TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution today secured a 20-year prison sentence for a child sexual predator. Ryan Harding pleaded guilty to attempted sexual battery on a child under the age of 12 and several counts of possession of child pornography, among other charges stemming from his Aug. 28, 2018 arrest. Harding’s lengthy prison sentence will be followed by five years of sex offender probation. Harding will also have to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “The abuse and exploitation of a child is an act of pure evil. It is incredibly disturbing and heartbreaking to learn of victims going through years of this form of physical and psychological torture. I am proud of my Statewide Prosecutors for securing a lengthy prison sentence in this case. I hope this will bring some peace of mind to the victim as the healing process continues.”

According to a June 2017 report filed with the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office, between 2013 and 2017, Harding sexually molested a child who was between the ages of 11 and 14 during the time period of abuse. The sexual battery reportedly occurred in multiple counties, namely Citrus, Lake, Marion and Miami-Dade. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated the case due to the multiple jurisdictions.

Harding pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sexual battery on a child under 12 years of age, 13 counts of possession of child pornography, one count of promoting a sexual performance by a child, one count of transmission of materials harmful to minors and one count of use of a two-way communications device to facilitate the commission of a felony. Julie Sercus with the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution prosecuted the case.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is taking action to claw back money owed to Florida’s Medicaid Program. Following a multistate investigation into Royal Pharmaceuticals LLC and Seton Pharmaceuticals LLC, Attorney General Moody and a bipartisan group of attorneys general from across the country secured more than $10 million for the states’ Medicaid programs. The nationwide investigation found that the two jointly-held pharmaceutical companies underpaid Medicaid drug rebates to all 50 states from 2013 to 2017.

Florida’s Medicaid program will receive more than $4 million through efforts by Attorney General Moody and other state attorneys general.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “For years these pharmaceutical companies shortchanged Florida’s Medicaid program—hurting the integrity of the taxpayer benefit and shortchanging Floridians. I am proud of the work of my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the team of attorneys general who worked together to stop it and secure millions for our states’ Medicaid programs.”

In July 2018, Royal and Seton self-reported an error in the companies’ Medicaid Drug Rebate Program data to the North Carolina Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. As part of the MDRP, drug manufacturers are required to pay rebates to state Medicaid programs for each of the company’s drugs that are covered by Medicaid. From September 2013 to January 2017, Royal and Seton inadvertently, yet inaccurately, reported the market date data element that is part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ calculation of each drug’s rebate amount. Continue reading →

This month, I issued a Consumer Alert warning Floridians about COVID-19 vaccine product and distribution scams. With news that thousands of doses of coronavirus vaccines will be heading to Florida soon and consumers anxious to achieve immunity, scammers may exploit the situation to rip-off Floridians.

Once doses arrive, the swift and orderly distribution of the vaccine will be key to getting our state and country back on track.

With that said, I am asking all Floridians to be on the lookout for vaccine-related scams and report fraud. Scammers may try to exploit the sense of urgency surrounding the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to swindle those trying to protect their health.

The following tips can help Floridians avoid COVID-19 vaccine-related scams:

• Seek vaccine-related information from trusted health care professionals and government officials;
• Do not respond to solicitations about vaccines;
• Never send money or financial information to anyone offering a COVID-19 vaccine or claiming the ability to expedite the process; and
• Report suspicious solicitations or COVID-19 vaccine-related advertisements to my office by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.

To view the latest alerts and to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 related scams, visit our Consumer Alert webpage by clicking http://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrel.nsf/newsreleases

By keeping a watchful eye out for scammers and following the advice of trusted health care professionals, we will get through this pandemic and build a Stronger, Safer Florida.

(NAPSI)—If your electricity goes out due to ice, a generator can keep power flowing to your home or business.

Just keep safety in mind when using generators, advises the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), an international trade association representing small engine, utility vehicle and outdoor power equipment manufacturers and suppliers.

“Not having power when you need it is frustrating, so a generator can provide emergency backup power at a reasonable cost,” says Kris Kiser, President and CEO of OPEI. “It’s important to follow all manufacturer’s instructions, and never place a generator in your garage or inside your home or building. It should be a safe distance from the structure and not near an air intake.”

More tips include:

#1. Take stock of your generator. Make sure equipment is in good working order before starting and using it. Do this before a storm hits.

#2. Review the directions. Follow all manufacturer’s instructions. Review the owner’s manuals (look manuals up online if you cannot find them) so equipment is operated safely.

#3. Install a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector in your home. This alarm will sound if dangerous levels of carbon monoxide enter the building.

#4. Have the right fuel on hand. Use the type of fuel recommended by the generator manufacturer to protect this important investment. It is illegal to use any fuel with more than 10% ethanol in outdoor power equipment. (For more information on proper fueling for outdoor power equipment visit www.LookBeforeYouPump.com.) It’s best to use fresh fuel, but if you are using fuel that has been sitting in a gas can for more than 30 days, add fuel stabilizer to it. Store gas only in an approved container and away from heat sources. Continue reading →

The European Union 468 – building 27 more… Total 495
Turkey has 56 – building 93 more… Total 149
South Africa has 79 – building 24 more… Total 103
India has 589 – building 446 more.. Total 1035
Philippines has 19 – building 60 more… Total 79
South Korea has 58 – building 26 more… Total 84
Japan has 90 – building 45 more… Total 135
China has 2,363 – building 1,171 more… Total 3,534
That’s 5,615 projected coal powered plants in just 8 countries.
USA has 15 – building 0 more..Total 15

The “green new deal” want to shut down those 15 plants in order to “save” the planet. This makes the point. Whatever the USA does or doesn’t do won’t make a D@#$ difference regarding CO2 unless the rest of the world, especially China and India reduces coal-fired power plants as well.

The whole “global warming” and “climate change” gambits by politicians  was to create a *supposedly* sound, scientific basis to justify a federal government power-grab and the passage of MORE laws to increase taxes and increased control of the privately owned power industry and its distribution. Never forget the *main* motivation they have!

They wonder why we left the Paris Climate Agreement!

Dear Friends,

From my family to yours, we wish all of you a blessed holiday season and we hope that this is a joyous time for you and your loved ones. My family will celebrate the holidays traditionally and safely. We do not intend to let government tell us whom we can or cannot invite in to our home. American families are perfectly capable of taking necessary precautions to protect those that may be vulnerable without the Washington bureaucrat’s lectures. May this time of peace and thanksgiving be a reminder of the blessing of liberty that we all have in America.

With the elections now behind us, the work of the Florida Senate has turned to organization and preparation for the upcoming Legislative Session. The first step in this process has been completed as we have just returned from Tallahassee, having elected our new Senate leadership and sworn-in our new or returning members. Our leadership in the Florida Senate is extremely talented, driven, and focused. We could not be in better hands for the upcoming challenges that we will face over the next two years. From pandemic response, to budgetary issues and re-districting, we will have our hands full, but President Wilton Simpson is the man for a time such as this and we have every confidence that his leadership will see us through. In the coming weeks, the Senate will be releasing our committee assignments. We do not yet know which areas we will be focusing on, but your Senator stands ready to serve wherever he may be called.

The final and most important task that must be completed prior to the 2021 Session will be to hear from you, the constituents. In Senate District 12, there will be three opportunities for citizens to speak directly to their entire Legislative Delegation about issues important them. Each county in the district, Marion, Lake, and Sumter, will hold these meetings in December. These are open, public meetings and we encourage everyone to attend and present their ideas or concerns to their elected representatives. This process and this government cannot work without you. The seats we occupy in Tallahassee are your seats, we just sit in them for you. Please call my office if you need any information about these upcoming Legislative Delegation Meetings at (352) 750-3133 and a staff member will be happy to assist you.

Thank you for sending me to Tallahassee to protect Faith, Family, Freedom, Opportunity and Life.

Onward & Upward,

Senator Dennis Baxley

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning taxpayers of a new COVID-19 related text scam that deceives recipients into disclosing personal banking information in order to receive a $1,200 stimulus check. This latest scam impersonates the Internal Revenue Service. The Attorney General’s Office reminds taxpayers that the federal government and state agencies will never require personal banking information to be disclosed via text message to receive stimulus payments.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “As long as COVID-19 remains a threat, scammers will attempt every trick in the book to exploit taxpayers and coerce them into disclosing personal information. I encourage all Floridians to familiarize themselves with emerging COVID-19 scams, available on our COVID-19 resource webpage at MyFloridaLegal.com/COVID19.”

The scam text message states the recipient received a $1,200 direct deposit from COVID-19 TREAS FUND and requires further action for the payment to be deposited into the account. The text then directs the recipient to follow a fake phishing link. Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Levy County Sheriff’s Office arrested a woman for organized fraud and fraudulent use of personal identification information to defraud a Medicaid provider. Carolyn Ausherman allegedly forged fraudulent Medicaid employee service logs, defrauding the Medicaid program out of more than $15,000.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “The Medicaid program provides necessary medical services to our most vulnerable citizens. To purposefully defraud this taxpayer-funded program for personal benefit is a gross injustice and exploitation of the patients dependent upon the care provided by Medicaid. I am confident my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit will continue to work diligently to hold accountable anyone who attempts to defraud the Medicaid program and taxpayer dollars.”

According to the investigation, Ausherman entered into an agreement with an employee of a Medicaid provider wherein Ausherman used the employee’s name to submit forged and fraudulent service logs to the Medicaid provider. The service logs submitted by Ausherman claimed that the employee provided caregiving services to the Medicaid recipient, a disabled adult. The investigation revealed that the employee never provided services to the disabled adult. The Medicaid provider issued paychecks to the employee that were then cashed and split with Ausherman. Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution has secured a life sentence for a Hillsborough county man that engaged in, and promoted, child sex pornography. The jury found Roger Labor guilty of lewd or lascivious molestation, two counts of use of a child in a sexual performance and 50 counts of possession of child pornography. The Honorable Michael Williams of Florida’s 13^th Judicial Circuit sentenced Labor to life for lewd or lascivious molestation and a total of 75 additional years for the remaining charges.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This disgusting excuse of a man will stay behind bars for life, right where he belongs. He is a predator and his actions were beyond vile and repugnant. I am so proud of the Office of Statewide Prosecution’s hard work on this case and for making sure he never victimizes a child again.”

Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen said, “Heinous crimes like those committed by Labor have no place in civilized society, and I commend all those who worked tirelessly to bring him to justice. I hope this life sentence will help his victims to heal and will serve as a warning to those who would prey on the most vulnerable among us.”

In 2017, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement received cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicating that a Google user in Hillsborough county uploaded suspected child pornography. After further investigation, law enforcement seized numerous electronic items from Labor’s residence. A forensic examination of the electronic items recovered more than 5,000 pornographic images. The investigation also discovered two victims that Labor molested and used to promote child pornography.

Assistant Statewide Prosecutors Rita Peters and Diana Bock prosecuted the case.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today announced a $113 million agreement with Apple, Inc. regarding Apple’s decision to throttle consumers’ iPhone speeds in order to address unexpected shutdowns in some iPhones. Attorney General Moody is joined by more than 30 other attorneys general in reaching the agreement.

Based on the multistate investigation, Apple allegedly discovered that battery issues were leading to unexpected shutdowns in iPhones. Rather than disclosing these issues or replacing batteries, Apple updated software that reduced iPhone performance in an effort to keep the phones from unexpectedly shutting down.

The attorneys general allege that Apple’s decision to throttle the performance of consumers’ iPhones led to Apple profiting from selling additional iPhones to consumers whose phone performance Apple had slowed.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Countless Floridians depend on their iPhones daily for necessary professional and personal communication and pay significant fees for this service. It is essential that a widespread and trusted service provider such as Apple provide accurate and reliable information about performance issues and viable options if service is disrupted. I am proud of this action that will require Apple to be more transparent to consumers and hold them accountable for their actions that negatively impacted many Floridians.” Continue reading →