A scam involving emails that appear to be from SSA and include a link to download their Social Security statement have been reported across the U.S. The Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) said the email is an attempt to lure individuals to fraudulent sites that are not associated with SSA.

A 20-year-old Sarasota man has been indicted for possession of an unregistered firearm, a firearm with a removed serial number and receiving child sexual material. Lucas Alexander Temple faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison if convicted. Temple was previously arrested on a criminal complaint.

An American citizen who fought as an independent militia in Ukraine has been sentenced to consecutive life sentences in federal prison as a result of his convictions for conspiracy to commit robbery and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, robbery interfering with commerce, discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence which resulted in death, conspiring to kill persons in a foreign country, and a violation of the Neutrality Act. Lang was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $10,886 to the family members of the victims of the offenses. Craig Austin Lang, 35, of Surprise, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell.

Florida's Office of Statewide Prosecution secured the conviction of Ivan Gutierrez Miranda for stealing and reselling trailers meant for recovering hurricane victims who lost and were rebuilding their homes. Miranda was found guilty of a RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) violation, Conspiracy to Commit RICO, Organized Scheme to Defraud, and five counts of Dealing in Stolen Property.

Demetrius O’Neal was found guilty Monday and sentenced to two life sentences plus 15 years on two counts of second-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder for his role in the Club Blu mass shooting in Fort Myers on July 25, 2016.

An insidious scam method that preys on people being oblivious to their actions has been seen in Florida but doesn't appear to have filtered down to our neck of the woods. A Facebook Reel made by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office offers a warning for those copying a QR code while parking.

Demetrius O’Neal was convicted of two counts of second degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder for his role in the Club Blu mass shooting in Fort Myers on July 25, 2016. In that incident an 18-year-old and a 14-year-old were shot to death outside of Club Blu, 14 others were injured. The jury returned the guilty verdict Friday afternoon, in a trial that began October 7, in a Lee County court.

The boardwalk connecting Florida Gulf Coast University’s South Village residential area to the academic core is temporarily closed to pedestrian use from dusk to dawn. The closure is due to an act of vandalism that damaged the lighting system, creating hazardous conditions overnight.