Madison County Man Charged with Sex and Drug Trafficking

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Joseph-Michael Elias McFarland, 21, of Madison, Florida, with sex trafficking of a minor and with drug trafficking.  McFarland was arraigned today in the United States District Court in Tallahassee.  The indictment was announced by Christopher P. Canova, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The indictment alleges that, in September 2015, in the Northern District of Florida, McFarland knowingly enticed a person less than 18 years of age to engage in a commercial sex act, and that he knowingly distributed methylone.  The trial is scheduled for December 14, 2015, at 8:15 a.m.

This case resulted from investigations by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Tallahassee Police Department, and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Harwin.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  The office strives to protect and serve the citizens of the Northern District of Florida through the ethical, vigorous, and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States, to defend the national security, to improve the safety and quality of life in our communities through the protection of civil rights, and to protect the public funds and financial assets of the United States.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

For more information, contact:
Amy Alexander, Public Information Officer
(850) 216-3854, amy.alexander@usdoj.gov