Tag: Topeka
Courtney McGee Cannon, Fentanyl Trafficking, Kansas 2026
⏱ 2 min read Courtney McGee Cannon, a 43-year-old Topeka man, left a bag of fentanyl in a daycare center restroom on February 5, 2026, putting the lives of innocent children at risk. Cannon had walked into the restroom and dropped the baggie, which was later found by an employee who turned it over to…
Michael Steven Podrybau, Distributing Obscene AI-Generated Images, Kansas 2026
⏱ 2 min read A 43-year-old Kansas man, Michael Steven Podrybau, has pleaded guilty to distributing obscene AI-generated images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The crime occurred in Alton, Kansas, between March 2023 and April 2023, where Podrybau used the online platform Wickr Pro to share the images. The investigation was led by…
Lucretia Miller, Embezzlement, Kansas 2020
⏱ 2 min read Lucretia Miller, 53, of Topeka, Kansas, stole approximately $49,000 from her veteran father’s disability benefits between October 2020 and April 2022. As her father’s fiduciary, Miller was responsible for managing his finances, but instead used the funds for her own personal expenses. The theft was discovered and investigated by the Department…
Steven Porubsky, Crop Loan Fraud, Kansas 2026
⏱ 2 min read Steven Porubsky, a 49-year-old Kansas farmer from Topeka, has pleaded guilty to illegally selling crops that were used as collateral for a federal government loan. The crime occurred when Porubsky defrauded the Farm Service Agency, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), by selling the crops without permission. The USDA’s…
Madeline R. Wagner, Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Trafficking, Kansas 2024
⏱ 2 min read Madeline R. Wagner, a 40-year-old woman from Topeka, Kansas, has been sentenced to 115 months in prison for her role in a methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking ring. Between July 2024 and November 2024, Wagner and her co-conspirators possessed and intended to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams…
Aaron Elizabeth Fish, Hobbs Act Robbery, Kansas 2023
⏱ 2 min read Aaron Elizabeth Fish, a 35-year-old Topeka woman, used her inside knowledge to help orchestrate an armed robbery at her workplace, a cash advance business on Southwest 10th Avenue in Topeka, on October 16, 2023. Fish, along with co-conspirators Mejia Jawon Pattillo, 50, and Katelyn Nichole North, 34, planned the heist to…
Deon Ikner and Aaron Whitehead, Armed Robbery, Kansas 2024
⏱ 2 min read In a shocking display of violence, two Kansas cousins, Deon Ikner and Aaron Whitehead, robbed a food truck in Topeka, Kansas, in March 2024, assaulting the owners and making off with their hard-earned cash. The cousins, aged 21 and 25, used a handgun to threaten the victims, striking one of them…
Gayli Harman, Mail Theft, Kansas 2021
⏱ 2 min read A Kansas post office employee’s dirty secret has finally been exposed. Gayli Harman, 44, used her position to steal mail from customers between June 2021 and March 2023, targeting packages that weren’t addressed to her. The mother of one worked in the Sales, Service, and Distribution department at the Westmoreland post…
James Johnson, Grant Fraud, Kansas 2020
⏱ 2 min read A Topeka man is set to face the music after swiping thousands in federal grant cash meant for diabetes prevention to fund his sports memorabilia habit. Matthew Waits, 41, the former manager and program director of the Diabetes Prevention Program at the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, pleaded guilty to misapplying over…
Marcos Esteban Arredondo, Fentanyl Trafficking, Kansas 2023
⏱ 2 min read A deadly fentanyl and firearms trafficking ring operating in Topeka, Kansas, has been dismantled, with four gang members sentenced to prison. The case, dubbed ‘Operation Sob Story,’ was launched in 2023 by the Homeland Security Task Force, which includes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration…
