Investigations

On April 20, 2021, Howard Farley, Jr. pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida to one count each of passport fraud, unlawful use of a means of identification, and operating as an airman without a valid airman certificate. In 1985, Farley and 73 others were indicted in the U.S. District Court of Nebraska for a narcotics conspiracy. Allegedly, Farley was the drug kingpin of the Southern Line, a railroad line used by drug dealers to distribute narcotics throughout the United States. Records show that Farley assumed the identity of a deceased individual and remained a fugitive for 35 years.

 

DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with the Department of State-Diplomatic Security Service, Social Security Administration OIG, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Sheriff's Office of Marion County, Florida.

 

Note: Indictments, informations, and criminal complaints are only accusations by the Government, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.