Saturday, October 29, 2022
Friday, October 28, 2022
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Grandview Man Pleads Guilty to $4.1 Million Meth Conspiracy
DOJ News Release:
Grandview Man Pleads Guilty to $4.1 Million Meth Conspiracy
Conspiracy Linked to Two Murders, Distributed 520 Kilos of Meth
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Grandview, Mo., man has pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a $4.1 million drug-trafficking conspiracy, which is linked to two murders, and which distributed approximately 520 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Kansas City and St. Louis metropolitan areas.
Markus Michael A. Patterson, 39, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Monday, Oct. 24, and admitted that between Jan. 1, 2017, and September 1, 2018, he participated with others in conspiracies to distribute methamphetamine and launder drug proceeds, and to possessing a firearm in relation to a drug-trafficking crime, and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Patterson was arrested on Aug. 30, 2018, at a hotel in Phelps County, Mo. Officers found approximately one pound of methamphetamine (what remained from two pounds of methamphetamine Patterson brought to Phelps County from Kansas City, Mo.), $8,742 in cash, and drug paraphernalia in Patterson’s hotel room and car. The cash seized by officers was the proceeds of drug sales, which Patterson was supposed to return to his source in Kansas City.
The drug-trafficking organization with which Patterson was associated was responsible for two murders. In August 2018, James Hampton was seized by members of the same drug trafficking conspiracy that supplied Patterson with the Phelps County methamphetamine. Patterson was in St. Louis, Mo., with this group when Hampton was seized. Hampton was seized because conspirators thought he could help find the drugs and money stolen by co-conspirator David Richards. When they realized Hampton could not or would not help, he was restrained and beaten. Hampton was then transported from St. Louis to Kansas City, in the trunk of his car. Brittanie Broyles, who was with Hampton and witnessed him being beaten and restrained, was also taken to Kansas City.
On Aug. 6, 2018, Hampton’s car and body were discovered burning in Bates City, Mo. On Aug. 8, 2018, Broyles’s body was recovered by the Super Flea in the Northeast area of Kansas City. She had been murdered by two gunshots to her head. Witnesses and video identified Patterson following co-defendant Gerald Ginnings, 42, of Kansas City, Mo., in a co-conspirator’s car as Ginnings drove Hampton’s car to Bates City. Ginnings pleaded guilty on Friday, Oct. 21, to the same charges as Patterson.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony crime to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Patterson has prior felony convictions for involuntary manslaughter, distributing a controlled substance, and tampering with physical evidence.
Patterson is among 30 co-defendants who have pleaded guilty in this case and its companion case.
Patterson must pay a money judgment not to exceed $4,160,000, which represents the proceeds he received from the drug-trafficking conspiracy, as determined by the court at the time of his sentencing. That forfeiture amount is based on the unlawful distribution of approximately 520 kilograms of methamphetamine, based on an average price of $8,000 per kilogram.
Under federal statutes, Patterson is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bruce Rhoades and Robert M. Smith. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Sni Valley Fire Department, the Jackson, Lafayette, Buchanan, and Phelps County, Mo., Sheriff’s Departments, the FBI, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the St. James, Mo., Police Department.
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
U.S. Attorney Announces Election Day Program
DOJ News Release:
U.S. Attorney Announces Election Day Program
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – United States Attorney Teresa Moore announced today that Assistant United States Attorney Alan Simpson will lead the efforts of her office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming Nov. 8, 2022, general election.
Simpson has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer for the Western District of Missouri, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election, said Moore. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The department will address these violations wherever they occur. The department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, 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 interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
Moore stated that the franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, the District Election Officer will be on duty in this district while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at 816-426-4125.
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 office can be reached by the public at 816-512-8200.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
Moore said, ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
KC Man Pleads Guilty to $4.1 Million Meth Conspiracy
DOJ News Release:
KC Man Pleads Guilty to $4.1 Million Meth Conspiracy
Conspiracy Linked to Two Murders, Distributed 520 Kilos of Meth
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a $4.1 million drug-trafficking conspiracy, which is linked to two murders, and which distributed 520 kilograms of methamphetamine in the metropolitan area.
Gerald Lee Ginnings, 42, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays and admitted that between Jan. 1, 2018, and October 1, 2018, he participated with others in conspiracies to distribute methamphetamine and launder drug proceeds, and to possessing a firearm in relation to a drug-trafficking crime, and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Ginnings was responsible for distributing, or assisting to distribute, at least five kilograms of methamphetamine. Proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy were used to pay living expenses, buy assets, and to purchase additional drugs for distribution. Ginnings and other co-conspirators used cash during the conspiracy to conceal the true nature of the proceeds from drug distribution.
Ginnings was arrested on June 28, 2018, and again on Sept. 27, 2018. During those arrests, law enforcement officers seized over 50 grams of methamphetamine and a Kel-Tec 9 mm handgun, which Ginnings obtained by trading for methamphetamine.
The drug-trafficking organization with which Ginnings was associated was responsible for two murders. In August 2018, James Hampton was beaten, kidnapped, and transported from St. Louis, Mo., to Kansas City in the trunk of a car. Conspirators also kidnapped Brittanie Broyles, a woman who was with Hampton when he was seized and who witnessed his beating and kidnapping. Ginnings was not with co-conspirators in St. Louis or on the trip from St. Louis to Kansas City.
On Aug. 6, 2018, Hampton’s car and body were discovered burning in Bates City, Mo. On Aug. 8, 2018, Broyles’s body was recovered by the Super Flea in the Northeast area of Kansas City. She had been murdered by two gunshots to her head. Investigators learned that Ginnings, in exchange for being forgiven a $5,000 drug debt, was involved in burning Hampton’s car. Ginnings was also involved in transporting Broyles after she was brought to Kansas City, during which time someone shot her twice in the head and she died.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony crime to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Ginnings has at least three prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle.
Ginnings is among 22 co-defendants who have pleaded guilty in this case.
Ginnings must pay a money judgment not to exceed $4,160,000, which represents the proceeds he received from the drug-trafficking conspiracy, as determined by the court at the time of his sentencing. That forfeiture amount is based on the unlawful distribution of more than 520 kilograms of methamphetamine, based on an average price of $8,000 per kilogram.
Under federal statutes, Ginnings is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bruce Rhoades and Robert M. Smith. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Sni Valley Fire Department, the Jackson, Lafayette, Buchanan, and Phelps County, Mo., Sheriff’s Departments, the FBI, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the St. James, Mo., Police Department.
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Independence Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Child Pornography
DOJ News Release:
Independence Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Child Pornography
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for distributing child pornography over the internet, including to an undercover federal agent, whom he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.
Thomas E. Andries, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Andries to a lifetime of supervised release following incarceration.
On Sept. 8, 2021, Andries pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography over the internet.
Andries admitted that he sent a Kik message to an FBI Child Exploitation Task Force officer in Salt Lake City, Utah, who was posing as a 13-year-old girl in an online undercover capacity, on Feb. 12, 2019. Andries sent the undercover officer two videos of child pornography.
On May 14, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Andries’s residence and seized his cell phone. Andries admitted that he received child pornography via Kik Messenger and saved the files to his cell phone. Investigators found approximately 20 photos and 48 videos of child pornography on the cell phone, including young children and toddlers.
Investigators also found three images and 12 videos of child pornography in Andries’s Google Photos collection, and approximately 97 videos and 38 images of child pornography in his Dropbox account. Included in the Dropbox collection were pornographic images of toddlers and child bestiality.
Andries admitted to engaging with Kik groups who discussed the sexual abuse of children and exchanged child pornography files. He also admitted he exchanged his child pornography files within his group in order to receive additional files from other Kik users.
According to court documents, Andries told investigators that he communicated with three minor females via Kik beginning in 2018. He admitted to sending at least one of the minors, who lived in the United Kingdom, child pornography.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna. It was investigated by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force and the Independence, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
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."
Sunday, October 23, 2022
Friday, October 21, 2022
Additional Charge Filed Against Tennessee Man for Using Firearm in Violent Confrontation with FBI Agents
DOJ News Release:
Additional Charge Filed Against Tennessee Man for Using Firearm in Violent Confrontation with FBI Agents
Tennessee, Missouri Men Indicted for Threatening Violence, Assaulting Federal Agents
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Tennessee man and a Warsaw, Mo., man have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges stemming from their threats of violence against immigrants and the federal government, as well as an armed assault of FBI agents.
Bryan C. Perry, 37, of Clarksville, Tennessee, and Jonathan S. O’Dell, 32, of Warsaw, Mo., were charged in a six-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City on Tuesday, Oct. 18. The federal indictment replaces separate criminal complaints filed against both men on Oct. 7, 2022, and contains both the original charges against both men and an additional charge against Perry.
Perry and O’Dell remain in federal custody without bond following separate detention hearings in which the court ruled they pose a danger to the community.
Perry is now charged with one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Perry is also charged, as in the prior criminal complaint, with one count of transmitting a threat across state lines to injure another person, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of forcibly assaulting an FBI agent with a deadly weapon.
O’Dell is charged in the indictment, as in the prior criminal complaint, with one count of transmitting a threat across state lines to injure another person and one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm. O’Dell allegedly was in possession of a Stevens 12-gauge shotgun while under a court order of protection.
On October 7, 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant at O’Dell’s residence and took O’Dell and Perry into custody. According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, federal agents approached the property in vehicles with red and blue lights and sirens activated. As the FBI approached, an agent utilized a loudspeaker on one of the vehicles, stating that they were with the FBI and that they had a search warrant for the residence. The FBI agent began to repeat the announcement, again stating that they were with the FBI, when gunshots were fired from a front window at the lead FBI vehicle. Several rounds hit the lead FBI vehicle. FBI agents did not return fire and, after the gunshots ceased, the FBI established a perimeter and began communicating with the persons inside the residence to come out. Perry exited the residence, began walking toward agents, and was detained.
When agents searched the residence, they found an Anderson AM-15 multi-caliber rifle in a bedroom near a broken window and approximately 10 spent shell casings. This is the firearm cited in Count Three of the federal indictment, which charges Perry with using a firearm in furtherance of the violent crime of assaulting a federal law enforcement officer.
Agents also found a Ruger 9mm pistol with an obliterated serial number, which is cited in Count Two of the indictment, which charges Perry with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Perry has a prior felony conviction for aggravated robbery.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark and Trial Attorney Jacob Warren from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. It was investigated by the FBI.
Thursday, October 20, 2022
KC Man Sentenced to 17 Years for Two Armed Robberies of Hotels on the Same Day
DOJ News Release:
KC Man Sentenced to 17 Years for Two Armed Robberies of Hotels on the Same Day
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in two armed robberies of hotels on the same day.
Anthony Payne, Jr., 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Tuesday, Oct. 18, to 17 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Payne to pay $860 in restitution.
On Jan. 20, 2022, Payne pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting a robbery, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, and two counts of aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.
Payne admitted that he and two co-defendants robbed the Arrowhead Inn, 6006 E. 31st Street in Kansas City, Mo., at gunpoint on July 2, 2018. Payne entered the hotel with co-defendants Joe Lee Nichols, 29, and Torrence Demond Key, 30, both of Kansas City, Mo. Payne and Nichols brandished handguns and the three men stole approximately $260 from the hotel.
Payne also admitted that the three men robbed Wood Springs Suites Hotel, 11301 Colorado in Kansas City, Mo., at gunpoint on the same day. Payne and Nichols again brandished handguns and the three men stole approximately $600 from the hotel.
According to court documents, Payne was previously convicted in state court for his role in the armed robbery of a Sonic restaurant. He received a suspended imposition of sentence in that case and was placed on probation for five years, but after multiple violations was eventually incarcerated.
Nichols and Key each have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bruce Rhoades and Maureen Brackett. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, and the FBI.
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
USAO-KS Announces Election Day Program
DOJ News Release:
USAO-KS Announces Election Day Program
United States Attorney Duston Slinkard announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Jared Maag will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSA Maag has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the U.S. Attorney’s Office - District of Kansas, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
U.S. Attorney Slinkard said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, 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 interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
U.S. Attorney Slinkard stated that, “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Maag will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: (785) 295-2850.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in field offices and resident agencies throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 816-512-8200.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
U.S. Attorney Slinkard said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
###
Lebanon Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Meth Conspiracy
DOJ News Release:
Lebanon Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Meth Conspiracy
Crashed Vehicle, Resisted Arrest and Fled from Officer
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Lebanon, Mo., man who crashed his vehicle and resisted arrest was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a methamphetamine conspiracy in Newton and Greene counties.
Douglas S. Ward, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 20 years in federal prison without parole.
On March 3, 2022, Ward pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Co-defendants William D. Johnson, 47, address unknown, and Joshua T. Davenport, 41, of Miami, Oklahoma, have also pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
Ward admitted that he received methamphetamine and distributed it to others during the conspiracy, which lasted from May 20 to Sept. 28, 2019. Johnson obtained large amounts of methamphetamine from a source in California and distributed it to others, including Davenport.
Ward was arrested after he crashed the car he was driving on June 18, 2019. A Jasper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department transport officer was traveling eastbound on Missouri 96 near Route UU in Lawrence County, Mo., when Ward’s vehicle passed him, forcing another vehicle in the opposite lane off the roadway. As the officer attempted to catch up to him, Ward turned right onto County Road 1085 but missed the intersection. Ward’s vehicle traveled off the roadway and overturned.
Ward punched out the driver’s side window and crawled out of the vehicle. A man and a woman crawled out from the passenger’s side, and the officer ordered all three of them to stay down. Ward, however, reached into his pocket and pulled out a large plastic bag that contained 88.01 grams of methamphetamine, which he threw on the ground, then took off running.
The officer caught up to Ward but Ward resisted arrest. Ward was able to get away when the woman from his vehicle came up behind the officer and grabbed him. A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper who came to assist the officer eventually apprehended Ward, who was hiding in the grass.
According to court documents, Ward told officers in June 2019 that he had been getting one pound of methamphetamine per day from his source since getting out of prison in December 2018. He also admitted that, for four weeks prior to his arrest, he had obtained two pounds of methamphetamine per week for $4,000 per pound.
Ward has a prior state felony conviction for drug trafficking. Ward also has a prior conviction for domestic violence for an incident in which he picked up his girlfriend, slammed her on the floor, picked her up again, and threw her on the couch. When the victim’s 2-year-old daughter came into the room, he yelled at the child. The victim told him not to yell at her daughter, at which point he grabbed the victim from behind and began to choke her and hit her in the face. Ward has another assault conviction for an incident that occurred while he was incarcerated and attacked another inmate.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Newton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the Jasper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Apache County, Arizona, Sheriff’s Department, the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI.
Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Saturday, October 15, 2022
Sunday, October 9, 2022
Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Saturday, October 1, 2022
Former Missouri Health Care Charity Executives Plead Guilty to Multimillion-Dollar Bribery and Embezzlement Scheme
DOJ News Release:
Former Missouri Health Care Charity Executives Plead Guilty to Multimillion-Dollar Bribery and Embezzlement Scheme
Two former executives of a Springfield, Missouri-based charity pleaded guilty yesterday to their roles in a multimillion-dollar public corruption scheme that involved embezzlement and bribes paid to multiple elected public officials in the state of Arkansas.
According to court documents, Bontiea Bernedette Goss, 63, and her husband, Tommy “Tom” Ray Goss, 66, were high-level executives at Preferred Family Healthcare Inc., a charity that provided a variety of services to individuals in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois, including mental and behavioral health treatment and counseling, substance abuse treatment and counseling, employment assistance, aid to individuals with developmental disabilities, and medical services. In exchange for the bribes and kickbacks offered and paid by the Gosses and other co-conspirators, elected state officials in Arkansas provided favorable legislative and official action for the charity, including, but not limited to, directing funds from the state’s General Improvement Fund (GIF).
Under the terms of their respective plea agreements, the Gosses must forfeit to the government up to $4.3 million as determined by the court at their sentencing.
Bontiea Goss pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay bribes and kickbacks to elected public officials in Arkansas. Tom Goss pleaded guilty to participating in the conspiracy by embezzling funds from the charity, as well as by paying bribes and kickbacks to elected public officials in Arkansas. Tom Goss also pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of a false tax return. Bontiea Goss faces up to five years in federal prison without parole. Tom Goss faces up to eight years in federal prison without parole. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Earlier this year, Preferred Family Healthcare agreed to pay more than $8 million in forfeiture and restitution to the federal government and the state of Arkansas under the terms of a non-prosecution agreement, which acknowledges the criminal conduct of its former officers and employees.
Several former executives from the charity, former members of the Arkansas state legislature, and others have pleaded guilty in federal court as part of the long-running, multi-jurisdiction, federal investigation including the following:
- Former Chief Executive Officer, Marilyn Luann Nolan of Springfield, Missouri, pleaded guilty in November 2018 to her role in a conspiracy to embezzle and misapply the funds of a charitable organization that received federal funds.
- Former Director of Operations and Executive Vice President Robin Raveendran, of Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty in June 2019 to conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.
- Former executive and head of clinical operations Keith Fraser Noble, of Rogersville, Missouri, pleaded guilty in September 2019 to concealment of a known felony.
- Former employee and head of operations and lobbying in Arkansas, Milton Russell Cranford, aka Rusty, of Rogers, Arkansas, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to one count of federal program bribery.
- Political consultant Donald Andrew Jones, aka D.A. Jones, of Willingboro, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in December 2017 to his role in a conspiracy from April 2011 to January 2017 to steal from an organization that receives federal funds.
- Former Arkansas State Senator Jeremy Hutchinson, of Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty in June 2019 to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery.
- Former Arkansas State Representative Eddie Wayne Cooper, of Melbourne, Arkansas, pleaded guilty in February 2018 to conspiracy to embezzle more than $4 million from Preferred Family Healthcare.
- Former Arkansas State Senator and State Representative Henry “Hank” Wilkins IV pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and devising a scheme and artifice to defraud and deprive the citizens of the state of Arkansas of their right to honest services.
Senior Litigation Counsel Marco A. Palmieri and Trial Attorney Jacob Steiner of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section; Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall Eggert and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon T. Kempf for the Western District of Missouri; Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Mazzanti for the Eastern District of Arkansas; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Mohlhenrich for the Western District of Arkansas are prosecuting the separate criminal cases.
IRS Criminal Investigation, FBI, and the Offices of the Inspectors General from the Departments of Justice, Labor, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) investigated the cases.
This is a combined prosecution with the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, the Western District of Missouri, the Eastern District of Arkansas, and the Western District of Arkansas.