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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
June 25, 2008
INDICTMENT: MANAGER OF DOCTOR’S OFFICE EMBEZZLED MORE THAN $300,000
WICHITA, KAN. – Frances E. Holt, 51, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud.
According to the indictment, Holt was employed by Dr. Charles W. Beck to manage his office in Wichita. Her duties included paying bills, preparing payroll information, entering patient charges, running daily reports, preparing monthly reports, making bank deposits, printing checks and preparing checks to be signed by the doctor’s wife, Ann Beck. Holt did not have authority to sign checks written on Beck’s accounts.
In June 2000, Holt obtained a Bank of America credit card in Beck’s name. She did not tell Beck about the card. She used the card to purchase items for herself and her friends and family without authority from Beck. She prepared checks to be signed by Ann Beck to pay Bank of America for the charges on the card. She did not tell Ann Beck that the charges on the card were unrelated to Beck’s medical practice.
Holt made a total of $323,356.38 in unauthorized credit card purchases. The government is seeking forfeiture in that amount.
If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
A federal grand jury meeting Tuesday in Wichita also returned the following indictments:
Troy Carl Tramba, 31, is charged with one count of possession of a stolen U.S. identification document, one count of possession of five or more identification documents with intent to defraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in May 2008
According to the indictment, he possessed 35 Social Security cards, 10 birth certificates, 13 state-issued driver’s licenses, two U.S. Armed Forces identification cards, two U.S. passports and miscellaneous credit and debit cards.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
– Possession of stolen U.S. identification documents: A maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison without parole and fine up to $250,000.
– Possession of five or more identification documents with intent to defraud: A maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison without parole and fine up to $250,000.
– Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory two years in federal prison to run consecutively to the underlying sentence and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
The Salina Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Ernesto Reyes-Villegas and Francisco Ramirez-Maciel, are charged with possession with intent to distribute more than a kilogram of heroin. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 10, 2008, in Thomas County, Kan.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $4 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Curzydlo is prosecuting.
Gerald Wayne Johnson, 46, is charged with three counts of possessing or passing counterfeit currency. The crimes are alleged to have occurred June 8, 2008, and June 12, 2008, in Wichita, Kan.
According to the indictment, Johnson passed counterfeit currency at College Hill Liquor.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Blair Watson is prosecuting.
Thomas K. Ekstrum, 54, and Herb Leeper, 59, Wichita, Kan., are charged with impersonating an employee of the Internal Revenue Service and attempting to obtain official documents. The crime is alleged to have occurred May 15, 2008, in Butler County, Kan.
If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 3 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Department of the Treasury investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
Debby C. Herber, 48, Argonia, Kan., is charged with stealing more than $1,000 from the federal government while she was an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. The crime is alleged to have occurred from January 2008 to May 2008 in Sumner County, Kan.
If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Postal Service - Office of Inspector General investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
Jacquelyn S. McFarland, 21, Wichita, Kan., is charged with assaulting a Deputy United States Marshal. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 17, 2008, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 8 years and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Marshals Service investigated. Barnett
Michael Webb, 29, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, one count of unlawful possession of ammunition after a felony conviction, and one count of unlawful possession of a sawed off shotgun that was not registered as required in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The crimes are alleged to have occurred July 16, 2007, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10,000 on the shotgun charge, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the two other counts. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Curzydlo is prosecuting.
Alfredo Saenz-Ruiz, 27, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of possession of fraudulently obtained documents, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of producing a false identification document. The crimes are alleged to have occurred at various times in 2007 and 2008 in Seward County, Kan.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
–Possession of fraudulently obtained documents: A maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
– Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory two years in federal prison to run consecutively to the underlying sentence and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
– Production of a false identification document: A maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Angel Ramon Grado-Saenz, 27, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of a felony and deported. He was found June 2, 2008, in Wichita, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Manuel Penaloza-Ramirez, 19, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of possession of false documents to be employed in the United States, two counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of making a false written statement on an I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form, and one count of misusing a Social Security number. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Aug. 8, 2006, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
– Possession of fraudulent documents to be employed in the United States: A maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
– Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory two years in federal prison to run consecutively to the underlying sentence and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
– Making a false statement on an I-9 form: A maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
– Misusing a Social Security number: A maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
The Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector of General investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Mario Garcia-Hernandez, 36, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported, one count of using a fraudulent document to be employed in the United States; one count of making a false statement to a federal agent, one count of producing a false identification document, and four counts of aggravated identity theft. He was found Jan. 11, 2008, in Wichita, Kan.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
– Unlawful re-entry after deportation: A maximum of 2 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
– Possession of fraudulent documents to be employed in the United States: A maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
– Making a false statement to a federal agent: A maximum penalty of 5 years and a fine up to $250,000.
– Production of a false identification document: A maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
– Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory two years in federal prison to run consecutively to the underlying sentence and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Ramon Enrique Cortes-Amador, 35, is charged with one count of knowingly transporting illegal aliens inside the United States. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 6, 2008, in Ellsworth County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Billy Dee Durden, 20, Pittsburg, Kan., and Isacc Lamont Brown, 27, Coffeyville, Kan., each are charged with possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of crack cocaine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred March 24 and March 25, 2008, in Montgomery County, Kan.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2 million. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Blair Watson is prosecuting.
Shannon B. Cavitt, 24, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred May 14, 2008, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Wichita Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.
As in any criminal case, a person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments filed merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
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