District of Kansas

WICHITA, KAN. - A federal grand jury today returned an indictment against a California man who was arrested in Thomas County, Kan., charging him with possession with intent to distribute four kilograms of cocaine, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Patrick Yarborough, 35, Lawndale, Calif., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of interstate travel in furtherance of drug trafficking. The indictment alleges he had traveled from California to Kansas for the purpose of drug trafficking when he was arrested Oct. 11, 2013.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $2 million on the possession with intent to distribute charge, and a maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the interstate travel charge. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is prosecuting.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

Costel Neicu, 33, a citizen of Romania, is charged in a superseding indictment with two counts of possessing false passports, two counts of possessing false immigration documents, two counts of producing false immigration documents and one count of aggravated identity theft. The crimes are alleged to have occurred March 1, 2012, in Ellis County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the first four counts of possessing false documents, a maximum penalty of 15 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count of producing false documents, and a mandatory two years to run consecutive to other sentences and a fine up to $250,000 on the aggravated identity theft count. The Kansas Highway Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.

Marcos Salvatierra-Martinez, 25, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien illegally in the United States and one count of unlawful possession of ammunition by an alien illegally in the United States. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Dec. 12, 2013, in Wichita, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Wichita Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Jaime Ollarzabal-Lopez, 28, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of an aggravated felony and deported, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien illegally in the United States. He was found Dec. 4, 2013, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000 on the re-entry charge, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the firearm charge. The Wichita Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Darrin Kebert, Jr., 28, Cherryvale, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Aug. 23, 2013, Montgomery County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $2 million on methamphetamine charge, not less than five years consecutive to the sentence on the drug charge and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the other firearm charge. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is prosecuting.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. A federal jury has returned guilty verdicts against three men convicted for their roles in a $28 million drug trafficking conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Marvin Lee Ellis, 36, Kansas City, Kan., was convicted Friday on one count of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, three counts of distributing crack cocaine, one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, one count of maintaining a residence in furtherance of drug trafficking at 921 Haskell in Kansas City, Kan., one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction.
Robert Vasquez, 40, Socorro, Texas, was convicted Friday on one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of money laundering.
Vernon Brown, 36, Kansas City, Kan., was convicted Friday on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine.

A fourth defendant, Kyle Stephen, was acquitted.

During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that the defendants were part of a drug trafficking organization that in October 2010 became the target of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Investigators worked to identify both suppliers and customers of co-defendant Djuane Sykes.

The investigation yielded the seizure and forfeiture of more than $2 million in cash, 194 firearms, 29 vehicles, 26 kilograms of cocaine and three kilograms of crack.

Prosecutors presented evidence that the traffickers employed a group of couriers who would transport cocaine and marijuana from Mexico to Kansas City, and U.S. currency from the Kansas City area south to be smuggled into Mexico. Robert Vazquez was one of those couriers. On Jan. 13, 2012, investigators were watching when Vasquez met other conspirators at the Swift commercial trucking center in Edwardsville, Kan., and placed a bag inside his semitrailer truck. Investigators followed him to the area of Pratt, Kan., where the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped him and seized a black duffel bag containing $549,495 in U.S. currency.

During trial, prosecutors also presented evidence that members of the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department’s narcotics unit working undercover were able to buy crack cocaine several times in February and March 2012 from Marvin Ellis at 921 Haskell and at other locations in Kansas City, Kan. In addition, prosecutors presented evidence that Vernon Brown purchased quantities of crack cocaine from Sykes for several years and he sold it to individuals who came to the 2200 block of Russell to purchase drugs.

Ellis, Vasquez and Brown will be set for sentencing at a later date. They face the following potential penalties:

• Conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine: Not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $10 million.
• Distributing crack cocaine: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million.
• Maintaining a drug involved residence: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million.
• Conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
• Unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
• Unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking: Not less than five years and a fine up to $250,000.

Grissom commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead for their work on the case.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas City, Kan., was charged today with committing robberies at nine stores in less than two weeks, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Thursday.

Llewellyn Richard, 44, Kansas City, Kan., was charged in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., with nine counts of robbery.

Court records identified the robberies as:

– Boost Mobile, 3726 State Avenue, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 21, 2012.
– Dollar General, 2272 Quindaro, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 25, 2012.
– Family Dollar, 1251 Central Avenue, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 25, 2012.
– Quick Service gas station, 7959 State Avenue, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 25, 2012.
– Boost Mobile, 7640 State Avenue, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 26, 2012.
– Cricket store, 4635 Shawnee Drive, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 27, 2012.
– Sally’s Beauty Supply, 5020 Roe Boulevard, Roeland Park, Kan., Dec. 28, 2012.
– Dollar General, 2801 S. 47th Street, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 28, 2012.
– Family Dollar, 3129 State Avenue, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 30, 2012.

According to a criminal complaint and affidavit, the first robbery at the Boost Mobile store occurred at about 1:14 p.m. Dec. 21 when Richard walked behind the counter, grabbed a clerk around the waist and demanded money. He gestured to her as if he had a gun in his jacket pocket. He fled the store with the money.

In the second robbery at the Dollar General Store on Dec. 24, he walked behind the counter and pushed the clerk. The clerk stated she felt what she believed to be a gun that the robber shoved into her back. She said he threatened her, saying “Don’t look at me! Don’t turn around!”

On Jan. 1, 2013, officers of the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department stopped a 1997 red GMC pickup. The driver pulled over and then drove away when the officers approached the truck. A pursuit ended when the truck crashed and Richard was arrested.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.

The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead is prosecuting.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

TOPEKA, KAN. – A Saline County man has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for trafficking in methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Shane Curtis Sheets, 33, New Cambria, Kan., was sentenced to 140 months in federal prison. Sheets pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. In his plea, he admitted to conspiring with co-defendants Lisandro Clara-Fernandez, Kevin Dale Ashcraft and Dennis Augustine to distribute methamphetamine in the metropolitan area of Salina, Kan.

The investigation began when the 1-35/I-70 Drug Task Force based in Salina developed information that Augustine and Ashcraft were operating a drug trafficking organization. Investigators learned that on Nov. 27, 2011, Ashcraft was meeting Clara-Fernandez on I-70 in Wabaunsee County, Kan. At the meeting approximately 1.4 kilograms of methamphetamine was transferred to Ashcraft. Shortly afterwards, law enforcement officers arrested Ashcraft with the drugs.

Investigators learned that Ashcraft regularly received methamphetamine from Clara-Fernandez and that for every pound of methamphetamine he received he distributed a quarter pound to Sheets on credit. Sheets was distributing to other dealers and users down the line.

Co-defendants included the following: Lisandro Clara-Fernandez, who was sentenced to 54 months.
Kevin Dale Ashcraft, who was sentenced to 94 months.
Dennis Augustine, who was sentenced to 240 months.

Grissom commended the 1-35/I-70 Drug Task Force and Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot for their work on the case.