Tag: November 2016
Baltimore Man Gets 31+ Years for Extortion-Linked Murder
Baltimore, Maryland — Matthew Hightower, 34, of Baltimore, was sentenced today to 380 months in federal prison — more than 31 years — for the cold-blooded murder of David Wutoh, a killing set in motion by a debt gone bad. Hightower was convicted by a federal jury on September 22, 2016, after a seven-day trial…
Tracie Cartwright Sentenced in Meth Conspiracy
Tracie Cartwright, 39, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison today for her role in a sprawling methamphetamine distribution conspiracy that stretched across Virginia and Kentucky. Cartwright previously pled guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The…
Retired Sheriff’s Colonel Austin Cops Plea in $83K Ghost Pay Scam
Retired Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office Colonel ROY AUSTIN, 69, of St. Tammany Parish, is headed to federal lockup after admitting to a years-long scam that bled local festivals and events dry through ghost payrolls and forged checks. Austin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, cashing in on his badge to run a private…
Las Vegas Dry Cleaner Owner Pleads Guilty to Tax Obstruction
Las Vegas dry cleaner owner Judith Woodward, 58, admitted in federal court today to systematically sabotaging the IRS’s ability to collect taxes—lying for years on both business and personal returns while funneling hundreds of thousands in unreported cash into personal accounts. Woodward, who operated Canyon Gate Cleaners through her LLC Canyon Enterprises, pleaded guilty to…
Thomas Blanks II Indicted in Cocaine Trafficking Ring
A Tuscaloosa man is facing federal prison after being indicted on multiple charges tied to a cocaine trafficking ring that exploited FedEx to move drugs across state lines. Thomas Blanks II, 39, was named in a four-count indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court, charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, possessing over 500 grams of…
Michael Lackey Indicted in $69K Union Fund Heist
Michael Lackey, 43, of Bremen, Ga., is staring down federal prison time after a nine-count indictment accused him of looting $69,194 from the Communications Workers of America, Local 3901, in Oxford, Ala. The former union president allegedly ran a years-long scheme to siphon cash from union accounts at Wells Fargo and Regions Bank for personal…
Baptist Pilfers Dead Man’s Pension: $545K Scheme
BIRMINGHAM, AL – A Huntsville-area scheme to siphon over $545,000 from a dead man’s retirement account has landed a Texas man in federal court. DWAYNE ELLIS BAPTISTE, 43, of Huntsville, Texas, was indicted today on a slew of charges, including wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance…
Daniel White Gets 7 Years for Stolen Tax Refund Scheme
Winter Haven resident Daniel White is headed to federal prison for seven years after orchestrating a brazen tax refund fraud scheme using stolen personal identity information from at least 39 people—24 of whom were already dead when he filed fake returns in their names. U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday handed down the sentence in…
Vinod Dadlani Jailed in $200M Credit Card Fraud Scam
Inside a Jersey City jewelry store that glittered with ill-gotten gains, Vinod Dadlani, 53, of Lyndhurst, New Jersey, helped fuel a $200 million international credit card fraud scheme — one of the largest ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice. Today, he was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for his role in the…
Gorham Man Steven Tutt Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges
A 45-year-old Gorham man has admitted to possessing child pornography after federal investigators traced illicit material to his home computer through a peer-to-peer file-sharing network. Steven Tutt pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor, facing up to a decade behind bars for his crimes. According to court records, law enforcement agents used investigative…
