Tag: Q4 2016
Identity Thief Tried to Hellcat His Way to Freedom
WICHITA, KAN. – A brazen attempt to swindle a Wichita car dealership out of a $52,725 Dodge Challenger Hellcat ended with a guilty plea Monday for Arizona resident Thomas Rye, 36, of Phoenix. Rye confessed to federal prosecutors that he used a stolen identity in a calculated scheme to secure financing for the high-performance vehicle.…
Cody Lee West Charged in $1.5M Medicare Fraud Scheme
Cody Lee West, 38, of Paragould, Ark., is staring down federal charges after allegedly pocketing more than $1.5 million through a rigged medical imaging scheme that exploited Medicare for nearly three years. The owner of C & S Imaging, Inc., a mobile diagnostic testing company, was hit with one count of health care fraud today…
El Paso Woman Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Smuggling in Doña Ana Ring
Gabriela Castro, a 24-year-old legal permanent resident from El Paso, Texas, pleaded guilty today to her role in a violent cocaine trafficking operation that spread through Doña Ana County, New Mexico. The admission, made in federal court in Las Cruces, ties Castro directly to a six-month-long conspiracy that federal investigators say was orchestrated by fugitive…
Robert Kelsey Gets 50 Years for Child Sex Abuse
Robert Kelsey, 29, of Washington, D.C., is going away for 50 years after being sentenced for the sexual abuse of an 11-year-old girl he lured through Instagram. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton, marks the end of a years-long case rooted in deception, exploitation, and the predatory use of social…
Azucena Garcia-Ferniza Sentenced in Firearm Case Tied to Homicide
Azucena Garcia-Ferniza, a 22-year-old Mexican citizen, was sentenced Monday to time served for unlawful possession of a firearm tied to a fatal shooting in Salina, Kansas, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall confirmed. The weapon, a Glock .45 caliber pistol, was used in the 2015 homicide of 17-year-old Allie Saum — a case that sent shockwaves through…
Topeka Woman Pleads Guilty in Minor Sex Trafficking Ring
Michaela Hekekia, 36, of Topeka, Kan., pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring in the sex trafficking of a minor, admitting she trained a teenage girl to work as a prostitute and transported her across state lines to push her into commercial sex acts, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall announced. Hekekia admitted in court to driving the minor…
Thibodaux Man Charged with Stealing Disability Benefits
Clint A. Schwab, 42, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, is facing federal charges for allegedly stealing Social Security disability benefits he wasn’t entitled to receive. The hardcover fraud spanned nearly a decade, as Schwab allegedly returned to work in 2008 but never told the Social Security Administration, continuing to pocket monthly payments meant for the disabled. According…
Rosa and Yadira Rodriguez Indicted in $1M Drug Money Laundering Scheme
Salt Lake City sisters Rosa Rodriguez, 41, and Yadira Rodriguez, 35, are facing federal charges in a $1 million money laundering conspiracy tied to Mexican drug trafficking organizations. A federal grand jury returned the indictment last week, alleging the siblings used their two Utah-based money services businesses to funnel illicit drug proceeds across the border…
Farmington Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin and Gun Crimes
David Kingsbeck, 43, of Farmington, N.M., admitted in federal court today to selling heroin and a loaded firearm to an undercover agent — capping a narcotics investigation that exposed a dangerous drug and gun operation in San Juan County. Kingsbeck pleaded guilty to distribution of heroin and being a felon in possession of a firearm…
Edrey Santo Rojas Sentenced in Fort Myers Credit Card Fraud
Edrey Santo Rojas, 31, of Fort Myers, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced to three years and nine months for ripping off credit card data and going on a months-long retail crime spree. U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell handed down the sentence after Rojas pleaded guilty to access device fraud and aggravated…
