District of Kansas

WASHINGTON – A Kansas City, Kansas return preparer was sentenced to serve 27 months in prison today, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and  U.S. Attorney Thomas Beall for the District of Kansas.

 

According to documents filed with the court, Antoine Dorsey owned and operated Day-1 Tax Service, a tax preparation business in Kansas City. From 2009 through 2012, Dorsey reported fictitious business income on his clients’ returns to qualify them for the earned income tax credit, and claim refunds to which they were not entitled. Dorsey caused a tax loss to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of approximately $74,487.

 

In addition to the prison term imposed, Dorsey was ordered to serve one year of supervised release and to pay restitution in the amount of $88,467 including $74,487 to the IRS. On April 6, 2016, Dorsey pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting in the preparation of a fraudulent tax return.

 

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and U.S. Attorney Beall commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott C. Rask and Trial Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.

 

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.

 

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE USE THE CONTACTS IN THE MESSAGE OR CALL THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT 202-514-2007.

 

 

A Kansas City, Kansas return preparer was sentenced to serve 27 months in prison today, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Thomas Beall for the District of Kansas.

 

According to documents filed with the court, Antoine Dorsey owned and operated Day-1 Tax Service, a tax preparation business in Kansas City. From 2009 through 2012, Dorsey reported fictitious business income on his clients’ returns to qualify them for the earned income tax credit, and claim refunds to which they were not entitled. Dorsey caused a tax loss to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of approximately $74,487.

 

In addition to the prison term imposed, Dorsey was ordered to serve one year of supervised release and to pay restitution in the amount of $88,467 including $74,487 to the IRS. On April 6, 2016, Dorsey pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting in the preparation of a fraudulent tax return.

 

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and U.S. Attorney Beall commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott C. Rask and Trial Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.

 

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.

 

Armando Sotelo, 24, was sentenced to two years of supervised release today for a hate crime offense arising from his assault of a black Somali man on June 19, 2015, in Dodge City, Kansas.  Omar Cantero Martinez, 32, was sentenced to 26 months imprisonment and two years of supervised release today for committing perjury during a hate crimes prosecution arising from the same assault. Martinez also pleaded guilty today to an illegal reentry charge.

On November 29, 2016, Sotelo pleaded guilty to one count of a hate crime violation.  During his plea hearing, he admitted that he assaulted the victim, identified as M.H.D., because of M.H.D.’s race and national origin.  Sotelo admitted that he and two other men approached M.H.D., who is black and from Somalia, while M.H.D. was sitting on a bench with two other Somali men outside an African market.  The defendant approached the bench from one side, while the two men with him approached the bench from the other.  Sotelo and the others all yelled racial and anti-Somali slurs at M.H.D. and the two other Somali men on the bench.  The defendant then punched M.H.D. in the head without any justification, causing M.H.D. bodily injury.  Following the assault, Sotelo fled the scene and directed another person to wash his clothing, which was bloody from the assault.

Also on November 29, 2016, Martinez pleaded guilty to one count of perjury for providing materially false testimony during an October 2016 federal criminal jury trial related to the hate crime assault.  During his plea hearing, Martinez admitted that on the night of June 19, 2015, he had used a broken glass bottle to stab victim S.A.M. and slash victim A.M.A. without justification.  Martinez also admitted that racial and anti-Somali slurs were used during the attack and that he and Sotelo instigated the attack.  He further admitted that he provided false testimony about the incident during a federal jury trial in which he and Sotelo were charged with hate crimes offenses for the attack; that he knew his testimony was false at the time that he gave it; and that his false testimony was material to the hate crimes charges.

“Hate violence not only harms individuals but also threatens the diversity of our society and the well-being of our communities,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  “In this case, Sotelo attacked the victim because of the color of his skin and his country of origin, inflicting bodily injury during the assault.  Martinez participated in the assault and lied about it to a federal jury.  The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute hate crimes so that all people can live their lives with the security, protection and freedom they deserve.” 

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Garden City Resident Agency with assistance from the Dodge City Police Department and the Ford County, Kansas, Sheriff’s Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Risa Berkower and Special Litigation Counsel Jared Fishman of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst of the District of Kansas.

 

Armando Sotelo, 24, was sentenced to two years of supervised release today for a hate crime offense arising from his assault of a black Somali man on June 19, 2015, in Dodge City, Kansas.  Omar Cantero Martinez, 32, was sentenced to 26 months imprisonment and two years of supervised release today for committing perjury during a hate crimes prosecution arising from the same assault. Martinez also pleaded guilty today to an illegal reentry charge.

On November 29, 2016, Sotelo pleaded guilty to one count of a hate crime violation.  During his plea hearing, he admitted that he assaulted the victim, identified as M.H.D., because of M.H.D.’s race and national origin.  Sotelo admitted that he and two other men approached M.H.D., who is black and from Somalia, while M.H.D. was sitting on a bench with two other Somali men outside an African market.  The defendant approached the bench from one side, while the two men with him approached the bench from the other.  Sotelo and the others all yelled racial and anti-Somali slurs at M.H.D. and the two other Somali men on the bench.  The defendant then punched M.H.D. in the head without any justification, causing M.H.D. bodily injury.  Following the assault, Sotelo fled the scene and directed another person to wash his clothing, which was bloody from the assault.

Also on November 29, 2016, Martinez pleaded guilty to one count of perjury for providing materially false testimony during an October 2016 federal criminal jury trial related to the hate crime assault.  During his plea hearing, Martinez admitted that on the night of June 19, 2015, he had used a broken glass bottle to stab victim S.A.M. and slash victim A.M.A. without justification.  Martinez also admitted that racial and anti-Somali slurs were used during the attack and that he and Sotelo instigated the attack.  He further admitted that he provided false testimony about the incident during a federal jury trial in which he and Sotelo were charged with hate crimes offenses for the attack; that he knew his testimony was false at the time that he gave it; and that his false testimony was material to the hate crimes charges.

“Hate violence not only harms individuals but also threatens the diversity of our society and the well-being of our communities,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  “In this case, Sotelo attacked the victim because of the color of his skin and his country of origin, inflicting bodily injury during the assault.  Martinez participated in the assault and lied about it to a federal jury.  The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute hate crimes so that all people can live their lives with the security, protection and freedom they deserve.” 

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Garden City Resident Agency with assistance from the Dodge City Police Department and the Ford County, Kansas, Sheriff’s Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Risa Berkower and Special Litigation Counsel Jared Fishman of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst of the District of Kansas.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. B A Shawnee man who was co-owner of a roofing company pleaded guilty today to providing employment, transportation and housing for undocumented workers from Mexico who he knew were in the United States illegally, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Tommy Frank Keaton, 71, Shawnee, Kan., co-owner of Canadian West, Inc., and RAM Metal Products, doing business as Century Roofing, pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly harboring illegal aliens. In his plea, he admitted the crime occurred while he operated Century Roofing at 6 South 59th St. Lane in Kansas City, Kan. Keaton provided vehicles to some Mexican citizens who worked for his company, as well as housing at a residence he owned in the 1500 block of South 18th Street in Kansas City, Kan. He admitted that about $1.4 million the government seized from him are the proceeds of the offense and are subject to forfeiture.

 

Beall commended Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Kansas Department of Revenue, the Clay County Sheriff’s Department, the Overland Park Police Department, the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the Lenexa Police Department, the Shawnee Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson for their work on the case.

WASHINGTON – A federal jury returned guilty verdicts today in the case of a Chinese scientist, who was charged with conspiring to steal samples of a variety of rice seeds from a Kansas biopharmaceutical research facility.

 

Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary B. McCord of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and U.S. Attorney Tom Beall of the District of Kansas  made the announcement.

 

Weiqiang Zhang, 50, a Chinese national residing in Manhattan, Kansas, was convicted on one count of conspiracy to steal trade secrets, one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.

 

Evidence at trial established that Zhang worked as a rice breeder for Ventria Bioscience in Junction City, Kansas. Ventria develops genetically programmed rice to express recombinant human proteins, which are then extracted for use in the therapeutic and medical fields. Zhang has a master’s degree in agriculture from Shengyang Agricultural University in China and a doctorate degree from Louisiana State University.

 

According to trial evidence, Zhang acquired without authorization hundreds of rice seeds produced by Ventria and stored them at his residence in Manhattan. The rice seeds have a wide variety of health research applications and were developed to express either human serum albumin, contained in blood, or lactoferrin, an iron-binding protein found, for example, in human milk. Ventria used locked doors with magnetic card readers to restrict access to the temperature-controlled environment where the seeds were stored and processed.

 

Trial evidence demonstrated that in the summer of 2013, personnel from a crop research institute in China visited Zhang at his home in Manhattan. Zhang drove the visitors to tour facilities in Iowa, Missouri and Ohio. On Aug. 7, 2013, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found seeds belonging to Ventria in the luggage of Zhang’s visitors as they prepared to leave the United States for China.

 

The FBI’s Little Rock, Arkansas, Field Office and Kansas City, Missouri, Field Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas investigated the case. Trial Attorney Matt Walczewski of the National Security Division, Trial Attorneys Brian Resler and Evan Williams of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask of the District of Kansas prosecuted the case.

 

A federal jury returned guilty verdicts today in the case of a Chinese scientist, who was charged with conspiring to steal samples of a variety of rice seeds from a Kansas biopharmaceutical research facility.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary B. McCord of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and U.S. Attorney Tom Beall of the District of Kansas made the announcement.
            
Weiqiang Zhang, 50, a Chinese national residing in Manhattan, Kansas, was convicted on one count of conspiracy to steal trade secrets, one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. 

Evidence at trial established that Zhang worked as a rice breeder for Ventria Bioscience in Junction City, Kansas.  Ventria develops genetically programmed rice to express recombinant human proteins, which are then extracted for use in the therapeutic and medical fields.  Zhang has a master’s degree in agriculture from Shengyang Agricultural University in China and a doctorate degree from Louisiana State University.

According to trial evidence, Zhang acquired without authorization hundreds of rice seeds produced by Ventria and stored them at his residence in Manhattan.  The rice seeds have a wide variety of health research applications and were developed to express either human serum albumin, contained in blood, or lactoferrin, an iron-binding protein found, for example, in human milk.  Ventria used locked doors with magnetic card readers to restrict access to the temperature-controlled environment where the seeds were stored and processed.

Trial evidence demonstrated that in the summer of 2013, personnel from a crop research institute in China visited Zhang at his home in Manhattan.  Zhang drove the visitors to tour facilities in Iowa, Missouri and Ohio.  On Aug. 7, 2013, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found seeds belonging to Ventria in the luggage of Zhang’s visitors as they prepared to leave the United States for China.

The FBI’s Little Rock, Arkansas, Field Office and Kansas City, Missouri, Field Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas investigated the case.  Trial Attorney Matt Walczewski of the National Security Division, Trial Attorneys Brian Resler and Evan Williams of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask of the District of Kansas prosecuted the case.

WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday charging an Olathe man who worked at a store catering to runners with stealing more than $250,000 in merchandise, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Craig W. Sullivan, 41, Olathe, Kan., is charged with 10 counts of wire fraud and three counts of mail fraud. The indictment alleges the crimes occurred while Sullivan worked for Garry Gribble’s Running Sports, which has five locations in the Kansas City area. Sullivan oversaw merchandise arriving at the main store in Overland Park. He was responsible for distributing merchandise to the other locations.

 

The indictment alleges Sullivan stole merchandise -- mainly Garmin GPS running watches – and sold them to an individual in California who operated an online business on eBay. Sullivan shipped the stolen merchandise to California via the U.S. Postal Service and received payment via PayPal. The indictment alleges he received 51 payments totaling about $275,780.

 

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The U.S. Postal Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley is prosecuting.

 

Other Indictments

 

 

Andre U. Randle, 36, who is in custody, is charged with one count of bank robbery. The indictment alleges that on Feb. 1, 2017, he robbed the U.S. Bank at 10959 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan. According to court documents, he gave a clerk a note saying, “I have 2 guns. Don’t make me use them,” before leaving the bank with stolen cash in a purple pillow case. Officers of the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department stopped his car in the 6900 block of Troop and arrested him.

 

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley is prosecuting.

 

 

Brandon V. Wells, 22, Wichita, Kan., is charged with executing a series of commercial robberies in Wichita. The charges include:

 

Count one: Robbing Circle K at 1250 S. Rock on Jan. 27, 2017.

Count two: Robbing O’Reilly Auto Parts at 4818 E. Lincoln on Jan. 28, 2017.

Count three: Robbing O’Reilly Auto Parts at 4635 S. Broadway on Jan. 30, 2017.

Count four: Robbing O’Reilly Auto Parts at 4130 W. Central on Feb. 4, 2017.

Count five: Robbing Auto Zone at 3320 N. Rock on Feb. 5, 2017.

Count six: Robbing O’Reilly Auto Parts at 3109 E. Pawnee on Feb. 6, 2017.

Count seven: Brandishing a firearm during the Feb. 6, 2017, robber at O’Reilly Auto Parts at 3109 E. Pawnee.

Count eight: Robbing O’Reilly Auto Parts at 4818 E. Lincoln on Feb. 6, 2017.

Count nine: Brandishing a firearm during the Feb. 6, 2017, robbery at O’Reilly Auto Parts at 4818 E. Lincoln.

 

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each robbery count, and not less than seven years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count of brandishing a firearm. The Wichita Police Department, the FBI and the Safe Streets Task Force investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.

 

 

Luis A. Mendez-Aguirre, 35, San Elizareo, Texas, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 3, 2017, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

 

If convicted, he faces up 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.

 

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

WICHITA, KAN. – A Missouri man has been arrested and charged with robbing a bank in Osage City, Kan., U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said today.

 

Hunter Lee Prewitt, 28, Mountain Grove, Mo., was charged with one count of bank robbery. It is alleged that on Jan. 25, 2017, Prewitt robbed the Landmark National Bank at 106 South 6th Street in Osage City. According to court records, Prewitt gave a teller a note saying: “This a robbery. Give me all one hundreds, fifties and twenties.” He left the bank with cash and drove away in a white pickup truck.

 

Starting with a description of the truck, investigators obtained video surveillance photos and followed Prewitt’s movements including a stop at a gas station in Osage City before the robbery and a pawn shop in Lyndon, Kan. The Missouri Highway Patrol used that information to identify a 2003 Ford F-150 pickup registered to Prewitt. A crime intelligence analyst with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation conducted a search of law enforcement tag readers and he found more information on Prewitt and the truck. Prewitt was arrested outside Springfield, Mo.

 

If convicted, Prewitt faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Investigating agencies included the FBI, the KBI, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Heart of America Computer Forensics Laboratory. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag is prosecuting.

 

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

 

WICHITA KAN. – A registered sex offender who has been living in Wichita pleaded guilty Monday to distributing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Jeremy Michael Schmidt, formerly known as Jeremy Michael Davis, 41, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography. In 2013, Schmidt was convicted in Florida on a possession of child pornography charge and registered as a sex offender under the name Jeremy Michael Davis. He later changed his name to Jeremy Michael Schmidt.

 

Schmidt came to the attention of investigators in Wichita when they received four separate Cyber Tipline Reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Investigators identified emails in which Schmidt provided links to child pornography.

 

Sentencing is set for May 1. He faces a penalty of not less than 15 years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Beall commended the Wichita Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Assistant U.S. attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. – A Derby man pleaded guilty in federal court in Wichita today to stealing mail while he worked as a mail carrier, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Gary W. Yenzer, 34, Derby, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of theft of U.S. mail. In his plea, he admitted that in August and September 2016 while working as a mail carrier in rural Sedgwick County he stole mail. Investigators learned Yenzer looked for birthday and anniversary cards so he could remove cash and gift cards. He kept the cash and sold some of the gift cards for cash, but he did not use the gift cards for fear of them bring traced to him.

 

Sentencing is set for May 1. The government has agreed to recommend a sentence of a year and a day in prison. Beall commended the U.S. Postal Service-Office of Inspector General and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. - A Wichita man was charged in federal court here today in two armed robberies at auto parts stores, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Brandon V. Wells, 22, Wichita, Kan., was charged with two counts of commercial robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a robbery.

 

According to court records, it is alleged that on Feb. 6, 2017, Wells was carrying a firearm when he and an accomplice robbed O’Reilly Auto Parts at 3109 E. Pawnee in Wichita. Wells used a handgun to threaten employees before he and the accomplice fled the store with stolen cash.

 

Two Wichita police officers who heard the robbery call set up surveillance at a nearby O’Reilly’s Auto Parts Store at 4818 E. Lincoln. The officers noted that the back door was propped open when they arrived and they soon saw the subjects leave the store. One subject escaped but they were able to arrest Wells.

 

If convicted, Wells faces a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each robbery charge, and not less than seven years (consecutive to the underlying sentence) on the first brandishing charge and 25 years on the second brandishing charge. The Wichita Police Department, the FBI and the Safe Streets Task Force investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.

 

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

 

TOPEKA, KAN. – Five Topeka men were indicted Wednesday in separate cases on federal firearms charges, U. S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

The defendants are:

Amir Antwan Torenze Peppers, 24, who is in custody in the Shawnee County Jail, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.

Mason Cameron Reves, 27, Topeka, Kan., one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction, and one count of unlawful possession of a sawed off shotgun.

Bruce Mayo Nichols II, 34, Topeka, Kan., one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.

Oscar D. Rangel, 28, who is in custody in the Shawnee County Jail, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction, and one count of possession of a stolen firearm.

Chad C. Ramage, 46, Topeka, Kan., one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.

 

Under federal law it is illegal for convicted felons to possess firearms. If convicted, the defendants face up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Investigating agencies included the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag, Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard.

 

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

TOPEKA, KAN. B A Topeka man was sentenced Monday to 46 months in federal prison for conspiring to operate an interstate sex trafficking business, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Barry M. Johnson, 40, Topeka, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy. In his plea, he admitted conspiring with co-defendants to run a Topeka-based prostitution business that operated in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. At times, as many as 20 females were working as prostitutes for the organization. The leader of the organization rented houses where some of the prostitutes were allowed to live. The organization used Web sites, social media and cell phones to advertise sexual services and to keep track of prostitutes.

 

Johnson admitted he recruited and groomed potential sex workers for the organization. Johnson would notify the leader of the conspiracy he had a female who was ready to work and they would negotiate how much he would be paid.

 

Co-defendants include:

Frank Boswell, 43, Topeka, Kan., who is set for jury trial March 7.

Michaela Hekekia, 37, Topeka, who is set for sentencing March 20.

Rachel Flenniken, 34, Topeka, Kan., who is awaiting sentencing.

Sean P. Hall, 47, Topeka, Kan., who is awaiting sentencing.

Shannon Nelson, 23, Topeka, Kan., who is set for sentencing May 1.

 

Beall commended the Topeka Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney for their work on the case.

 

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

WICHITA, KAN. B A Kansas store owner and a customer were sentenced Monday for violating the National Firearm Act, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Shane Cox, 45, Chanute, Kan., owner of an Army surplus store in Chanute called Tough Guys, was sentenced to two years on probation and ordered to pay an $800 special assessment. In November, a federal jury convicted him on the following charges:

 

Unlawful possession of an explosive device not registered in the National Firearms Transfer Record (counts two and four).

Unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm, short barreled rifle (count three).

Unlawful transfer of an unregistered silencer (counts six, seven, eight, nine and 11).

Making an unregistered silencer (count 10).Engaging as a dealer and manufacturer of silencers without paying a federal occupational tax (count 12).

Unlawful possession of an unregistered silencer (count 13).

 

Co-defendant Jeremy Kettler, 28, Chanute, Kan., was sentenced to one year on probation and ordered to pay a $100 dollar special assessment. In November, a jury convicted him on one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered silencer (count 13).

 

During trial, the government presented evidence that Cox manufactured silencers and sold them without registering them. Prosecutors also presented evidence that Cox possessed explosive devices that were not registered.

 

Beall commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rich Hathaway for their work on the case.

TOPEKA, KAN. – A Topeka woman was sentenced Friday to 34 months in federal prison for the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Tiara Jade Newman, 23, Topeka, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. In her plea, she admitted that on March 21, 2015, she and her husband, co-defendant Reginald Newman, 30, Topeka, Kan., took a 17-year-old girl from Topeka to Junction City, Kan., for the purpose of prostitution.

 

The Newmans rented two rooms at a Value Place motel in Junction City. They used one room for performing commercial sex acts and slept in the other room. Newman and the girl met a solder from Fort Riley at the Value Place motel. The soldier paid $250 to have sex with both of them.

 

Tiara Newman took the girl along on an “out call” to the Fairfield Inn in Manhattan, Kan. Newman told a customer there that the girl was new and she was showing her the business. The customer noticed that the girl was nervous and gave her a tip.

 

Reginald Newman kept all the money from the commercial sex acts. He pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

 

Beall thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney and the following agencies for their work on the case: The Topeka Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Riley County Police Department, the Junction City Police Department, the Kansas Department of Revenue, the Fort Riley Police Department, the Ottawa Police Department, the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office, the Pottawatomie County Attorney, the Riley County Attorney and local human trafficking victim specialists.

WICHITA, KAN. – A Wichita man was indicted Tuesday on federal charges of using stolen identities to applying for car loans, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Reu Charles Chamberlain, 30, Wichita, Kan., is charged with three counts of wire fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft. The indictment alleges he used identification bearing his picture along with information from stolen identities to apply for the following car loans:

-- $48,902 for a 2016 Dodge challenger at Eddy’s Chrysler Jeep Dodge.

-- $44,746 for a 2015 Dodge Challenger at Midway Motors.

-- $30,740 for a 2013 Cadillac CTS at Super Car Guys.

 

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each wire fraud count, and a mandatory two years (consecutive) on each of the other counts. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.

 

 

OTHER GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS

 

Heraclio Estrella-Montero, 30, who is unlawfully in in the United States; Yoan Alejandro Castillo-Zamora, 30, who is unlawfully in the United States; Fernando Chavez-Rodriguez, 40, who is unlawfully in the United States; Michael Cura, 43, Edinburg, Texas; and Richard Slauenwhite, 33, Rio Grande, Texas, are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Jan. 9 to Jan. 13, 2017, in Shawnee County, Kan.

 

If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough is prosecuting.

 

George S. James, 48, Brookhaven, Ga., is charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

 

James first appeared in court Jan. 24 on a criminal complaint charging him with wire fraud. The indictment adds an aggravated identity theft count. James is accused of carrying out an e-mail spoofing scheme that cost Sedgwick County $566,000. He is alleged to have stolen the identity of a Cornejo and Sons executive so he could divert a payment the county meant to send to the company.

 

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the wire fraud count and a mandatory two years (consecutive) on the identity theft charge. The FBI, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and the Wichita Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.

 

Greggory K. O’Neal, 33, Derby, Kan., Sarah Beth Myers, 20, El Dorado, Kan., and Ashley N. Moore, 30, Wichita, Kan., are charged with drug trafficking. O’Neal is charged with four counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (counts 1, 3, 5 and 6), two counts of possession with intent to distribute marijuana (counts 2 and 4) and one count of distributing methamphetamine (count 7). Meyers and Moore are charged with one count each of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (counts 3 and 6 respectively). The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2015 and 2016 in Sedgwick County, Kan.

 

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

Counts 1, 6 and 7: Not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million.

Counts 2 and 4: Up to five years and a fine up to $250,000.

Counts 3 and 5: Not less than five and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $5 million.

 

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Wichita Police Department and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.

 

Samuel Garcia-Ayala, 34, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a person unlawfully in the United States, one count of unlawful possession of a false document, and one count of aggravated identity theft. He was found Jan. 3, 2017, in Ford County, Kan.

 

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the firearm charge and the document charge, and a mandatory two years (consecutive) on the identity theft charge. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

 

Juan Manuel Araujo-Gutierrez, 31, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United states after being deported. He was found Jan. 5, 2017, in Reno county, Kan.

 

If convicted, he faces up to two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

 

Irineo Martinez-Merino, 36, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a person unlawfully in the United States. The crime is alleged to have occurred May 5, 2016, in Marion County, Kan.

 

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

 

Genaro Herrera-Hernandez, 32, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United states after being convicted of a crime and deported. He was found Dec. 22, 2016, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

 

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

 

Wade A. Dunn, 28, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Oct. 5, 2016, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

 

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is prosecuting.

 

Kip Allen Koch, 44, Chanute, Kan., is charged with four counts of distributing methamphetamine The crimes are alleged to have occurred in July and August 2016 in Neosho County, Kan.

 

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years on two of the counts and not less than five years on the other two counts. He also faces a fine up to $10 million on two of the counts and up to $5 million on the other two counts. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Rodebaugh is prosecuting.

 

 

Miguel Lizarraga Sauceda, 21, Federal Way, Wash., is charged with one count of possession with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred Dec. 27, 2016, in Seward County, Kan.

 

If convicted, he faces not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Rodebaugh is prosecuting.

 

Osvaldo Aguilar, 25, a resident of Mexico, is charged with possession with intent to distribute approximately 19.7 kilograms of cocaine. The crime is alleged to have occurred Dec. 30, 2016, in Clark County, Kan.

 

If convicted, he faces not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Rodebaugh is prosecuting.

 

 

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

 

WASHINGTON – A Kansas man was sentenced today to 52 months in prison for his role in a scheme involving the illegal export of firearms from the United States using a hidden online marketplace, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Tom Beall of the District of Kansas.

 

Michael Andrew Ryan, aka Brad Jones and GunRunner, 36, of Manhattan, Kansas, previously pleaded guilty to six counts of exporting and attempting to export firearms illegally from the United States to individuals located in other countries on June 6, 2016, and was remanded into custody on Oct. 6, 2016. In addition to imposing today’s prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Crabtree of the District of Kansas ordered Ryan to forfeit all firearms and ammunition seized by law enforcement during the investigation.

 

In connection with his plea, Ryan admitted that he used the hidden internet marketplace Black Market Reloaded, a website hosted on the Tor network where users can traffic anonymously in illegal drugs and other illegal goods, to unlawfully export or attempt to export firearms from the United States to Cork, Ireland; Mallow, Ireland; Pinner, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; Victoria, Australia. These goods included dozens of firearms, including pistols, revolvers, UZIs and Glocks, some from which the manufacturer’s serial numbers had been removed, altered or obliterated, as well as magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kansas City Field Division investigated the case with assistance from ATF’s National Investigative Division; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and the Manhattan and Riley County, Kansas, Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough of the District of Kansas and Senior Counsel Marie-Flore Johnson of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section prosecuted the case.

WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas hunting guide was indicted Tuesday on charges of violating the Lacy Act and the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said. Two of the guide’s employees and a hunter from Georgia also were charged.

 

The 21-count indictment alleges violations including exceeding daily bag limits, killing waterfowl over bait, killing hawks, using electronic bird calls and possessing untagged birds.

 

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it a federal crime to kill migratory birds except with a permit and in compliance with state hunting regulations. The Lacy Act makes it unlawful to sell or transport wildlife taken in violation of state hunting regulations.

 

Named in the indictment are:

Josh Hedges, 34, Grenola, Kan., owner of Eagle Head Outfitters, one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacy Act and 12 counts of unlawful sale and transport of wildlife.

Jerad Stroot, 25, Colwich, Kan., employee of Eagle Head Outfitters, six counts of unlawful sale or transport of wildlife.

Allen Stroot, 32, Park City, Kan., employ of Eagle Head Outfitters, one count of violating the Migratory Bird Act.

Steve Seagraves, 61, Douglasville, Ga., a customer of Eagle Head Outfitters, one count of violating the Migratory Bird Act.

 

Upon conviction, counts 1 through 8, 12 through 16, 18 and 19 carry a penalty of up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 (see attached indictment). The other counts carry a penalty of up to six months and a fine up to $5,000. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism investigated.

 

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

 

WICHITA, KAN. B A Wichita man who held a jewelry store owner at gunpoint pleaded guilty Monday in that incident and a separate bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Terence L. Thomas, 25, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of brandishing a firearm during the jewelry store incident and one count of bank robbery.

 

In the jewelry store incident, Thomas admitted he had a knife when he approached the owner of Kim Chee Jewelry at 2038 N. Broadway as the owner and his wife arrived for work. The owner drew a handgun in self-defense. The two men wrestled and shots were fired before Thomas got the gun. He forced the owner to open the door to the business. When Thomas tried to drag the owner’s wife into the business, she fell to the ground, feigning a heart attack. Thomas fled the scene after the owner locked him out of the business. A witness took photos of Thomas’ car as he fled, which helped police to identify Thomas and arrest him.

 

In a separate incident a month earlier, Thomas robbed the Fidelity Bank at 3525 E. Harry. He told the teller, “This is a robbery,” and counted down from twenty while the teller put cash in his bag. He fled the bank with the money.

 

Sentencing is set for April 19. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the bank robbery count, and a penalty of not less than seven years (consecutive) and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of brandishing a firearm during a robbery. Beall commended the Wichita Police Department, FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.

 

WICHITA, KAN. B A Wichita man with a previous conviction for sexual abuse was sentenced Monday to 22 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Jonathan Curtis McClain, 37, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography. In his plea, McClain admitted he previously was convicted of sexual abuse in 1998 in Medford, Ore.

 

This investigation began when agents of the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations in Tennessee identified McClain’s user profile engaged in chats on the Internet telling other users about his interest in watching child pornography. In March 2016 McClain sent child pornography to an investigator.

 

Beall commended the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – An Olathe woman pleaded guilty Monday in a scheme to collect income tax refunds by creating companies that existed only on paper, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Raquel Odegbaro, 39, Olathe, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of mail fraud.

 

Odegbaro was the owner of Cokeza Styles, an online business that sold hair products. In her plea, she admitted she and her co-conspirators created a series of fictitious companies and filed tax returns in the names of so-called employees by providing false information about wages earned, amounts withheld and refunds due. The false tax returns directed the Internal Revenue Service to deposit refunds electronically to reloadable credit cards controlled by the conspirators. The individuals whose names appeared on the refunds never actually worked for the fictitious companies.

 

In addition, the conspirators used stolen Social Security numbers to apply for unemployment benefits from the Kansas Department of Labor. They created more than nine fictitious companies and registered them with the labor department. They filed false claims in the names of employees who purportedly were terminated without fault.

Odegbaro is set for sentencing on April 19, 2017. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 75 months in federal prison and restitution of more than $894,000.

 

Co-defendants Abdirizak Aden, 32, Kansas City, Mo; Alexander Limihagati, 33, Overland Park, Kan., Zia Mkubi Kajanja, 40, Overland Park, Kan., are awaiting trial.

 

Beall commended the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor and Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, the Kansas Department of Children and Families, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Education – Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble for their work on the case.

 

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

A Kansas man was sentenced today to 52 months in prison for his role in a scheme involving the illegal export of firearms from the United States using a hidden online marketplace, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall of the District of Kansas.

Michael Andrew Ryan, aka Brad Jones and GunRunner, 36, of Manhattan, Kansas, previously pleaded guilty to six counts of exporting and attempting to export firearms illegally from the United States to individuals located in other countries on June 6, 2016, and was remanded into custody on Oct. 6, 2016.  In addition to imposing today’s prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Crabtree of the District of Kansas ordered Ryan to forfeit all firearms and ammunition seized by law enforcement during the investigation.

In connection with his plea, Ryan admitted that he used the hidden internet marketplace Black Market Reloaded, a website hosted on the Tor network where users can traffic anonymously in illegal drugs and other illegal goods, to unlawfully export or attempt to export firearms from the United States to Cork, Ireland; Mallow, Ireland; Pinner, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; Victoria, Australia.  These goods included dozens of firearms, including pistols, revolvers, UZIs and Glocks, some from which the manufacturer’s serial numbers had been removed, altered or obliterated, as well as magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kansas City Field Division investigated the case with assistance from ATF’s National Investigative Division; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and the Manhattan and Riley County, Kansas, Police Departments.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough of the District of Kansas and Senior Counsel Marie-Flore Johnson of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section prosecuted the case.

TOPEKA, KAN. B A Wabaunsee County woman who was the executor of her mother’s estate pleaded guilty Monday to fraud in the sale a South Padre Island condo, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Julie D. Woodland, 55, Maple Hill, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of funds obtained by fraud. In her plea, she admitted she served as trustee of trusts set up by her parents, Stephen W. Dibble and Elaine R. Dibble. It was her parents’ intent that proceeds of the trusts be shared equally among Woodland and her siblings, Lance A. Dibble and Stan Dibble. Woodland also was executor of her mother’s estate.

 

Woodland sold a condo in Texas belonging to the trust for $270,000. She distributed half the proceeds to her brother, Stan Dibble, and she kept the rest. Her brother, Lance Dibble, requested an accounting of the trust funds, but she refused to provide the information.

 

Sentencing is set for May 8. She faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Beall commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rich Hathaway for their work on the case.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Three defendants were sentenced Tuesday for taking part in a real estate fraud scheme in which developers borrowed to build townhomes at Table Rock Lake, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said today.

 

David P. Drake, 67, Lone Tree, Colo., was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison.

Donald D. Snider, 57, Littleton, Colo., was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison.

Heather A. Gibbs, 54, Donald Snider’s wife, was sentenced three years on probation.

 

Drake and Snider pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. In their pleas, Drake and Snider admitted they were business partners in a company called Western Site Services that set out to develop land in a project known as Indian Ridge Resorts. They made false representations in order to obtain financing from three banks including Columbian Bank and Trust.

 

In her plea, Gibbs admitted she knew that the developers submitted fraudulent invoices to the banks and she did not report the crime.

 

Beall commended the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation - OIG, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Secret Service and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. B A Georgia man has been arrested on federal charges he carried out an e-mail spoofing scheme that cost Sedgwick County $566,000, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

George S. James, 48, Brookhaven, Ga., is charged with one count of wire fraud. An FBI agent’s affidavit alleges that investigators followed an electronic trail that led them to James after Sedgwick reported the theft of funds that were intended to pay Cornejo & Sons, LLC, for work done on a road project.

 

The criminal complaint alleges that on Sept 23, 2016, Sedgwick County received an e-mail purporting to be from the CEO of the Cornejo company and with a form attached requesting payments be made electronically to a new account at a Wells Fargo Bank in Georgia. Payment was made on Oct. 7, 2016, after which time the county learned that Cornejo did not receive the payment and did not send the e-mail to the county. James fraudulently received the payment through an account he held at a Georgia bank in the name of Rapid Repairs and Consultants.

 

The criminal complaint alleges the scheme involved providing false information over the Internet to the county’s Automated Clearing House. The fraudulent email caused the county to change the information it kept on file for the Cornejo company’s financial institution and bank account. The email request was sent from r.cornejo@cornejocorp.net to AP_invoices@sedgwick.org.

 

If convicted, he faces a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $25,000. The FBI, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and the Wichita Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.

 

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

WICHITA, KAN. B Two Wichita men pleaded guilty Monday of brandishing or aiding and abetting another robber who brandished a firearm during a bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Raishat McGill, 35, Wichita, Kan., and Elijah Shelton, 25, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count each of brandishing a firearm in a crime of violence. In their pleas, they admitted that on June 13, 2016, they robbed the Carson Bank at 4461 E. Douglas in Wichita. On that day, two individuals who were disguised entered the bank, one of them brandishing a firearm. The robbers demanded and received money before fleeing. The money they received contained a global positioning device that police used to track the defendants and arrest them.

 

McGill and Shelton are set for sentencing April 13. In both cases, the parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 84 months in federal prison. Earlier this month, co-defendant Andre Bryant, 30, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to the same charge. He is set for sentencing April 10.

 

Beall commended the Wichita Police Department, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith for their work on the case.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. B A Kansas City, Kan., man who told investigators he preferred jail to living with his wife pleaded guilty Monday to a federal bank robbery charge, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Lawrence John Ripple, 70, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery. A criminal complaint in the case alleged that on Sept. 2, 2016, Ripple sat down in the lobby and waited for police after robbing the Bank of Labor at 756 Minnesota Ave. in Kansas City, Kan. He told investigators that after an argument with his wife he felt he would rather be in prison than go back home.

 

Sentencing will be set for a later date. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Beall commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Catania for their work on the case.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. B A Missouri man is set to appear in federal court here Monday on charges he and his accomplices scammed desperate homeowners with false promises to help them save their homes, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

A federal indictment alleges the defendants used the U.S. Postal Service and the Internet to target victims with financial problems.

 

Tyler Korn, 27, St. Ann, Missouri, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, and five counts of wire fraud. Co-defendants Amjad Daoud, 32, Lutz, Fla., and Ruby Price, 72, Bonner Springs, Kan., already have appeared in federal court in Kansas City, Kan., in the case.

 

The indictment alleges Korn and Daoud used the address of a UPS store in Overland Park, Kan., to form Reliant Home Financial Group, a company they operated out of the St. Louis metro area. Price operated The Arize Group from rented space in Overland Park. Together, they devised a scheme to defraud homeowners with false promises of protecting them from foreclosure.

 

The indictment alleges the defendants fraudulently promised the victims to:

-- Lower their interest rates.

-- Lower their monthly payments

-- Help them obtain loan modifications.

 

When victims received foreclosure notices, the defendants allegedly advised them not to worry about it.

 

If convicted, Korn faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each count. The Department of Housing and Urban Development investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble is prosecuting.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. B Three men from Mexico appeared in federal court in Topeka today on charges of smuggling liquid methamphetamine into Kansas City, Kan., in the gas tank of a semi-trailer truck, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

The defendants are alleged to have smuggled more than 1,000 pounds of liquid methamphetamine that they pumped out of the gas tank of the truck.

 

Heraclio Estrella-Montero, 30, Yoan Alejandro Castillo-Zamora, 30, and Fernando Chavez-Rodriquez, 40, all of Mexico, are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

 

According to court papers, the men were arrested in Kansas City, Kan., about 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, after pumping the liquid methamphetamine from the truck into five-gallon buckets.

 

If convicted they face a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million. Investigators include the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Kansas City DEA Special Response Team, and the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough is prosecuting.

 

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

TOPEKA, KAN. B A man who owned a medical imaging business was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in federal prison for health care fraud, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said. In addition, the defendant was ordered to pay more than $1.5 million in restitution to Medicare and Medicaid.

 

Cody Lee West, 38, Paragould, Ark., owner of C & S Imaging, Inc., pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud. C & S Imaging was a mobile independent diagnostic testing facility that provided ultra sound diagnostic testing to health care providers.

 

In his plea, West admitted he solicited chiropractors and told them he could provide equipment and an operator at no cost to them. West fraudulently billed Medicare for musculoskeletal exams and Doppler scans that allowed him to receive up to $410 per patient for services that were not ordered by a physician, not medically necessary, not performed or not documented. He also used fraudulent methods to attempt to provide documentation for some of his bills.

 

Beall commended the Department of Health and Human Services, the Kansas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Treadway for their work on the case.

TOPEKA, KAN. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday charging a Topeka man with bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Dakota Shareef Walker, 20, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of bank robbery. The indictment alleges that on Nov. 28, 2016, he robbed the U.S. Bank at 5730 Southwest 21st Street in Topeka.

 

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The FBI and the Topeka Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag is prosecuting.

 

 

OTHER GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS

 

 

Jesus S. Arrendondo, 26, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with one count of assaulting a person on federal property with intent to commit bodily harm. The crime is alleged to have occurred Nov. 6, 2016 at Fort Riley.

 

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Fort Riley Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Graham are prosecuting.

 

 

Donald R. Schooler, 56, is charged with failing to register as required under the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

 

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Marshal Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney is prosecuting.

 

Roberto Munoz-Aguilar, 41, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Nov. 21, 2016, in Ford County, Kan.

 

If convicted, he faces up to two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

 

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct

TOPEKA, KAN. B A federal jury Thursday convicted a former teller at a bank in Burlington on charges of embezzling approximately $700,000, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said today.

 

Denise Christy, 48, Burlington, Kan., was convicted on one count of embezzlement, six counts of making false bank entries, six counts of filing false tax returns and six counts of money laundering.

 

During trial, the prosecutor presented evidence the crimes were committed while Christy worked as a retail financial services representative and backup vault teller for the Burlington branch of Central National Bank. One of Christy’s duties was to sell cash in the bank’s vault to the Federal Reserve Bank. In May 2014 auditors determined that more than $700,000 was missing from the vault. Christy falsely claimed the money was shipped to the Federal Reserve Bank via the Garda security company. An investigation showed Christy falsified bank records to cover up the embezzlement and failed to report the embezzled funds as part of her income. In addition, she unlawfully conducted financial transactions in order to spend more than $77,000 in embezzled funds to pay off loans that she and her husband maintained at Farmers State Bank in Aliceville, Kan.

 

Sentencing is set for April 17. The crimes carry the following penalties:

 

Embezzlement: A maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million.

Making false bank entries: A maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each count.

False tax returns: A maximum penalty of three years and a fine up to $100,000 on each count.

Money laundering: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $50,000 on each count.

 

Beall commended the Internal Revenue Service and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rich Hathaway for their work on the case.

TOPEKA, KAN. – A 19-year-old man was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in federal prison for involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a 16-year-old boy on Fort Riley, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said. The defendant also was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution for funeral expenses.

 

Juwuan D. Jackson, 19, who lived on the Fort Riley base at the time, pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter. He admitted that on Sept. 11, 2015, he handled a firearm in a reckless manner, resulting in the shooting death of 16-year-old Kenyon Givens, Jr., who also lived on Fort Riley.

 

According to court records, when military police responded to the shooting Jackson told them an unknown intruder wearing a mask had forced his way into the home and shot Givens. Paramedics were not allowed to enter and treat Givens until military police had searched the house for an intruder. At the same time, police began searching the neighborhood to find the weapon and the masked shooter.

 

Investigators eventually learned that Jackson had been playing with a loaded .22 caliber handgun before the shooting. Jackson spun the chamber while holding the trigger. The revolver discharged and a bullet struck Givens in the chest.

 

Beall commended the Army Criminal Investigations Division and the FBI, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Graham and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Mattivi for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. B A Wichita man pleaded guilty Tuesday of brandishing or aiding and abetting another robber who brandished a firearm during a bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Andre Bryant, 30, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting or brandishing a firearm in a crime of violence. In his plea, he admitted that on June 13, 2016, he and co-defendants robbed the Carson Bank at 4461 E. Douglas in Wichita. Two individuals who were disguised entered the bank, one of them brandishing a firearm. They demanded and received money before fleeing. The money they received contained a global positioning device that police used to track Bryant and the co-defendants and arrest them.

 

Bryant is set for sentencing April 10. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 84 months in federal prison.

 

Co-defendants Raishat Magill and Elijah Shelton are awaiting trial.

 

Beall commended the Wichita Police Department, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith for their work on the case.

 

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

TOPEKA, KAN. – A Texas woman pleaded guilty Monday to selling designer drugs manufactured in Kansas, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Michelle Reulet, 37, Montgomery, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Reulet and co-defendant Michael Myers owned a business in the Houston area called Bully Wholesale. They sold products that were purchased from co-defendants Tracy Picanso and Roy Ehrett in Olathe, Kan.

 

The products Reulet’s company sold designer drugs marketed under names such as Pump It, Head trip, Black Arts and Grave Digger. In her plea, Reulet admitted she knew buyers consumed her products to get high, despite labels making false claims that the products were safe and were not intended for human consumption. The products were marketed as incense, potpourri and shoe deodorizer. Their labels did not warn of possible harmful effects.

 

Reulet’s business had gross sales of more than $2 million.

 

Sentencing is set for April 17. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of five years in federal prison and a civil forfeiture of almost $2 million.

 

Beall commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Food and Drug Administration – Office of Criminal Investigations, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, the Overland Park Police Department, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the Olathe Police Department, the St. Joseph Police Department and the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Treadway and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Mattivi for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. – A former president of a bank in Plains, Kan., was sentenced Monday to one year on federal probation for not reporting suspicious activity in a customer’s bank account, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

James Kirk Friend, 53, Plains, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of failing to file a Suspicious Activity Report while he worked at Plains State Bank in Plains, Kan. Friend failed to report suspicious activity in the account of George and Agatha Enns, bank customers who were indicted on charges of laundering proceeds of drug trafficking. Friend admitted he was aware of significant currency and third party check deposits in the Enns’ account that he knew should have been reported. The bank used software to detect suspicious activity and the software flagged the Enns’ account on a regular basis.

 

The Enns pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy. They are set for sentencing Feb. 27.

 

Beall commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Internal Revenue Service and Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Barnett for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. B A Rose Hill man pleaded guilty Friday to a federal identity theft charge, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 

Justin Alan Vanley, Rose Hill, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft. In his plea, he admitted a co-defendant gave him a U.S. Postal Service roster with personal information for two postal service employees. Vanley used the identity of one of the postal workers to apply for a Chase Marriott credit card with a $32,000 credit limit. He waited for the card to arrive in the mail and intercepted the card before it reached the victim.

 

Vanley was one of 13 people charged in an indictment returned in May alleging they were part of a $3.5 million identity theft scheme.

 

Sentencing is set for March 24. Vanley faces a penalty of two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

 

Beall commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department, the Wichita Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger for their work on the case.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - An Iraqi man who falsified his application for a visa by claiming to have worked as a translator for the U.S. Army in Iraq was sentenced Wednesday to two years in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Goran Sabah Ghafour, 35, who lived in Lawrence, Kan., while he was a graduate student at the University of Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of visa fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

In his plea, Ghafour admitted he applied for a visa under a program allowing Iraqi nationals who worked for or on behalf of the U.S. government in Iraq to qualify for a visa. To support a false claim that he worked as a translator for the U.S. Army Ghafour fabricated a letter from an Army officer recognizing his work. In fact, the officer whose name was on the letter did not know Ghafour and did not consent to Ghafour writing the letter.

Beall commended Homeland Security Investigations and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday charging a Wichita woman with bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Christina A. Messerschmidt, 25, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of bank robbery. The indictment alleges that on Dec. 16, 2016, Messerschmidt robbed Intrust Bank at 1544 S. Webb in Wichita. Court documents allege she gave a teller a note written on a deposit slip saying, “Give me $1,000 or I will shoot you.” She told the teller, “If you push it, I’ll do it.”

Bank employees told police they recognized the woman as a customer who had opened an account in November and they provided police with her address, leading to her arrest.

If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The FBI and the Wichita Police investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.

Other Indictments

Miguel Arreola-Rosas, 37, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found in Wyandotte County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces up to two years in federal prison. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Krug is prosecuting.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

 

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Shawnee man pleaded guilty Tuesday to robbing an Overland Park bank at gunpoint, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Mamoudou U. Kaba, 21, Shawnee, pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during the robbery. In his plea, he admitted that he brandished a gun on Sept 22, 2015, when he robbed U.S. Bank at 9900 West 87th in Overland Park, Kan.

He pointed a gun at a clerk and customers before fleeing the bank with stolen cash.

He faces up to 25 years on the robbery charge and not less than seven years on the firearm charge, with the sentences running consecutively.

The Overland Park Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting.

TOPEKA, KAN. – A physician’s assistant who gave Botox injections to clients in Garden City and Scott City was sentenced Tuesday to a year on federal probation for violating the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Joel Erskin, 53, Garden City, Kan. pleaded guilty to one count of receiving and dispensing misbranded drugs. In his plea, he admitted the crimes occurred while he owned and operated Renovo Medical, LLC, also known as University Medical. Erskin purchased cheaper versions of Botox® and Juvaderm® from Canadian pharmacies. The Botox he purchased was misbranded and failed to meet labeling requirements. The Juvaderm was adulterated and not approved for distribution in the United States.

Erskin did not inform his clients that the drugs were purchased from Canada and did not meet federal standards.

Beall commended the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Treadway for their work on the case.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A Leavenworth woman was sentenced Tuesday to four months in custody followed by four months home confinement for embezzling more than $500,000 from the bank where she worked, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said. In addition, she was ordered to pay full restitution.

Ashley Blacketer, 29, Leavenworth, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement by a bank employee. In her plea, she admitted the crime occurred while she worked for Exchange National Bank & Trust in Leavenworth.

Over a period of six years, Blacketer covered up the crime by falsifying a ledger showing the amount of cash in the bank’s vault. The crime was discovered during an audit after she left the bank for another job.

Beall commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley for their work on the case.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A Kansas City, Kan., man was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years for taking part in an armed robbery at a Stillwell bank and leading police on a high speed chase with a child in his car, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Gary Jordan, 40, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm during a robbery and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.

In his plea, Jordan admitted that on March 9, 2016, he and co-defendant Jacob L. Smith, 19, Kansas City, Kan., were armed with handguns when they entered the First National Bank at 7460 W. 199th Street in Stilwell, Kan. They held tellers at gunpoint before fleeing with cash stuffed in a backpack. Jordan took the wheel of the getaway car.

During the next 25 minutes, the robbers were pursued by the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Leawood Police Department and other law enforcement agencies as they fled across the Kansas/Missouri state line. During the chase, Smith fired at officers six times from the car. After the car overturned on a sharp turn, the defendants were arrested. Throughout the chase, co-defendant Danille Morris, 27, Kansas City, Kan., and her 19-month-old child were in the car. She is set for sentencing Jan. 26. Jacob Smith is set for sentencing Jan. 17.

Beall commended all the agencies that assisted in the investigation including the FBI, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Leawood Police Department, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, as well as the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley

WICHITA, KAN. - An Arizona man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in Wichita, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Samuel Below, 29, Phoenix, Ariz., pleaded guilty to one count of interstate travel in furtherance of drug trafficking and one count of carrying a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He admitted that on Jan. 12, 2016, he traveled from Phoenix to Wichita with more than half a pound of methamphetamine he intended to distribute here. He also admitted that on Jan. 15, 2016, he carried a Sig Sauer 5.56 caliber pistol in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Beall commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department, the Wichita Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated, Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Barnett and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger for their work on the case.

TOPEKA, KAN. - A Topeka woman pleaded guilty Monday to the sex trafficking of a minor, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Michaela Hekekia, 36, Topeka, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy. In her plea, she admitted training a minor female to work as a prostitute and transporting the girl from Kansas to a motel in Joplin, Mo., to work as a prostitute.

Hekekia admitted conspiring with co-defendants to run a Topeka-based prostitution business that operated in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. At times, as many as 20 females were working as prostitutes for the organization. The leader of the organization rented houses where some of the prostitutes were allowed to live. The organization used Web sites, social media and cell phones to advertise sexual services and to keep track of prostitutes.

Hekekia admitted she started working for the organization as a prostitute and gradually took on other duties including recruiting and training sex workers and managing advertising for sex services.

Sentencing is set for March 20. The government has agreed to recommend a sentence not to exceed 70 months in federal prison.

Co-defendant Frank Boswell, 42, Topeka, Kan., is set for trial March 7. Co-defendants Rachel Flenniken, 34, Topeka, Kan., and Sean P. Hall, 47, Topeka, Kan., are awaiting sentencing. Shannon Nelson, 23, Topeka, Kan., is set for sentencing Jan. 23.

Beall commended the FBI, the Topeka Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney for their work on the case.

 

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

WICHITA, KAN. - A Mexican woman was sentenced Monday to time served for unlawful possession of a firearm connected to a homicide case in Salina, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said. She will be placed in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation.

Azucena Garcia-Ferniza, 22, spent about 15 months in jail. She pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Wichita to one count of possession of a firearm while unlawfully in the United States. In her plea, she admitted that on May 7, 2015, she unlawfully possessed a Glock .45 caliber pistol. Her visitor’s visa had expired in February 1998.

In July 2016, Garcia-Ferniza was sentenced in Saline County District Court to18 months on probation for attempting to hide the gun that killed 17-year-old Allie Saum. The gun belonged to her boyfriend, Macio D. Palacio, Jr. Saum was killed by gunfire when Palacio fired at a pickup he mistakenly believed was driven by rival gang members.

Palicio was convicted in Saline County District Court and sentenced to more than 50 years for the killing.

Beall commended Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Salina Police Department, the Saline County Sherriff’s Office, the Saline County Attorney’s Office and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson for their work on the case.

TOPEKA, KAN. - A man who owned a medical imaging business was charged in federal court here today with collecting more than $1.5 million from a health care fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

 Cody Lee West, 38, Paragould, Ark., owner of C & S Imaging, Inc., was charged with one count of health care fraud. C & S Imaging was a mobile independent diagnostic testing facility that provided ultra sound diagnostic testing to health care providers.

West solicited chiropractors and told them he could provide equipment and an operator at no cost to them. West fraudulently billed Medicare for musculoskeletal exams and Doppler scans that allowed him to receive up to $410 per patient for services that were not ordered by a physician, not medically necessary, not performed or not documented. He also used fraudulent methods to attempt to provide documentation for some of his bills.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Kansas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Treadway is prosecuting.

WICHITA, KAN. - An Arizona man pleaded guilty Monday to using a stolen identity in an effort to buy a $52,000 car from a Wichita auto dealer, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Thomas Rye, 36, Phoenix, Ariz., pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. In his plea, he admitted that on Jan. 2, 2016, he called Eddy’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Wichita and applied for a pre-approved line of credit to purchase a car. He used a stolen identity for a credit check and tried to use the victim’s credit to buy a Dodge Challenger Hellcat valued at $52,725. Mistakes in the credit application paperwork caused employees of the dealership to become suspicious and they called police. Rye was arrested at the scene.

Rye was one of 13 defendants named in an indictment in May alleging they were part of an organization that attempted to fraudulently obtain a total of $3.5 million in credit and cash. The indictment alleged the conspirators divided up the work of stealing mail from mailboxes, fraudulently applying for credit and shopping with stolen identities.

Sentencing is set for March 6. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Beall commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department, the Wichita Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger and Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Barnett for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. - A Towanda man was sentenced Thursday to seven years in federal prison for robbing an Arkansas City business at gunpoint, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Jason A. Farner, 32, Towanda, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of brandishing a firearm during a commercial robbery. In his plea, he admitted he brandished a .380 caliber handgun on Feb. 11, 2016, when he robbed Advance America in Arkansas City, Kan. Farner was arrested later that day when a deputy with the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office stopped him for a traffic violation.

Beall commended the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger for their work on the case.