Western District of Kentucky
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Clinton County, Kentucky, Physician Charged with Illegal Distribution of Controlled Substances to PatientsRead the Press Release
Charges include dispensing pain killers which resulted in the deaths of three patients
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A Clinton County, Kentucky, physician was charged this week by grand jury indictment with the illegal distribution of controlled substances which resulted in the deaths of three patients, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Michael L. Cummings, 61, of Albany, Kentucky, was charged with 18 counts of knowingly and intentionally dispensing Schedule II, Schedule III, and Schedule IV controlled substances (pain killers) to six patients, without a medical purpose and outside the course of professional medical practice, and resulting in the deaths of three patients.
According to the indictment, Cummings allegedly began prescribing the controlled substances to patients, in Clinton County, without a medical purpose and outside the course of professional medical practice, in May of 2012, and continued through March of 2014.
According to the indictment, on March 25, 2014, Cummings dispensed and distributed, 120 Oxycodone 20 mg pills and 60 Oxycontin 40 mg pills, Schedule II controlled substances, without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the course of professional medical practice, which resulted in the serious bodily injury and death of S.F., on or about April 7, 2014.
On February 10, 2014, Cummings is charged with dispensing and distributing hydrocodone/acetaminophen 325 mg/10 mg pills, a Schedule III controlled substance, to S.C., without a legitimate medical purpose, and outside the course of professional medical practice, resulting in the serious bodily injury and death of S.C. on or about April 2, 2014.
On May 19, 2014, Cummings dispensed and distributed, 120 hydrocodone/acetaminophen 325 mg/10 mg pills, a Schedule III controlled substance, to P.G., without a legitimate medical purpose, and outside the course of professional medical practice, resulting in the serious bodily injury and death of P.G. on or about June 3, 2014.
If convicted at trial, Cummings could be sentenced to no less than 20 years in prison and up to and including a term of life in prison, fined $3,250,000 and serve a five-year period of supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Weiser and is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Kentucky State Police Drug Enforcement/Special Investigations West Branch.
The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty
Convicted Felon Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Violating Federal Drug Trafficking LawsRead the Press Release
BOWLING GREEN, KY – A Warren County, Kentucky, convicted felon was sentenced in United States District Court by District Judge Greg N. Stivers to 17 years in prison followed by a ten year period of supervised release for his role in a conspiracy to distribute crystal methamphetamine announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr. There is no parole in the federal system.
“This defendant has a long criminal history in the Bowling Green, Kentucky area,” stated U.S. Attorney John Kuhn. “This seventeen-year sentence will remove a large supplier of illicit and dangerous drugs from the community. The federal and local law enforcement partnership working to remove dangerous criminals from Warren County is very effective, and I thank the ATF and the Warren County Drug Task Force for their efforts.”
“This armed drug trafficker has plagued the Bowling Green area for years, as evidenced by his statements and criminal history in four surrounding Kentucky counties,” stated Stuart Lowrey, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Louisville Field Division. “We applaud the efforts of the law enforcement agencies participating in the Warren County Drug Task Force and this significant investigation, which will impact violent crime.”
Jason Borden, age 47, conspired with Joshua Preston Moore, Charles Henry Ickes and others, to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine between December of 2014, and February of 2015, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, including during post-arrest, in March of 2015, when Borden made calls from jail. During those calls, Borden directed Moore to collect money owed to him from the sale of methamphetamine and directed Moore to recover more than 50 grams of methamphetamine from where Borden had hidden the drugs, and directed Moore to distribute the recovered methamphetamine.
Further, the conspiracy involved the shipment of one and a half pounds of crystal methamphetamine from Santa Rosa, California, to an address in Bowling Green for further distribution. According to the plea agreement, on February 13, 2015, members of the Bowling Green/Warren County Drug Task Force conducted a controlled delivery of the crystal methamphetamine to the Bowling Green address. A cooperating co-conspirator, who was the intended recipient of the shipped methamphetamine, agreed to deliver the crystal methamphetamine to the next intended recipient, Borden. At the time of the delivery, Borden was arrested. Agents recovered the package of crystal methamphetamine, approximately $3,600 in United States currency, digital scales and a loaded H&R Inc., Model 732, .32 caliber revolver loaded with six rounds of .32 caliber ammunition from Borden at the time of his arrest. Laboratory analysis of the crystal methamphetamine revealed that it was 100% pure.
At the time of his arrest, Borden relayed to law enforcement that he was affiliated with Outlaws, a motorcycle gang, and that he had previously sold pounds of meth.
Borden is a felon with prior felony convictions in Warren County Circuit Court, Barren County Circuit Court, Christian County Circuit Court, and Logan County Circuit Court.
Co-defendant Moore pleaded guilty to three counts of a superseding indictment on March 14, 2016 and faces a minimum 15-year prison sentence. Co-defendant Charles Henry Ickes is scheduled for trial in Bowling Green before Judge Stivers on June 13, 2017.
Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless is prosecuting this case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Bowling Green/Warren County Drug Task Force, and United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation.
Former Employees of Louisville-Based Engineering and Construction Company Sentenced to Prison Terms for Defrauding the Company and the Social Security AdministrationRead the Press Release
Fraud totaled around $2 million over a 13-year period
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Two former employees of a Louisville, Kentucky, based engineering and construction company were sentenced to prison terms this week, in United States District Court, by Chief Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr., for their roles in a conspiracy to steal government funds and a scheme to defraud the company of approximately $2 million announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Frank Burks, Jr., 66, and Pamela Duvall, 60, both from New Albany, Indiana, were each sentenced to 36 months in prison, without the possibility of parole, and ordered to pay restitution to be determined at a later date, by Chief Judge McKinley, on April 3, 2017.
According to information presented in court, Burks and Duvall, while employed at RAM Engineering & Construction, Inc., schemed with one and other beginning in around 2001, to steal money from RAM to fund outside business ventures and personal gambling habits.
During the nearly 13-year period of criminal activity, Duvall was employed as a bookkeeper and Burks was employed as an operations manager for the privately owned company. One way they embezzled money from RAM was through general account checks. Duvall was responsible for issuing checks from the general account. As part of the scheme, Duvall issued checks, convinced one of the RAM owners to sign the checks under false pretenses, then made the checks payable to herself, Burks, or another person or entity whose endorsement Duvall or Burks would forge. Also, Burks and Duvall worked together to enable Burks to use his RAM corporate credit card to pay for Burks’ personal expenses.
In addition to their theft from RAM, Burks and Duvall conspired to ensure that Burks could earn income without it affecting his Social Security income by reporting a portion of his income from RAM as non-taxable. As such, Burks was overpaid by the Social Security Administration in the amount of $11,340.
On December 5, 2016, both Burks and Duvall pleaded guilty to conspiracy for theft of government funds, as well as charges of wire fraud and use of a forged security.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Gregory and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Retired Fulton County Jailer Guilty of Receiving Kickbacks Tied to 3.3 Million Construction Project on Fulton County Detention CenterRead the Press Release
Ricky Parnell admitted to receiving kickbacks totaling at least $175,000 from contractors
PADUCAH, Ky. – Retired Fulton County Jailer Ricky Parnell pleaded guilty today in United States District Court before Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell, to his role in a conspiracy to defraud Fulton County, Kentucky, citizens through kickbacks and inflated costs associated with the $3.3 million 2015 Fulton County Detention Center expansion, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
“Public corruption simply cannot be tolerated,” stated United States Attorney John Kuhn. “Corrupt public officials erode the fairness and integrity of our public institutions, and they undermine the public’s trust in our government. I hope this conviction will reassure the public that the Department of Justice will hold elected officials to the highest standards of honesty and integrity.”
Parnell, 59, of Hickman, Kentucky, pleaded guilty to Honest Services Fraud and multiple counts of Wire Fraud for using his official position to enrich himself by soliciting and accepting gifts and payments from defendant contractors, in exchange for influencing the Fulton County Fiscal Court to award the defendants contracts on the project.
Parnell admitted to directing Ronald D. Armstrong, 60, of Dresden, Tennessee; Jimmy Boyd, 56, of South Fulton, Tennessee; Michael Homra, 79, of Fulton, Kentucky; and Daniel C. Larcom, 42, of Union City, Tennessee, to intentionally overcharge Fulton County for services and supplies provided as part of jail projects. Parnell presented the inflated invoices and contracts to the Fulton County treasurer for payment to the defendants and their respective companies. In turn, the defendant contractors would use the excess proceeds to pay kickbacks, in the form of both cash and checks, to Parnell. Parnell received at least $175,000 in money and other things of value.
In addition, defendants Armstrong, Boyd, Homra, and Larcom took steps to cover up their activities and dealings with Parnell, including using cash to provide Parnell with kickbacks, structuring withdrawals from banks to use for these kickbacks, and creating false and inflated invoices for services and materials in order to satisfy the cash kickbacks demanded by Parnell.
Contract defendants Larcom, Armstrong and Boyd have pleaded guilty in United States District Court to charges including Honest Service Wire Fraud and Wire Fraud for their individual roles in this conspiracy.
The charged activity took place between April 2015 and August 2016. Parnell served as the Fulton County Jailer from 1990 until late last year and remains free on bond. A sentencing date is scheduled in Paducah, before Senior Judge Russell, on July 3rd.
If convicted at trial, Parnell could be sentenced to no more than 20 years in prison per count, pay a $250,000 fine for each count, and be sentenced to serve a three-year period of supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nute Bonner and is being investigated by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Michigan Man Sentenced to 235 Months in Prison for Sex Trafficking and Interstate Transportation for ProstitutionRead the Press Release
David Q. Givhan, aka “Premier,” 35, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was sentenced yesterday to 235 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge David J. Hale, after being convicted by jury of one count of sex trafficking and three counts of interstate transportation for prostitution.
The sentencing was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn Jr. of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Amy S. Hess of the FBI’s Louisville Division.
“The defendant sexually exploited young women for his own profit,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Wheeler. “When they refused he sexually assaulted them and when they fled he found them and brought them back. There is no place for this type of conduct in civilized society. This sentence sends a clear message that the Justice Department will work tirelessly to hold traffickers accountable for their crimes.”
“Forcible sex trafficking is effectively a form of modern day slavery,” said U.S. Attorney Kuhn. “The defendant’s victims were vulnerable women, whom he terrorized by violence, threats and other coercions. Today’s sentence should be a strong message that sex trafficking will be vigorously prosecuted by my office and the Department of Justice.”
“Givhan’s sentence, handed down during Victims’ Rights Week, is reflective of the heinous nature of sex trafficking,” said Special Agent in Charge Hess. “The FBI is committed to aggressively investigating these crimes and removing the victims from an environment of violence and exploitation.”
According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, Givhan prostituted three women for his profit at various times between October 2014 and April 2015 and transported them from Michigan to Kentucky and other states for the purpose of prostitution. He used force, fraud and coercion to compel one of the women to prostitute for him between October 2014 and March 2015. He initially recruited the woman – a single mother of three – using false promises of steady income and a better life. However, once she began earning money, he kept it all. Givhan required her to earn $1,000 a day and beat other women in front of her. Givhan also required her to tattoo his alias, “Premier,” on her neck and threatened to hurt or kill her or her family if she refused to continue prostituting for him. When she objected to his demand that she perform particular acts for customers, he sexually assaulted her. At one point, the woman tried to leave Givhan, but he found her and brought her back. On a trip to Florida, he compelled her to continue prostituting for his profit, even after she sought medical attention for severe pain and bleeding. Shortly thereafter, she managed to escape by enlisting the help of a hotel clerk and her mother.
After deliberating for under five hours, the jury found the defendant guilty on all four counts on Dec. 13, 2016. A fifth count was dismissed during trial.
The investigation was opened when Louisville Metro Police Department officers encountered a woman Givhan had transported from Michigan to Louisville, Kentucky, during a prostitution sting coinciding with the Kentucky Derby.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Louisville Division and Louisville Metro Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda E. Gregory of the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney William Nolan of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Kalamazoo, Michigan, Man Sentenced to 235 Months in Prison for Sex Trafficking and Interstate Transportation for ProstitutionRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – David Q. Givhan, aka “Premier,” 35, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was sentenced to 235 months in prison by United States District Court Judge David J. Hale, after being convicted by jury of one count of sex trafficking and three counts of interstate transportation for prostitution announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
“Forcible sex trafficking is effectively a form of modern day slavery,” stated United States Attorney John Kuhn. “Givhan terrorized vulnerable women through violence, threats and other actions. My Office and the Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute these brutal crimes. And today's sentence should send a powerful message that sex trafficking will be severely punished.”
According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, Givhan prostituted three women for his profit at various times between October 2014 and April 2015 and transported them from Michigan to Kentucky and other states for the purpose of prostitution. He used force, fraud and coercion to compel one of the women to prostitute for him between October 2014 and March 2015. He initially recruited the woman – a single mother of three – using false promises of steady income and a better life. However, once she began earning money, he kept it all. Givhan required her to earn $1,000 a day and beat other women in front of her. Givhan also required her to tattoo his alias, “Premier,” on her neck and threatened to hurt or kill her or her family if she refused to continue prostituting for him. When she objected to his demand that she perform particular acts for customers, he sexually assaulted her. At one point, the woman tried to leave Givhan, but he found her and brought her back. On a trip to Florida, he compelled her to continue prostituting for his profit, even after she sought medical attention for severe pain and bleeding. Shortly thereafter, she managed to escape by enlisting the help of a hotel clerk and her mother.
After deliberating for under five hours, the jury found the defendant guilty on all four counts on December 13, 2016. A fifth count was dismissed during trial. Givhan remains in federal custody.
The investigation was opened when Louisville Metro Police Department officers encountered a woman Givhan had transported from Michigan to Louisville, Kentucky, during a prostitution sting coinciding with the Kentucky Derby.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Louisville Division and Louisville Metro Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda E. Gregory of the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney William Nolan of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
United States Attorney Announces Release of “A Call to Action” A Report and Recommendations Concerning the Heroin and Opioid Epidemic in Metro LouisvilleRead the Press Release
Report draws from the Heroin and Opioid Response Summit held December 1, 2016
Recommendations include requiring an intensified commitment in the areas of treatment, prevention and law enforcement
final_a_call_to_action.pdfLOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr. today announced the state-wide release of A Call to Action: Report and Recommendations from the Louisville Heroin and Opioid Response Summit.
The nearly 40 page report summarizes information shared during the December 1, 2016, Summit held at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. The one-day event, hosted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky in conjunction with the DEA/360 Strategy Program and the University of Louisville School of Medicine, was attended by more than 300 professionals working to combat heroin and opioid abuse, which is one of the most urgent and destructive threats to Metro Louisville’s health and safety. The Summit sought to enhance collaboration across public safety and public health domains and across the private and public sectors to improve the community’s response to the crisis.
The report includes detailed information about the heroin and opioid problem in Louisville, the responses of various agencies and professionals developed during panel-led discussions, and the evidence-based solutions presented by speakers and other sources.
“A Call to Action urges intensified efforts in the areas of treatment, prevention, and law enforcement,” stated United States Attorney John Kuhn. “We must improve access to treatment, broaden our support of people in recovery, intensify our drug-use prevention efforts with young people, and build a comprehensive data-sharing system from partnerships between public health and public safety.”
Recommendations include:
• Addiction treatment should be available for all persons seeking treatment.
• Prevention programs built upon evidence-based principles should be offered in all schools.
• Education outreach to the general public concerning opioid risks, addiction, and treatment should be expanded.
• Law enforcement should improve and intensify efforts to eliminate the supply of heroin, fentanyl, opioid analogues and diverted pharmaceuticals.
• All sectors working on and affected by the heroin and opioid problem should collaborate to share data and information even if not mandated to do so.
• Kentucky should establish a comprehensive, centralized drug data collection, analysis and sharing system.
• Recovery support programs and systems should be developed in schools and throughout the community.
U. S. Attorney Kuhn concluded, “Only two things can defeat us in our battle against this epidemic: a lack of commitment and a failure to collaborate. A serious and sustained commitment to resolve this crisis will bring us the resources we need, and our collaboration will broaden our impact immeasurably. Together, we can build a healthier community and bring this destructive chapter to an end.”
Louisville Felon Sentenced to 97 Months in Prison for Multiple Drug and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
Federal prosecution resulted from “Project Recoil”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr., today announced the 97-month sentence of a Louisville felon, for multiple charges including the sale and distribution of controlled substances; unlawful possession of firearms by a convicted felon; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in United States District Court before District Judge David J. Hale. The federal charges stemmed from “Project Recoil,” the on-going partnership of multiple Jefferson County, Kentucky, law enforcement agencies, developed by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, to maximize penalties for the most violent offenders and to reduce violent crime in our community.
“Today’s sentencing takes a violent convicted felon off the streets of Louisville for eight years without the possibility of an early parole,” stated United States Attorney Kuhn. “Not only did this felon have multiple firearms and ammunition in his possession, he was dealing heroin and crack cocaine. Project Recoil is working. This joint effort has removed another violent drug dealer from our community.”
Demetric A. Flint, a/k/a Meechie, pleaded guilty to all counts of federal indictment on November 29, 2016. He also agreed to forfeit his interest in ammunition, $469.00 in United States currency, and firearms including a SigSauer Model P232, .380 Caliber pistol, a Hi-Point Model JHP45, .45 caliber pistol, and a Browning Citori 12 gauge shotgun seized at the time of his arrest.
According to court records, on October 19, 2015, law enforcement officials conducted a controlled purchase of heroin from Demetric Flint – using a confidential informant. Following the controlled purchase, law enforcement officials obtained and executed a Kentucky state search warrant at Flint’s residence on East Ormsby Avenue, the address where the controlled purchase had occurred. No one was at home. The law enforcement officials forced entry and seized suspected methamphetamine, a Sig Sauer Model P232, .380 caliber pistol, and Kentucky identification card for Flint, United States currency, a 50-gram weight digital scale, suspected heroin, and marijuana. Later, law enforcement officials found Flint at his child’s mother’s residence on South Jackson Street. While speaking with the woman, officers saw Flint walk from hallway to the living room and arrested him. At the time of his arrest, Flint was in possession of $469.00 United States currency. The woman gave written consent for a search of her residence. The search resulted in seizure of suspected crack cocaine, prescription pills, digital scale, box of baking soda, items with suspected residue of crack cocaine, 12 gauge and 45 caliber ammunition, marijuana, a Hi-Point .45 caliber pistol, and a Browning Citori 12 gauge shotgun.
During a post-Miranda, signed waiver, statement by Flint, he admitted the items seized from both the Ormsby and South Jackson addresses were his. He admitted selling “hard” (i.e., crack cocaine), and heroin. During the interview, Flint admitted that he had crack cocaine and heroin secreted on his body.
On or about May 31, 2012, in Jefferson Circuit Court case number 11-CR-3685, Flint was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance first degree, tampering with physical evidence, and trafficking in a controlled substance second degree, crimes punishable by imprisonment for more than one year.
Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless prosecuted the case. The Louisville Metro Police Department and United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation.
Cave City, Kentucky, Physician Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Illegally Dispensing Controlled Substances Outside of His Professional Medical Practice and Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
Obtained controlled substances through fraud for his own use
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A Barren County, Kentucky, physician was sentenced today in United States District Court by District Judge Greg N. Stivers, to 18 months in prison for obtaining controlled substances by fraud, for knowingly and intentionally distributing and dispensing controlled substances outside the course of professional medical practice and for health care fraud, while he was a practicing physician in the Western District of Kentucky, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Dr. Christopher Steward, of Cave City, was a dentist and a nurse practitioner with a practice located at 212 Broadway in Cave City and had a Drug Enforcement Agency registration number which authorized him to write prescriptions within the course of professional medical practice.
Steward pleaded guilty to intentionally conspiring with patients to acquire possession of Schedule II and Schedule IV controlled substances, through misrepresentation and fraud, outside the course of medical practice, in order to distribute and/or acquire possession of prescription pills, mostly for his own use. The illegal activities took place between March 6, 2015, and June 6, 2015.
Further, Steward admitted that on June 6, 2015, he willfully executed a scheme to defraud Kentucky Medicaid, a health care benefit program, in connection with the delivery of payment for health care benefits, by writing a prescription for alprazolam, a Schedule IV controlled substance, for a patient without the patient’s knowledge or consent. That prescription was subsequently filled by someone other than the patient, again without the patient’s knowledge or consent, and Steward obtained those pills. That fraudulent prescription was paid for by Kentucky Medicaid, through Coventry Managed Care.
Steward was arrested on April 13, 2016, made an initial appearance before Magistrate Judge H. Brent Brennenstuhl, in Bowling Green, and released on a $25,000 unsecured bond.
At the time of sentencing, the United States moved for dismissal of Count 8 of the Indictment (identity theft) and agreed that a sentencing range between 18 months of imprisonment and 30 months of imprisonment was the appropriate disposition of this case. Further, the defendant agreed to forfeit property located at 212 Broadway Street in Cave City, Kentucky, and a 2009 Ford F-150 white pickup truck.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Weiser, and it resulted from an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Kentucky State Police.
Casey County, Kentucky, Man Guilty of Defrauding the Farm Credit Administration Through Sales of Grain to Unauthorized PurchasersRead the Press Release
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A Casey County, Kentucky, man pled guilty today in United States District Court before District Judge Greg N. Stivers for his role in a conspiracy to defraud the Farm Credit Administration by concealing the sale of grain to unauthorized purchasers, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Timothy R. Jaynes, 51, pled guilty to one count of a criminal information charging him with converting assets pledged to the Farm Credit Administration.
According to the plea agreement, in July of 2012, Christopher S. Fair, 38, of Liberty, Kentucky, (charged in a separate information) allegedly obtained loans from Central Kentucky Agriculture Credit and secured these loans with the proceeds of grain sales. CKAC is a subsidiary of the Farm Credit Administration.
Under the loan terms, Fair was only authorized to sell his grain to certain purchasers, and sale proceeds were to be remitted to CKAC to pay off the loan balances. Between July 2012 and October 29, 2013, without CKAC’s knowledge or approval and with the intent to defraud CKAC, Fair is alleged to have intentionally sold grain to unauthorized purchasers, and transferred the proceeds of those sales to bank accounts under his own control and the control of others, who agreed to give Fair access to the funds.
Jaynes was Fair’s friend and agreed to establish FJ Holdings and opened an FJ Holdings bank account for Fair to hide assets from creditors and to allegedly deposit grain sale proceeds and conceal those proceeds. Jaynes admits to subsequently sharing with Fair, the proceeds deposited into the FJ Holdings account.
If convicted at trial, Jaynes could be sentenced to a five-year maximum term in prison, pay a $500,000 fine, and be sentenced to serve a three-year period of supervised release.
At the time of sentencing, Jaynes agrees to pay restitution in the amount of $50,000 to the Farm Service Agency. Jaynes is scheduled for sentencing before Judge Stivers on July 6, 2017, in Bowling Green.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Weiser and is being investigated by the Farm Credit Administration.
Louisville Man Charged with Intentionally Distributing Heroin Which Resulted in the Death of the UserRead the Press Release
First defendant charged with heroin distribution resulting in death, in the Western District of Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Louisville man was charged by grand jury indictment today with intentionally distributing heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance, to a person known as “G.A.” whose death and serious bodily injury resulted from the use of such substance, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
“This indictment arises out of the collaborative initiative announced last fall involving DEA, LMPD and the U.S. Attorney's Office,” stated United States Attorney John Kuhn. “With the assistance of federal funding from the OCDETF program, DEA and LMPD are investigating overdose deaths together, with the aim of bringing federal charges which carry a mandatory 20-year sentence upon conviction, without the possibility of parole. This indictment is just the first in a series of prosecutions we hope will make a difference for our community. My Office is committed to attacking the heroin supply, ending the violence associated with its trafficking, and bringing some measure of justice to the victims and their families.”
Logan Charles Silliman, age 30, was charged in a three count indictment with intentionally distributing heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance, to a person known as “G.A.” whose death and serious bodily injury resulted from the use of such substance; possession and distribution of a 100 grams or more of a substance containing a mixture or substance containing heroin on January 6, 2017; and possession and distribution of a of a 100 grams or more of a substance containing a mixture or substance containing heroin on February 14, 2017.
Silliman was previously charged, in a Criminal Complaint on February 13, 2017 with possession of heroin with intent to distribute. According to an Affidavit attached to the complaint, in January of 2017, members of the DEA Louisville District Office and Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) Major Case Narcotics unit received information that the defendant was actively selling heroin from a residence located on Gardiner Lane in Louisville. After securing a search warrant, a quantity of heroin, suspected marijuana, a digital scale, a large number of syringes, packaging material, cutting agent, several cellular phones and documents were recovered from the residence.
After being provided a Miranda Warning, Silliman allegedly admitted to trafficking in heroin, that he used between 1 and 1.5 grams of heroin per day, and that heroin was located in the bedroom/closet area of his residence. Silliman further stated, according to the Affidavit, the he sold heroin to several people and that he purchased approximately one ounce of heroin twice weekly for approximately $2,000.
Silliman’s initial appearance on the Criminal Complaint was held before Magistrate Judge Dave Whalin, in Louisville, on February 14, 2017. He was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
If convicted of the charges in the grand jury indictment, Silliman faces a mandatory 20 years in prison for Count 1, no less than five years in prison for Counts 2 and 3, four years of supervised release, and a fine of $11 million.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert B. Bonar, and is being investigated by the DEA Louisville Division and the LMPD.
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The charge of a person by Grand Jury Indictment is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The DEA and LMPD, in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, formulated a strategy in response to the current heroin epidemic and created the Heroin Investigation Team (HIT) which investigates overdoses with the aim of developing federal cases charging heroin distribution causing death or serious injury. These charges are punished by a mandatory 20-year sentence. The HIT consists of Special Agents of the DEA and LMPD Major Case Narcotics Unit Detectives. The program was supported initially with federal funding for overtime for six law enforcement officers from LMPD who work on HIT. Each of the six law enforcement officers was deputized by DEA as a federal Task Force Officer (TFO).
Louisville Business Owners Sentenced for Defrauding A United States Department of Agriculture ProgramRead the Press Release
Ordered to pay $400,000 restitution
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The owners of AP Deli Corporation were sentenced in United States District Court yesterday, by Chief Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr., to twelve months and one day in prison and ordered to pay $400,000 restitution for defrauding a program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
“The SNAP program is intended to alleviate hunger and malnutrition among lower income families by increasing their food-purchasing power,” stated U.S. Attorney John Kuhn. “When the program is defrauded, the government's capacity to assist is diminished and the public's confidence in the program can be compromised. This successful investigation and prosecution punishes those responsible, recovers the program loss, and should help restore our faith in accountability.”
Defendants San Chae Chon, age 73, and Yong Chae Chon, age 65, of Louisville, admitted that while operating AP Deli, located at 225 S. 5th Street in Louisville, they defrauded the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by redeeming electronic benefit transfer cards (EBT), in exchange for cash, from customers. The charged period began in May of 2005, and continued through August of 2014.
SNAP is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture to provide food-purchasing assistance to low-income individuals through the issue of (EBT) cards to recipients.
The Chons, who are legally married, provided customers cash in amounts substantially less than the debited amount on the customers’ EBT cards. They would then process customers’ EBT cards to redeem the full amount debited on the card. When using the EBT card in a lawful manner, each transaction was for the exact dollar amount of the SNAP eligible items and thus no change was given back to the recipient.
The Chons fraudulently redeemed EBT cards in excess of $5,000. Their actions caused a loss to SNAP and the USDA in the amount of approximately $400,000.
The Chons pleaded guilty to a single charge of food stamp fraud, on June 3, 2016. At the time of sentencing, the United States agreed to dismiss two charges.
The case was prosecuted Assistant United States Attorney Bryan R. Calhoun and was investigated by U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Office of Inspector General.
Louisville Woman Sentenced to 15 Months for Defrauding the Social Security AdministrationRead the Press Release
Failed to disclose the death of her husband for eleven years
Ordered to pay $194,787.92 in restitution
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Louisville woman was sentenced today in United States District Court by Chief Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr., to serve 15 months in prison and pay $194,787.92 in restitution for committing several offenses involving the fraudulent receipt of Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits by the Social Security Administration (SSA), for an eleven-year period, for which she was not qualified announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Janice M. Arnow, age 69, admitted that she failed to disclose the death of her husband and continued to receive and spend OASDI payments made by the SSA between October 2003 and October 2014. Further, Arnow admitted to theft of government property. Arnow embezzled, stole, and purloined money of the Social Security Administration (SSA), a department and agency of the United States, namely, Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance program (OASDI) payments made to her deceased husband, to which she knew she was not entitled. Arnow did not apply for survivor benefits, and would not have qualified.
Also, on or about July 17, 2012, Arnow admitted to making her own false Social Security Application. Arnow willfully and knowingly made a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement, by submitting an application for her own OASDI payments to the SSA. In doing so, Arnow falsely omitted the identity of her late husband (Paul Adams), the receipt of income from her late husband’s OASDI payments, the date of his death, and falsely indicated that she had no other marriages than to M.H.
According to information presented in court, when Arnow was questioned by agents with SSA at her Louisville home, Arnow reportedly stated that she thought she could spend the money because she was his widow, offered to pay the money back, could not remember to whom she had mailed her late husband’s death certificate, and that she had used the money for social work in Rwanda and the Congo. Information presented in Court showed Arnow used the money for living expenses and did not qualify for widower’s benefits because she earned too much additional income.
In a separate case, on November 19, 2012, Arnow pleaded guilty in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Jefferson County, to wanton exploitation of an adult over $300, theft of identity, fraudulent use of a credit card over $500, and theft by unlawful taking of over $500. The court sentenced Arnow to four years on each count. Arnow entered into a five-year diversion. The Commonwealth moved to revoke that diversion based on the federal charges.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Judd, and results from an investigation conducted by the Social Security Administration –Office of the Inspector General.
Fulton County Contract Supplier Guilty of Giving Kickbacks Tied to Construction of Fulton County Detention CenterRead the Press Release
PADUCAH, Ky. – A Union City, Tennessee, business owner and contract supplier pled guilty today in United States District Court before Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell for his role in a conspiracy to defraud Fulton County citizens, through kickbacks and concealment of costs associated with work performed on the 2015 Fulton County Detention Center expansion, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Daniel C. Larcom, 42, pled guilty to three charges including Honest Services Wire Fraud and Wire Fraud for his role in a conspiracy that allegedly involved then Fulton County Jailer Ricky D. Parnell and others.
Larcom is the owner of Danny Larcom Heating & Air, Inc., whose company was awarded a $415,000 contract to install HVAC systems as part of the $3.3 million expansion of the Fulton County Detention Center.
In 2011 Larcom installed a new $4,800 heating and air unit at Parnell’s home and was not paid for the unit but was promised addition contracts involving the jail. In around 2012 or 2013, Parnell contracted with Larcom to replace HVAC equipment in the old jail with new equipment. Larcom estimated the cost at $90,000 for ten new units. Parnell advised Larcom to make the contract for $100,000 and add high end thermostats and that he wanted $5,000 cash for awarding Larcom the contract.
After a couple months, Larcom gave Parnell the $5,000 he demanded by putting $5,000 cash into a coffee cup and meeting Parnell in his pick-up truck. While Larcom was in the truck, Parnell entered the truck, did not say anything, and took the cup with the $5,000 cash kickback. The cash was in $100 bills. Larcom believed that Parnell would not give Larcom any future work if he did not pay the $5,000 kickback.
Further, Parnell asked Larcom to install the HVAC systems for the jail expansion project. Larcom estimated the job would cost $380,000 to $400,000. Parnell allegedly told Larcom to make a bid for $415,000. With Parnell’s endorsement, Larcom was awarded the contract. In return for being awarded the job, Parnell requested that Larcom give Parnell a dual unit HVAC system, a generator, and $15,000 cash. The dual unit HVAC system and generator went to Parnell’s house. The $15,000 was given to Parnell in a coffee cup the same way that the earlier $5,000 kickback was given to him.
Larcom agreed and conspired with Parnell to give Parnell cash and other items of value, specifically HVAC units and generators, so that Parnell would continue to award Larcom and Larcom’s company with contracts for the Fulton County Detention Center, which Parnell could influence because he was the Fulton County Jailer. Larcom’s invoices were paid by Fulton County.
Larcom and Parnell both profited from their arrangement and neither the Fulton County Fiscal Court nor the citizens of Fulton County were ever made aware of the arrangement. In doing so, Larcom had the intent to defraud the citizens of Fulton County through the kickback scheme he entered into with Parnell.
Larcom was charged by grand jury indictment, with co-defendants Ricky D. Parnell, 59, of Hickman, Kentucky; Ronald D. Armstrong, 60, of Dresden, Tennessee; Jimmy Boyd, 56, of South Fulton, Tennessee; and Michael Homra, 79, of Fulton County, on November 15, 2016. Homra and Armstrong recently pleaded guilty to charges and are awaiting sentencing.
If convicted at trial, the defendants could be sentenced to no more than 20 years in prison per count, pay a $250,000 fine for each count, and be sentenced to serve a three-year period of supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nute Bonner and is being investigated by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Louisville Man Charged in the Shooting of A United States Postal CarrierRead the Press Release
Charged with attempted murder of a federal employee
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Louisville man appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Dave Whalin today, charged by Grand Jury Indictment with attempted murder of a federal employee, that is a United States Postal Carrier (while engaged in the performance of his official duties), and with forcible assault of a federal employee, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Eric Bennett, 38, was arrested Monday, February 27, 2017, charged by a Grand Jury Indictment, that was unsealed today during his initial appearance in federal court. The charges are in connection with the shooting of United States Postal Carrier Da’Ron Lester on February 10, 2016.
Bennett remains in federal custody. A detention hearing is scheduled for tomorrow at 2:00 in Louisville, before Magistrate Judge Colin H. Lindsay. If convicted of the charges, Bennett faces a sentence of no more than 20 years in prison for attempted murder of a federal employee; no more than 20 years for forcible assault of a federal employee and 10 years in prison for the charge of discharging of a firearm during a crime of violence. Further, Bennett could be sentenced to a five-year term of supervised release and a fine of $750,000.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Scott Davis and Marisa Ford, and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) is conducting the investigation.
The charge of a person by Grand Jury Indictment is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Hodgenville, Kentucky, Bookkeeper Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Embezzling from Her EmployerRead the Press Release
Ordered to pay $541,224.88 in restitution
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The former bookkeeper of an Elizabethtown, Kentucky, health provider was sentenced this week to 12 months and one day in prison and ordered to pay $541,224.88 in restitution by Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell, for embezzling funds through wire fraud announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Jeanne E. Goodsell, of Hodgenville, Kentucky, was charged in a seven count criminal information, on May 8, 2015 and entered a guilty plea to all charges on June 4, 2015.
According to information presented in court, Goodsell wired payments to vendors for services were not sent to the vendors, rather, the payments were diverted to an account set up by Goodsell for her own personal use.
During a seven-year period, between June of 2005 and August of 2012, Goodsell embezzled approximately $562,000 from her employer Communicare, a community behavioral health center. Communicare found the discrepancies in 2012 following an audit. Communicare identified approximately 127 Communicare vendors who did not receive payments, even though the payments were recorded on Communicare financial transaction history data.
A further investigation revealed that during the same time period, numerous vendors were electronically wired payments ranging from $1,000 to $35,000 for services, however, the wired payments were sent to Goodsell’s personal accounts.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lettricea Jefferson-Webb and was investigated by the United States Secret Service.
Chief of Maintenance Employee at Paradise #9 Mine Located in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, Charged with Falsifying A Safety Record and Lying to Federal InspectorsRead the Press Release
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Chief of Maintenance at Paradise #9 Mine located in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky was recently charged, by Grand Jury Indictment, for falsifying a safety record and lying to federal inspectors about making the fraudulent statement, announced Untied States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
According to the indictment, Daniel L. Couch, Jr., whose job it was to make a weekly inspection of electric equipment, specifically of the belt drive of coal seal 11 at Paradise #9 Mine, did not in fact make the required fire suppression checks for the week of May 1 through 7, in 2016.
On about May 17, 2016, an Inspector from the United States Department of Labor, Mine Safety & Health Administration, inspected the record book for fire suppression checks conducted on the belt drives for coal seam 11, which contains seven separate belt drives at seven different locations, and found that no fire suppression checks had occurred for the week of May 1 through 7, 2016.
On or about May 19, 2016, the Inspector returned to Paradise #9 mine and re-examined the record book for inspections for the belt drive for coal seam 11, at which time the book revealed that the belt drives had been examined on May 7, 2016 by “D. Couch,” and that no hazards had been observed.
Couch is further charged with knowingly making a false statement to an inspector of the United States Department of Labor, Mine Safety & Health Administration, by stating that he had been underground, and had made an inspection on the belt drive of coal seam 11 at Paradise #9 Mine on May 7, 2016, when the statement and representation was false, because the defendant had not been underground at the mine on that date, and had not conducted said inspection.
If convicted at trial, Couch could face no more than 5 years in prison. Couch’s whereabouts is unknown.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ream and is being investigated by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) U.S. Department of Labor.
The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Hardin County, Kentucky, Resident and Others Charged with Possessing and Using Multiple Counterfeit Credit Cards and Possessing the Equipment to Make the Fraudulent CardsRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Hardin County, Kentucky resident and others, were arraigned in United States District Court today, before Magistrate Judge Dave Whalin, on multiple charges of possessing and using counterfeit credit cards and possessing the equipment to make the fraudulent cards announced United States Attorney John E, Kuhn, Jr.
Nkoski Kofibabafemi Kmt, Ahkim Volcy, (both of Henry, county, Georgia), Taray Riley, of Hardin County, and Javier Burbon, of Chicago, were charged in a six count federal grand jury indictment this week and following their arraignment today, remain in federal custody.
According to an Affidavit in support of a criminal complaint, the alleged us of the counterfeit credit cards is charged from January 28, 2017, to February 1, 2017 in Hardin County.
On January 28, 2017, the Elizabethtown Police Department receive a complaint that the charged defendants were at the Kroger Fuel Pumps on Towne Drive. They were driving automobiles with out of state tags from Georgia and Indiana and were allegedly attempting to use multiple credit cards with multiple, different, state IDs matching their credit cards.
On January 31, 2017, the Elizabethtown Police Department received another complaint from the same Kroger location, advising that the same two vehicles were back and several subjects were attempting to purchase gift cards, using credit cards. The vehicle descriptions and vehicle tags were the same as before.
On February 1, 2017, officers with the Radcliff Police Department located the two vehicles at a home off Shelton Road in Radcliff. A search warrant was obtained and multiple credit cards, card blanks, card reader/scanners, a laptop and an embosser, as well as fraudulent credit cards and identifications.
If convicted at trial, the defendants could be sentenced to up to 10 years for each charge of using and possessing more than 15 counterfeit credit cards, and fifteen years for possession of equipment to make counterfeit credit cards.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney H. Joseph Pinto III, and is being investigated by the United States Secret Service with assistance from the Elizabethtown and Radcliff Police Departments.
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The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty
Louisville Felon Convicted of Engaging in Sexually Explicit Conduct with A Minor and Producing ImagesRead the Press Release
Defendant is currently serving a 210-month sentence for distribution and possession of child pornography
Defendant faces a mandatory term of life imprisonment
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr. today announced the guilty verdict, in United States District Court, before Chief Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr., of a Louisville felon, currently serving a 210-month sentence, on all charges of coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction.
“Kniffley is a predator who abused innocent children repeatedly over the course of many years, children who must struggle with the effects of Kniffley’s unspeakable conduct for the rest of their lives,” stated U.S. Attorney Kuhn. “We hope these victims, their families and our community may find some solace in knowing that this defendant now faces a life behind bars.”
Arthur Wayne Kniffley, 43, was convicted on all three charges, in an August 18, 2015 federal grand jury indictment, following a three-day trail. The jury deliberated under one hour before reaching its unanimous verdict.
According to information and testimony presented at trial, on or about October 12, 2003, July 31, 2007, and August 1, 2007, in Louisville, Kniffley, molested and photographed a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct with his Polaroid digital camera.
Kniffley was previously convicted in the Western District of Kentucky of distribution and
possession of child pornography in Criminal Action Number 3:08-CR-134-S on January 25, 2010.
For the prior case, Kniffley was sentenced to a period of 210 month’s incarceration.
During an interview with law enforcement in the previous case, Kniffley admitted to law enforcement that he viewed images of child pornography so he would not again harm children.
After the conclusion of the former prosecution the FBI and United States were contacted by a previously unidentified victim whose images had been discovered in forensic review of Kniffley’ s digital camera seized during a search warrant.
The victim explained that he/she had been sexually abused and photographed by Kniffley via digital camera when he/she was between 11 to 15 years’ old. The victim was interviewed by the FBI and confirmed the photographs contained his/her image. The victim said Kniffley would take pictures of him engaging in sexual activity with Kniffley’s digital camera.
Kniffley also sexually abused three minors in state criminal action number 95-CR-2158.
Kniffley provided a statement to a Detective that he used the children to perform sexual acts.
At sentencing, Kniffley faces a mandatory life term of imprisonment.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Judd, assisted by paralegal Lori Cracknell, and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Fulton County Contract Supplier Guilty of Giving Kickbacks Tied to Construction of Fulton County Detention CenterRead the Press Release
PADUCAH, Ky. – a Dresden, Tennessee, business owner and contract supplier pled guilty today in United States District Court before Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell for his role in a conspiracy to defraud Fulton County citizens, through kickbacks and concealment of costs associated with work performed on the 2015 Fulton County Detention Center expansion, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Ronald D. Armstrong, 60, pled guilty to four charges including Honest Services Wire Fraud and Wire Fraud for his role in a conspiracy that allegedly involved then Fulton County Jailer Ricky D. Parnell and others between April 2015 and August 2016.
According to the plea agreement, Armstrong is the owner of Armstrong Construction, located in Dresden, Tennessee, whose company often performed contracting work for Fulton County both as part of the Fulton County Detention Center expansion (Project) and for work done prior to the Project. Armstrong has been doing business with Parnell and Fulton County for approximately twenty years.
Armstrong was awarded a $210,000 general contractor contract by the Fulton County Fiscal Court as part of the Project. Parnell influenced the Fulton County Fiscal Court to award Armstrong with this contract with the understanding that Armstrong would pay Parnell $100,000 of his fees to Parnell as a kickback for being awarded the contract. In following through with this agreement, Armstrong so far has paid Parnell $80,000 in cash.
Armstrong knowingly and voluntarily agreed and conspired with Parnell to give Parnell cash kickbacks due to Parnell influencing the Fulton County Fiscal Court to award Armstrong with the general contractor contract for the Project, which Parnell could do because he was the Fulton County Jailer. Armstrong’s contractor fees were paid by Fulton County. As part of their kickback scheme, the Fiscal Court paid Armstrong by check in amounts of $50,000, $60,000, and $50,000, which were drawn on the Fulton County account with Republic Bank in Louisville, Kentucky, and those checks triggered interstate wire transfers.
Armstrong and Parnell both profited from their arrangement and neither the Fulton County Fiscal Court nor the citizens of Fulton County were ever made aware of the arrangement. In doing so, Armstrong had the intent to defraud the citizens of Fulton County through the kickback scheme he entered into with Parnell.
Armstrong was charged by grand jury indictment, with co-defendants Ricky D. Parnell, 59, of Hickman, Kentucky; Michael Homra, 79, of Fulton, Kentucky; Jimmy Boyd, 56, of South Fulton, Tennessee; and Daniel C. Larcom, 42, of Union City, Tennessee, on November 15, 2016 and were arraigned in United States District Court in Paducah, before Magistrate Judge Lanny King that same day.
If convicted at trial, Armstrong could be sentenced to no more than 80 years in prison, pay a $1,000,000 fine, and be sentenced to serve a three-year period of supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nute Bonner and is being investigated by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Meade County, Kentucky, Man on the Kentucky Sex Offender Registry, Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Transporting and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Meade County, Kentucky, man on the Kentucky Sex Offender Registry, was sentenced in United States District Court, by District Judge David J. Hale, to 15 years in prison followed by a life term of Supervised Release, for transporting and possessing child pornography announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Travis Tucker, 30, was charged by grand jury Indictment on February 17, 2016. He pled guilty to the charges on November 7, 2016. Tucker remains in federal custody.
Tucker admitted to uploading child pornography on four separate occasions in October of 2014 and possessing child pornography images in January 2015. According to information presented in court, Kentucky State Police received several Cybertip reports concerning the uploading of child pornography images (that is, images of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct), to a Google plus account from an email address of [email protected]. Investigative efforts led to Tucker as the user of the email account.
Law enforcement officials executed a state search warrant on Tucker’s residence in Meade County, Kentucky, on January 14, 2015. During the search, they seized numerous digital items. Later, forensic review of the digital items revealed thousands of images of child pornography. The images had been acquired using the Internet.
Prior to October of 2014, Tucker had been convicted of a child pornography offense. He was on the Kentucky Sex Offender Registry at the time of the offenses in the Indictment.
Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless prosecuted the case. The Kentucky State Police conducted the investigation.
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This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Simpson County, Kentucky, Woman Guilty of Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
Stole $43,100 and threatened to kill bank employees, customers and an alleged child held hostage
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A Simpson County, Kentucky, woman pleaded guilty Monday, January 30, 2017, in United States District Court, before District Court Judge Greg N. Stivers, to a single count of bank robbery announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
According to the plea agreement, Patricia Lamar Brewer, 48, admitted to robbing the Citizens First Bank located at 1200 South Main Street, in Franklin, Kentucky, of $43,100 at approximately 9:30 a.m. on July 30, 2012.
Further, Brewer admitted to wearing eye-glasses, a hat, and a wig and handing a teller a threatening note stating:
“Don’t call cops or set off any alarms be calm we are watching you we have this ladys child if she don’t do what we say she will die and her daughter and everyone in this bank 80,000 dollars unmarked, untraceable bills if she is not out here in 5 min she will die along with her daughter and everyone in this bank we are watching you now so hurry now if you want to live.”
Brewer was previously convicted of robbing a bank in Panama City Beach, Florida, using a similar disguise and note. Evidence gathered from that robbery led FBI to Brewer and the Kentucky bank robbery.
Brewer remains in federal custody awaiting sentencing on May 2, 2017, at 10:30 a.m. CST, before District Judge Stivers in Bowling Green.
If convicted at trial, Brewer could have been sentenced to a 20-year maximum term of imprisonment, fined $250,000 and served a three-year term of supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Weiser and is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Louisville Physician Convicted of Unlawful Distribution of Controlled Substances and Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr., today announced the conviction of a Louisville physician, in United States District Court, before Chief District Judge Joseph H. McKinley, Jr., on multiple charges including unlawful distribution of controlled substances and health care fraud.
“The criminal actions of George Kudmani contributed to untold suffering and hardships for patients and their families in his care,” stated U.S. Attorney John Kuhn. “A physician takes an oath to do no harm, yet in this case Dr. Kudmani recklessly prescribed drugs to those suffering from opioid use disorders with no legitimate medical purpose. We thank the DEA, Louisville Metro Police Department, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the FBI for the persistence and hard work that led to today’s conviction.”
Following a seven-day trial, the jury deliberated approximately nine hours before finding the former physician, George Kudmani, 71, guilty on 26 of 29 charges. Sentencing is scheduled before Chief Judge McKinley on June 6, 2017 at 11 a.m., in Louisville.
The jury found Kudmani guilty of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances, not for a legitimate medical purpose and beyond the bounds of a professional medical practice between July 2009 and September 2012. The controlled substances prescribed were Oxycodone, a schedule II controlled substance, and Hydrocodone, a schedule III controlled substance.
Further, Kudmani was convicted of committing health care fraud for falsely and fraudulently billing Kentucky Medicaid (Passport) by submitting claims for medically unnecessary Transvaginal Ultrasounds (TVS), TVSs not performed, and billing for TVS reports that were never prepared for patients, between January 2009 and September 2012.
Kudmani operated an obstetrician/gynecological medical practice located at 9702 Stonestreet Road, in Louisville, Kentucky from December of 1980 until 2012. The practice did not employ any other individual with medical training. A typical first-time patient would pay $75 for a gynecological exam, and each visit thereafter, the patient would typically pay $35 in cash and receive a Schedule II-V controlled substance prescription without a physical examination. Patients testified to paying cash and being prescribed controlled substances for years.
Kudmani faces a maximum potential penalty of no more than 30 years in prison, a fine of $13,750,000, and a 3-year period of supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph Ansari and Lettricea Jefferson-Webb, assisted by paralegal Lori Cracknell and was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kentucky Medical Fraud Control Unit and Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD).
Fulton County Contract Supplier Guilty of Giving Kickbacks Tied to Construction of Fulton County Detention CenterRead the Press Release
PADUCAH, Ky. – A Fulton County, Kentucky, business owner and contract supplier pled guilty today in United States District Court before Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell for his role in a conspiracy to defraud Fulton County citizens, through kickbacks and concealment of costs associated with work performed on the 2015 Fulton County Detention Center expansion, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Michael Homra, 79, pled guilty to three charges including Honest Services Wire Fraud and Wire Fraud for his role in a conspiracy that allegedly involved then Fulton County Jailer Ricky D. Parnell and others between April 2015 and August 2016.
According to the plea agreement, Homra is the owner of The Leader Store located in Fulton, Kentucky. His company often sold building materials to Fulton County as part of the Detention Center expansion project. Homra allowed Parnell to use The Leader Store as a middleman company for building supplies ordered during the project and paid Parnell cash kickbacks while the project was ongoing.
The agreement between Homra and Parnell was for Parnell to inflate prices that The Leader Store charged Fulton County for purchases and then for Homra to pay Parnell 50% of the profits from these purchases. Homra would pay Parnell with cash and paid Parnell between $10,000 and $25,000.
Further, according to the plea agreement, Homra knowingly and voluntarily agreed and conspired with Parnell to give Parnell cash kickbacks, both as a favor to Parnell and so that Parnell would continue to use The Leader Store as a supplier for the Fulton County Detention Center, which Parnell could do because he was the Fulton County Jailer. As part of their kickback scheme, Fulton County paid The Leader Store by check in amounts of $54,364.00 and $66,530.58.
Homra was charged by grand jury indictment, with co-defendants Ricky D. Parnell, 59, of Hickman, Kentucky; Ronald D. Armstrong, 60, of Dresden, Tennessee; Jimmy Boyd, 56, of South Fulton, Tennessee; and Daniel C. Larcom, 42, of Union City, Tennessee, on November 15, 2016 and were arraigned in United States District Court in Paducah, before Magistrate Judge Lanny King that same day.
If convicted at trial, the defendants could be sentenced to no more than 20 years in prison per count, pay a $250,000 fine for each count, and be sentenced to serve a three-year period of supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nute Bonner and is being investigated by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Final Miami Resident Sentenced for Participating in A Conspiracy to Burglarize A Kentucky Cigarette WarehouseRead the Press Release
Defendants ordered to pay $1,486,164.45 in restitution for theft of cigarettes from Leitchfield, Kentucky warehouse. Stolen cigarettes were driven to New Jersey/New York area for sale
Owensboro, KY – The final Miami resident from Cuba, charged in a multi-state conspiracy was sentenced in United States District Court yesterday, by Chief Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr., to 41 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $1,486,164.45 - for the defendant’s participation in a warehouse burglary in Leitchfield, Kentucky, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
“Working together, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies dismantled this far-flung network of criminality,” stated United States Attorney John Kuhn. “As they serve their well-deserved extended sentences without the prospect of parole, these thieves will come to understand the ultimate reward for criminal conduct is the pen, not pelf."
"This case demonstrates the importance of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and our prosecutors collaborating to investigate criminals whose activities are not bound by city or state lines. Our partnerships solve major crimes and promote public safety," said Stuart Lowrey, Special Agent in Charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Louisville Field Division.
Rodriguez-Hernandez, 41, admitted to his role in stealing nearly $1.5 million in cigarettes from the Coremark Cigarette Warehouse in Leitchfield, Kentucky, in March 2011, and that he and others possessed the stolen cigarettes (which constitute an interstate and foreign shipment of property valued at over $1,000) with the intent to convert the property to their own use.
During the theft, co-defendants Rodriguez-Hernandez, Amuary Villa, 41, his brother Amed Villa (charged separately), and Ivan Romero, gained entry into the warehouse through the roof, disabled the alarm system, and loaded the stolen goods into a stolen tractor trailer. Specifically, between March 18, 2011, to March 20, 2011, defendant Rodriguez-Hernandez rented three hotel rooms in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where the co-conspirators, who traveled to Kentucky from Miami, Florida, resided during the burglary and theft. Between March 19, 2011, and March 20, 2011, Amuary Villa, Romero (a/k/a El Negro), Amed Villa and other co-conspirators unloaded a stolen tractor trailer and loaded it with cigarettes. Defendant Romero admitted to providing transportation for the stolen cigarettes and driving them to the New Jersey/New York area. Defendant Amuary Villa admitted to “casing” the warehouse location, cutting a hole in the warehouse roof, then entering the warehouse and disabling the alarm system. Defendant Rodriguez-Hernandez acted as a lookout providing surveillance outside the warehouse while the others breached the warehouse, unloaded a stolen tractor trailer, and loaded it with cigarettes.
Amuary Villa will serve a 77-month prison term consecutive to a 140-month sentence from the Southern District of Florida and the District of Connecticut, for his role in the theft of approximately $90 million in pharmaceuticals from the Eli Lilly Company warehouse and storage facility in Enfield, Connecticut.
Romero, also a legal permanent resident from Cuba who last resided in Miami, will finish serving a six-year state sentence from Florida, before being transferred to federal custody to serve 57 months.
Amed Villa, was sentenced on December 5, 2016, in the District of Connecticut to 84 months in prison for his role in the theft of $90 million in pharmaceuticals, stolen from the Eli Lilly Company warehouse and storage facility in Enfield, Conn., and several other warehouse thefts including the Coremark Cigarette Warehouse in Leitchfield.
Restitution will be paid to Coremark and the insurance company for Coremark.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Judd and the investigation of the Kentucky theft was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Leitchfield and Elizabethtown Police Departments, New Jersey and Kentucky State Police Departments, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Connecticut).
Casey County, Kentucky, Convicted Felon Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison for Sale and Distribution of A Controlled Substance, Illegal Possession of Firearms and Being an Armed Career CriminalRead the Press Release
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A Casey County, Kentucky convicted felon was sentenced today in United States District Court by District Judge Greg N. Stivers, to 180 months in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges including being an armed career criminal, possession and distribution of a controlled substance, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Jerry Wayne Threatt II, age 39, of Liberty, Kentucky pleaded guilty to all charges in a ten count indictment and agreed to today’s sentence of 180 months in prison, on October 11, 2016. Threatt remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
According to information presented in court, Threatt sold a firearm and crystal methamphetamine, from his Liberty, Kentucky, home to a confidential informant on September 8, 2015, and on September 30, 2015. Further, on October 23, 2015, Threatt was observed and recorded selling a firearm and crystal meth to an informant in a grocery store parking lot located in Liberty.
In addition to the prison sentence, Threatt will forfeit a vehicle; U.S. currency totaling $3,290; a Jimenez Arms 9millimeter semi-automatic handgun; a KELTEC 9millimeter semi-automatic pistol; a Para-Ordinance, Model P16, 40 caliber pistol; a Hi-Point, Model JH 45 caliber pistol; a Ruger, 9 millimeter semi-automatic pistol; and Remington, Model 110012 gauge shotgun.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ream and was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Kentucky State Police (DESI West), and Casey County (Kentucky) Sheriff’s Department.
Former Ballard County Treasurer Guilty of Bank and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Admitted to obtaining $450,000 in unauthorized loans for the county and then concealing the proceeds from the Fiscal Court; also personally received at least $27,000 in fraudulent medical reimbursement payments.
PADUCAH, Ky. – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr., announced today a guilty plea by the former Treasurer of Ballard County, Kentucky, for participating in a scheme that involved obtaining approximately $450,000 in bank loans using a $500,000 Ballard County Certificate of Deposit as collateral, all without authorization from the Ballard County Fiscal Court; guilty pleas were also entered due to her theft of at least $27,000 in fraudulent medical reimbursement payments while employed as the County’s treasurer.
Belinda Janean Foster, 50, pled guilty today in United States District Court, before Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell, to all five of her charges stemming from a November 15, 2016, grand jury indictment that included a single count of bank fraud and four counts of wire fraud.
According to the plea agreement, Foster admitted that she intended to deceive the Ballard County Fiscal Court about the loans by intentionally not making it aware of the loans and concealing the proceeds of the loans.
Beginning sometime in April of 2014, Foster, then employed as Ballard County Treasurer, told her supervisor, Ballard County Judge Executive Vickie Viniard, that Ballard County needed funds in the county operating account in order to cover expenses and payroll. According to Foster, Viniard stated that she would obtain a loan until the county road funds were received.
In April 2014, Viniard subsequently secured a $300,000 loan from First Community Bank in Wickliffe, Kentucky, using a Ballard County Certificate of Deposit valued at approximately $500,000 as collateral. In June 2014, Viniard and Foster obtained another loan, as co-signers, again from First Community Bank in the amount of $150,000 and again used the same CD as collateral.
After receiving the funds from the two loans, Foster was required, by Kentucky Statute, to account for this income on the Ballard County financial and accounting records and report these loans to the Kentucky Department for Local Government. However, Foster, in order to conceal the loans, and at the direction of Viniard, never reported these loans to the state government and intentionally labeled $350,000 from the loans as “payroll tax” instead of accounting for the income as loan proceeds while wiring the remaining $100,000 across interstate lines from First Community Bank in Wickliffe, Kentucky to Huntington National Bank in Columbus, Ohio – not accounting for that amount at all.
Prior to obtaining the two loans, neither Viniard or Foster ever made the Ballard County Fiscal Court aware of these loans nor did Viniard or Foster make the Ballard County Fiscal Court aware that a $500,000 CD was pledged as collateral for the loans. Furthermore, neither Viniard or Foster informed First Community Bank that Viniard had not requested or obtained authority from the Ballard County Fiscal Court to apply for the loans.
In addition to the fraudulent loans listed above, Foster admitted to regularly writing herself checks for fraudulent medical reimbursement payments to which she knew she was not entitled. These fraudulent medical reimbursement payments totaled at least $27,000.
If convicted at trial, Foster could have been sentenced to a combined maximum prison term of 110 years, ordered to pay a fine of $2,000,000 and serve a five-year term of supervised release. Foster is scheduled for sentencing before Senior Judge Russell in Paducah, on April 21, 2017.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nute Bonner and is being investigated by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Former Louisville Metro Police Department Detective Guilty of Theft from Interstate ShipmentRead the Press Release
Stole contents of packages while working as a drug interdiction task force officer
Agreed to forfeit $74, 745.99
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr. today announced the guilty plea of a former Louisville Metro Police Department Detective, in United States District Court, before Magistrate Judge Dave Whalin, to a Felony Information, charging the former detective with theft from interstate shipment.
Kyle Willett, 48, of Spencer County, Kentucky, waived indictment by grand jury and plead guilty to the felony Information today, and was released from custody on an unsecured bond. Willett is scheduled for sentencing before Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell on April 19, 2017, at noon in Louisville.
According to the plea agreement, Willett admitted to stealing cash from a United Parcel Services (UPS) shipping sorting facility in Louisville, Kentucky, while working as a drug interdiction task force officer.
From January 2016 through August 2016, Willett, while working as an interdiction task force officer, would identify UPS packages that possibly contained cash. He would then take the packages to his vehicle and open them. On a number of occasions, Willett then stole the contents of packages. During this period, he stole approximately $74,745.99 in cash from these packages. As part of the plea agreement, Willett may be ordered to forfeit proceeds traceable (directly and indirectly) to such violation, including but not limited to: a) $72,000 in United States Currency; b) $520.00 in United States Currency; and c) $2,225.99 in United States Currency.
If convicted at trial, Willett could have been sentenced to no more than ten years in prison, a three year period of supervised release and fined $250,000.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bryan Calhoun and was investigated by the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department’s Public Integrity Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Bullitt County Man Guilty of Enticing A Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr. today announced the guilty plea of a Bullitt County, Kentucky, man before District Judge David J. Hale, in United States District Court, on December 15, 2015, to a charge of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity.
According to the plea agreement, and information presented in court, Jonathen Ray Howerton, 25, admitted to attempting to entice a 15-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity, on July 5, 2016. According to the agreement, Howerton was arrested without incident in the parking lot of a movie theater in eastern Jefferson County, which was the agreed upon location, to meet the 15-year-old. Unbeknownst to him, Howerton had been communicating with an Undercover agent from the Kentucky Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigation, who had assumed the persona of a 15-year-old female from Louisville. The contact began on June 22, 2016, when the UC used the online chat program, Omegle, to locate potential suspects who were attempting to meet underage children for sexual contact.
Following his arrest, and being advised of his constitutional rights, Howerton admitted that he had come to the location after meeting a 15-year-old girl online. He stated that he had communicated with the girl on both Omegle and KIK and that the smartphone on the front seat of his truck was the device he had used to communicate. Howerton confirmed that he intended to engage in sexual activity with the girl but qualified “only if she wanted to.” He acknowledged that 15 was younger than the age of consent in Kentucky.
Howerton remains in the custody of the United States Marshal Service awaiting sentencing before Judge Hale at a later time. The United States will ask for a ten year prison sentence followed by a ten year period of supervised release.
Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless is prosecuting the case. The Kentucky Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Kalamazoo, Michigan, Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking and Interstate Transportation for ProstitutionRead the Press Release
David Q. Givhan, aka “Premier,” 34, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was convicted late yesterday by a jury of one count of sex trafficking and three counts of interstate transportation for prostitution.
The verdict was announced by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn Jr. of the Western District of Kentucky; and Special Agent in Charge Amy S. Hess of the FBI’s Louisville Division.
According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, Givhan prostituted three women for his profit at various times between October 2014 and April 2015 and transported them from Michigan to Kentucky and other states for the purpose of prostitution. He used force, fraud and coercion to compel one of the women to prostitute for him between October 2014 and March 2015. He initially recruited the woman – a single mother of three – using false promises of steady income and a better life. However, once she began earning money, he kept it all. Givhan required her to earn $1,000 a day and beat other women who did not meet their quota in front of her. Givhan also required her to tattoo his alias, “Premier,” on her neck and threatened to hurt or kill her or her family if she refused to continue prostituting for him. When she objected to his demand that she perform particular acts for customers, he sexually assaulted her. At one point, the woman tried to leave Givhan, but he found her, placed her in a chokehold and told her it was time to return to work. On a trip to Florida, he compelled her to continue prostituting for his profit, even after she sought medical attention for severe pain and bleeding. Shortly thereafter, she managed to escape by enlisting the help of a hotel clerk and her mother.
“Sex trafficking offends the basic standards of human decency and dignity that form the bedrock of a civilized society,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gupta. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute the unconscionable crime of sex trafficking and work to vindicate the rights of vulnerable victims.”
“Forcible sex trafficking is effectively a form of modern day slavery,” said U.S. Attorney Kuhn. “Victims, often vulnerable women, are terrorized by violence, threats and other coercion. This swift verdict should be a strong message that sex trafficking will not be tolerated by my Office and the Department of Justice.”
“Protecting the victims of human trafficking is one of the FBI's top priorities,” said Special Agent in Charge Hess. “We work closely with community leaders and our law enforcement partners to proactively target predators like the defendant who are involved in human trafficking. Our agents and task force officers are committed to addressing every such allegation we receive. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect and rescue the victims who are unable to defend themselves.”After deliberating for under five hours, the jury found the defendant guilty on all four counts. A fifth count was dismissed during trial. Sentencing is scheduled for March 14, 2017. The defendant faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Louisville Division and Louisville Metro Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda E. Gregory of the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney William Nolan of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Kalamazoo, Michigan, Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking and Interstate Transportation for ProstitutionRead the Press Release
Jury deliberated under five hours before finding David Givhan guilty of all charges
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – David Q. Givhan, aka “Premier,” 34, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was convicted late yesterday by a jury of one count of sex trafficking and three counts of interstate transportation for prostitution.
The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn Jr. of the Western District of Kentucky; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; and Special Agent in Charge Amy S. Hess of the FBI’s Louisville Division.
“Forcible sex trafficking is effectively a form of modern day slavery,” stated United States Attorney John Kuhn. “Victims, often vulnerable women, are terrorized by violence, threats and other coercion. This swift verdict should be a strong message that sex trafficking will not be tolerated by my Office and the Department of Justice.”
“Sex trafficking offends the basic standards of human decency and dignity that form the bedrock of a civilized society,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gupta. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute the unconscionable crime of sex trafficking and work tirelessly to vindicate the rights of vulnerable victims.”
“Protecting the victims of human trafficking is one of the FBI's top priorities,” said Special Agent in Charge Amy S. Hess of the FBI’s Louisville Office. “We work closely with community leaders and our law enforcement partners to proactively target predators like the defendant who are involved in human trafficking. Our agents and task force officers are committed to addressing every such allegation we receive. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect and rescue the victims who are unable to defend themselves.”
According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, Givhan prostituted three women for his profit at various times between October 2014 and April 2015 and transported them from Michigan to Kentucky and other states for the purpose of prostitution. He used force, fraud and coercion to compel one of the women to prostitute for him between October 2014 and March 2015. He initially recruited the woman – a single mother of three – using false promises of steady income and a better life. However, once she began earning money, he kept it all. Givhan required her to earn $1,000 a day and beat other women in front of her. Givhan also required her to tattoo his alias, “Premier,” on her neck and threatened to hurt or kill her or her family if she refused to continue prostituting for him. When she objected to his demand that she perform particular acts for customers, he sexually assaulted her. At one point, the woman tried to leave Givhan, but he found her and brought her back. On a trip to Florida, he compelled her to continue prostituting for his profit, even after she sought medical attention for severe pain and bleeding. Shortly thereafter, she managed to escape by enlisting the help of a hotel clerk and her mother.
After deliberating for under five hours, the jury found the defendant guilty on all four counts. A fifth count was dismissed during trial. Givhan remains in federal custody awaiting formal sentencing before United States District Judge David J. Hale on date March 14, 2017 at 11a.m. in Louisville. The defendant faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The investigation was opened when Louisville Metro Police Department officers encountered a woman Givhan had transported from Michigan to Louisville, Kentucky, during a prostitution sting coinciding with the Kentucky Derby.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Louisville Division and Louisville Metro Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda E. Gregory of the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney William Nolan of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Louisville Men Guilty of Possession and Attempted Distribution of A Large Quantity of Heroin and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Drugs were packaged for distribution, more than $100,000 seized
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Two Louisville residents recently pleaded guilty in United States District Court before Magistrate Judge Colin H. Lindsay to multiple charges including aiding and abetting and conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Oscar Portillo, age 39, and Jose Luis Madrigal II, age 24, pleaded guilty to the charges and remain in the custody of the United States Marshal Service. Charges were dismissed against a third defendants.
They were arrested and charged separately by criminal complaint on October 30, 2015. According to the complaint, on October 30, 2015, in Jefferson County, Kentucky, the defendants knowingly and intentionally possessed with intent to distribute heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance.
Further, on October 30, 2015, federal officers and others executed a state search warrant at 3921 Bishop Lane in Louisville. During the execution of the warrant, officers seized 3230 grams (more than one kilogram) of heroin, 5288 grams of methamphetamine, $109,774 in United States Currency, a .38 caliber loaded Rossi pistol, a 7.62 mm century arms rifle, and a bullet-proof vest. The large quantity of heroin was packaged for distribution. The defendants lived at the residence, a tire warehouse, giving them direct access to and control over the contraband.
If convicted at trial, the defendants faced a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison for each charge, a possible fine of up to $10,000,000 and a ten year period of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled before Chief Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr. on March 6, 2017, in Louisville.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Larry Fentress and is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Louisville Metro Police.
portillo_plea_11-29-16.pdf portillo-madrigal_plea.pdfIllegal Immigrant Miguel Angel Villasenor-Saucedo Charged with Illegal Re-Entry After Deportation. Villasenor-Saucedo Was Previously Charged in Jefferson County District Court with Leaving the Scene of A Fatal Hit and Run AccidentRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Miguel Angel Villasenor-Saucedo, a Mexican national illegally present in the United States, was charged this week by grand jury indictment with Illegal Re-entry After Deportation, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Miguel Angel Villasenor-Saucedo, 40, residing in Louisville, Kentucky, is a citizen of Mexico who on October 22, 2016 was found to be illegally present in the United States after having been deported from the United States on May 13, 2013.
This case arose when Villasenor-Saucedo was found to be involved in a fatal hit and run accident that occurred on October 22, 2016 at Outer Loop and Grade Lane in Louisville, Kentucky. Two women were killed during this accident and Villasenor-Saucedo is alleged to be the driver of the truck that caused the deaths of these two women. Villasenor-Saucedo fled the scene and LMPD Officers later obtained a Criminal Complaint from Jefferson County District Court charging Villasenor-Saucedo with Leaving the Scene of a Fatal Hit and Run Accident. A warrant has been issued for Villasenor-Saucedo’s arrest.
Soon after the fatal accident, it was learned that Villasenor-Saucedo was a Mexican national illegally present in the United States. Upon learning of Villasenor-Saucedo’s illegal immigration status in the United States, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office began investigating Villasenor-Saucedo and found that he had previously been deported from the United States on eight occasions and did not have lawful authority to be present in the United States.
If convicted, Villasenor-Saucedo faces maximum potential penalty of no more than 2 years in prison.
Assistant United States Attorney Daniel P. Kinnicutt is prosecuting the case. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department (LMPD) conducted the investigation.
Louisville Woman Pleads Guilty to Defrauding the Social Security AdministrationRead the Press Release
Failed to disclose the death of her husband for eleven years
Benefit totaled $268,396
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Louisville woman pleaded guilty this week in United States District Court before Chief Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr., to several charges involving the fraudulent receipt of Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits by the Social Security Administration (SSA), for an eleven-year period, totaling $268,396 announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
In court, Janice M. Arnow, age 69, admitted that she failed to disclose the death of her husband and continued to receive and spend OASDI payments made by the SSA between October 2003 and October 2014. Further, Arnow admitted to theft of government property. Arnow embezzled, stole, and purloined money of the Social Security Administration (SSA), a department and agency of the United States, namely, Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance program (OASDI) payments made to her deceased husband, to which she knew she was not entitled.
Also, on or about July 17, 2012, Arnow admitted to making her own false Social Security Application. Arnow willfully and knowingly made a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement, by submitting an application for her own OASDI payments to the SSA. In doing so, Arnow falsely omitted the identity of her late husband (Paul Adams), the receipt of income from her late husband’s OASDI payments, the date of his death, and falsely indicated that she had no other marriages than to M.H.
According to information presented in court, when Arnow was questioned by agents with SSA at her Louisville home, Arnow reportedly stated that she thought she could spend the money because she was his widow, offered to pay the money back, could not remember to whom she had mailed her late husband’s death certificate, and that she had used the money for social work in Rwanda and the Congo.
In a separate case, on November 19, 2012, Arnow pleaded guilty in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Jefferson County, to wanton exploitation of an adult over $300, theft of identity, fraudulent use of a credit card over $500, and theft by unlawful taking of over $500. The court sentenced Arnow to four years on each count. Arnow entered into a five-year diversion. The Commonwealth moved to revoke that diversion based on the federal charges.
Arnow is scheduled for sentencing in Louisville on March 6, 2016 at 11:30 a.m.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Judd, and results from an investigation conducted by the Social Security Administration –Office of the Inspector General.
Louisville Man Sentenced to 37 Years in Prison for His Role in A String of Armed Robberies in Metro LouisvilleRead the Press Release
Federal prosecution resulted from “Project Recoil”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr. today announced the 37-year sentence of a violent convicted felon for his role in a string of armed robberies in Metro Louisville. The federal charges stemmed from “Project Recoil,” the on-going partnership of multiple Jefferson County, Kentucky law enforcement agencies, developed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, to maximize penalties for the most violent offenders and to reduce violent crime in our community.
“Project Recoil, a collaborative initiative between federal and local law enforcement, is working to identify and successfully prosecute the most dangerous offenders in our community,” stated United States Attorney John Kuhn. “This sentence is an example of how well our partnership is working,”
Jescell Whittle was convicted of obstruction of interstate commerce through robbery of two businesses, and using a firearm in connection with the two robberies following a six-day trial on August 30, 2016, in Louisville. Whittle was found guilty of attempting to rob the Cricket Wireless store, located at 3125 W. Broadway, and using a firearm in the commission of the attempted robbery that occurred on October 23, 2012. A surveillance video showed Whittle brandishing a firearm and attempting to vault the counter before running out of the store without any money. Whittle was also found guilty of aiding and abetting in the robbery of a Speedway, located on 3030 Taylor Boulevard on October 31, 2012, and discharging a firearm in the commission of that robbery.
This successful prosecution has resulted in the sentencing of three other co-defendants, to lengthy prison sentences, for their roles in the armed robberies of two Cricket Wirelesses and three convenience stores in Metro Louisville. Whittle was sentenced yesterday, December 5, 2016, in United States District Court by Chief Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr.
For their roles in the armed robberies of three businesses located in Jefferson County, Kentucky, co-defendant James Gore, Jr., was sentenced to serve 72 months in prison followed by a three-year period of supervised release, while co-defendant Tony Trumbo, Jr., was sentenced to serve 255 months in prison followed by a three-year period of supervised release. Both men were sentenced on July 9, 2015.
Gore previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the obstruction of interstate commerce through robbery of two businesses. Trumbo previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the obstruction of interstate commerce through robbery, attempted robbery of three businesses, and aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm during a robbery.
According to the plea agreement, Gore admitted to robbing a Thorntons, with several other individuals, located at 4516 Poplar Level Road on October 30, 2012, and to robbing a Speedway, with several other individuals, located on 3030 Taylor Boulevard on October 31, 2012. Surveillance video taken from the Thorntons robbery shows Gore brandishing two firearms during the robbery.
In a separate plea agreement, defendant Trumbo admitted to attempting to rob the Cricket Wireless store, located at 3125 W. Broadway, along with other individuals, on October 23, 2012. Surveillance video taken from the store shows Trumbo along with an accomplice who was brandishing a firearm, attempting to rob the store. Trumbo also admitted to being one of several people to rob the Thorntons located at 4516 Poplar Level Road, on October 30, 2012. Trumbo further admitted to being one of several people to rob the Speedway located at 3030 Taylor Boulevard on October 31, 2012. During the course of that robbery, Whittle shot a Speedway customer in the back causing serious bodily injury.
Co-defendant Dahntel Newsome pleaded guilty to multiple charges on September 9, 2015, and was sentenced to 243 months in prison. Newsome admitted to being the getaway driver during the commission of the robbery of the Crickett Wireless store on Cane Run Road. He further admitted to being the getaway driver during the robbery of the Cricket Wireless Store on West Broadway in Louisville, and admitted to using a handgun and threatening to shoot the clerk in the foot during the robbery of a JC Cigarette Outlet located on Crums Lane and to driving the getaway vehicle.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys A. Spencer McKiness and Rob Bonar, and was investigated by the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Webster County Kentucky, Business Owner Sentenced for Negligent Violation of the Clean Air ActRead the Press Release
Failed to follow safety regulations when demolishing facilities containing asbestos
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A Webster County, Kentucky business owner was sentenced in United States District Court this week, by Magistrate Judge H. Brent Brennenstuhl to serve a 90-day sentence plus two years probated with the condition that he not commit additional environmental offenses, for the negligent violation of the Clean Air Act, which is a Class A Misdemeanor, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Timothy J. Smith, of Providence, and owner of S&S Salvage, LLC., admitted in court Wednesday, November 30, 2016, to failing to follow regulations during the demolition of the former Goodyear Tire plant located in Madisonville, Kentucky.
“These federal safety guidelines for hazardous materials exist to protect us – to protect workers and protect the community,” stated United States Attorney John Kuhn. “Mr. Smith repeatedly disregarded these guidelines, thereby putting the safety and health of others at risk. Our fervent hope is that 90 days of incarceration will encourage Mr. Smith and others to think long and hard before once again violating regulations that ensure worker and community safety,”
According to details of the plea agreement, in January 2014, a Madisonville City Inspector observed demolition activities at the tire plant, located at 200 Commerce Drive, and informed a manager for S&S Salvage that any demolition activities at the facility required a ten-day notice to the City because the building contained asbestos. On February 19, 2014, the same inspector returned to find employees of S&S Salvage conducting demolition activities consisting of destruction of a boiler and pipes with acetylene torches and placement of the insulation in dumpsters. None of the employees was wearing any kind of respirator nor did the inspector observe employees wetting insulation materials, as required by regulations established for this purpose. Kentucky Environmental officials, also present at the scene, took samples of the suspected asbestos containing materials. The samples were positive for asbestos ranging in content from 10 to 20%.
On May 25, 2016, EPA/CID Agents met with Smith. Smith had on two prior occasions been involved in enforcement actions with the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection involving demolition projects for which he had failed to provide notice or provide an environmental survey prior to conducting demolition projects. Smith admitted that he was “guilty” in not performing these tasks prior to engaging in cutting up and removing the boilers and pipes from the 200 Commerce Drive location in Madisonville on or about February19, 2014.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ream. The case was investigated by the Kentucky Division of Air Quality and the United States Environmental Protection Agency - Criminal Investigation Division.
United States Attorney Announces Successful Heroin and Opioid Response SummitRead the Press Release
Urges Collaborative Solutions and New Ideas to Combat the Explosion in Heroin and Opioid Addiction
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn Jr., in conjunction with Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Detroit Field Division, and Toni Ganzel, M.D., M.B.A., Dean of the University of Louisville School of Medicine, today announced the successful completion of their first Heroin and Opioid Response Summit. The one-day event was attended by more than 300 industry professionals focused on developing collaboration across every public sector combatting heroin and opioid abuse; one of Metro-Louisville’s most urgent, destructive and widespread challenges.
United States Attorney John Kuhn emphasized, “Important and effective work is already being done to address this crisis, but we must do more. Today’s Summit brought together stakeholders to collaborate on a broad spectrum of solutions. We hope these discussions serve as a springboard for all of us to pursue new initiatives and proven interventions to help addicts, prevent new addictions and stop the illegal trafficking.”
Speakers included Mark S. Jorrisch, M.D., a leading authority on the science of addiction, treatment and recovery; Captain Juan Colon, who developed a statewide illicit drug information sharing program with public health and public safety partners in New Jersey; Dr. Robert L. DuPont, the former head of the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the second White House Drug Chief who emphasized how the criminal justice system can promote effective treatment of addiction; and nationally known speaker Ivana Grahovac, whose professional work and personal journey both speak to a more compassionate approach to supporting recovering addicts.
The event incorporated panel discussions, led by experts in public health, prevention and education; first responders and law enforcement; and treatment and recovery disciplines. Each shared their experiences with the pernicious effects of opioid and heroin addiction and frankly discussed local efforts, challenges, gaps, and potential areas for improvement.
During the day-long conference, the audience listened to more than 30 speakers and panelists including presentations on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s DEA 360 Strategy, and supporting efforts of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA).
“Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. Plancon stated, "Today's Summit is our latest effort as part of the DEA 360 Strategy to find new and innovative ways to address the opioid addiction epidemic and the drug trafficking it produces. By bringing together subject matter experts from prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement, we are striving to find multiple pathways to reduce all opioid abuse in Louisville and the surrounding communities."
"The Heroin and Opioid Response Summit is a critical step in addressing this devastating epidemic that knows no geographic, economic or societal boundaries because it unites several sectors of the Louisville community to collaborate on developing unique solutions and partnerships," said General Arthur T. Dean, Chairman and CEO, CADCA. "CADCA is proud to join U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky John E. Kuhn, Jr. and the Drug Enforcement Administration in this effort."
The capacity room attendance at the Kornhauser Auditorium, located on the campus of the University of Louisville School of Medicine, demonstrated the understanding that heroin abuse in Metro-Louisville is not just a law enforcement problem, but a widespread epidemic impacting all facets of our community. Nationally we lose one person every 20 minutes to overdoses and in Jefferson County we had 183 overdose deaths in the first six months of 2016 – one life each day. According to Dean Toni Ganzel, the University of Louisville School of Medicine is doing more to educate physicians about the pain management strategies that minimize the dangers of opioid addiction.
“The science surrounding pain management and the use of opioid painkillers has evolved over the years,” Dean Ganzel said. “We are working diligently to teach our new health care providers, as well as our life-long learners, the new approaches to pain management. Additionally, we are working hard to educate people on the proper use of Naloxone so that they are able to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose with the goal of eventually getting patients into treatment to break the addiction.”
U.S. Attorney Kuhn concluded, “Today’s Summit is intended as only one step on the long march to better, broader, stronger strategies and interventions. Tomorrow we will continue to work together, remaining united by the common goal of ending the scourge of heroin and opioids. Only by working together will we turn back this terrible tide and help our community heal.”
Louisville Felon Pleads Guilty to Multiple Drug and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
Federal prosecution resulted from “Project Recoil”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr., today announced the guilty plea of a Louisville felon to multiple charges including the sale and distribution of controlled substances; unlawful possession of firearms by a convicted felon; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in United States District Court before District Judge David J. Hale. The federal charges stemmed from “Project Recoil,” the on-going partnership of multiple Jefferson County, Kentucky, law enforcement agencies, developed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, to maximize penalties for the most violent offenders and to reduce violent crime in our community.
Demetric A. Flint, a/k/a Meechie, pleaded guilty to all counts of a June 7, 2016, federal indictment. He also agreed to forfeit his interest in ammunition, $469.00 in United States currency, and firearms including a SigSauer Model P232, .380 Caliber pistol, a Hi-Point Model JHP45, .45 caliber pistol, and a Browning Citori 12 gauge shotgun seized at the time of his arrest.
According to the plea agreement, on October 19, 2015, law enforcement officials conducted a controlled purchase of heroin from Demetric Flint – using a confidential informant. Following the controlled purchase, law enforcement officials obtained and executed a Kentucky state search warrant at Flint’s residence on East Ormsby Avenue the address where the controlled purchase had occurred. No one was at home. The law enforcement officials forced entry and seized suspected methamphetamine, a Sig Sauer Model P232, .380 caliber pistol, and Kentucky identification card for Flint, United States currency, a 50-gram weight digital scale, suspected heroin, and marijuana. Later, law enforcement officials found Flint at his child’s mother’s residence on South Jackson Street. While speaking with the woman, officers saw Flint walk from hallway to the living room and arrested him. At the time of his arrest, Flint was in possession of $469.00 United States currency. The woman gave written consent for a search of her residence. The search resulted in seizure of suspected crack cocaine, prescription pills, digital scale, box of baking soda, items with suspected residue of crack cocaine, 12 gauge and 45 caliber ammunition, marijuana, a Hi-Point .45 caliber pistol, and a Browning Citori 12 gauge shotgun.
During a post-Miranda, signed waiver, statement by Flint, he admitted the items seized from both the Ormsby and South Jackson addresses were his. He admitted selling “hard” (i.e., crack cocaine), and heroin. During the interview, Flint admitted that he had crack cocaine and heroin secreted on his body.
On or about May 31, 2012, in Jefferson Circuit Court case number 11-CR-3685, Flint was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance first degree, tampering with physical evidence, and trafficking in a controlled substance second degree, crimes punishable by imprisonment for more than one year.
Flint is scheduled for sentencing before Judge Hale on March 14, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. in Louisville. The term of imprisonment ranges from a minimum term of five years in prison to a combined maximum term of life imprisonment.
Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless prosecuted the case. The Louisville Metro Police Department and United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation.
Former Bullitt County, Kentucky, Sheriff’s Deputy Guilty of Money Laundering, Trafficking in Meth and MarijuanaRead the Press Release
Co-defendants admit to concealing the criminal activities from law enforcement
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr. today announced the guilty pleas of a former Bullitt County, Kentucky, Sheriff’s Deputy, to charges of trafficking in marijuana and methamphetamine and concealing the financial proceeds (money laundering). Two co-defendants admitted to concealing the criminal activities from law enforcement during a 15 month period.
Those pleading guilty in United States District Court on November 16, 2016, before United States District Judge David J. Hale, include Christopher Mattingly, former Bullitt County, Kentucky, Sheriff’s Deputy and co-defendants Ronald A. Shewmaker and Eddie Whitfill, both of Bullitt County. The defendants remain on bond. Co-defendant James F. Howard is scheduled for trial before Judge Hale on December 12, in Louisville, while Hector Renato Orozco Landa and Raymond Carillo remain at large. All three are charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and money laundering.
In court, Mattingly admitted that between March 2014 and June 2015, he conspired with the other named defendants to knowingly and intentionally distributing more than 1000 kilograms but less than 3000 kilograms of marijuana imported from California and distributed in the Western District of Kentucky and elsewhere. At trial, the United States would prove these facts by introducing recordings of conversations between the defendant and a co-conspirator, and between the defendant and a reliable confidential informant, wherein the defendant makes statements probative of knowledge and intent to distribute large quantities of marijuana.
Additionally, Mattingly admitted that between March 2014 and June 2015, he conspired with the other named defendants to conduct financial transactions with monetary proceeds derived from trafficking in marijuana, by depositing some proceeds in the bank and by using other proceeds to pay for marijuana shipments. The United States would prove these facts by introducing the defendant’s bank records and eliciting testimony from a reliable confidential informant.
Finally, Mattingly admitted that between February 2015 and June 2015, he conspired with other persons to knowingly and intentionally distributing more than 500 grams but less than 1.5 kilograms of a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. The United States would prove these facts by eliciting testimony from unindicted co-conspirators and from a reliable confidential informant.
Defendants Whitfield and Shewmaker admitted to concealing their knowledge of Mattingly’s illegal activities from law enforcement between March 2014 and June 2015.
Sentencing is scheduled before Judge Hale on February 8, 2017, in Louisville.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Larry E. Fentress and is being investigated by DEA and the Bullitt County, Kentucky Sheriff’s Department.
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Retired Fulton County Jailer and Contract Suppliers Charged with Kickbacks Tied to 3.3 Million Construction Project on Fulton County Detention CenterRead the Press Release
Jailer allegedly received kickbacks totaling $175,000 from contractors
PADUCAH, Ky. – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr., joined by Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Amy S. Hess, announced charges today against retired Fulton County Kentucky Jailer Ricky Parnell and four contractors, who performed work on the $3.3 million 2015 Fulton County Detention Center expansion, for their roles in a conspiracy to defraud Fulton County citizens, through kickbacks and inflated costs associated with the project.
Ricky D. Parnell, 59, of Hickman, Kentucky; Ronald D. Armstrong, 60, of Dresden, Tennessee; Jimmy Boyd, 56, of South Fulton, Tennessee; Michael Homra, 79, of Fulton, Kentucky; and Daniel C. Larcom, 42, of Union City, Tennessee were charged by grand jury indictment on November 15, 2016 with Honest Services Fraud and multiple counts of Wire Fraud. The defendants were arraigned in United States District Court in Paducah, before Magistrate Judge Lanny King.
According to the indictment, between April 2015 and August 2016, Parnell, who served as the Fulton County Jailer from 1990 until earlier this year, used his official position to enrich himself by soliciting and accepting gifts and payments from defendants Armstrong, Boyd, Homra and Larcom, in exchange for influencing the Fulton County Fiscal Court to award the defendants contracts on the project.
Parnell allegedly directed Armstrong, Boyd, Homra and Larcom to intentionally overcharge Fulton County for services and supplies provided as part of jail projects. Parnell would then present the inflated invoices and contracts to the Fulton County treasurer for payment to the defendants and their respective companies. In turn, the defendant contractors would use the excess proceeds to pay kickbacks, in the form of both cash and checks, to Parnell. According to the indictment, Parnell received at least $175,000 in money and other things of value.
In addition, defendants Armstrong, Boyd, Homra, and Larcom allegedly took steps to cover up their activities and dealings with Parnell, including using cash to provide Parnell with kickbacks, structuring withdrawals from banks to use for these kickbacks, and creating false and inflated invoices for services and materials in order to satisfy the cash kickbacks allegedly demanded by Parnell.
If convicted at trial, the defendants could be sentenced to no more than 20 years in prison per count, pay a $250,000 fine for each count, and be sentenced to serve a three-year period of supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nute Bonner and is being investigated by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
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The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty
U.S. Attorney John Kuhn and Attorney General Andy Beshear (rt) announce federal charges in PaducahBallard County Judge Executive and Former Ballard County Treasurer Charged with Bank Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Making False Statements on A Loan ApplicationRead the Press Release
PADUCAH, Ky. – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr., joined by Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Amy S. Hess, announced charges today against the current Ballard County Judge-Executive and former Ballard County Treasurer for executing a scheme that involved obtaining approximately $450,000 in bank loans using a $500,000 Ballard County Certificate of Deposit as collateral for the loans, all without authorization from the Ballard County Fiscal Court. Viniard and Foster obtained the loans and pledged the collateral in order to secretly procure operating funds for Ballard County, Kentucky.
Vickie Louise Viniard, 60, the current Judge-Executive and Belinda Janean Foster, 50, the former Ballard County Treasurer, were charged by grand jury indictment on November 15, 2016, with counts of bank fraud, wire fraud, and making false statements on a loan application. Foster was arraigned this morning, in United States District Court in Paducah, before Magistrate Judge Lanny King. Viniard will make first appearance at a later date.
According to the indictment, between April 2014 and October 2015, defendants Viniard and Foster executed a scheme by misrepresenting to First Community Bank that Viniard had the authority to apply for two loans and had the authority to pledge a Ballard County asset (certificate of deposit) as collateral for these loans.
On April 17, 2014, on behalf of the Ballard County Fiscal Court, Viniard applied for and was granted a $300,000 loan from First Community Bank in Wickliffe, Kentucky. As collateral for the loan, Viniard pledged a $504,038.54 Certificate of Deposit belonging to the Ballard County Fiscal Court that was also held by First Community Bank. Upon approval of the loan, $300,000 was deposited into the Ballard County Fiscal Court’s account with First Community Bank. On June 12, 2014, on behalf of the Ballard County Fiscal Court, Viniard and Foster applied for and were granted a $150,000 loan from First Community Bank in Wickliffe. As collateral for the Loan, Viniard and foster pledged the same CD which had also been used as collateral for the $300,000 loan. Upon approval of the $150,000 loan, $50,000 was deposited into the Ballard County Fiscal Court’s account with First Community Bank and $100,000 was wired to Huntington National Bank in Columbus, Ohio as partial satisfaction of a Ballard County bond obligation.
On April 17, 2014, Viniard allegedly executed documents, authorizing herself, as County Judge-Executive, to borrow money. The Ballard County Fiscal Court gave Viniard no such authorization and was unaware of the loans or the County’s CD being used as collateral for the loans because Viniard withheld this information.
Further, Viniard allegedly directed Foster to intentionally conceal the loan proceeds, which Foster did by labeling the loans as “payroll tax” receipts instead of income from loan proceeds. Foster also did not account for the $100,000 that was wired to Huntington National Bank in Columbus, Ohio.
Additionally, Foster was authorized to write checks for medical reimbursement payments to Ballard County employees, including herself, and, using this authority, allegedly obtained at least $27,000 in fraudulent medical reimbursement payments.
If convicted at trial, bank fraud and making false statements on a loan application carry a sentence of no more than 30 years in prison per count, and wire fraud carries a sentence of no more than 20 years in prison for each count. Also, the defendants could be fined up to $2,000,000 for fraud charges and $250,000 for each count of wire fraud. The judge could further impose a period of supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nute Bonner and is being investigated by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
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The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty
Louisville Convicted Felon Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for Impersonating an Officer and Unlawful Transport of FirearmsRead the Press Release
Possessed a fake badge and several firearms when arrested
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Louisville convicted felon was sentenced in United States District Court today, by District Court Judge David J. Hale, to seven years in prison for impersonating an officer, on more than one occasion, and for unlawfully transporting firearms, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
“Connard impersonated a federal officer to accost, then assault people,” stated U.S. Attorney John Kuhn. “This false assertion of police power is exceedingly dangerous and creates a risk of undermining the good work of legitimate law enforcement. We are pleased the Court has dealt with this serious crime sternly and appropriately.”
Michael A. Connard, 28, was charged in a three-count federal grand jury indictment on November 11, 2015. He pleaded guilty to the charges on August 8, 2016 and has remained in federal custody.
According to the plea agreement, Connard admitted that on two separate occasions, on June 22, 2015, in Metro Louisville, he impersonated a police officer and on one occasion referred to himself as a “Federal Agent.” Further, Connard admitted that on both occasions he unlawfully possessed a firearm while being a convicted felon.
Connard, along with a second man, not charged in the federal Indictment, approached D.J. and ordered him out of his car near Hancock and East Gray Streets in Louisville. Connard was dressed in outwardly visible body armor, displayed a badge on a chain hanging from his neck, and identified himself as “police.” Connard brandished a firearm and struck D.J. causing a bruise on his forehead. Later in the same day, Connard repeated the activity with another victim, J.S., and in this instance, identified himself as a “Federal Agent.” Connard forced J.S. from his vehicle in the 500 block of South Clay Street in Louisville and in doing so, brandished a firearm and struck J.S. in the forehead.
Louisville Metro Police Officers were alerted to these activities and arrested Connard in the 800 block of East Chestnut Street. Officers found the defendant armed with a Taurus PT 24/7, 40 caliber handgun and a Kel-Tec, .380 and a fake badge that was carried by Connard.
In addition to the firearms which were in Connard’s possession at the time of his arrest, Connard possessed three additional firearms at his home including a .38 caliber snub nose revolver, a Bushmaster AR-15 type assault rifle, and a Savage Arms, Model 320, 12 gauge shotgun.
Further, Connard was a two time convicted felon. In 2006, he was convicted in Christian County Circuit Court of Burglary I and Possession of Burglary tools. Later in 2008, Connard was convicted in a separate case of Burglary II. Connard has pending charges in Jefferson County Circuit related to a similar incident on June 2, 2015.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randy R. Ream and was investigated by Louisville Metro Police and the with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Six Men Charged in A Conspiracy with Stealing Cars and Loan Proceeds by Falsely Claiming Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Loss to area banks and auto dealers more than $1.2 Million
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr. today announced the indictment and arrests of six men all charged in a conspiracy that resulted in a loss of approximately $1.2 million to banks and car lenders. The twenty count indictment was unsealed on October 25, 2016 during a hearing before United States Magistrate Judge Dave Whalin. A jury trial is scheduled in Louisville before Senior Judge Charles R. Simpson III, on December 19, 2016 at 9:30 am.
Today, defendant Christopher Peplinski, 42, (formerly from Orion, Michigan), was arraigned before Magistrate Judge Colin H. Lindsay and remains on bond charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering. Defendants Jamesy Havens, 41, Ronald Lovell, 34, of Louisville, and Jasen Coon, 38, of Miami, were previously arraigned and remain in federal custody charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering. Defendants David Farnsworth, 50, and Danny Coslow Jr. of Louisville, face the same charges and remain on bond pending the December trial in Louisville.
According to the indictment, the defendants opened bank accounts in Louisville, Kentucky, Michigan, and Florida, under company names designed to appear as legitimate businesses and car dealerships, such as 24/7 Motors, FTD Motors, Auto Advantage Company, Gulf Coast Holdings, VMCD Corp., and VMD Direct Processing. Then, over a two-year period, beginning in June 2013, until June 2015, the defendants allegedly carried out several schemes to defraud banks and auto dealerships of more than $1.2 million.
These schemes included purchasing vehicles with no intention of repaying the loans by reporting the transactions were made by someone else who had stolen their identification; applying for and receiving loans from banks, then using fraudulent car purchase invoices from their “businesses” (previously listed) to give the impression that cars were being purchased - when instead - no car was purchased and the loan proceeds were deposited for their own personal use. Another alleged scheme involved the defendant’s obtaining multiple car loans for the same car to make it look as if the vehicle had been sold multiple times when in fact the defendants still possessed the car. Also, the defendants are charged with creating false documents to make it appear that bank liens on vehicles had been paid in full, when the liens had not been paid.
If convicted of the charges at trial, each defendant could be sentenced to no more than 20 years for conspiracy to commit mail fraud, no more than 10 years for each count of money laundering by engaging in monetary transactions over $10,000, and no more than 20 years per count of money laundering transactions designed to conceal the proceeds of fraud. In addition, defendant Havens is charged with a single count of identity theft which carries an additional sentence of no less than two years in prison. All defendants are subject to forfeiture of any property derived from the alleged offenses, could be required to pay fines, and could be ordered to serve a term of supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Judd. It is being investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Secret Service and Louisville Metro Police Department.
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The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty
Meade County Kentucky, Convicted Sex Offender, on the Kentucky Sex Offender Registry, Guilty of Transporting and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Meade County, Kentucky, convicted sex offender, on the Kentucky Sex Offender Registry, pleaded guilty in United States District Court today, before District Judge David J. Hale, to charges of transporting and possessing child pornography announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Travis Tucker, 30, was charged by grand jury indictment on February 17, 2016. According to information in the plea agreement, Kentucky State Police received several Cybertip reports concerning uploading of child pornographic images (that is, images of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct), to a Google plus account from an email address of [email protected]. The uploads occurred on four separate occasions in October of 2014. Investigative efforts led to Tucker as the user of the email account used to upload the images.
Law enforcement officials executed a state search warrant on Tucker’s residence in Meade County, Kentucky, on January 14, 2015. During the search, they seized numerous digital items. Later, forensic review of the digital items revealed thousand so images of child pornography. The images had been acquired using the Internet.
Prior to October of 2014, Tucker had been convicted of a child pornography offense. He was on the Kentucky Sex Offender Registry at the time of the offenses in the Indictment.
At the time of sentencing, the United States has agreed to dismiss Count 1 of the indictment (transporting child pornography), and agree that a sentence of 15 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release is appropriate. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jo Lawless and is being investigated by Kentucky State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
U.S. Attorneys Announce Appointment of District Election OfficersRead the Press Release
United States Attorneys Kerry B. Harvey and John E. Kuhn Jr., announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Ken Taylor and Assistant United States Attorney Tom Dyke, will lead the efforts of their Offices in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2016, general elections. AUSA Taylor has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of Kentucky and AUSA Dyke has been appointed to serve as the DEO for the Western District of Kentucky, and in that capacity they are responsible for overseeing the Districts’ handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Kuhn said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to one of the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
Every citizen has a right to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fairly conducted election,” stated Kerry B. Harvey, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on election day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice.
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 8, 2016, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Ken Taylor will be on duty in Lexington, while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: (859) 685-4874 or (859) 321-9488. AUSA/DEO Tom Dyke will be on duty in Louisville, while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: (502) 625-7042 or (502) 381-1886.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field offices can be reached by the public at (859) 246-4700 in Lexington and (502) 263-6000 in Louisville.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, DC by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by email to [email protected] or by complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php.
Calloway County, Kentucky, Man Charged with Multiple Counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children, Production of Child Pornography, and Sex Trafficking of ChildrenRead the Press Release
Twelve minor victims identified in a 27 count federal indictment
PADUCAH, Ky. – A Calloway County, Kentucky, man was charged by grand jury in a 27 count indictment with inducing minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct, inducing minor victims to produce visual depictions of that conduct which were then transmitted over the internet, and with inducing a minor to engage in commercial sex acts announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Jeffrey Desmond Carter, 37, of Murray, Kentucky, was charged specifically with 25 counts of production of child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography, and one count of sex trafficking of children.
Carter was initially charged in a criminal complaint on October 6, 2016. According to an Affidavit attached to the complaint, on February 6, 2015, the Murray (Kentucky) Police Department was notified that a 14-year-old female had sent sexually explicit photos and videos of herself to Carter, through a Facebook messenger account under the name of Adam Bryan.
Law enforcement was able to determine the Facebook address of the suspect was Jeffrey D. Carter who resided in Murray, Kentucky. Further, a search warrant on the Facebook account revealed that multiple IP addresses were being used by Jeffrey Carter and law enforcement was able to identify thousands of messenger conversations between Carter and multiple victims.
The alleged conduct charged in the indictment took place between March of 2013, and January of 2015. Carter was charged in Calloway County Circuit Court and currently is in state custody. The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney has agreed that the federal case should proceed first against Carter, and will seek to dismiss without prejudice the current charges, thereby preserving the right of the Commonwealth to renew prosecution of the state charges following the conclusion of the federal case.
If convicted at trial, Carter faces a mandatory prison term of no less than 15 years in prison for counts 1-22, 24, 25, & 27; no less than 5 years in prison for count 23; no less than 10 years in prison for count 26; and up to and including a lifetime period of supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Seth A. Hancock and is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In addition to the original investigative agencies, the Murray Police Department and Calloway County Sheriff’s Department, assistance in the Federal investigation is also being received from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department; McCracken County Sheriff’s Department; Metropolis, Illinois Police Department; Murray State University Police Department; and the Purchase Area Sexual Assault and Child Advocacy Center
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This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
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The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty
DEA and Community Partners in Kentucky Hold Prescription Drug Take Back Day on SaturdayRead the Press Release
-50 Take Back locations across the Bluegrass State
Detroit, MI – DEA reprises this weekend one of its most popular community programs: National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. On Saturday, October 22nd, 2016, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. the public can dispose of their unused, unwanted prescription medications at one of 4,700 collection sites nationwide, and 50 sites in Kentucky, operated by 3,800 local law enforcement agencies and other community partners. The service is free of charge, no questions asked.
America is presently experiencing an epidemic of addiction, overdose and death due to abuse of prescription drugs, particularly opioid painkillers. 6.4 million Americans age 12 and over, which is 2.4% of the population—abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which was released last month. That is more people than abuse cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, and methamphetamines combined. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States, eclipsing deaths from motor vehicle crashes or firearms. The majority of prescription drug abusers report that they obtain their drugs from friends and family, including from the home medicine cabinet.
Last April, during its 11th Take Back Day, the DEA and over 4,200 of its national, tribal, and community law enforcement partners collected 893,498 pounds (about 447 tons) of unwanted prescription drugs at almost 5,400 collection sites. Since the program began six years ago, about 6.4 million pounds (about 3,200 tons) of drugs have been collected. That’s more than a quarter pound of pills for each of the 25 million children aged 12 to 17 in America, pills that won’t result in abuse or overdose.
The public can find a nearby collection site by visiting www.dea.gov, clicking on the “Got Drugs?” icon, and following the links to a database where they enter their zip code. Or they can call 800-882-9529. Only pills and other solids, like patches, can be brought to the collection sites—liquids and needles or other sharps will not be accepted.
Former Bullitt County, Kentucky, Deputy Sheriff Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Civil Rights ViolationsRead the Press Release
Former Bullitt County, Kentucky, Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Corder, of Louisville, Kentucky, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for willfully depriving a county resident of his constitutional rights, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn Jr. of the Western District of Kentucky.
The evidence presented at trial established that Corder abused his authority as a sworn law enforcement officer by retaliating against a Bullitt County resident who insulted him. Corder went after the man, unlawfully entered the man’s home, tased him in the back, arrested him without probable cause and charged him with crimes that he did not commit, causing the man to sit in jail for weeks and lose his job. The charges that Corder falsely levied against the victim – disorderly conduct, fleeing and evading and resisting arrest – were eventually dismissed.
“By violating the law and abusing the public’s trust, Corder undermined the integrity of the justice system in Bullitt County,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gupta. “Every day, the vast majority of law enforcement officials work tirelessly and honorably to keep communities safe yet those who flout the law do a disservice to their colleagues and their profession. The Justice Department will continue its steadfast efforts to ensure that when officers violate civil rights, we hold them accountable for their misconduct.”
“As they serve and protect, police are entrusted with immense power and authority,” said U.S. Attorney Kuhn. “And it is absolutely critical that their power and authority be used lawfully and responsibly. Matthew Corder abused that authority, and today he is held to account. His actions are not representative of the good and honorable work that distinguishes our law enforcement agencies in the Western District of Kentucky.”
Corder was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge David J. Hale of the Western District of Kentucky.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Louisville Division, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Gregory of the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney Christopher J. Perras of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
Former Bullitt County, Kentucky, Deputy Sheriff Matthew Corder Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Civil Rights ViolationsRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A former deputy with the Bullitt County, Kentucky, Sheriff’s Office was sentenced today to 27 months in federal prison and one year of supervised release, by United States District Judge David J. Hale, for willfully depriving a county resident of his constitutional rights, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and United States Attorney John E. Kuhn Jr. of the Western District of Kentucky. There is no parole in the federal prison system.
The evidence presented at trial established that Matthew Corder, of Louisville, Kentucky, abused his authority as a sworn law enforcement officer by retaliating against a Bullitt County resident who insulted him. Corder went after the man, unlawfully entered the man’s home, tased him in the back, arrested him without probable cause and charged him with crimes that he did not commit, causing the man sit in jail for weeks and to lose his job. The charges that Corder falsely levied against the victim – disorderly conduct, fleeing and evading and resisting arrest –were eventually dismissed.
“As they serve and protect, police are entrusted with immense power and authority,” stated U.S. Attorney John Kuhn, “and it is absolutely critical that their power and authority be used lawfully and responsibly. Matthew Corder abused that authority, and today he is held to account. His actions are not representative of the good and honorable work that distinguishes our law enforcement agencies in the Western District of Kentucky.”
“By violating the law and abusing the public’s trust, Corder undermined the integrity of the justice system in Bullitt County,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gupta. “Every day, the vast majority of law enforcement officials work tirelessly and honorably to keep communities safe yet those who flout the law do a disservice to their colleagues and their profession. The Justice Department will continue its steadfast efforts to ensure that when officers violate civil rights, we hold them accountable for their misconduct.”
Corder was convicted of two counts of willfully depriving a Bullitt County man of his constitutional rights under color of law, by a federal jury, in Louisville, on July 22, 2016. The four-day trial included testimony from the victim, the victim’s sister and the other officer on scene, which corroborated the victim’s account. The instructors from the police academy who trained Corder also testified to the fact that he knew what the law permits and knew that his conduct violated the victim’s constitutional rights. Evidence included Corder’s false arrest report as well as body-camera footage of the arrest.
Corder was further ordered by the court to pay restitution to the victim in an amount to be determined within 90 days.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Louisville Division, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Gregory of the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney Christopher J. Perras of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
Casey County, Kentucky, Convicted Felon Guilty of Multiple Charges Including Sale and Distribution of A Controlled Substance and Being an Armed Career CriminalRead the Press Release
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A Casey County, Kentucky felon recently pleaded guilty in United States District Court before District Judge Greg N. Stivers, to multiple charges including being an armed career criminal, possession and distribution of a controlled substance, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Jerry Wayne Threatt II, age 39, of Liberty, Kentucky pleaded guilty to all charges in a ten count indictment and agreed to a sentence of 180 months in prison on October 11, 2016. Threatt remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service and is scheduled for sentencing hearing in Bowling Green, before Judge Stivers on January 5, 2017, at 10am CST.
According to the plea agreement, Threatt sold a firearm and crystal methamphetamine, from his Liberty, Kentucky, home to a confidential informant on September 8, 2015, and on September 30, 2015. Further, on October 23, 2015, Threatt was observed and recorded selling a firearm and crystal meth to an informant in a grocery store parking lot located in Liberty.
In addition to the prison sentence, Threatt will forfeit a vehicle; U.S. currency totaling $3,290; a Jimenez Arms 9millimeter semi-automatic handgun; a KELTEC 9millimeter semi-automatic pistol; a Para-Ordinance, Model P16, 40 caliber pistol; a Hi-Point, Model JH 45 caliber pistol; a Ruger, 9 millimeter semi-automatic pistol; and Remington, Model 110012 gauge shotgun.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ream and is being investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Kentucky State Police (DESI West), and Casey County (Kentucky) Sheriff’s Department.