Randall Keith Beane, Wire Fraud, Tennessee 2018

Knoxville Man and Former Washington State Prosecutor Convicted of Wire Fraud

A federal jury in Tennessee has convicted Randall Keith Beane, 50, of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Heather Ann Tucci-Jarraf, 45, of Pierce County, Washington, of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The jury also found Beane guilty of six additional counts of wire and bank fraud.

Beane and Tucci-Jarraf were found guilty after an eight-day trial before the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, Chief U.S. District Court Judge. Sentencing is set for Beane on June 12, 2018, and Tucci-Jarraf on June 26, 2018, in U.S. District Court. Tucci-Jarraf faces a sentence of up to 20 years, while Beane faces up to 30 years on the charges. There is no parole in the federal system.

Evidence presented at trial showed that Tucci-Jarraf acted as an unlicensed attorney for Beane in a scheme to defraud United Services Automobile Association (USAA) Bank of more than $31 million. In court filings, Tucci-Jarraf and Beane claimed the government was foreclosed upon and has no jurisdiction over them. The defendants asserted at trial that the United States hides individuals' secret accounts in the Federal Reserve Bank, a common ideology among sovereign citizen groups.

Tucci-Jarraf was a former prosecutor in Pierce County, Washington. When asked for comment, U.S. Attorney J. Douglas Overbey said, 'When wrongdoers attempt to stand behind an anti-government movement to hide or justify fraudulent criminal activity, they will fail. This jury sent the message that the American judicial system will not shield them, and these two defendants now know they will be punished, whether or not they acknowledge the authority of the Court to do so.'

The United States is also forfeiting a motor home worth over $500,000 that Beane purchased with the proceeds of the bank and wire fraud offenses. The loss to victim USAA Bank totaled over $550,000. Beane was arrested by FBI Special Agents in July 2017 as he attempted to flee in a half-million dollar motor coach purchased with stolen funds. He resisted arrest and fought the agents during the incident. Tucci-Jarraf was arrested in Washington, D.C., after attempting to meet with President Trump at the White House.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cynthia Davidson and Anne-Marie Svolto represented the United States. The FBI's white collar crime squad and cyber task force conducted the investigation. 'Americans are free to believe as they choose about their government,' said Renae McDermott, special agent in charge of the FBI Knoxville Field Office. 'When those beliefs turn into criminal actions, law enforcement must act.'

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtn/pr/federal-jury-convicts-knoxville-man-and-former-washington-state-prosecutor-turned