Tag: florida

FBI, Sheriff’s Office Arrest 28 Motorcycle Gang Members In ‘Operation Mongolian Beef’

Over two dozen alleged members of an outlaw motorcycle gang have been arrested and charged in connection with a March shooting at a Florida gas station, the FBI’s Jacksonville office announced on Wednesday.

In total, 28 members of the Mongols motorcycle gang were arrested during a joint operation, dubbed “Operation Mongolian Beef,” which was done in coordination between the FBI Jacksonville Division, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, and the Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, according to a statement, which added that arrest warrants were issued for three other members of the gang, whose arrests are pending.

As the Epoch Times notes further, the individuals have been charged with aggravated rioting in relation to the shooting at a gas station in New Smyrna Beach during Bike Week on March 8, 2025.

Aggravated rioting is when an individual participates in a riot of 25 or more other people, according to the statement. It is a second-degree felony and punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

As part of the operation, the FBI and its law enforcement partners carried out 14 search warrants at multiple properties, including at the Mongols Clubhouse in Edgewater, Florida; four homes in Volusia County; three homes in Brevard County; two homes in Miami-Dade County; one home in Chesterfield County, Virginia; one home in Palm Beach County; and two homes in Polk County.

“The FBI has made a commitment to all Americans that we will crush violent crime across the country,” FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley said in the statement.

“There is no doubt Volusia County and, in fact, the entire state of Florida is safer today with these violent offenders off the street.”

The Mongols motorcycle gang, also known as the Mongols Motorcycle Club, is an international organization that self-identifies as an “outlaw” motorcycle gang, meaning its members define themselves as within the “1 percent” of motorcycle clubs who do not abide by the law, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The group has slogans such as “Respect Few, Fear None” and “Live Mongol Die Mongol,” which the DOJ said illustrate the members’ “cut-throat attitude.”

Its members typically wear vests and patches, or have tattoos identifying their connection to the group, the DOJ said.

Outlaw motorcycle gangs are generally highly structured criminal organizations whose members engage in a range of criminal activities, including violent crime, weapons trafficking, and drug trafficking, according to the DOJ.

The Mongols gang is one of many such outlaw gangs that pose a “serious national domestic threat,” the department said.

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Florida Bans State Funds for Groups Accused of Speech Policing

Florida has moved to shield public funds from being used to support what many see as efforts to police speech under the guise of media bias monitoring.

Under the state’s new fiscal year 2026 budget, taxpayer dollars can no longer be spent on advertising or marketing firms that contract with groups like NewsGuard, Ad Fontes, or the Global Disinformation Index (GDI).

The measure was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday.

We obtained a copy of the bill for you here.

A press release from the Independent Media Council emphasized that the restriction is aimed at blocking state agencies from doing business with companies that rely on “politically biased media monitoring services.”

The council stated, “These monitoring groups purport to be impartial, but consistently skew their ratings to target conservative and independent media from receiving advertising from major brands.”

NewsGuard, one of the most prominent organizations caught in the spotlight, has received federal backing in the form of a $750,000 grant from the Department of Defense.

This funding helped the group develop its “Misinformation Fingerprints” technology, which it now offers to social media platforms, artificial intelligence developers, and tech firms as a tool for tracking so-called misinformation.

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“WHEN ARE WE GOING TO BOMB THE WHITE HOUSE?” — FBI Foils Alleged ‘Skibidi Massacre’ Plot After Girlfriend Tips Off Authorities

Two radicalized Florida men have been arrested and charged in connection with a chilling plot to commit mass murder, foment political violence, and “bomb the White House,” according to court documents.

Isaiah Oglesby, 23, and James Thomas Goolsby, 25, were taken into custody after the FBI was tipped off by a courageous girlfriend who recognized something deeply wrong in her boyfriend’s disturbing social media rants, FOX13 reported.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office followed through with a full investigation after the feds confirmed the suspects’ accounts.

According to a criminal complaint reviewed by FOX13, the men’s social media accounts were littered with apocalyptic rhetoric, antisemitic and anti-Christian hate speech, and open calls for violence against the U.S. government and religious groups.

One chilling message from Oglesby and Goolsby, according to the criminal complaint:

“Wanna plan an attack?”
“I’m radicalizing my son to never trust the government — teaching him how to cultivate crops, purify water, hunt, shoot, and make bombs. We gonna survive the martial law.”
“I low-key wish Hitler wiped out the [REDACTED].”
“They’re like a cancer that sucks the life out of society.”

“We have to fight.”
“We have to kill these people [REDACTED].”
“We have to.”
“It better be a bloodbath of every corrupt politician in Capitol Hill.”
“And then we need to strike — more of us than them.”

The defendant also commented on a post on Instagram with:
“So when are we going to bomb the White House?”

Goolsby responded to Oglesby:

The defendant replied with, “Totally dude, Skibidi massacre.” The defendant also posted antisemitic and other religiously discriminatory comments to his Instagram Story, including: “I want to eradicate them,” “I want to blow up the [REDACTED], a mosque in [REDACTED], Turkey,” and photographs of unknown subjects stomping on the flag of [REDACTED].

The defendant also posted the following to his Instagram Story: “I want my pain to be inflicted upon others. I want no one to escape,” “I really hate people. I wish I could end everyone and blow the world up,” and “I hate those people so much I’ll eradicate them all.”

Several other photographs were posted by the defendant to his Instagram Story showing his infatuation with prior active shooters, including actual videos of active shooter events. Multiple other photographs and videos were also located that were self-photographs of the defendant.

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Sheriff Marceno says he has ‘zero tolerance’ for street racing. Here’s a video of Sheriff Marceno street racing.

Call it a case of highway hypocrisy.

After Lee County deputies arrested an 18-year-old on a street racing charge last week, Sheriff Carmine Marceno put out a press release on social media that included the teen’s mug shot and a statement about the sheriff’s abhorrence for racing cars on public roads. 

“I have zero tolerance for street racing in Lee County,” Marceno said of the first-degree misdemeanor crime punishable by up to a year in jail. “Driving an [sic] excessive speed and putting yourself, your passengers, and others on the road at risk is an incredibly selfish decision. My deputies will continue to patrol the roads of Lee County, ensuring drivers make smart choices or they will face the consequences.” 

It was an unambiguous statement from Marceno, himself a well-known connoisseur of fast cars, but video evidence obtained by the Florida Trident shows his intolerance of street racing doesn’t necessarily extend to his own behavior behind the wheel. 

The video, which can be seen here, shows Marceno driving south on six-lane South Tamiami Trail in a black Lamborghini Huracan convertible with the top down on a sunny day in Estero. Shooting the video is Marceno’s former friend, Bonita Springs jeweler Ken Romano, who drives in the lane to the right of the sheriff in the same direction. The brief race begins at Romano’s prompting.

“Juice that m—-f—-!” Romano tells Marceno. 

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Scientists issue stark warning after harmful creatures breed to form hybrid species: ‘We have confirmed the presence of hybrid swarms’

Invasive species can wreak havoc on your local ecosystem, but imagine two invasive insects coming to your area and breeding.

That’s exactly what’s happening in Florida.

According to News Channel 8, “The Formosan subterranean termites and Asian subterranean termites” are mating in southern areas of the Sunshine State.

What’s happening?

Associate Professor Thomas Chouvenc from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences had his suspicions about these two species breeding 10 years ago. He noticed both males and females from each species showing courtship behaviors.

A study from the university, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, confirmed that these two invasive creatures have bred to form a hybrid species.

Chouvenc’s team began collecting termite samples “in the Fort Lauderdale area that didn’t match the shape or form of either termite species,” per News Channel 8.

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Florida Invokes Emergency Powers to Build ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis invoked emergency powers on June 24 to clear the way for Alligator Alcatraz, a new illegal immigration detention center deep in the Everglades.

The plans for another complex to hold illegal immigrants apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—and awaiting processing and deportation—were drafted and submitted by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) to the Department of Homeland Security and received Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s approval on June 23.

“Under President [Donald] Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed to deliver cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens,” Noem said on X.

“We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”

She said the facilities would be largely funded by FEMA’s Shelter and Services program, which she noted was used by former President Joe Biden’s administration to house illegal immigrants.

The site chosen was the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.

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Florida Police: Christian School Teacher May Have Used Student Images to Create AI Child Porn

A sixth-grade teacher in Central Florida was arrested this week on a host of charges for possessing child pornography, apparently created with online AI technology and possibly using student photos from his Christian school.

State Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office charged David McKeown of Holly Hill with 19 enhanced felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and six counts of possession of animal pornography, according to a statement released by the office.

McKeown was arrested Friday by the Holly Hill Police Department at his home in Volusia County. He was a sixth-grade teacher at United Brethren in Christ (UBIC) Academy, a school affiliated with the UBIC church.

Holly Hill Police Department’s investigation alleges that McKeown shared and downloaded pornographic images depicting child porn via Discord, an online chat service, while at school and connected to the school’s Wi-Fi network.

Some 30 images were allegedly shared, including six files depicting McKeown sexually abusing animals, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLA) reported.

Uthmeier said in the statement:

As a teacher, parents trusted Mr. McKeown to impart knowledge to their children. Instead, he spent parts of the school day sending and receiving child sex abuse material and providing other pedophiles with UBIC Academy students’ personal information. What he did is beyond betrayal — it’s devastating and sick.

The investigation was launched early this month after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which tracks the internet for exploitative content involving minors, Orlando’s Fox 35 reported.

The news outlet also reported authorities believe McKeown used AI technology to create the pornographic images and may have used photos of real children, perhaps his own students. The investigation is continuing.

Detectives seized a number of devices from the teacher’s home in Holly Hill and from the school. He was booked into the Volusia County jail and a judge denied him the possibility of bond.

If convicted, he faces up to 315 years in prison, officials said.

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Florida AG Subpoenas Medical Firms Over ‘Backdoor’ on China-Made Devices

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has subpoenaed two medical companies selling Chinese-made patient monitors over concerns that the devices could send patient data to China.

Uthmeier’s office stated in a press release that they had taken legal action against Contec Medical Systems, a China-based company known for making patient monitors, and Epsimed, a Miami-based company that resells Contec-made monitors under its own brand name.

The office alleged that Contec “concealed serious security problems” in its products, including a built-in “backdoor” that could “allow bad actors to manipulate data” on the devices without knowledge of either the patient or the provider, and programming that automatically sends patient information to an IP address that belongs to a university in China.

“Some of the most private, personal information” is going to China “without the consent, and in most cases, the awareness of the patient,” Uthmeier told The Epoch Times. “I think there’s a major consumer protection issue for Floridians, for Americans as a whole, and we’re not going to stand for it.”

Uthmeier’s office alleged that Contec and Epsimed may have violated a state law, the Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, in their assurances on product quality when the products appear to fall far short of standards given their security vulnerabilities. He threatened to pursue damages, civil penalties, and injunctive relief to protect consumers.

Contec Medical Systems is headquartered in Qinhuangdao, a port city located in northern China’s Hebei Province. It has an affiliate called Contec Medical Systems USA Inc. in Illinois to handle the U.S. market.

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Florida Officials Gave Commercial Driver’s Licenses to Illegals; Arrests Made

Call them 18-wheeler and dealers — or just call them criminal and dangerous. But if you’re wondering why some semi-truck drivers today don’t seem very skilled and may not even speak English, wonder no more. Because, it has been revealed, some Florida officials were giving illegal aliens commercial driver’s licenses in exchange for bribes. This means, of course, that these migrants were circumventing the testing process and have no proven qualifications.

What’s more, the uncovered scheme centered around just one Sunshine State county. Similar scams are presumably operative in additional counties and other states — especially “blue” states with high illegal-alien populations.

Not Quite Maximum Overdrive, but Maximal Corruption

The Panama City News Herald reported on the story last Friday, writing:

Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford on June 12 announced the arrest of eight people in connection to a local scandal involving driver’s licenses being fraudulently issued.

According to a BCSO [Bay County Sheriff’s Office] news release, the investigation began May 20 after “suspicious driver’s license transactions” were discovered. It found that two employees of the Bay County Tax Collector’s office were being bribed to provide licenses to people who did not meet the requirements to obtain them.

“The investigation substantiated that two public employees were issuing licenses to aliens with varying legal statuses without providing the required testing,” Ford said during a news conference.

“These weren’t minor shortcuts,” Ford said. “These were intentional acts of corruption where individuals paid bribes in exchange for skipping critical safety evaluations. … Putting untested, unqualified drivers, especially those with commercial licenses, on our roads is an unacceptable risk to every family in this state.”

The local DMV employees arrested were Bancelie Velazco, 37, and Demetrius Smith, 30. Both are Panama City residents.

“Investigators learned (Velazco and Smith) were indeed issuing an unusually large number of driver’s licenses and, when in-house video at the DMV was reviewed, investigators confirmed the individuals receiving the licenses were bypassing the required tests necessary to lawfully receive a license,” the release reads. “These individuals were coming from across the state of Florida to Bay County to receive the driver’s licenses.”

In fact, a “large number” of licenses is an understatement because, apparently, the two officials really jumped the corruption shark. For example, as American Thinker’s Wendi Strauch Mahoney tells us:

Smith reportedly administered 295 driving tests in a single month — far above the average of about 20 to 25.

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No Charges for Cops Who Executed Innocent Grandpa on His Own Property—With a Bullet in His Back

Another day, another state-sanctioned killing swept under the rug. This time, it’s the story of Osvaldo Cueli, a 59-year-old grandfather who was shot and killed by two plainclothes Miami-Dade police detectives on his own land. There were no body cams, no warning, and no charges.

According to a closeout memo from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, detectives Mario Fernandez and Jorge Sanchez won’t face any consequences for killing Cueli. The memo claims there wasn’t enough “competent evidence” to determine whether the shooting was justified. That’s always the excuse, isn’t it?

Despite the nine bullet holes in the windshield of the officers’ unmarked truck, originally spun as proof Cueli had fired on them, it turns out those shots were fired from inside the truck. The cops fired through their own windshield. They were in unmarked vehicles with tinted windows and, according to the family, never announced themselves.

Cueli had walked out to the edge of his property with a firearm holstered at his waist. He thought he saw trespassers. His daughter said he rarely carried a gun but had grown concerned about safety. That day, two black trucks pulled up to the gate. According to his son, they blocked the entrance and opened fire without warning. His father never raised his weapon. They didn’t identify themselves. They didn’t turn on any lights. They just started shooting.

“They both came really close to the trees, and they blocked us in,” Osvaldo, Cueli’s son, told New Times. “They started shooting from inside the car, and they didn’t have any lights on. They didn’t announce themselves. They didn’t put down the windows, and the windows were blacked out.”

Cueli was shot in the back. The autopsy confirmed it. The bullet passed through his aorta and lung before lodging in his arm. The cops say they found a pistol two feet from his body. But the family says there was no gun near him in the video footage. Their attorney is calling out the memo for its omissions and contradictions.

As Cueli lay bleeding on the ground, one of the officers casually stepped over his body and said, “We identified ourselves.” His daughter captured the moment on video.

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