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Post by Press Release on Feb 8, 2013 18:44:53 GMT -5
Convicted Felon Sentenced To 250 Months for Helping Lead a Large Cocaine Trafficking Ring U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Kentucky
A Richmond man with a lengthy criminal history was sentenced today to 250 months in prison for dealing cocaine and using his retail store to conceal his drug trafficking activity. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph M. Hood sentenced 30-year-old Jakolbe Chenault, aka, “Kolbe Cheese,” for conspiracies to distribute cocaine and launder drug money. Judge Hood enhanced Chenault’s sentence because Chenault qualified as a career offender. A career offender is someone with two or more prior violent crime or drug trafficking offenses. According to court documents, from May 2009 until October 2011, Chenault helped lead a large cocaine trafficking ring and distributed at least 3.5 kilograms of cocaine in Madison County. More than 10 others were part of the conspiracy. Chenault co-owned the clothing store known as Ja Ru’s New Fashions with co-defendant Ruben Catching. Chenault acknowledged that he and Catching used drug proceeds to buy merchandise for the store. Court documents state that Chenault also used drug profits to purchase several vehicles and a house on Oakland Avenue in Richmond. The U.S. Government seized five vehicles and the home. Chenault has prior felony convictions which include trafficking in a controlled substance, second degree unlawful transaction with a minor and wanton endangerment first degree. Under federal law, Chenault must serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence. Others involved in the drug trafficking conspiracy previously received the following prison sentences: Ruben Catching - 100 months; Christina Thieleman – 120 months; Demetrius Catching – 60 months; Jermaine Carter – 60 months; Da’Lance Roberts – 120 months; James Phelps – 30 months; Bryan Campbell – 180 months; Shaquille Williams – 27 months; Franklin Floyd – 12 months and 1 day; Montel Jenkins – 138 months; Christoper Crutcher – 18 months; Laverne Cructcher – 60 months; Damar Horton – 128 months; and Edward Lamont Ellington – 87 months. Kerry B. Harvey, U.S Attorney for the Eastern District Kentucky, Stuart L. Lowery, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Robert L. Corso, Special Agent in Charge of DEA; Christopher A. Henry, Special Agent in Charge of IRS’ Criminal Investigation Division; Rodney C. Brewer, Kentucky State Police Commissioner and Larry R. Brock, Richmond Police Chief jointly announced the sentence. The investigation was conducted by ATF, the Richmond Police Department, IRS-CID, KSP, and DEA. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented by Robert M. Duncan Jr. and Roger W. West.
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Post by Press Release on Feb 8, 2013 19:01:44 GMT -5
London Couple Convicted on All Counts of Child Pornography Offenses U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Kentucky
A federal jury found a London, Kentucky couple guilty of photographing two children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The jury convicted 58-year-old Rickey L. Sherman and his wife, 33-year-old Corrine Sherman, late Wednesday afternoon of two counts of producing child pornography, conspiracy to produce child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography. The jury returned the verdict after approximately four hours of deliberation following three days of trial. Evidence presented at trial showed that, in 2008, the Shermans produced approximately 40 images of two pre-pubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. At the time Ricky Sherman was arrested for the federal offenses, he was on probation for a previous state offense. The investigation started when state authorities received a tip that Rickey Sherman violated terms of his probation by having access to a computer. The evidence revealed that Rickey Sherman contacted his wife as the investigation was underway, and she subsequently attempted to conceal a camera from law enforcement. The camera was recovered and found to contain the produced child pornography images. Ricky Sherman owned Truck Town Repair in Laurel County. He and his wife were indicted in September 2011. Kerry B. Harvey, U.S Attorney for Eastern District Kentucky; Perrye Turner, Special Agent in Charge, FBI; and Stewart Walker, Chief of the London Police Department, jointly announced the convictions. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the London Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Parman. The Shermans will appear for sentencing on June 4, 2013. They face a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life. The couple will have to serve a minimum of 85 percent of the prison sentences imposed. The court will impose a sentence after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statutes.
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Post by Press Release on Apr 10, 2013 16:46:23 GMT -5
London Cattle Company Accused fo Selling Animals That Tested Positive for Drugs U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Kentucky
A London cattle company was indicted for falsifying records related to an investigation into selling animals containing medical drugs in their system. Williams Cattle Company and its treasurer, 47-year-old Pamela Collette, were indicted Monday for falsification of records related to a federal investigation and creating false documents. According to the indictment, the Food and Drug Administration investigated Williams Cattle for violating a court ordered injunction, which instructs the company not to purchase or sell cattle for slaughter that may contain drug medication residue. Collette allegedly falsified weekly reports that were supposed to be sent to buyers verifying that the animals sold were drug free, in an attempt to influence the outcome of the investigation. She is also alleged to have created false documents that appeared to be prepared by a company that sold animals to Williams Cattle, when in fact the company had not generated the documents. As part of the injunction, which was filed in 2006, if Williams Cattle Company sells animals with medical drugs in their system, it is required to notify the buyers. Additionally, the injunction obligates Williams Cattle to identify the potential cause for the medical drugs in the animals and to refrain from purchasing animals from sellers who supply cattle that contains medical drugs. Kerry B. Harvey, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Special Agent in Charge Antoinette V. Henry, of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations jointly announced the indictment. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations. The indictment was presented to the grand jury by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Sam Dotson. Collette is set to appear in federal court for an arraignment on April 24. If convicted she faces a maximum of five years in prison on each charge and a $250,000 fine. The company is also subject to the $250,000 fine for each count. The indictment of a person by a grand jury is an accusation only, and that person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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Post by Press Release on Jun 14, 2013 4:35:29 GMT -5
Doctor Sentenced to 75 Months For Pill Conspiracy U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Kentucky
A former Paintsville, Ky., doctor, who previously admitted that he unlawfully dispensed approximately 50,000 prescription pills to individuals in Eastern Kentucky, was sentenced today to 75 months in prison, to be followed by three years supervised release. U.S. District Judge Amul Thapar sentenced 66-year-old Richard Albert for conspiring to distribute and dispense controlled substances. Albert also agreed to forfeit more $630,000, which represents proceeds from his conspiracy. Albert was also ordered to pay $100,000 in community restitution. Albert admitted that, from January 2009 until February 2011, he wrote numerous fraudulent prescriptions to individuals without a legitimate medical purpose. He typically wrote prescriptions for 100 (10 milligram) Percocet pills in exchange for $200 cash. Court records indicate that Albert frequently wrote approximately 40 to 50 fraudulent prescriptions in a given day. According to the plea agreement, Albert wrote prescriptions to people who visited his clinic, his private residence, and a closed chiropractor’s office in Johnson County. During these visits, Albert performed little to no examination before writing the prescriptions. Patients who returned to the clinic after their initial visits received prescriptions without visiting with Albert at all. In many cases, Albert signed his name to blank prescriptions and had an office assistant fill out the actual prescription. He also back dated information into his medical files to cover up the scheme. During the course of the conspiracy, Albert worked at Care More Pain Management; and after resigning from Care More, he opened his own pain clinic. Albert was employed by Care More Pain Management owners Tammy Cantrell, of Oil Springs, Ky., and Shelby Lackey, of Williamsport, Ky. They pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to distribute and unlawfully dispense Oxycodone and maintaining a drug involved premise. The investigation started in 2009 when investigators with the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office observed large congregations of people routinely lined up outside Care More’s pain clinic. Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Jack Conway, Kentucky Attorney General and Robert L. Corso, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, jointly announced the plea. The investigation was conducted by the DEA, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the Paintsville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger West represented the U.S. Attorney’s Office in this case.
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Post by Press Release on Jul 31, 2013 3:47:25 GMT -5
28 People Indicted for Methamphetamine Conspiracy in Whitley County U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Kentucky
A federal indictment, unsealed today, charges 28 individuals from Whitley County, Ky., with a conspiracy to manufacture large quantities of methamphetamine. Investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Kentucky State Police (KSP), U.S. Marshal’s Office (USMS) and the Williamsburg Police Department arrested eight defendants this morning in Whitley County. All of the other defendants are already in custody. On Thursday, July 25, a superseding indictment, which is a charging document that alters or changes information from a previous indictment, was returned sealed by a federal grand jury in London. The superseding indictment added 16 new defendants in a conspiracy to distribute at least 500 grams of a methamphetamine mixture over the course of approximately three and a half years. The original indictment, filed in May, charged 12 defendants in the conspiracy. The superseding indictment also charges some of the defendants with additional drug and firearm offenses. Specifically, 35 year-old James Forest Manning is charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense and being an unlawful user of methamphetamine in possession of firearms. Jamie Mark Gibson 41, and Danny Lee Fyffe, 49, are charged with being unlawful users of methamphetamine in possession of a firearm. The superseding indictment also alleges that Daniel John Moeser, 44, possessed firearms and explosives after having previously been convicted of a felony offense. Lisa Canada Ball, 49, is charged with being an unlawful user of methamphetamine in possession of firearms and explosives. Both defendants were charged with these offenses in the original indictment. The other defendants indicted in the case are Bobby Darrell Canada, II, 26; David Allen Davis, 29; Robert Joe Gibson, 23; Michelle Manning, 33; Wayne Marcus, 32; Billy Ray Richardson, 35; Anthony Rose, 32; Jerry White, 36; Beverly Wilson, 28; James Bennett, 39; Wendell Ralph Canada, 31; Ryan David Carlson, 36; George Thomas Hubbard, 49; Mark A. Morrow, 46; Harrison B. Sulfridge, 33; Joanna Cansler, 55; Teanna Marie Cansler, 33; Robert Church, 27; William Helbig, Jr., 36; Suzann Judy Phillips, 49; Anna Davis, 24; Jason Wade Taylor, 31 and Aaron David Ellison, 35; Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Stuart L. Lowery, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Wayne Bird, Police Chief, Williamsburg Police Department and Loren Carl, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Kentucky, jointly announced the superseding indictment today. The investigation preceding the indictment was a result of a joint collaboration between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Post 11 of the Kentucky State Police, the Williamsburg Police Department; the U.S. Marshal’s Office; Kentucky Division of Probation and Parole; the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department and the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office for the 34th Judicial Circuit. Arraignments for some defendants are set for August 2, 2013, while the defendants arrested today will make their initial appearances in court tomorrow. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison. Manning faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of life for carrying and using a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Additionally, he faces a maximum of 20 years for the manufacturing methamphetamine charge. The defendants charged with firearm/weapons offenses face a maximum of 10 years imprisonment. Any indictment is an accusation only. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial, at which the government must prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Post by Press Release on Aug 9, 2013 22:37:54 GMT -5
Hazard Woman Pleads Guilty to Illegally Structuring Bank Deposits U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Kentucky
Lois Elaine Smith, 53, of Hazard, Ky., pleaded guilty today to charges of currency structuring. In her guilty plea, Smith admitted she intentionally structured cash deposits, in increments of just under $10,000, into an account at the Peoples Bank and Trust in Perry County. Smith acknowledged that she structured the deposits in this manner to prevent the bank from filing a currency transaction report with the federal government. Under federal law, financial institutions, such as banks, are required to report to the federal government any currency deposit, withdrawal, or exchange that is over $10,000. It is a violation of federal law to intentionally structure cash transactions to avoid these reporting requirements. Smith was indicted by a grand jury in February of 2013. Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Christopher A. Henry, Special Agent in Charge, Nashville Field Division, Internal Revenue Service, jointly made the announcement. The investigation was conducted by the IRS, Northern Kentucky Financial Crimes Task Force. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordi De Llano and Robert K. McBride. Smith is currently scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove for sentencing, in London, on November 21, 2013, at 1:30 p.m. Smith faces a maximum prison sentence of five years. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statutes governing the imposition of sentences.
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