Convicted Crescent City Murderer Sentenced To More Than Five Years In Federal Prison For Distributing Methamphetamine

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger today sentenced Francisco Javier Arroyo (31, Crescent City) to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. Arroyo pleaded guilty on September 25, 2024.   

According to the plea agreement and other court documents, from February through July 2021, Arroyo distributed methamphetamine and cocaine along with a number of conspirators, including Alejandro Alvarado (30, Crescent City), Miguel Angel Perez (29, Deland), Jose Martinez (43, Crescent City), Jonathan Arroyo Ontiveros (25, Crescent City), Noel Bueno Jr. (27, Crescent City) and others – all of whom lived in close proximity to one another in Crescent City. Miguel Angel Ortiz (29, Crescent City) also served as a courier to deliver multi-kilogram shipments of methamphetamine from Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia to the Crescent City neighborhood in which Arroyo and others operated. Arroyo delivered ounces of methamphetamine and cocaine primarily to Robert Wayne Watson (59, Seville), who operated out of his home in Seville. Watson then redistributed ounces of methamphetamine to mid-level dealers located throughout central Florida, including George Edward Sykes (46, Bunnell), Danny Wayne Holmes (61, Kathleen), Dina Dynnette Kempher (38, Satsuma), and David John Doerr (56, Astor).

On July 16, 2021, the FBI arrested multiple individuals in Crescent City and Seville as part of this drug conspiracy. Around the same time, Arroyo was arrested in Missouri in connection with a triple homicide on July 13, 2021, in Crescent City. Arroyo was later convicted of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder for the surviving victims. He was sentenced to 22 years in Florida state prison. After his murder conviction in April 2024, Arroyo was transported to federal court to face charges for drug distribution occurring in 2021. Upon completing his state sentence, he will serve an additional 5 years and 10 months in federal prison. To date, 12 individuals have pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison terms in connection with this conspiracy.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.   

This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.