Hayden O’Byrne United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida | The Florida Bar
A federal district judge in Ft. Pierce has sentenced a California couple to prison for their involvement in an online drug trafficking scheme. Vanessa Vanly Kaiser, 50, received a six-year sentence, while her husband Ronald Robert Kaiser, 61, was sentenced to nearly four years. Both pled guilty on December 19, 2024, to conspiring to distribute controlled substances such as methamphetamine.
The Kaisers were part of a scheme operating for about six months in 2023. Customers across the United States purchased narcotics without prescriptions from an online pharmacy. The drugs were supplied by a foreign drug trafficking organization and mailed by the Kaisers to customers nationwide, including South Florida. They also handled payments for the organization.
Over this period, the Kaisers distributed more than 169,000 pills and transferred over $500,000 using online money transfer applications and bank accounts. The drugs included Schedule II opioids and pills containing methamphetamine that appeared to be Adderall.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida along with several law enforcement officials: Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the DEA Miami Field Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of FBI Miami; Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of HSI Miami; and Acting Inspector in Charge Steven L. Hodges of USPIS Miami Division.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including DEA Miami Field Division, FBI Miami, HSI Fort Pierce, USPIS Miami Division with assistance from FDA-OCI and USMS.
Assistant United States Attorney Daniel E. Funk prosecuted the case.
Court documents related to this case can be accessed on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida or through PACER under case number 24-cr-80069.
