TAMPA A federal judge is scheduled to decide today whether an undercover agent who posed as a hit man known as "Reaper" can testify behind a screen to protect his identify. The agent is a key witness in the trial of Randy Nowak, 49, a construction company owner from Mulberry who is accused of plotting to kill IRS officer Christine Brand. ...more

December 11, 2008

TAMPA A man who stole scores of laptop computers across the country, then sold them on eBay, was sentenced to 10 years in prison today. U.S. District Judge James Moody imposed the maximum statutory sentence on Eric Brandon Almly, 34, exceeding federal sentencing guidelines by two years. ...more

December 10, 2008

Seven members of a ring that smuggled hundreds of guns from Florida and sold them to street gangs in Puerto Rico have received prison sentences ranging from one to 14 years. ...more

December 5, 2008

A Minnesota judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the NFL's suspension of Vikings stars Kevin and Pat Williams for violating the league's anti-doping policy, but the players' status for Sunday's game at Detroit remained uncertain. ...more

December 4, 2008

A federal judge has granted a motion by attorneys for John "Junior" Gotti to transfer his racketeering case to New York, saying allowing the case to proceed in Florida "stands athwart the manifest interests of justice." ...more

December 2, 2008

A St. Petersburg man was sentenced today to 111 months in prison and his former girlfriend 46 months for selling thousands of pounds of marijuana. U.S. District Judge Susan Bucklew imposed the prison terms on Keith Pritchett, 29, and Monique Pruitt, 28, both of 4225 Cortez Way S. They both pleaded guilty Aug. 26 to conspiring to possess with the intent of distributing large quantities of marijuana. ...more

November 26, 2008