United States v. Roody Metelus — S.D. Fla., No. 0:26-cr-60019-RKA

Case summary

Roody Metelus is charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, No. 0:26-cr-60019-RKA. At an initial appearance on an information on February 5, 2026 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jared M. Strauss he was advised of the charges, waived indictment and signed a waiver, waived reading of the information, entered a plea of not guilty and demanded a jury trial; bond was set at $150,000 personal surety and he was released in court. The minutes record the violation as 18 U.S.C. § 371. A government motion states that he is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud arising from the preparation and submission of more than 200 false and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications with false supporting tax documents. The case is pending; the charges are allegations.

Case at a glance

What is he charged with?

The government's unopposed motion for a protective order of February 9, 2026 states that the defendant is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud stemming from the preparation and submission of more than 200 false and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications with false and fraudulent supporting tax documents, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. The initial-appearance minutes of February 5, 2026 record the violation as 18 U.S.C. § 371. The information is not on this page, so the counts cannot be stated.

What happened at the initial appearance?

The court order and minutes for February 5, 2026 record that the defendant was present with counsel and advised of the charges, that the court granted a joint oral motion and set bond at $150,000 personal surety with all standard conditions, that he waived indictment and signed a waiver, that reading of the information was waived and a plea of not guilty entered, that a jury trial was demanded and a standing discovery order requested, that the court granted an oral motion for entry of that order, that a Brady order was entered the same day, and that the defendant was released in court.

What is the status of the case?

The defendant's waiver of speedy trial, filed April 10, 2026, states that on April 8, 2026 the court granted the parties' request to set the matter before U.S. Magistrate Judge Yeney Hernandez for a change of plea, and waives speedy trial from April 20, 2026 through the plea hearing set for April 27, 2026 and through the remainder of the proceedings to sentencing. No filing later than April 10, 2026 is on this page, and no plea or judgment appears among its filings.

Summary written from the documents on this page; every sentence is sourced.