Tag: December 2016
Jesse Bud Leaverton Gets Life for Tulsa Bank Robberies
TULSA, Okla. — Jesse Bud Leaverton, 58, is locked away for life after terrorizing the Tulsa metro area in a six-day bank robbery spree that ended with federal justice slamming shut the cell door for good. Armed with a firearm and a cold-blooded demeanor, Leaverton hit three banks in rapid succession, threatening tellers with death…
Gerald H. Franz Jr. Sentenced in Local 17 Racketeering Case
Gerald H. Franz Jr., 54, of Eden, New York, was sentenced to time served Friday after being convicted of racketeering conspiracy tied to systemic extortion by Local 17 of the International Union of Operating Engineers. The final defendant in a long-running federal prosecution, Franz was ordered by Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny to…
Melissa Strohman Charged in $1.8M Bank Heist Scheme
Melissa Strohman, 54, of Nottingham, Maryland, is staring down federal charges for a brazen six-year scheme to steal over $1.8 million from customer accounts at a Maryland federal savings bank. The former Senior Vice President faces counts of bank embezzlement and wire fraud, accused of turning her position of trust into a personal piggy bank.…
Rochester Drug Kingpin Kenya Brown Sentenced to 20 Years
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The grimy streets of Rochester witnessed a chilling end to the reign of drug terror as Kenya Brown, 41, was sentenced to 20 years and 8 months in federal prison for his role in a massive cocaine trafficking operation. The sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford also includes…
Timothy Ray Cannon Gets 30 Months for Sex Offender Registration Fail
Timothy Ray Cannon, 39, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, is headed to federal prison for 30 months after being convicted of failing to register as a sex offender—a violation of federal law that prosecutors say put communities at risk. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White, includes an additional five years of supervised…
Haskell Teen Cuffed for Stealing Guns from Checotah Pawn Shop
Luis Cruiz Rodriguez, 18, of Haskell, Oklahoma, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced to 20 months for stealing firearms from a licensed dealer. The theft occurred at Richy’s Gun & Pawn in Checotah, a federal firearms licensee, on or about May 12, 2016. Rodriguez pleaded guilty to the felony charge of stealing firearms…
D’Hati Coleman Sentenced for Crack Cocaine Distribution
D’Hati Coleman, 38, of New Haven, Connecticut, was sentenced today to 32 months in federal prison for the distribution of crack cocaine, marking the end of a years-long flight from justice that led him from a halfway house escape to the dark underbelly of Maine’s drug and sex trade. U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock,…
Bangor Pawn Shop Employee Admits Gun Trafficking Role
BANGOR, ME – Hayri Berberoglu, 31, of Bangor, Maine, is facing serious time after admitting yesterday to his central role in a firearms trafficking conspiracy. The guilty plea, entered in U.S. District Court in Bangor, exposes a scheme that put illegal guns into the hands of individuals prohibited from owning them. According to federal prosecutors,…
Zane Wetzel Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Possession
A 31-year-old Easton, Maine man has admitted to possessing graphic child pornography, including disturbing images and videos of prepubescent children under the age of 12. Zane Wetzel pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to one count of possession of child pornography, marking the culmination of a federal investigation that began with digital evidence tied…
Sarah Jean Roblez Sentenced in Meth Conspiracy
A Mission, South Dakota woman has been locked up for her role in a sprawling methamphetamine distribution ring that flooded tribal and rural communities with hundreds of grams of the potent drug. Sarah Jean Roblez, 27, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison on December 19, 2016, after admitting her part in the conspiracy…
