LOUISIANA MAN SENTENCED FOR SOLICITING SEX FROM A MINOR
Registered Sex Offender traveled to Beaumont, nabbed in Online Undercover Operation
BEAUMONT TX – United States Attorney John L. Ratcliffe announced today that a 37-year-old Mooringsport, LA man has been sentenced for soliciting sex from an underage child in the Eastern District of Texas.
RUSSEL NEIL GATCH was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for Coercion and Enticement today by United States District Judge Thad Heartfield. Gatch was already a registered sex offender.
According to court documents, Gatch was arrested in October 2006 during a two-week undercover operation conducted by the Texas Attorney General’s Cyber Crimes Unit and the Beaumont Police Department. The sting operation yielded the arrests and indictments of three alleged child sex predators in Jefferson County, each of whom allegedly arranged to meet and sexually assault what they believed to be 13-year-old children they had met online. The online profiles were actually those of undercover investigators with the Texas Attorney General’s office.
Gatch was arrested on October 22, 2006 after he arrived at a meeting location in Beaumont, allegedly to meet and sexually assault someone he believed would be a 13-year-old male. Gatch was indicted by a federal grand jury in Beaumont on November 15, 2006, on one count of coercion and enticement and later pleaded guilty to the charges.
“The cooperative efforts of law enforcement agencies stopped this child predator in his tracks,” said U.S. Attorney Ratcliffe. “Protecting our children from sexual abuse and exploitation remains a priority of the Eastern District of Texas and the Department of Justice.”
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
In Texas, investigative assistance in these matters is provided by the Texas Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC). On May 18, 2006, Attorney General Abbott’s Cyber Crimes Unit was awarded a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention to establish an ICAC Task Force. The Texas Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force is one of almost 50 federally funded task forces in the country dedicated to this issue.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Wannarka is prosecuting this case in conjunction with U.S. Attorney John L. Ratcliffe and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.
JOHNSON COUNTY MAN CHARGED IN CHILD PORN CASE
FORT WORTH, Texas — Joe McDonald, of Cleburne, Texas, has been charged in a federal indictment with one count each of receipt and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. McDonald, 47, who was in state custody on related charges in Johnson County, appeared this morning for his arraignment before U.S. District Judge John McBryde in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth. McDonald entered a not guilty plea and Judge McBryde ordered that he remain in custody pending a trial date of February 19, 2008.
According to the indictment, in July 2007, Joe McDonald possessed five still images from the Internet of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. All of the images involved males, including sexual contact between an adult male and an infant male child.
The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation which, upon conviction, will require McDonald to forfeit property, including three laptop computers, digital cameras and hard disk drives used to commit his offenses.
An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. However, if convicted on all counts, Joe McDonald faces a maximum statutory sentence of 30 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
U.S. Attorney Roper commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Fort Worth Police Department and the Cleburne Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex C. Lewis.
HALLSVILLE MAN SENTENCED IN PIPE BOMB INCIDENT
BEAUMONT, TX -- United States Attorney John L. Ratcliffe announced today that a 23-year-old Hallsville, Texas man has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison in the Eastern District of Texas for a pipe bomb incident that destroyed a religious statue.
PAUL JEFFREY LEON MILES, a National Guardsman and former Stephen F. Austin State University student, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Ron Clark. Miles was also ordered to pay $2,072.96 in restitution.
According to information provided in court, in November 2006 law enforcement officers responded to a report of an assault at the apartment Miles shared with his roommate, Carl Timmons. Timmons had reported to campus police that Miles had assaulted him. Upon arrival, authorities discovered a pipe bomb and bomb-making materials in the apartment. Timmons also told authorities that he and Miles had detonated a pipe bomb they had attached to a statue of the Virgin Mary located in the courtyard of Saint Mary's Catholic Chapel at the Catholic Student Center at Stephen F. Austin State University on September 17, 2006. The statue was destroyed.
Both Miles and Timmons were charged with possession of an unregistered firearm, a pipe bomb. Timmons pleaded guilty in March 2007 and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $2,072.96 in restitution for the replacement of the statue.
The case was investigated by the Stephen F. Austin State University Police, the Nacogdoches Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Flournoy.
DALLAS MAN FOUND GUILTY OF UNLAWFUL FIREARM POSSESSION
Defendant Faces Up to Life in Prison
DALLAS -- Christopher Joe Cantu, of Dallas, was found guilty by a federal jury yesterday of being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm in connection with his April 2007 arrest, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. Because he is charged as an ¡°armed career criminal,¡± Cantu, 35, faces a sentence of up to life in prison for possessing the firearm as he fled his car during a traffic stop in west Dallas.
The jury heard evidence that Dallas Police Department officers were patrolling in the area of Palacios and Bernal in west Dallas in the early morning hours of April 4, 2007. The officers saw a red Eagle Talon run two stop signs, and conducted a traffic stop in front of a nearby house.
Cantu and his passenger both left the car as the officers pulled to a stop, with Cantu walking toward a parked van and the passenger running down Palacios. Cantu was carrying an object that appeared to be a blue apron. The officers witnessed Cantu kneeling down and placing the item under the van. When the officers went to retrieve the item, they discovered a 9 millimeter pistol, which was loaded with 16 bullets, ready to fire, and a blue bullet-proof vest. The passenger, who was identified as Cantu¡¯s brother-in-law, was detained by the officers after he threw several baggies of cocaine and marijuana as he was running. In the Talon, the officers also found a black wool cap, which had been fashioned into a ski mask.
A Dallas Police Officer testified at Cantu's October 16, 2007, detention hearing that Cantu was a member of the prison gang Puro Tango Blast. Because Cantu was previously convicted of more than three felony crimes of violence, he was charged under the federal Armed Career Criminal Act, which carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
The case was adopted by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney¡¯s Office under the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, a nationwide effort which targets gun crime. U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the Dallas Police Department and the ATF. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan A. Konig and Brandon McCarthy.
WOMAN ADMITS DEFRAUDING FEMA OF MORE THAN $26,000 IN FRAUDULENT CLAIMS FILED FOLLOWING HURRICANE KATRINA
DALLAS - Lechall Bridges pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis to filing false claims with the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. Bridges, 45, faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and restitution. She is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Solis on March 12, 2008.
A federal grand jury in Dallas indicted Lechall Bridges and co-defendant, Kevin S. Howard, in April for filing false claims with FEMA following Hurricane Katrina. Howard remains a fugitive.
In documents filed in Court, Bridges admitted that in September 2005, following Hurricane Katrina, she filed false and fraudulent claims with FEMA for disaster assistance. She falsely claimed that she resided at 10906 South Hardy Street in New Orleans and that her residence and personal property had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. She also falsely stated that she had been subject to mandatory evacuation during Hurricane Katrina.
Bridges admits, however, that contrary to her claims for FEMA assistance, she was residing in Texas at the time Hurricane Katrina came ashore on August 29, 2005. She further admits that although she had previously lived at 10906 South Hardy Street in New Orleans, she moved to Texas at least two weeks before Hurricane Katrina came ashore.
Bridges further admitted that she did not suffer any loss due to Hurricane Katrina and that as a result of her false or fraudulent claims, she received a total of $26,200 from FEMA.
In September 2005, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created the Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force, designed to deter, investigate and prosecute disaster-related federal crimes such as charity fraud, identity theft, procurement fraud and insurance fraud. The Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force ¨C chaired by Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division ¨C includes members from the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, the Postal Inspector¡¯s Office and the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, among others.
U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy J. Mitchell.
WAKE VILLAGE WOMAN SENTENCED FOR EMBEZZLEMENT
TEXARKANA, TX -- United States Attorney John L. Ratcliffe announced today that a 42-year-old Wake Village woman has been sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison in the Eastern District of Texas for embezzling from her employer.
WHITNEY HASKINS was sentenced today by United States District Judge David Folsom. She was also ordered to pay $36,714.26 in restitution.
According to information provided in court, beginning in December 2005, Haskins began withdrawing and embezzling currency from Hibernia National Bank, where she was employed. Haskins then created fraudulent entries, including cash-in and cash-out tickets, and entries in the teller journal to hide her withdrawals, including a fraudulent cash-out ticket dated December 1, 2005 reflecting a shipment of $60,000.00 currency to the Federal Reserve Bank.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alan R. Jackson.
TEXARKANA COUPLE CHARGED WITH MAIL FRAUD, MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS
TEXARKANA, TX -- United States Attorney John L. Ratcliffe announced today that a Texarkana, Texas couple has been charged with multiple counts of mail fraud and making false statements in the Eastern District of Texas.
BILL THOMPSON, 51, and his wife, CINDY THOMPSON, 45, appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Caroline Craven. The Thompsons were indicted by a federal grand jury. Bill Thompson is charged with 4 counts of providing a false statement or fraud to obtain Federal Employees Compensation and 9 counts of mail fraud. Cindy Thompson is charged with 5 counts of mail fraud. Both are charged with one count of conspiracy to provide false statements or fraud to obtain Federal Employees Compensation.
According to the indictment, Bill Thompson is a crane operator who was employed by Red River Army Depot. In 2000 he was injured and started collecting disability benefits from the Office of Workers Compensation (OWCP). Since 2002, the Thompsons have conspired and cause OWCP to issue approximately $112,533.01 in disability benefits that Bill Thompson was not entitled to receive. Both defendants have also filed a false claim with Combined Insurance, and defrauded Combined Insurance of approximately $64,301.75.
If convicted, the false statement counts each carry a maximum sentence of up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. The mail fraud charges each carry a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
It is important to note that a grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Department of Labor and the Defense Logistics Agency and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Denise Simpson.
MAN DUBBED THE 'LEPRECHAUN BANDIT' SENTENCED TO 14 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Richard Earl Kemp, 27, of Fort Worth, who pled guilty in August to two counts of bank robbery, was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Judge John McBryde, to 168 months (14 years) in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. Judge McBryde also ordered that Kemp pay $5099 in restitution.
Between April and June 2007, Richard Earl Kemp committed numerous bank robberies in Texas, all in a similar manner. Generally, Kemp would show a demand note to the victim tellers, demanding certain denominations of cash. The demand note typically would also contain a threat of bodily injury if the teller didn't comply with Kemp's request, such as the phrase, "cooperate and no one gets hurt." The bank robber was dubbed the "Leprechaun Bandit" because in one of the surveillance photos, he appeared to be wearing a baseball cap featuring a shamrock and a leprechaun.
On April 2, 2007, Kemp entered Compass Bank, at 2016 W. Rosedale Street in Fort Worth and walked up to a teller and handed over a note which stated: "I need 100's, 50's, 20's, and 10's. No bottom bills, marked bills or dye packs. Co-operate and no one gets hurt." Kemp told the teller to give him the money and, fearful for her safety, the teller complied with the demand and gave Kemp cash from her cash drawer.
On April 5, 2007, Kemp entered the Washington Mutual Bank, at 6333 Camp Bowie Boulevard in Fort Worth. He approached a teller and demanded money, handing the teller a note which stated something to the effect that the robber wanted 100's, 50's, and 20's - along with the word "hurt." Fearful for her safety, she complied with the demand and gave Kemp cash from her cash drawer.
Richard Earl Kemp also admitted that he committed the following bank robberies:
April 16, 2007 Wells Fargo Bank, 1661 South University Drive
June 5, 2007 Washington Mutual Bank, 6333 Camp Bowie Boulevard
U.S. Attorney Roper praised the excellent investigative efforts of the Fort Worth Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Lewis.