Man shot by federal agents in Coral Gables is accused of scamming the elderly
As the NBA Finals rematch against the Los Angeles Lakers arrives, the Heat says it’s focused on finding solutions, especially on offense, after a slow start.
Federal authorities have arrested a Miami-Dade man who was shot and wounded by agents in Coral Gables last week.
Johnny Watson, 44, appeared in federal court on Friday, one week after he was wounded and his cohort, Brandon Wimberly, was fatally shot as agents tried to stop them as they drove in a minivan. Agents with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) opened fire after Wimberly “brandished” a firearm, the agency had said.
Both men had been under investigation on suspicion of financial crimes, authorities said. A criminal complaint unsealed on Friday afternoon revealed more details as Watson was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud — accused of conning elderly people into sending them packages of money.
He’ll be held at Miami’s Federal Detention Center, at least until Wednesday, when another hearing is held on whether Watson should be kept behind bars before trial. Law enforcement has not revealed the extent of Watson’s injuries or how long he was hospitalized. Scam phone calls targeting the elderly have been a persistent problem in South Florida and the United States in recent years.
According to the complaint, the probe into Watson began when a package containing $12,000 — sent by a 69-year-old Maryland woman — was intercepted at a mail-sorting facility. A court-approved tracking device was placed in the package, which was then delivered to a vacant house on the 5300 block of Red Road on Feb. 12.
But parked outside, according to agents, was a gray Chrysler minivan. A man identified only as a “co-conspirator” — believed to be Wimberly — exited the van, picked up the package and got back in the van. Watson, the complaint said, was also inside.
Agents in unmarked vehicles followed the van, but it soon began driving “erratically, making multiple U-turns and abrupt turns” — signaling that the surveillance had been spotted.
According to the complaint, agents tried pulling the van over and there was “an encounter between law enforcement and the vehicle” and a “firearm was later located inside the vehicle.” Watson was in the passenger seat, the package of money on a rear seat, the complaint said.
The complaint does not give any more details on the “encounter,” or acknowledge the shooting, which is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was unclear Friday if Watson would face any state or federal charges related to the shooting itself.
Agents said the money had been sent by an elderly Maryland couple that received phone calls from two people, one impersonating an attorney, another impersonating their child. “One of the two callers, or both, asked them to send the money to Miami and New Jersey,” the complaint said.
Parcel-delivery drivers also reported the van was involved in picking up or attempting to pick up packages sent to other locations. In one of those cases, a woman had sent $8,000 to Miami after a man claimed her grandson had been injured in a car crash and needed the money for legal services.
The complaint said phone records tie Watson and Wimberly to the scams.
Family described Wimberly as a father of two girls. “We want to know what transpired the day of the shooting,” his younger brother told WTVJ-NBC6. “We want to know, did he shoot? What led to the shooting? What happened? What was the cause of the shooting?”
Wimberly was convicted in Miami-Dade of selling cocaine and giving a false name during an arrest in 2006.
Watson spent more than a year in prison for selling cocaine in Manatee County, records show.
It has been just four months since the Miami Heat’s memorable and unexpected playoff run as the Eastern Conference’s No. 5 seed ended in the Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
But a lot has changed since the Lakers won the NBA championship on
Oct. 11 in the Walt Disney World quarantine bubble amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
That’s why when the Heat and Lakers face off in a nationally televised Finals rematch at Staples Center on Saturday
(8:30 p.m., ABC), it will feel familiar but also very different. It marks the teams’ first matchup since the last season’s championship series.
“It does and it doesn’t,” Heat center Kelly Olynyk said when asked whether the four months that have passed since the NBA Finals have made it feel like a long time ago. “It feels kind of like a blur. Some days it feels like yesterday you were in the Finals, and then other days you’re like, ‘Man, I don’t even remember the Finals.’ It’s such a crazy time and it has been such a crazy year.”
The Lakers enter Saturday’s game with the second-best record in the NBA at 22-8 and with a different mix of players, but they’re still led by the superstar duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
The Lakers will look pretty different Saturday
than the team the Heat lost to in the Finals, with Davis expected to miss the next month because of a right calf strain and starting guard Dennis Schroder’s availability in question after he missed Thursday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Schroder is one of Los Angeles’ new additions, as the Lakers’ swapped out Avery Bradley (now with the Heat), Danny Green, Dwight Howard, JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters for Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, Wesley Matthews and Schroder.
“I don’t think [anybody] is worried about what last year had and what happened,” Heat star Jimmy Butler said, downplaying the Finals rematch. “Yeah, we wanted to win. Yeah, they got a championship out of it. But this is a new year. Both teams got a different team. We’re going to be locked in on just that day and who can get that win.”
At this point, the Heat is less worried about story lines and more worried about getting back to the consistent level of play that took them to the Finals last season.
Miami entered Friday with the 11th-best record in the Eastern Conference at 12-17 despite returning 13 players from last season’s team, including its All-Star duo of Bam Adebayo and Butler.
But injuries and protocol-related absences have hurt the Heat this season, with Bradley (right calf strain), Goran Dragic (left ankle sprain), Meyers Leonard (season-ending left shoulder surgery) and
Chris Silva (left hip flexor strain) currently away from the team.
The four Heat players who did not return this season are Kyle Alexander, Jae Crowder, Derrick Jones Jr., and Solomon Hill. In their place, Miami brought in Precious Achiuwa, Bradley, Moe Harkless and Max Strus.
“I think it’s just another game for us,” Heat guard Tyler Herro said of Saturday’s matchup against the Lakers. “Obviously, we need to come out with a lot of energy and be able to compete with them. I don’t think they have AD. So we just need to take advantage of our opportunity and try to finish this road trip up strong.”
The Heat enters Saturday’s game against the Lakers with a 2-3 record on its seven-game trip following Thursday’s 118-110 win over the Sacramento
Kings.
“They’re a great team,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the Lakers. “If you’re a competitor, you want to take on that challenge against the world champions. We’ve been so wrapped up in each one of these games on the road trip, I literally haven’t even given it a second of thought to this point. But yeah, I’m sure the guys will be looking forward to it.”
Finding ways to improve its struggling offensive has been a focus for Miami during the past month.
The Heat used elite three-point shooting, impressive ball movement and a lot of free throws to finish last regular season with the NBA’s seventhbest offensive rating (111.9 points scored per 100 possessions) and eventually get to the Finals.
Miami hasn’t been able to consistently find the right offensive formula yet this season, entering Friday with the league’s fifthworst offensive rating (106.8 points scored per 100 possessions).
In response to teams crowding its dribble handoffs and finding different ways to disrupt its off-ball movement that generated a lot of three-point looks last season, the Heat has begun taking advantage of the space that gives them in the paint.
Miami tied a seasonhigh with 70 paint points in Thursday’s win over the Kings, including 16 points off of cuts to the basket.
The Heat’s focus has been on finding solutions after a slow start to the season, but Saturday’s Finals rematch gives Miami a chance to reflect on what was just a few months ago and how much it needs to improve to get back to that championship series.
“I think we’re a ways away from being a good team right now, I’m not gonna lie,” Butler said. “We just gotta keep taking steps in the right direction. And with those steps in the right direction, just find a way to win games.”
MORE HEAT TICKETS AVAILABLE SATURDAY
With the Heat increasing the amount of fans permitted to attend games at AmericanAirlines Arena during the COVID-19 pandemic to about 3,000, a limited number of individual game tickets will soon be made available to the general public.
A few hundred individual game tickets will go on sale to the general public on Saturday starting at noon on Heat.com for each of the final four home games before the All-Star break: Wednesday vs. Toronto Raptors, Feb. 26 vs. Utah Jazz, and Feb. 28 and March 2 vs. Atlanta Hawks. There is a four ticket per game purchase limit.
The only constant in relief pitcher Anthony Bass’ baseball career the past half dozen years has been the annual rite of changing teams.
It started with his 2016 trek to Japan to play for the Nippon Professional Baseball League’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Since returning to Major League Baseball in 2017, he has played for the Texas Rangers (2017), Chicago Cubs (2018), Seattle Mariners (2019) and Toronto Blue Jays (2020).
The Marlins are now his sixth team in as many years, but Bass now has some chance for stability. He signed a twoyear deal with the club this offseason.
“I’ve been bouncing around,” Bass said after his first spring training workout in Jupiter with the Marlins. “It’s just nice to be somewhere to call home for a while.”
That was only one reason he signed with the Marlins.
The other?
“I wanted to go to a contender,” Bass said.
Miami made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2003. Bass faced the Marlins twice in 2020 as a member of the Blue Jays.
The first time, on Aug. 11, he gave up a two-out, three-run home run to Francisco Cervelli in the ninth inning that sent the game into extra innings (Toronto ultimately won 5-4 in the 10th). The second time, on Sept. 2, he earned the save by retiring the side on nine pitches at Marlins Park.
“Facing this group last year, it was tough,” said Bass, who had a 3.51 ERA over 26 appearances and converted seven saves. “They never gave away at-bats against me. I felt like they worked me. When I was done, when I was walking off the mound against these guys, I felt mentally exhausted.”
Now, Bass is part of the Marlins’ bullpen overhaul this offseason that Miami hopes will be a key point to building on last season’s achievements. The Marlins also signed Ross Detwiler out of free agency, traded for John Curtiss, Dylan Floro and Adam Cimber, and acquired Rule 5 draftees Paul Campbell and Zach Pop to go along with returnees Yimi Garcia, Richard Bleier and James Hoyt.
“I hope that there is competition,” Bass said, “because when there’s competition, that’s usually a healthy thing for a group of arms in the bullpen.”