DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Middle District of Florida

For Immediate Release

Friday, January 22, 2021
Maria Chapa Lopez
, United States Attorney
Contact: William Daniels

Operation Paydirt Results in Federal Charges for Six Individuals for Drug and Gun Offenses in Daytona Beach

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez, along with federal and state law enforcement partners, announces that six individuals have been charged by federal criminal complaints, as part of a joint investigation – “Operation Paydirt” – targeting firearms and drug trafficking in in Daytona Beach, Florida. (See chart for details).

A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This investigation is the result of a partnership between the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Daytona Beach Police Department. The cases will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys E. Jackson Boggs, Jr., Amanda Daniels, Daniel Jancha, and Terry Livanos.

These cases prosecuted will be prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

SUMMARY CHART

 

Name

(Age, Residence)

Charges

Maximum Penalties

Paris Aviles

(28, Daytona Beach)

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

 

Mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to life, in federal prison

 

Elton Jones

(48, Daytona Beach)

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

 

Mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to life, in federal prison

 

Lascelles Francis

(29, Daytona Beach)

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

 

Mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to life, in federal prison

 

Diven McClure

(56, Daytona Beach)

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

 

Mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to life, in federal prison

 

Marcus Rubin

(40, Daytona Beach)

Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance

Distribution of a controlled substance

20 years in federal prison

20 years in federal prison

Leven Reynaldo Render, Jr.

(26, Daytona Beach)

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime

Mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to life, in federal prison

Tampa Field Division