schools. The citizens of Jacksonville deserve to have safe neighborhoods and these arrests are a big step toward making this happen.
Events over the past three years have shown the necessity of working together when public safety is the issue. In this particular instance, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement worked with our Office of Statewide Prosecution to put an end to an ring that posed an enormous threat to the lives and well-being of people in countless Florida neighborhoods.
The seizure of more than $1.5 million worth of drugs and money is a clear indication that your government is serious about its commitment to public safety.
In these dangerous times, the key to public safety is cooperation – various law enforcement agencies working with one another, and all of them working with the citizens we serve. This week's arrests, in which several law enforcement agencies joined forces to bust up a major drug ring, are a shining example of how this cooperation can make all Floridians safer.
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| Other News:
CONSUMER BULLETIN - Attorney General Crist this week launched a new monthly publication entitled Consumer Bulletin. The online newsletter is designed to inform Floridians about current activities in the area of consumer protection. From closed cases and the Top 10 areas of consumer complaints, to a monthly feature on current trends, the Consumer Bulletin will keep citizens up to date on the Attorney General's consumer agenda. To subscribe, simply click here.
CLARITIN SETTLEMENT - Attorney General Crist announced that Florida has reached an agreement with pharmaceutical manufacturer Schering-Plough to pay $7.4 million to the Florida Medicaid program. The payment results from claims that the company overcharged on its popular antihistamine drug, Claritin. Florida's $7.4-million share of the penalty money will be divided between the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Agency for Health Care Administration. (news release)
MEDICAID FRAUD - Three Orlando Medicaid providers were charged with defrauding more than $116,000 from the Florida Medicaid program, following an investigation by the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The three are charged with multiple counts of Medicaid provider fraud, grand theft, and scheme to defraud. The investigation showed the three submitted claims for services that were not rendered and falsified medical records and other supporting documentation. (news release)
SECURITIES FRAUD - An 18-month investigation resulted in the arrest of a Central Florida couple on charges that they participated in a securities fraud scheme that cost over a dozen investors more than $200,000. The couple will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office of Statewide Prosecution. The investigation by the state Office of Financial Regulation uncovered that the pair allegedly sold stock certificates that were not legally registered to be sold in Florida and encouraged investments in a corporation based on misleading representations and endorsements regarding the corporation's viability and income potential. (news release)
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