A 16-year veteran of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is among the 13 people indicted in an organized crime investigation.
We’ve obtained the indictment, which alleges a scheme by the defendants to launder about $700,000 they believed to be from the sale of ecstasy, which was given to them by an undercover officer. That included buying a car at a Jacksonville dealership with the co-owner’s help of not filing proper tax paperwork, organizing banking transactions that would intentionally fall under the level of certain financial obligations, and more.
DOCUMENT: Indictment against Michael Rounsville
Part of the scheme centers on Hedar Khlaf, co-owner of Capitol Motors LLC car dealership in Jacksonville. The indictment says Khlaf and coworker Manuel Rodriguez met several times with the undercover agent to talk about using the alleged drug money for transactions. Rodriguez eventually received $700,000 from the undercover in order to disguise- or launder- it. As part of the transaction, Rodriguez also asked for the undercover’s license and social security card.
The indictment says Officer Michael Rounsville used those ID cards to access a federal crime database without proper authorization and look in to the history of the undercover officer. The US Attorney’s Office say JSO had access to the National Crime Information Center database maintained by the FBI, but under strict guidelines. NCIC has records relating to the “criminal histories of millions of people as well as persons and vehicles sought by law enforcement agencies nationwide,” according to the indictment.
Rounsville was trained on using the database, but the USAO says the search of the undercover was “without authorization and in excess of authorization” and done “for the purpose of private financial gain and in furtherance of criminal and tortious acts”.
The involvement of the others named in this indictment- Mollie Bass, Diane Harrison, Erick Estrada-Lopez, Bruce Childs, Christian Magliano- deal mostly in assisting with the laundering.\
John Amell, Ilia Mato, Vladimir Adunts, Justin Downing, and Evanc Rajta are indicted in related cases.
Amell and Mato are charged with conspiracy to transmit wagering information. The USAO says they were involved in visionwager.com- telling people to place bets through the site, collecting losses, and more while trying to conceal their conspiracy. Adunts and Downing face similar charges, but through using the site woundedhorse.com.
Rajta was indicted for money laundering funds that were represented as the proceeds of drug sales.
The USAO says this investigation is part of a nationwide program targeting reducing the availability of drugs by “disrupting and dismantling” drug trafficking organizations, money laundering organizations, and other criminal enterprises.
JSO says Rounsville has been with the agency 16 years, most recently serving in Zone 4. He is on voluntary leave without pay pending termination, according to JSO. The USAO says Rounsville faces up to five years in prison.
Charges against some of the other defendants could bring 20 years in prison.
