Alexander Lightner of Venice was sentenced in federal court today to 51 months in prison for possession of an unregistered firearm. His case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.Court documents said Lightner is a member of the Terrorgram Collective — an online organization promoting white supremacy. The group espouses that violence and terrorism are necessary to ignite a race war and accelerate the collapse of the government.

Former Hendry County Sheriff’s Office deputy Tyler Williams will serve nearly three years in federal prison for violating an individual’s civil rights and obstructing justice.The 30-year-old Williams was found guilty in February by a federal jury and was sentenced Tuesday by United States District Judge Sheri P. Chappell. Williams was also a former Fort Myers police officer fired for not reporting suspected child abuse. Williams was fired from the Hendry County force at the close of the investigation in 2023.

Scam artists are always looking for new fraudulent ways to separate people from their money. Cape Coral Police Economic Crimes Unit Detective Christopher Simonds gives out a warning about a particularly new such new trend — courier scams

The arrest of three men in connection with separate and unrelated child sexual abuse material cases was described today by Florida Attorney General James Uthemeyer at a media briefing in Fort Myers.Those arrested included former LaBelle resident 46-year-old Jason Harrison of Jacksonville, 41-year-old Kevin Sheffield of Naples and 34-year-old Travis Montgomery of Bradenton.

A Charlotte County Public Schools teacher/coach is on administrative leave for an issue a school official said is “serious.” The official confirmed the district is cooperating with an investigation by Punta Gorda police.

Amid the abandoned chemistry notes and other debris left behind after a deadly shooting at Florida State University are lingering questions about how the stepson of a beloved sheriff’s deputy tasked with school safety at a middle school became the accused gunman.Political science student Phoenix Ikner was a long-standing member of a sheriff’s office youth advisory council and was steeped in the family-like culture of the agency. When officers rushed to the university’s student union on reports of gunfire, authorities say it was the 20-year-old who used his stepmother’s former service weapon to open fire, killing two men and wounding six others.

A Lehigh Acres woman is going to spend 10 years in federal prison for a fraud scheme that netted her nearly $4.2 million.As part of her sentence, U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber ordered 49-year-old Madelyn Hernandez to forfeit $4,199,498.42, the proceeds of the wire fraud.