Wednesday, October 28, 2026
A Gainesville woman, Sophie Dufort, 57, was convicted by federal prosecutors in a Medicare fraud scheme totaling nearly $9 million, according to the Department of Justice. Investigators say she owned a medical equipment company that submitted fraudulent claims targeting elderly and disabled patients. Dufort, who allegedly conspired with an Ocala woman, Paula Pirone, 70, faces a potential sentence of several decades in prison, with sentencing scheduled for January.
Sources: WCJB TV20
Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies and the FBI arrested a 15-year-old Buchholz High School student after a joint investigation found he had been communicating online with ISIS members and supporters while attempting to build explosives. Investigators searching the teen’s home found two jars he said contained chemicals used to produce TATP, along with files on his phone containing bomb-making instructions and extremist propaganda. The investigation was initiated after authorities learned of the student’s online contacts with the terrorist organization.
Sources: WCJB TV20
Investigators doubled the charges against a 43-year-old Levy County man after finding additional child sexual abuse material on his devices following his initial arrest earlier this month. Evan McQuiston now faces 40 counts, up from 20, with bond set at more than one million dollars.
Sources: WCJB TV20
Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies stopped Gabriel Juan Lopez, 36, on Southwest 33rd and Schoolhouse Road Monday night after he made an illegal left turn that nearly caused a collision. Deputies detected signs of intoxication and Lopez registered a blood-alcohol level of .150 on a breathalyzer, nearly twice the legal limit. He was charged with aggravated DUI and child endangerment, with his 9-year-old child present in the vehicle at the time.
Sources: WCJB TV20
