District of Kansas

WICHITA, KAN. - A Wichita man who was arrested after putting a gun to his girlfriend’s head pleaded guilty Monday to a federal firearm charge, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Teagan C. Gulley, 35, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. In his plea, he admitted that Wichita police officers responding to a report of domestic violence saw him pointing a gun at his girlfriend. He was arrested and officers seized a .45 caliber handgun. He was a previously convicted felon at the time and he was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.

Sentencing is set for Nov. 9. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 77 months in federal prison.

Grissom commended the Wichita Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster for their work on the case.

WICHITA KAN. – An escapee from an Oklahoma prison who was arrested with a gun in Kansas was sentenced Thursday to 53 months in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said. The sentence will be served consecutively to his prison term in Oklahoma.

Lance D. Colbert, 40, who was an inmate at the Mack Alford Correctional Center in Stringtown, Okla., pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.

On March 11, 2015, two days after escaping from the Oklahoma prison, Colbert was arrested in Spivey, Kan. (Kingman County). He had a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver in his pants pocket.

Grissom commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Kansas Highway Patrol  and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch for their work on the case.

TOPEKA,KAN. - A Topeka man pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges of carjacking and robbery, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom.

Wesley Lavern Harris, Jr., 26, Topeka, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of commercial robbery. In his plea, he admitted that on June 7, 2015, he took a man’s keys, money and car and left the victim in a bathtub at the Econo Lodge Motel at 2950 S.W. Topeka Blvd. Harris and others had placed an ad on a Web site advertising sexual services in order to lure a victim to a hotel room and rob him. Harris left the motel driving the victim’s 2002 Hyundai Sonata.

In his plea, Harris admitted that on June 8, 2015, he entered the back door of the Heartland Perma Column store at 1841 E. 1450 Road in Lawrence, Kan. He threatened to kill an employee and forced her and another employee to give him money from a box in the front office.

Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 86 months in federal prison. Sentencing will be set at a later date determined by the court.

Co-defendant Crystal Marie Jaimez, 23, Topeka, Kan., is set for jury trial Oct. 26. Co-defendant Christal Renee Aponte, 30, Topeka, Kan. has scheduled a change of plea hearing for Sept. 23.

Grissom commended the Topeka Police Department, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department, the Lawrence Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. - Three people living in Wichita were indicted Tuesday on federal charges they used FedEx to smuggle a pound of crystal methamphetamine to Wichita, U.S. Barry Grissom said.

Mario Murillo-Arteaga, 20, Wichita, Kan.; Marcela Acuna-Ramirez, 30, Wichita, Kan.; and Elisa Anchondo-Loya, 25, Wichita, Kan., were charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute crystal meth.

In court documents, prosecutors alleged that on Aug. 11, 2015, agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration kept the three defendants under surveillance while FedEx delivered a parcel to an apartment at 2715 S. Topeka in Wichita. When no one answered the door, the driver left the parcel at the apartment complex office. After picking up the package, Murillo-Arteaga left in one vehicle and the two women left in another vehicle.

Police stopped the women’s car, where they found the parcel, which contained approximately a pound of crystal meth. When police stopped Murillo-Arteaga’s vehicle they found $2,000 in cash in the console. Investigators learned that the women were being paid $1,000 each to pick up the parcel for Murillo-Arteaga.

If convicted, the defendants face a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2 million. The Wichita Police Department and the DEA investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is prosecuting.

 

OTHER INDICTMENTS

Anthony G. Moore, 50, Wichita, Kan., and Randy L. Perry, 54, Wichita, Kan., are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute approximately a pound of methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred Aug. 13, 2015, in Wichita, Kan.

If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $4 million. The Wichita Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is prosecuting.
 

Miguel Concepcion, 25, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of counterfeiting a $970 postal money order and one count of possessing a stolen blank money order. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in October 2014 in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith is prosecuting.

 

Ismael Saldana-Vasquez, 45, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found July 30, 2015, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

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

 

Luis Felipe Lopez-Vivas, 27, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Aug. 10, 2015, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

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

 

Jesus Reyes, 40, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred May 29, 2015 in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on the drug charge, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the firearm charges. The Wichita Police Department investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is prosecuting.

 

Maria S. Alvidrez, 30, Plains, Kan., is charged with two counts of theft of mail while she was employed as a postal worker at the post office in Kismet, Kan. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in April and May 2015.

If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General 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.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A former network manager for Water District No. 1 of Johnson County was sentenced Monday for wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Jason P. Lee, 41, Shawnee, Kan., was sentenced to six months in prison followed by six months home confinement. He paid more than $129,000 in restitution as part of his plea agreement.

In his plea, Lee admitted the crime occurred while he worked for WaterOne, an independent public water utility serving more than 400,000 customers in Johnson County. As part of his duties, Lee was responsible for ordering cellular phones for water district employees. In July 2010 he devised a scheme to defraud WaterOne by ordering cellular telephones from WaterOne’s providers and selling the phones on eBay and other Internet sites. He carried out the scheme by making electronic transactions from Kansas to Colorado, California, Texas and Washington.

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

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A former analyst was sentenced Monday to 63 months in federal prison for downloading child pornography to a laptop computer assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Matthew Barnes, 34, Overland Park, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. In his plea, he admitted that on March 21, 2012, a detective with the Overland Park Police was able to download child pornography over the Internet from a laptop computer assigned to Barnes.

Investigators determined that the computer was located at the Drug Enforcement Administration’s offices in Overland Park, Kan. Barnes, who was a member of the Missouri National Guard, was assigned the laptop as part of his work as an analyst with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was able to identify 19 images from nine different known series of child pornography on Barnes’ computer.

Grissom commended the Overland Park Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. - A Wichita man was sentenced Monday to 63 months in federal prison for a firearm violation, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Aaron M. Belcher, 33, Wichita, Kan., already is serving time in state prison for a 2013 case in which he shot at police who were chasing him from the scene of a burglary. He will serve the federal consecutively to the sentence in the state case.

In the federal case, Belcher pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of ammunition following a felony conviction. In his plea, he admitted that on Oct. 29, 2012, he was driving a stolen Corvette when a Wichita police officer tried to pull him over. After a high speed chase, he pulled into a driveway of a home in the 100 block of Alexander in Haysville. When the owner of the home heard police sirens, he confronted Belcher. The home owner wrestled Belcher to the ground and held him until police arrived. Police found the ammunition in the stolen car.

Grissom commended the Wichita Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster for their work on the case.

TOPEKA, KAN. - The chief of the Lawrence Police Department and the president of the Kansas State Conference of the NAACP will take part in the Kansas Civil Rights Symposium next week, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Lawrence Police Chief Tarik Khatib and state NAACP president Renee Wiggins will join U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom and Rita Valenciano of the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service to discuss building trust between police and the communities they serve.

The symposium is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, in the auditorium of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site at 1515 SE Monroe in Topeka. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required.

Valenciano, a conciliation specialist with the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service (CRS), will speak on how the agency works to build stronger relationships between police departments and communities. She was a member of the CRS team that went to Ferguson, Mo., following the death of Michael Brown in August 2014.

Other presenters will include Anthony Fadale, Kansas State ADA Coordinator, speaking on the Americans with Disabilities Act; and Jennifer White and Stacie Donaldson of ICT-SOS speaking on human trafficking.

Registration is still open for the symposium, but seating is limited to 100.  The symposium annually attracts law enforcement officers and civil rights leaders from across Kansas.

To register, download the registration form at:

http://www.justice.gov/usao-ks

Email the completed form to hbuller@kletc.org. For more information, contact Heather Buller at 620-694-1537 or Jim Cross at 316-269-6552.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A prison guard was indicted Wednesday on a federal charge of accepting bribes to smuggle tobacco to inmates at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Michael Harston, 52, Kansas City, Mo., was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and four counts of accepting bribes. The indictment alleges that from October 2013 to August 2014 Harston took bribes to carry tobacco, which is contraband, into the penitentiary.

The indictment alleges payment was made via wire transfers from inmates’ relatives. Harston was caught on video surveillance in the process of distributing tobacco to inmates.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the conspiracy charge, and a maximum penalty of 15 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the bribery counts.

The FBI investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Leena Ramana is prosecuting.

OTHER GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS

Justin A. Jacks, 26, Wichita, Kan., is charged with two counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in May and July 2015, in Wichita.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each distribution county, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the possession charge. Homeland Security Investigations and the Wichita Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.

Cruz Lopez-Perez, 39, a citizen of Guatemala, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found July 26, 2015, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Kansas Department of Revenue and Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Luis Antonio Garcia-Gomez, 25, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found July 28, 2015, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Kansas Department of Revenue and Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Cortez I. Mumford, 41, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred July 20, 2015, in Kansas City, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 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 Terra Morehead is prosecuting.

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

TOPEKA, KAN. - A federal peacemaker who spent months working with community and police in Ferguson, Mo., will be a featured speaker at the U.S. Attorney’s Kansas Civil Rights Symposium in Topeka.

The symposium is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 14 in the auditorium of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site at 1515 SE Monroe in Topeka. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required.

Rita Valenciano, a conciliation specialist with the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service (CRS), will speak on how the agency works to build stronger relationships between police departments and communities. She was a member of the CRS team that went to Ferguson, Mo., following the death of Michael Brown in August 2014.

“Rita and other representatives of the Community Relations Service are our peacemakers,” said U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom. “They don’t investigate or prosecute. They work to build mutual understanding.”

Registration is still open for the symposium, but seating is limited to 100.  The symposium annually attracts law enforcement officers and civil rights leaders from across Kansas. Other topics will include human trafficking and a presentation on the Americans with Disabilities Act by Anthony Fadale, ADA Coordinator for the State of Kansas.

To register, download the registration form at:

http://www.justice.gov/usao-ks

Email the completed form to hbuller@kletc.org. For more information, contact Heather Buller at 620-694-1537 or Jim Cross at 316-269-6552.

TOPEKA, KAN. - A Topeka man was indicted Wednesday on a federal firearms charge, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Royelle Lamont Miller, 35, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. The crime is alleged to have occurred July 17, 2015, in Topeka, Kan. The indictment alleges Miller possessed a Ruger nine millimeter pistol even though he was prohibited from doing so because of felony convictions in 2012 (flee/attempt to elude police), 2006 (attempted sale of a narcotic) and 1997 (aggravated battery).

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Topeka Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

Dante Rovon Peppers, 37, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred July 18, 2015, in Topeka, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Topeka Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.

Daimon Sentrell Jackson, 26, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 25, 2015, in Topeka, Kan.  

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 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 Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.

Santos Benjamin Ramos-Valdez, 28, who is in custody in the Dickinson County Jail, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute powder cocaine. The crime is alleged to have occurred July 6, 2015, in Dickinson County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $5 million. The Dickinson County Sheriff and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Mattivi is prosecuting.

Jose Antonio Nunez-Aguilar, 24, Kansas City, KS, and Gerardo Rene Garcia-Rodrigues, 39, Kansas City, KS, are charged with one count of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred from January through June 29, 2015 in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

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. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Tomasic 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 Salina man was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Cory Dale McQuillan, 37, Salina, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. He had a prior conviction for aggravated indecent liberties with a child in a 1999 case in Dickinson County, Kan.

In his plea, he admitted that while he was on parole in 2013 he used a cell phone to receive images of child pornography, which he would keep for a short period of time before deleting. Investigators found child pornography on McQuillan’s laptop computer.

Grissom commended the Kansas Department of Corrections, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.

TOPEKA, KAN. - A Topeka man was sentenced Tuesday to 14 years in federal prison on a federal charge of offering a 15-year-old girl for commercial sex, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Dominique Emanuel Tyson, 25, Topeka, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a child. In his plea, he admitted he took a 15-year-old girl to a motel to meet a man who had seen her picture in an advertisement on Backpage.com. Tyson did not know that the customer was working undercover for the Topeka Police Department and the FBI.

The investigation began when Topeka police received a call from a community corrections officer saying the girl had run away from her placement. The officer spotted a photo of her on Backpage.com listing her as an escort. On June 11, 2013, an undercover investigator called the number on the advertisement and arranged to meet the girl at a motel in Topeka. Tyson dropped her off and drove away. Officers stopped his car, where they found a tablet computer with files containing the same photos of the girl that appeared in the ad.

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

WICHITA, KAN. – A Wellington man was sentenced Monday to 100 months in federal prison for distributing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said. In addition, he will serve 10 years on supervised release after his sentence is completed.

Steven J. Meisel, 48, Wellington, Kan., was convicted in a jury trial on one count of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that on May 9, 2014, a Wichita police detective downloaded child pornography from Meisel’s computer over the ARES P2P computer network. The files included images of prepubescent children engaged in sex acts. Investigators followed an electronic trail to Meisel’s computer at his residence in Wellington.

Grissom commended the Wichita Police Department, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, the Exploited and Missing Child Unit, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Wellington Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.

 

WICHITA, KAN. -  A Hutchinson woman was sentenced to three years on supervised release and ordered to pay more than $19,000 in restitution for filing false tax returns and violating a federal law prohibiting her from having a gun, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Rhonda J. Simmons, 41, Hutchinson, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of presenting a false tax claim and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. In her plea, she admitted that on April 15, 2012, she prepared a false income tax return seeking a refund of $3,014.

On Aug. 14, 2012, the Hutchinson Police Department executed a search warrant on the residence where she was living in Hutchinson. They seized a 20 gauge shotgun belonging to Simmons. She was prohibited from possessing a firearm because she had been convicted of a felony in 2007 in Georgia.

Grissom commended the Internal Revenue Service, the Hutchinson Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. – A federal jury Thursday found an Ellis County man guilty on drug and gun charges, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Joseph Anthony Ransom, 30, Ellis, Kan., was convicted on count of growing marijuana plants, one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.

During trial, the prosecution presented evidence that on Sept. 25, 2014, officers with the Ellis Police Department executed a search warrant at Ransom’s residence in Ellis. They found that Ransom was growing 181 marijuana plants inside his home and that he possessed a Zastava PAP M92 PV AK47 pistol and a .223 caliber rifle. Because of prior felony convictions, Ransom was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Sentencing is set for Oct. 8. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each of the marijuana charges; a penalty of not less than five years for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and a maximum penalty of 10 years for possessing a firearm following a felony conviction. Grissom commended the Ellis Police Department, the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. – A Denver man has pleaded guilty to flying a plane loaded with marijuana into an airport in Iola, Kan., U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Kenneth E. Weaver, 59, Denver, Colo., pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana. In his plea, he admitted that on July 11, 2014, he flew his plane into the Iola airport carrying 207 pounds of medical grade marijuana.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has administratively forfeited his plane – a 1979 Israel Aircraft Industries Model 1124 jet – and $457,580 in cash.

Sentencing is set for Oct. 5. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 12 months. Grissom commended the Allen County Sheriff’s Office, the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Barnett for their work on the case.

TOPEKA, KAN. - Eight defendants, including six from Topeka, were indicted Tuesday on federal charges of trafficking $1.7 million worth of powder cocaine in the Topeka area, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Charged are:

Booker Zachery Johnson, III, 38, Topeka, Kan.

Quinton “Ron” Warner, 39, Houston, Texas.

Huey James Love, 57, Grandview, Mo.

Shanae Ransom, 30, Topeka, Kan.

Christopher McMillon, 32, Topeka, Kan.

Frederick Brooks, 35, Topeka, Kan.

Brannon Smith, 37, Topeka, Kan.

Trena L. Talbert, 48, Topeka, Kan.

All the defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. The conspiracy is alleged to have existed from October 2014 to July 9, 2015, in Topeka and elsewhere. In addition, Johnson and Warner each are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

The indictment seeks the forfeiture of more than $73,000 in cash seized on July 9, 2015, and asks the court for a money judgment of $1.7 million against the defendants, which represents the proceeds of the crime.

If convicted, the defendants face a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million on the conspiracy charge. The possession charges carry a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $5 million. The Topeka Police Department, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office, the Lawrence Police Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag are prosecuting.

 

OTHER GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS

Ignacio Lopez-Gonzalez, 28, Fontana, Calif., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Dec. 8, 2014, in Ellis County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. The Kansas Highway Patrol investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is prosecuting.

 

Gary Matthew Andrus, 43, formerly of Carmichael, Calif., is charged with one count of failing to register as required by the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. The crime is alleged to have occurred from Feb. 10, 2014, to April 8, 2015, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Marshals Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.

 

Juan A. Garcia, 32, Exeter, Calif., is charged with one count of distributing methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred from May 8 to May 18, 2015 in Liberal, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $5 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.

 

Daniel Vega, 37, Dodge City, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute approximately one pound of methamphetamine, and one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered sawed off shotgun. The crimes are alleged to have occurred July 13, 2015, in Dodge City, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $5 million on the methamphetamine count, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $10,000 on the firearm count. The Dodge City Police Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Wichita Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.

 

Humphrey Ezekiel Etenyi, 31, a citizen of Kenya, is charged with one count of possessing wrongfully obtained documents, one count of unlawful production of an identification document, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of unlawfully interfering with his removal from the United States, and one count of making a false statement to the government. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2015 in Sedgwick County, Kan.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

Wrongfully obtained documents: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.

Unlawful production of an identification document: A maximum penalty of 15 years and a fine up to $250,000.

 Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory consecutive two-year sentence.

Unlawful interference with removal: A maximum penalty of four years and a fine up to $250,000.

Making a false statement to the government: A maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000.

Immigration and Custom Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

 

Kalpeshkumar “Bobby” Patel, 39, is charged with making a false statement to an agent of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The crime is alleged to have occurred July 29, 2014, in McPherson, Kan.

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

Domingo Reynoso-Ren, 37, a citizen of Guatemala, and Antonio Pastor-Larios, 24, a citizen of Guatemala, are charged with one count of document fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of sale of a Social Security card. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Feb. 6, 2015, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

Document fraud: A maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory consecutive two-year sentence.

Sale of a Social Security card: A maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000.

Homeland Security Investigations 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.

WICHITA, KAN. - A Wichita man was sentenced Wednesday to 71 months in federal prison for robbery, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Eric Emmanuel Dear, 23, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of commercial robbery. In his plea, he admitted that on July 27, 2014, he robbed the Dollar General Store at 2747 E. Boulevard Plaza in Wichita.

He entered the store about 10:25 a.m., approached the cash register and demanded money. He carried what appeared to be a handgun in his right hand. During the robbery, he touched the counter with his left hand. Fingerprints taken from the counter were matched to three fingers on his left hand. No firearm was recovered.

Grissom commended the Wichita Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. David Lind for their work on the case.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. B Federal prosecutors have wrapped up the prosecution of a former Lenexa, Kan., doctor accused of diverting prescription painkillers to a network of users and distributors on the streets of the Kansas City metro area, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said. On July 7, the last defendant in the case was sentenced to federal prison.

Dr. James R. Webb, 56, now living in Parkville, Mo., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and hydrocodone. In September, he was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. The judge entered an order of forfeiture for $7.5 million, representing the proceeds of the crime.

On Tuesday, co-defendant Michael Zona, 39, Shawnee, Kan., was sentenced to 19 months in federal prison.

In Webb’s plea, he admitted that the Drug Enforcement Administration began receiving reports in 2010 that he was selling oxycodone and hydrocodone prescriptions for cash. Webb’s so-called patients reported paying cash for their prescriptions based on the number of pills they could receive. Many of the patients were referred to Perry Drug in Overland Park, Kan.

Investigators used informants and undercover agents to make purchases from Webb. They paid Webb a fee of $870 for an office visit for a prescription for 220 oxycodone tablets, and $1,400 for a prescription for 350 tablets. Webb required they pay him in cash.

In 2011, the DEA obtained records from the Kansas Board of Pharmacy’s prescription monitoring program that identified all prescriptions Webb had issued. They used the records to identify so-called patients who frequently visited the doctor and obtained prescriptions from him for oxycodone and hydrocodone.

 

Defendants who have been sentenced in the case include:

James R. Webb, Jr., physician, 144 months.

Matthew R. Perry, 45, Overland Park, pharmacist, 72 months.

Gerry Divelbiss, 38, Kansas City, Kan., 72 months.

Ricky Bridges, 39, Kansas City, Kan., 78 months.

Jenna Utterback, 30, Kansas City, Mo., 16 months.

Eric Halbin, 37, Overland Park, Kan., 42 months.

Lacy Mae Morrison, 31, Gardner, Kan., 12 months and a day.

Phil Scimeca, 51, Liberty, Mo. 72 months.

Jamie Eberra, 29, Kansas City, Mo., two years probation.

Regina Ann Miranda, 45, Kansas City, Mo., 12 months and a day.

Larry Lee Ray, 35, Kansas City, Mo., 72 months.

Nick Johnson, 34, Lees Summit, Mo., 34 months.

Joshua Brown, 27, Liberty, Mo., 72 months.

Juan Gutierrez, 39, Kansas City, Mo., 47 months.

Wade Becker, 28, Kansas City, Mo., two years probation.

Beau Berry, 31, Grain Valley, Mo., 42 months.

Luke Dearinger, 35, Gladstone, Mo., 52 months.

Michael Zona, 39, Shawnee, Kan., 19 months.

Jessica Rankin, 40, Shawnee, Kan., 10 months.

Thomas O’Toole, 25, Blue Springs, Mo., 24 months.

Scott Moore, 31, 38 months.

Erica Wikel, 29, 12 months and a day.

Louis Scimeca, 44, 47 months.

Martin Leahy, 53, 42 months.

Tish Waller, 33, 42 months.

 

Grissom commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lenexa Police Department, the Overland Park Police Department, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department, the Salina Police Department, the Republic County Sheriff’s Department, the Excelsior Springs, Mo., Police Department and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Krug for their work on the case.

 

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A Kansas City area business owner indicted in 2014 on federal bank fraud charges has been indicted again on charges of committing financial crimes while awaiting trail, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Brenda Wood, 47, Leavenworth, Kan., was indicted in August 2014 on ten counts, including five counts of bank fraud, one count of theft from an employee benefit program and four counts of violating the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. On Wednesday, a federal grand jury returned an indictment adding 16 counts, including eight counts of bank fraud, seven counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of committing a felony while on pretrial release in a federal case.

           

Allegations in the new indictment include:

• Wood ran a check kiting scheme by opening checking accounts in the names of various businesses and exchanging and cross depositing checks among them.
• Wood used another person’s Social Security number to open a checking account for a business named “Everything Real Estate, Inc.”
• Wood used another person’s Social Security number to open a checking account for a business named “20 W 9th, LLC.”
• Wood used another person’s identity to obtain an American Express card.
• Wood used another person’s Social Security number to open a checking account for a business called “Shelter Management, LLC.”
• Wood provided false information in an application for a loan from Merchant from Merchant Advance Express.
• Wood provided false information in an application for a loan from US Funding.
• Wood used another person’s Social Security number to open a checking account for a company doing business as “Action Real Estate Services.”

 

Upon conviction the crimes carry the following penalties:

          Bank fraud: A maximum penalty of 30 years and a fine up to $1 million on each count.

          Theft from an employee benefit program: A maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000.

          Violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.

          Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory two years to be served consecutively and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.

          Wire fraud: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.

          Committing a felony while on release: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.

The Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, the Special Investigator General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble is prosecuting.

 

OTHER GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS

 

Clifford C. Copp, 58, Overland Park, Kan., who owned Copp Trucking Co. in Kansas City, Kan., has been indicted on a federal tax evasion charge. The company closed in 2001.

The indictment alleges that while Copp Trucking was in business the defendant was responsible for paying quarterly employment taxes for the company. In 2001, he filed reports to the IRS indicating the company owed approximately $939,408 in employment taxes for that year. However, the company did not pay the employment taxes due.

In February 2004 he was assessed trust fund recovery penalties of $669,037. Since then he has provided false information to the IRS. He failed to accurately disclose his monthly income, concealed assets, and placed funds and property in the names of nominees.

 

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Internal Revenue Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley is prosecuting.

 

Dustin E. Ash, 35, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred June 16, 2015, and June 26, 2014, in Kansas City, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead is prosecuting.

 

Oliver Kimbrel, 53, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with three counts of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, one count of maintaining a residence in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in February and March 2014 in Kansas City, Kan.

 

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

Possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine: A maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each count.

Maintaining a residence in furtherance of drug trafficking: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $500,000.

Unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction: Not less than 15 years and a fine up to $250,000.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Ward is prosecuting.

 

Yazmin Azucena Maldonado Ballesteros, 38, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported and one count of using another person’s Social Security number. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2012 and 2015.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the unlawful re-entry charge, and a mandatory two years to be served consecutively and a fine up to $250,000 on the identity theft charge. The Department of Homeland Security investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble 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 Wichita attorney was convicted today of evading federal taxes, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren found Eldon L. Boisseau, 67, Wichita, Kan., guilty on one count of tax evasion.

In a written decision, the court found that during 1998 through 2000, 2002 through 2005 and 2007 through 2008 Boisseau attempted to evade paying federal income taxes, as well as a trust fund recovery penalty from 1999. He interfered with the government’s efforts to collect the taxes he owned by putting his law firm in the name of a nominee, terminating his own pay agreement with the law firm and then having the firm pay for his personal expenses.

Sentencing is set for Sept. 28. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Grissom commended the Internal Revenue Service, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger and Sean Green, Trial Attorney with Justice Department’s Tax Division, for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. - A former Labette County bank clerk pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge of embezzlement, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Angela S. Littlejohn, 41, Chetopa, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement. In her plea, she admitted the crime occurred while she worked as a teller during 2013 and 2014 at the Chetopa State Bank in Chetopa, Kan. She stole a total of at least $82,000 from multiple accounts at the bank.

Sentencing is set for Sept. 28. Both parties are recommending a sentence of time served, two years on probation and restitution of $82,000. Grissom commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch for their work on the case.

TOPEKA, KAN. - The owner of a metal plating company in Minneapolis, Kan., was sentenced Monday to four months in federal prison followed by six months home confinement for violating the federal Clean Water Act. His company was fined $10,000. In addition, he and his company were ordered to pay $281,503 in restitution.

Kevin L. Cline, 56, Minneapolis, Kan., owner of C & R Plating, pleaded guilty to one count of violating the federal law that regulates discharges into America’s creeks and rivers. The company pleaded guilty to the same count.

In his plea, Cline admitted he was responsible for high levels of zinc found in a sewer system operated by the City of Minneapolis, Kan. Beginning in 2007, Cline submitted false and fraudulent samples and reports to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to conceal the fact that untreated waste water from C & R Plating was being delivered to the Minneapolis sewer system. The water came from spent chemical baths used in treating metals. The city sewer system discharges into the Solomon River via Lindsey Creek and an unnamed tributary.

Grissom commended the Environmental Protection Agency and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Hathaway for their work on the case.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A Kansas City man who took part in five bank robberies in Kansas and Missouri was sentenced Monday to 55 months in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

 

Dale Williamson, 35, Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty to five counts of bank robbery. In his plea, he admitted driving a getaway car in the following bank robberies:

 

• April 24, 2014, UMB Bank, 6252 Raytown Road, Raytown, Mo.
• May 12, 2014, First Bank of Missouri, 7001 North Oak Trafficway, Gladstone, Mo.
• May 22, 2014, Bank of America, 15811 Metcalf Ave. Overland Park, Kan.
• May 30, 2014, Commerce Bank, 9501 Antioch Road, Overland Park, Kan.
• May 30, 2014, Commerce Bank, 3606 Frederick Ave., St. Joseph, Mo.

 

Grissom commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble for their work on the case.

 

TOPEKA, KAN. - A former Ft. Riley soldier was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison for aggravated sexual abuse of a child, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

James Duke, 52, who is in federal custody, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated sexual abuse. In his plea, he admitted he began sexually assaulting a female child starting when she was four or five years old. Most of the assaults occurred while he was stationed at Ft. Riley and living in military housing. He was stationed there from October 1996 to October 2001.

The investigation began in 2013, when the FBI learned Duke was trading child pornography, including photos taken during the assaults he committed.

Grissom commended the FBI, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Graham and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney for their work on the case.

 

WICHITA, KAN. - A co-owner of a plastics recycling company in El Dorado, Kan., pleaded guilty Monday to mishandling waste chemicals and was sentenced to pay more than $118,000 in restitution to the Environmental Protection Agency, said U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom. In addition, the defendant was sentenced to serve 18 months on probation.

Sean M. Riley, 39, Andover, Kan., co-owner of Integrated Plastic Solutions, LLC., pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting negligent exposure to a hazardous air pollutant. In his plea, he admitted the company stored hazardous wastes at its facility in the form of paints, solvents and other chemicals. The paints and solvents contained ethylbenzene, which is classified as a hazardous air pollutant. After becoming aware that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment was investigating the company’s waste handling practices, Riley’s brother and business partner, Brian J. Riley, allowed some paints and solvents to be dumped on the IPS grounds, releasing ethyl benzene and exposing employees to the risk of flash fire and explosion.

Brian J. Riley was sentenced in May to three years on probation and the same restitution as Sean M. Riley.

Grissom commended the Environmental Protection Agency and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger for their work on the case.

TOPEKA, KAN. - A Kansas City man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal bank robbery charge and admitted threatening employees with a gun and dragging a woman by her hair, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Clifton B. Cloyd, 54, Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during the robbery. On Oct. 29, 2014, he and another man robbed the Bank of America at 9500 Mission in Overland Park, Kan. In his plea, Cloyd admitted:

• He and his accomplice held five bank employees and one customer at gunpoint.
• Cloyd, who was carrying a handgun, grabbed one of the bank employees and pulled her by the hair and scarf to the teller station. He struck her in the face with a handgun.
• Cloyd struck a customer so hard her glasses flew off and she was knocked to the floor.
• Cloyd struck a male bank employee with such force that his head started bleeding.

Sentencing is set for Sept. 14. He faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than 25 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the bank robbery charge, and a penalty of not less than seven years and a fine up to $250,000 on the firearm charge.

Co-defendant Steve A. Watts, 55, Mo., is awaiting trial.

Grissom commended the Overland Park Police Department, the Prairie Village Police Department, the Leawood Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel 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 Wichita woman was sentenced Monday to five years on federal probation for her role in a scheme to steal mail from postal boxes and cash counterfeit checks, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said. She and the other defendants also were ordered to pay more than $27,000 in restitution.

Jennifer R. Harper, 35, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to steal mail. In her plea, she admitted that in 2013 and 2014 she and her co-defendants entered an agreement to steal mail from U.S. Postal Service blue boxes.

The defendants removed mail from U.S. Postal Service blue boxes. They opened the stolen mail and took information and checks from the mail. They used the information and the checks to create counterfeit checks and cash them.

Co-defendants include:

Justin Anderson, who was sentenced to 78 months.

Jeremy S. Robinson, who was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison.      

Grissom commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department, the Wichita Police Department, the Derby Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Barnett for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. – A former director of the Montgomery County Conservation District appeared in federal court here Monday        on bank fraud and wire fraud charges, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Danielle R. Passauer, 29, Neodesha, Kan., was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of bank fraud. It is alleged that she authorized $27,678 in checks to be paid to her in excess of the amount of her salary. Furthermore, it is alleged she authorized $23,694 in electronic transfer to VISA to pay for her personal, unauthorized expenditures.

If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each count.

The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.

WICHITA, KAN. – A Texas man who was arrested with dozens of counterfeit credit cards pleaded guilty Monday to federal bank fraud and wire fraud charges, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

 

Justin Russell Bennett, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of using a counterfeit credit card, one count of using an embossing machine to create counterfeit credit cards, one count of possession of 15 or more counterfeit credit cards and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Bennett was arrested Sept. 22, 2014, when he ran out of gas on Interstate 70 in Sherman County, Kan. Officers seized 47 counterfeit credit cards, an embossing machine, thousands of blank credit cards and other materials used to create counterfeit cards. He used counterfeit credit cards to rent vehicles, rent motel rooms, purchase items he sold through Internet sites and obtain cash advances.

Sentencing is set for Sept. 14. The crimes carry the following penalties:

Bank fraud: A maximum penalty of 30 years and a fine up to $1 million.

Wire fraud: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000.

Using a counterfeit credit card: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.

Using an embossing machine to create counterfeit cards: A maximum penalty of 15 years and a fine up to $250,000.

Possession of 15 or more counterfeit cards: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.

Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory two years consecutive to other sentences and a fine up to $250,000.

The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is prosecuting.

TOPEKA, KAN. - A federal jury here today delivered guilty verdicts against four defendants charged with trafficking crack cocaine in the Junction City and Manhattan areas, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that in late 2012 and early 2013 agents of Kansas Bureau of Investigation and detectives from the Junction City Police Department investigated a large crack cocaine trafficking organization in Junction City and Manhattan. The organization was led by defendants Albert Banks and Anthony Thompson, who acquired the drugs from three different suppliers and sold the drugs to distributors who resold them on the streets.

The jury returned guilty verdicts against:

Albert Dwayne Banks, 33, Junction, City, Kan, count one (conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine), count eight (distributing crack cocaine, count 11 (distribution crack cocaine), count 12 (distributing crack cocaine), count 15 (distributing crack cocaine) count 16 (distributing crack cocaine), count 17 (distributing crack cocaine).

Johnny Lee Ivory, III, 29, Topeka, Kan., count one (conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine), count 19 (possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine), count 20 (unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction).

Martye Madabuti Madkins, III, 34, Junction City, Kan., count two (distributing crack cocaine), count four (distributing crack cocaine).

Anthony Caryle Thompson, 33, Junction City, Kan., count one (conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine), count three (distributing crack cocaine), count five (distributing crack cocaine), count six (distributing crack cocaine), count seven (distributing crack cocaine), count eight (distributing crack cocaine), count nine (distributing crack cocaine), count 10 (distributing crack cocaine), count 13, distributing crack cocaine).

Defendants Zachary Carlyle Patmon and Otis Dean Ponds were acquitted.

Sentencing is set for Sept. 28.

The crimes carry the following penalties:

Conspiracy: Not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million.

Distribution: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to and a fine up to $1 million on each count.

Unlawful possession of a firearm: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.

Grissom commended the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Junction City Police Department, the Geary County Attorney’s Office and and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Mattivi for their work on the case.

McPHERSON, KAN. - A married couple from India who themselves are unlawfully in the United States have been arrested on an indictment charging unlawful employment of aliens, document fraud, bank fraud and making false claims of U.S. citizenship, U. S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Weednesday.

Arrested were Satishkumar “Sam” Patel, 47, and his wife, Daxaben S. Patel, 36, both of McPherson, Kan., who are in federal custody and scheduled to appear at 1:30 p.m. today  in U.S. District Court in Wichita. The indictment also charges four other aliens from India who allegedly were employed by the Patels, as well as Nitin B. Patel, 53, a Lawrence, Kan., business partner of Satishkumar Patel’s, and two companies owned by the defendants.

The investigation was led by the Kansas Department of Revenue’s Office of Special Investigations and Alcoholic Beverage Control Division, and Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, the McPherson Police Department, the Kansas Department of Labor and the U.S. Attorney’s office.

The indictment unsealed Wednesday contains 45 counts arising primarily from the Patels’ operation of a gas station and convenience store at 115 W. Kansas in McPherson called Route 56 Express. The indictment also seeks criminal forfeiture of money and property related to the alleged crimes, including the business, real estate, cash, and money held in bank accounts controlled by the Patels. Many of those assets were seized today, Grissom said.

According to the indictment, Satishkumar and Daxaben Patel unlawfully entered the United States in the 1990s and have never had any lawful status here, but were able to obtain Social Security numbers by claiming to be aliens authorized to work. Since then, the indictment alleges, the Patels have pretended to be U.S. citizens, buying a home in McPherson and engaging in business activities that didn’t result in checks of their citizenship or immigration status.

They obtained Kansas driver’s licenses using their Social Security numbers and swearing they were lawfully in the U.S., according to the indictment, resulting in charges of document fraud and use of a fraudulently obtained Social Security number, all felonies. Sastishkumar and Daxaben Patel also are charged with multiple counts of harboring aliens unlawfully in the United States, both by employing them and by providing housing at the Patel’s McPherson home.

The indictment alleges the Patels were able to obtain a mortgage loan to buy the home by falsely claiming on the mortgage loan application that they were United States citizens. Satishkumar Patel also is charged with wire fraud for allegedly filing false quarterly unemployment insurance reports with the Kansas Department of Labor that listed only one employee, Daxaben Patel, for the McPherson gas station when, in fact, at least four other employees worked there.

The charges against Satishkumar Patel and Nitin B. Patel arise out of their ownership of a liquor store in Lawrence in which Satishkumar’s unlawful status in the U.S. and his ownership of the store allegedly were not properly disclosed to the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Division. Foreign nationals are not permitted to obtain a retail liquor license in Kansas, and the identities of all owners of liquor stores are required to be disclosed.

The defendants face a maximum of five years in prison on the alien harboring and Social Security fraud charges, as well as the wire and mail fraud charges. They face a maximum of three years in prison on the false claim of citizenship charges, 10 years in federal prison for document fraud, and 20 years in prison for bank fraud. As in any criminal case, a person charged with a crime is considered innocent until and unless proven guilty. An indictment merely contains allegations of criminal conduct.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson.

WICHITA, KAN. - Two Washington men who were arrested in in Thomas County with more than 13 pounds of methamphetamine have been indicted on federal drug charges, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Jose Valenzuela-Rojo, 30, Pasco, Wash., and Rafael Gastelum-Castro, 34, Pasco, Wash., are charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

They were arrested June 8, 2015, in Thomas County.

If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life in federal prison and a fine up to $4 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is investigating.

OTHER GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS

Carlos Hernandez, 21, Los Angeles, Calif.; and Daniel Ortiz-Rivera, 23, a citizen of Mexico, are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute approximately four pounds of methamphetamine, and one count of traveling across state lines in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred June 5, 2015, in Thomas County, Kan.

If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 10 years and a fine up to $10 million on the possession charge, and a maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the other charge. The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.

Mario Alberto Hernandez-Esqivel, 37, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found June 4, 2015, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Michael E. Foxworthy, 25, Wichita, Kan.; Lashawnda L. Lindeman, 26, Wichita, Kan.; and Stephen A. Espinoza, 24, Wichita, Kan., are charged with drug trafficking. Foxworthy is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Lindeman and Espinoza are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred June 5, 2015, in Wichita.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

     Conspiracy: Not less than five and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2 million.

     Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million.

     Unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking: A maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is prosecuting.

Daniel Nicholson, 50, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 12, 2015, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $4 million. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is prosecuting.

Ascencion Montes-Martinez, 35, Lynwood, Calif., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred May 28, 2015, in Thomas County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and a fine up to $4 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is prosecuting.

Angelica M. Flores, 21, Pratt, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm with the serial number removed. The crimes are alleged to have occurred May 19, 2015, in Ford County, Kan.

If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and a maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the other count. The Dodge City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives 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.

 

WICHITA, KAN. -  A former executive director of the housing authority for the city of Liberal, Kan., was sentenced to a year on federal supervised release and 250 hours of community service for wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Carol Beckwith, 64, Eufaula, Okla., pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. In her plea, she admitted that before she retired in May 2013 she falsified a copy of the housing authority’s personnel policies. She added language in the section defining retirement compensation so she could collect one-half the value of her accumulated sick leave. She provided the fabricated copy of the policy to the new executive director when she retired and made demand for half her accumulated sick leave in the amount of $30,855.

In October 2013 she caused a civil complaint to be filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas seeking to be paid for half her sick leave and referencing the falsified personnel policy.

Grissom commended the Housing and Urban Development - OIG and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom will speak during a prayer service Saturday in Kansas City, Kan., for the victims of the shooting in Charleston, S.C.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the victims in Charleston,” Grissom said. “The Department of Justice has opened a hate crime investigation. We will use every tool to investigate this tragic event.”

The service will be from 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Saturday at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 417 Richmond Ave., in Kansas City, Kan. The Rev. C.L. Bachus will preside.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A federal bank robbery charge was filed Friday against a Kansas City man, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., alleges Darrell Hunter, 50, Kansas City, Mo., robbed United Missouri Bank at 6900 Mission Road in Prairie Village, Kan. on Dec. 26, 2014.

The complaint alleges that in the Dec. 26 robbery, Hunter entered the bank and asked for a deposit slip. He wrote on the slip, “This is a robbery I got a gun put the money in the bag.”

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tris Hunt is prosecuting.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - The owners of a store in Kansas City, Kan., have pleaded guilty to defrauding a federal food stamp program, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today. The fraud totaled more than $227,000.

Saima Sajjad, 39, Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud. Her husband, Sajjad S. Chaudhry, 47, Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty June 16 to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

In their pleas, they admitted the crimes occurred while they owned the KC Gas Mart at 2850 State Avenue in Kansas City, Kan. The store participated in a federal food stamp program called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The store came under investigation in the summer of 2013 because it reported engaging in thousands of dollars of SNAP benefits transaction, many of which were large purchases. Undercover investigators working with the USDA exchanged SNAP benefits for cash at KC Gas Mart, receiving approximately 50 percent of the value of the SNAP benefits. The rules of the program prohibit approved vendors from trading cash for food stamps, accepting food stamps for ineligible items and accepting food stamps from people who are not authorized to use them.

In addition, Chaudhry admitted he used another person’s electronic benefits card to purchase food items at a Sam’s Club store in Kansas City, Kan.

The defendants are set for sentencing Aug. 25. They face the following penalties:

Conspiracy to defraud USDA: a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

Conspiracy to commit wire fraud: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000.

Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory two years to be served consecutively.

Grissom commended the USDA-OIG and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Tomasic for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. -  A jury has convicted a Pittsburg, Kan., man on federal firearms and drug charges, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

James D. Russian, 57, Pittsburg, Kan., was convicted June 17 on one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, one count of unlawful possession of ammunition after a felony conviction, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that on March 27, 2013, Russian led police on a car chase from Barton County, Mo., to Crawford County, Kan., when they tried to stop him to investigate a report he threatened two people with a machete and a gun. Russian abandoned his car and hid in a wooded area before he was arrested. Investigators found marijuana, firearms and ammunition in his possession. Because of a prior felony conviction, Russian was prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Sentencing is set for Sept. 3. The crimes carry the following penalties:

Unlawful possession of a firearm or ammunition following a felony conviction: A maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.

Possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking: Not less than five years and not more than life and a fine up to $250,000.

Possession with intent to distribute marijuana: A maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000.

Grissom commended the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, the Barton County Sheriff’s Office, the Liberal (Mo.) Police Department, the Pittsburg Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Barnett for their work on the case.

TOPEKA, KAN. -  The annual U.S. Attorney’s Statewide Civil Rights Symposium is moving to the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Registration Form (132.61 KB)

The symposium is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 14, in the auditorium of the Brown site at 1515 SE Monroe in Topeka. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required.

“The Brown historic site is a landmark on this nation’s road to justice,” Grissom said. “What better setting is there for a frank and open conversation about civil rights than the Kansas school building where one of the most important Supreme Court cases in our history originated?”

Grissom urged anyone who wants to attend to register early because space is limited to 100 participants. The symposium annually attracts law enforcement officers and civil rights leaders from across Kansas. This year’s topics will include fighting human trafficking and building trust between police and the communities they serve.

To register, download the registration form at:

http://trncal.kletc.net/RegForms/RegForm2008.pdf

Email the completed form to hbuller@kletc.org. For more information, contact Heather Buller at 620-694-1537 or Jim Cross at 316-269-6552.

TOPEKA, KAN. - A Topeka man was sentenced Monday to 11 years in federal prison on federal armed robbery charges, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Henry Earl Sirvira, 47, Topeka, Kan., entered a plea of no contest to two counts of commercial robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a robbery. During the plea hearing, prosecutors told the judge that on July 29, 2013, Sirvira and co-defendant Quartez Norwood robbed the EZ Payday Advance at 2613 S.W. 21st Street in Topeka. Sirvira pointed a handgun at an employee and threatened to kill him unless he opened the safe.

On Aug. 3, 2013, Sirvira and Norwood robbed the Family Dollar Store at 2616 S.E. 6th Street in Topeka. Norwood pointed a gun at the clerk while Sirvira assaulted a patron in another part of the store.

Co-defendants include:

Quartez Norwood, who was sentenced to 180 months.

Henry Lavelle Davis, who was sentenced to 84 months.

Robert Wayne Redmond, who was sentenced to 60 months.

Xavier Leron Sims, who was sentenced to 35 months.

Grissom commended the Topeka Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag for their work on the case.

TOPEKA, KAN. - A Topeka man pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge of robbing a Valero gas station and shooting the clerk, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Corey Eugene Johnson, 41, Topeka, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of robbery. In his plea, he admitted that on July 28, 2013, he robbed a Valero gas station at 1161 S.W. Gage in Topeka.

Johnson was carrying a .40 caliber handgun when he entered the store and demanded money from the cash register. Seeing a customer at the counter, Johnson ordered him to the floor and put his foot on the customer’s head. When a clerk refused to turn over money from the cash register, Johnson shot the clerk several times. Then Johnson ordered the customer to open the cash register. Johnson fled the store in a black Monte Carlo. Police found the wounded clerk, who was taken to the hospital and survived the shooting.

Sentencing is set for Aug. 24. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000.

Grissom commended the Topeka Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag for their work on the case.

TOPEKA, KAN. - The owner of a Topeka jewelry store pleaded guilty Wednesday to knowingly buying jewelry that had been stolen in home invasions, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

John O. Dasher, 53, Silver Lake, Kan., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Topeka to one count of transporting stolen goods. In his plea, he admitted the crimes occurred from 2010 to 2013 while he owned The Diamond House, 1801 S.W. Gage in Topeka. He knowingly purchased stolen jewelry taken in home invasions.

Dasher paid a fraction of the actual value of the jewelry, which he melted down to form scrap gold. He mailed the gold scrap via the U.S. Postal Service to gold wholesalers Pop Gems International, Gold Empire and Coinex, Inc., in Los Angeles, Calif.

Sentencing will be set for a later date. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 12 months and a day followed by two years on supervised release and a forfeiture money judgment against Dasher of $130,000

Grissom commended the Topeka Police Department, the FBI, the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag for their work on the case.    

 

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A federal grand jury indictment filed Wednesday alleges a Wichita man tried to broker a deal for the purchase of a massager parlor that would offer sex services, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom.

Kay Tee, 50, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of attempting to entice a person to travel across state lines to engage in prostitution, one count of using a telephone in furtherance of prostitution, two counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.

According to court records, Tee was arrested May 28 at the airport in Wichita when he drove there to pick up a person he believed was buying a Wichita massage parlor. In fact, the person Tee had talked with many times on the phone was one of two undercover informants working with federal investigators.

It is alleged Tee tried to collect fees from both undercover informants – one posing as a buyer and the other as a seller – in return for helping to arrange the sale. He also offered to provide additional services including filing city paperwork and doing taxes for the massage parlor. It is alleged Tee talked with the agents about the fact employees of the massage parlor would be performing sex services for customers.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the money laundering charge, a maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the phone charge, and a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the three other counts. The Wichita Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart 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 Kansas man is charged in an eighteen-count indictment unsealed today with removing, altering or obliterating manufacturer’s serial numbers, causing other individuals to make straw purchases of firearms and exporting firearms overseas, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Michael Andrew Ryan, also known as “Brad Jones” and “GunRunner,” 35, of Manhattan, Kan., was charged in an indictment filed on June 3, 2015, in Topeka with knowingly making false statements to licensed firearms dealers; possession of firearms from which the manufacturer’s serial numbers had been removed, altered and obliterated; and exporting and/or attempting to export these firearms in different packages from the United States to individuals located in other countries.

According to allegations in the indictment, Ryan knowingly possessed a total of nine guns, including a Glock model 27 .40 caliber pistol, from which the manufacturer's serial numbers had been removed, altered and obliterated, 318 rounds of assorted ammunition and eight magazines, which had been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce in violation of federal law.

According to allegations in the indictment, Ryan had also exported and attempted to export these firearms in different packages from the United States to individuals located in Cork, Ireland; Mallow, Ireland; Pinner, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Victoria, Australia.

The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kansas City Field Division; Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations Topeka Divisions; the Manhattan Police Department and Riley County, Kan., Police Department; with assistance from the ATF Washington D.C. Division.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough of the District of Kansas, Senior Counsels Marie-Flore Johnson and Gavin Corn of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.

WICHITA, KAN. - A Wichita man pleaded guilty to attempting to explode a car bomb at the airport in Wichita, Kan., U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom and John Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, announced today.

Terry Lee Loewen, 59, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty Monday to one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Loewen was arrested in December 2013 when he tried to enter the grounds of the Wichita Mid Continent Airport for the purpose of exploding a bomb. (The airport recently was renamed Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport).

“Protecting the American people from terrorism is our primary mission,” said U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom. “It is vital that we disrupt attacks against our homeland and bring terrorists to justice.”

“Terry Loewen utilized his privileged airport access to attempt a terrorist attack in Wichita,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “Detecting, disrupting and holding accountable those who wish to harm Americans remains our highest priority.”

 In his plea, Loewen admitted he came to the attention of the FBI late in May 2013 when he became a Facebook friend of a person who was posting comments advocating violent jihad. The FBI began communicating with Loewen through an undercover employee.

Loewen told the undercover employee he was waiting for what he called “the green light” from Allah to carry out a violent attack on a civilian target. He said he did not expect to live through any of the attacks he had in mind. He said he was inspired by the teachings of Osama bin Laden and Anwar Al Awlaki. He said he had downloaded thousands of pages of information on jihad.

In September 2013, Loewen sent photos of airplanes on the tarmac at the Wichita airport. He commented that he could have “walked over there, shot both pilots … slapped some C4 on both fuel trucks and set them off before anyone even called TSA.”

In October 2013, Loewen met with a second undercover FBI employee who Loewen believed was a “brother” and would help him blow up a plane. Loewen said he had scouted the airport to determine a time and place for an attack that would be sure to kill as many people as possible.

Loewen assisted the second FBI employee in the final assembly of an improvised explosive device. He was not aware that the explosive materials used in the device were inert. In the early hours of Dec. 13, 2013, the second FBI employee picked up Loewen at a Wichita hotel. They drove to where the bomb was stored and finished wiring the device. When they reached the airport, Loewen twice used his badge at a card reader to attempt to get onto the tarmac before he was arrested.

Sentencing will be sent for a later date. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Grissom commended the Wichita FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes members from the FBI, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and Kansas Highway Patrol. Assisting with the investigation were the FBI Kansas City Division, the Transportation Security Administration, the Wichita Airport Authority, the Wichita Police Department. Grissom also commended the prosecutors on the case: Assistant U.S. Attorney David Smith, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Mattivi, and Erin Creegan of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

WICHITA, KAN. – A former director of the masters of business administration program at Pittsburg State University was sentenced Monday to 18 months in federal prison for wire fraud and money laundering, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said. He was ordered to pay $148,430 in restitution.

Michael Muoghalu, 61, Pittsburg, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. In his plea, he admitted the crimes occurred while he was responsible for managing the graduate student exchange program between Pittsburg State University and schools in Nigeria.

Muoghalu and an associate in Nigeria created fictitious documents and presented them to Pittsburg State representing that certain Nigerian students had completed undergraduate work and were eligible to take part in the university’s Nigerian exchange student program.

Pittsburg State required the Nigerian students to pay a deposit at the time they were initially accepted into the program. Later, the university would refund a portion of the student’s deposit. After the refund was authorized, Muoghalu falsely represented to Nigerian students that they must pay him or his associates a fee for representing them in the admission process.

Grissom commended IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. - A former loan officer for a bank in Great Bend was sentenced Monday to six months in prison followed by six months home detention for bank fraud, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said. In addition, he was ordered to pay $124,000 in restitution and $50,000 in a personal forfeiture judgment.

Brian W. Harrison, 56, Great Bend, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. In his plea, he admitted the crime occurred during the time from 2004 to 2012 when he was a loan officer for Farmer’s Bank and Trust in Great Bend.

His duties included reviewing, approving and disbursing loans. In furtherance of a scheme to defraud the bank, he made or caused to be made false statements to the bank to hide the poor performance of various loans he made. His false statements were intended to deflect questions from bank officers about problems with his loans. He falsified credit and loan applications, promissory notes and security agreements on behalf of a purported debtor without the debtor’s proper authority.

Grissom commended the FBI, the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith for their work on the case.

“Vigorous criminal law enforcement by SIGTARP and our partners leaves the banking industry safer than we found it,” said Christy Romero, Special Inspector General for TARP (SIGTARP).

WICHITA, KAN. – A Butler county woman Thursday became the second person to plead guilty to a federal charge of stealing more than $1.2 million from Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said. The Wichita-based company owns assisted living centers in Kansas and Missouri.

Lori A. Shryock, 50, Augusta, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. Shryock’s husband and co-defendant, Brent A. Shryock, 44, Augusta, Kan., pleaded guilty last month and is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 6.

In their pleas, they admitted the crime occurred while Brent Shryock was employed as information systems director for PMMA. He was in charge of all computers, telephones, video information and electronic equipment, including the purchase of new or replacement equipment for PMMA, Presbyterian Manor, Aberdeen and Ashfield facilities.

Brent Shryock created four fictitious companies, two of which were called Innovative Software Solutions and LGR Technologies. He directed payment to be mailed to those companies at post office boxes. Lori Shryock opened the two post office boxes where the checks were mailed. Either Brent or Lori Shryock would retrieve the payments and deposit them into the Shryocks’ personal accounts. The resulting loss to PMMA totaled $1.2 million.

Lori Shryock is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 24. She faces a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

Grissom commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger for their work on the case.

WICHITA, KAN. – A Wichita man was sentenced Friday to 130 months in federal prison for distributing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Earnest Bland, 50, Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography. In his plea, he admitted that in May 2014 he used a computer to access a peer-to-peer file sharing network. He shared images of child pornography that were available to other users on the Internet. Some of the child victims in the photos were under 10 years of age. A detective with the Wichita Police Department Force downloaded the files from Bland’s computer.

Grissom commended the Wichita Police Department, the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.