Former New Jersey Law Firm Employee Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Stealing More Than $500,000 from Law Firm

TRENTON—The former bookkeeper of a law firm based in Ocean County, New Jersey was sentenced to 21 months for defrauding her former employer by stealing more than $500,000 from the firm, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Sharon Wetter, 53, of Forked River, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper to an information charging her with one count of mail fraud. Judge Cooper imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Wetter admitted that between 2004 and October 2010, she embezzled from her former employer, referred to in court documents only as the “law firm,” by wrongfully writing checks from the bank accounts of the firm to pay her outstanding personal credit card balances and to make car payments. Wetter concealed those payments by altering the law firm’s electronic books and records to make it appear that the checks were for legitimate business expenses. Wetter, who had access to checks and bank accounts in order to perform her duties as the firm’s bookkeeper, used that access to divert more than $500,000.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cooper sentenced Wetter to three years of supervised release and ordered Wetter to make restitution in the amount of $521,596.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Red Bank Resident Agency of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez, for their work in the investigation of this case.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Harvey Bartle of the U.S. Attorney’s Trenton Office.

Former Superintendent of Toms River Regional School District and Insurance Broker Ordered to Pay $4.3 Million in Restitution

TRENTON—Michael J. Ritacco, the former superintendent for the Toms River, New Jersey, Regional School District, and Francis X. Gartland, the former insurance broker for the Toms River Regional School District, have been ordered to pay $4,336,987.91 in restitution to the school district, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Frank D’Alonzo, the former supervisor of Athletics and Special Projects for the School District, was ordered to pay $1,625,952.79 in restitution.
Ritacco, 64, of Seaside Heights, New Jersey; Gartland, 71, of Baltimore, Maryland; and D’Alonzo, 55, of Lavallette, New Jersey, all previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano in Trenton federal court to charges relating to a bribery and kickback scheme involving themselves and other conspirators, including Frank Cotroneo.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The bribery and kickback scheme spanned 2002 to 2010, during which time Ritacco accepted $1 million to $2 million in bribes and other benefits from the conspirators in return for Ritacco’s official action and influence in order for Gartland to obtain and maintain insurance contracts at the school district. Ritacco and Gartland were each sentenced to 135 months in prison and D’Alonzo was sentenced to 37 months in prison.
As part of their plea agreements, Ritacco, Gartland, and D’Alonzo agreed to make restitution. Following a hearing on December 12, 2012, Judge Pisano yesterday issued an opinion in which the court concluded that the school district was “unquestionably” the victim of the defendants bribery and kickback scheme and determined the loss from the fraud scheme was $4,336,987.91. The loss consisted of excess money the district paid to Gartland and his entities, which were then passed to Ritacco as bribes, derived from the district’s health insurance coverage and worker’s compensation program. Ritacco and Gartland were ordered to pay the full amount of the school district’s loss, jointly and severally, while D’Alonzo was ordered to pay a portion of the loss consistent with the years in which he was involved actively in the criminal scheme.
In addition to ordering restitution, the court also ordered that Gartland forfeit to the United States a sum of $11 million, which represented all proceeds derived from the fraudulent scheme. D’Alonzo also was ordered to forfeit a sum of $4.3 million, which represented the proceeds derived from the scheme while he was an active participant. Prior to his sentencing on September 14, 2012, Ritacco forfeited to the United States $1 million, a 2010 Mercedes Benz, and $8,950 in cash.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward; and IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen, for the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin Chao, Harvey Bartle, and Lee M. Cortes, Jr. of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division.

All Defendants Sentenced in More Than $20 Million Mortgage Fraud Scheme Led by Former Dallas Cowboy Eugene Lockhart

DALLAS—Eugene Lockhart, Jr. was sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis to 54 months in federal prison and ordered to pay approximately $2.4 million in restitution following his guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, stemming from his leadership role in a massive mortgage fraud scheme that he and others ran in the Dallas area from approximately 2002 to 2005. Lockhart, of Carrollton, Texas, is the last of 10 defendants who were convicted in the scheme to be sentenced. Lockhart played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1984 to 1990 and used his name and fame, according to evidence in the case, to get business and further the scheme. Judge Solis ordered that Lockhart, who has been on home confinement, surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on January 16, 2012. U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas made the announcement.
Others convicted and sentenced are:

• William Randolph Tisdale, of Dallas, also considered a leader of the scheme along with Lockhart, was convicted at trial on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of bank fraud. He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and ordered to pay approximately $1.1 million in restitution.
• Hubert Jones, III, of Garland, Texas, who acted as a lieutenant for Tisdale, was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of bank fraud, and one count of wire fraud. He was sentenced to 58 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $681,545 in restitution.
• Lendell Beacham, of Desoto, Texas, a mortgage company owner, was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud. He was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $947,700 in restitution.
• Patricia Ortega Suarez, of Dallas, an escrow officer, pleaded guilty to two counts of making a false statement to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and ordered to pay approximately $1 million in restitution.
• Michael Anthony Caldwell, of Arlington, Texas, who was a manager for a title company, pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to HUD. He was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison and ordered to pay $445,100 in restitution.
• Donna Lois Kneeland, of Grand Prairie, Texas, also an escrow officer, pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to HUD. She was sentenced to a three-year term of probation and ordered to pay $135,000 in restitution.
• Bryan J. Moorman, of Mesquite, Texas, who acted as a real estate appraiser, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and was also sentenced to a three-year term of probation. He was also ordered to pay $281,200 in restitution.
• Jermaine Frederick Frazier, of Desoto, who acted as a loan processor and lieutenant for Lockhart, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison and ordered to pay approximately $2 million in restitution.
• Scott David Eller, 45, of Mansfield, Texas, a CPA, was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and ordered to pay approximately $1.7 million in restitution.

Lockhart was involved with real estate entities, some formed by him and Tisdale, which had names that were often derived in some fashion from a reference to the Dallas Cowboys, including America’s Team Mortgage; America’s Team Realty; America’s Team Funding Group; Ace Mortgage; Cowboys Realty; Cowboys Mortgage; and KLT Properties. Tisdale was involved with Pinnacle Development and Realty Corporation; Atilla Capital Corporation; and KLT Properties. Jones was involved with Pinnacle Development and Realty Corporation and Atilla Capital Corporation.
The defendants ran a scheme in which they located single-family residences for sale in the Dallas area, including distressed and pre-foreclosure properties, and negotiated a sales price with the seller. They created surplus loan proceeds by inflating the sales price to an arbitrary amount substantially more than the fair market value of the residence.
Generally, they recruited individuals to act as nominee or “straw purchasers” or “straw borrowers,” promising to pay them a bonus or commission of between $10,000 and $20,000 for their participation in a particular real estate transaction. The conspirators caused the loan applications for each straw borrower to include false financial information, often including inflated false income figures to conceal the borrower’s true financial condition so that the lender would more likely approve the loan. The conspirators concealed from the lenders the true status, financial conditions, and intentions of the named borrowers, knowing that loans would not likely be approved if the lender knew the true role, credit worthiness, and risk of each straw borrower. The conspirators falsely represented in loan documents that the straw purchaser intended to use the property as their primary residence, intentionally concealing from the lender that each straw borrower viewed himself as an “investor,” who never intended to occupy the home.
Some of the conspirators also caused bogus and fraudulent “marketing fees” to be listed on loan closing documents to provide a means for the conspirators to receive surplus/excess loan proceeds.
The scope of the conspiracy involved approximately 54 fraudulent residential property loan closings resulting in the funding of approximately $20.5 million in fraudulent loans. The actual loss to lenders is nearly $3 million.
Today’s announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF) which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices, and state and local partners, it is the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory, and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state, and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions, and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants, including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants. For more information on the task force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David L. Jarvis and Mark Penley prosecuted.

Three Ketchikan Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Money Laundering Conspiracy

ANCHORAGE—Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Feldis announced today that three Ketchikan residents were sentenced in Juneau to federal prison on money laundering conspiracy charges.
U.S. District Court Judge Timothy M. Burgess sentenced Ketchikan residents Francisco Arca Seludo to 87 months in prison; Herman Arca Seludo, Jr. to 46 months in prison; and Jeremiah Miguel Perez to 50 months in prison for their roles in a money laundering conspiracy.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack S. Schmidt, who prosecuted the case, the charges arose from state of Alaska drug investigations that resulted in the defendants being charged with distributing methamphetamine. Francisco Seludo, 42, was contacted by the Ketchikan Police Department on November 1, 2011, after receiving a package containing approximately eight ounces of methamphetamine. Herman Seludo, 34, was stopped by Ketchikan Police on December 21, 2010, and police found 20 baggies of methamphetamine inside a jacket owned by Seludo. A search warrant executed at Seludo’s residence revealed three handguns, one of which was stolen, as well as ammunition, drug ledgers, and drug proceeds. While on release, Herman Seludo was arrested again on February 8, 2012, after a search warrant of his residence resulted in the recovery of 26.2 grams of methamphetamine, packaging materials, drug ledgers, drug paraphernalia, a digital scale, and over $1,100 in cash. Jeremiah Perez, 35, was stopped by Ketchikan Police on Feburary 7, 2012, and a search of his person resulted in the seizure of three grams of methamphetamine, along with $980 in cash. All defendants were charged by the state of Alaska with drug distribution.
As a result of the defendants arrests, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a financial investigation of Francisco and Herman Seludo’s and Perez’s bank and wire remittance transactions, which revealed that between January 2008 to November 2011, Francisco Seludo laundered over $400,000; between April 2008 and February 2012, Herman Seludo laundered $41,150; and between June 2010 to November 2011, Perez laundered $44,810. This investigation led to the federal money laundering charges to which the defendants pled guilty. All defendants laundered the drug proceeds in order to promote drug trafficking or to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the drug proceeds. Francisco Seludo was convicted of state drug charges and was sentenced to serve two years in that case. Herman Seludo was convicted of two state drug charges and sentenced in state court to a composite sentence of four years to serve. Perez was convicted of drug charges and sentenced two years to serve. Judge Burgess made the defendants federal convictions for money laundering concurrent to their state sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Burgess stated the serious of the offense, deterrence of the defendant and others, the protection of the public, and rehabilitation of the defendants related to their criminal histories as reasons that supported the imposition of the above sentences.
Mr. Feldis commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Ketchikan Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Francisco and Herman Seludo and Jeremiah Perez.

13 victims killed at Columbine High School

The dead. So much pain is brought by their brutal deaths. Friends, family, loved ones and acquaintances mourn the loss of these

bright smiles and the personalities behind them. Even those of us who never knew them shed our tears for them. Everywhere people are impacted by this sad, sad tragedy - worldwide. Never again will mothers and fathers hug these daughters and sons, nor will grandchildren hug granddad goodnight. Never again will a sweet smile or the words 'I love you' be shared by these thirteen people. All that's left are memories, photos... and tears. The information contained in the pages linked below is what has been made available to the public, primarily through the Columbine Report and news. If info seems a sparse in some areas, it's only because the individual's family hasn't come forward with more -- it is not due to my personal lack of interest in the victim or out of any disrespect toward their family. While I have had contact with some of the victims' families, I have not gone out of my way to do so as I know many of them simply wish to put this tragic event behind them and go on living. If anyone related to the people below wants more added, I am more than happy to do so. This section gives detail to the information found on the Events of 4-20-1999 page and goes hand-in-hand with the stories in the pages dedicated to those who were Injured. Click on a picture to read about that victim. Cassie Bernall Steve Curnow Corey DePooter Kelly Fleming Matt Kechter Daniel Mauser Daniel Rohrbough Rachel Scott Isaiah Shoels John Tomlin Lauren Townsend Kyle Velasquez Coach Dave Sanders

http://youtu.be/juPWiyciE7U

Columbine pt. 4

To the policemen, paramedics, family and friends waiting outside, the horror of what was happening unfolded slowly. With 2,000 students attending Columbine High School, no one saw the whole event clearly. Thus, reports from witnesses escaping the school were skewed and fragmentary.
Law enforcement personnel tried to rescue those injured outside but Klebold and Harris shot at them from the library. No one saw the two gunmen commit suicide so no one was sure it was over until police were able to clear the building.
Students that had escaped were sent via school bus over to Leawood Elementary School where they were interviewed by police and then put on a stage for parents to claim. As the day wore on, the parents that remained were those of the victims. Confirmation of those that had been killed did not come until a day later.
Because of the large number of bombs and explosives thrown by the gunmen, the SWAT and police could not immediately enter the building to evacuate the remaining students and faculty that were hiding inside. Some had to wait hours to be rescued. Patrick Ireland, who had been shot two times in the head by the gunmen in the library, attempted to escape at 2:38 p.m. out the library window - two stories up. He fell into the waiting arms of SWAT while T.V. cameras showed the scene across the country. (Miraculously, Ireland survived the ordeal.)
Dave Sanders, the teacher who had helped hundreds of students escape and who had been shot around 11:26 a.m., lay dying in the science room. The students in the room tried to provide first aid, were given instructions over the phone to give emergency aid, and placed signs in the windows to get an emergency crew inside quickly, but no one arrived. It wasn't until 2:47 p.m. when he was just taking his last breaths that SWAT reached his room.
In all, Klebold and Harris killed thirteen people (twelve students and one teacher). Between the two of them, they fired 188 rounds of ammunition (67 by Klebold and 121 by Harris). Of the 76 bombs that Klebold and Harris threw during their 47-minute siege on Columbine, 30 exploded and 46 did not explode. In addition, they had planted 13 bombs in their cars (12 in Klebold's and 1 in Harris') that did not explode and 8 bombs at home. Plus, of course, the two propane bombs they planted in the cafeteria that did not explode.
Who Is to Blame?
No one can say for sure why Klebold and Harris committed such a horrific crime. Many people have come up with theories including being picked on in school, violent video games (Doom), violent movies (Natural Born Killers), music, racism, Goth, problematic parents, depression, and more.
It is hard to pinpoint one trigger that started these two boys on a murderous rampage. They worked hard to fool all those around them for over a year. Surprisingly, about a month before the event, the Klebold family took a four-day road trip to the University of Arizona, where Dylan had been accepted for the following year. During the trip, the Klebold's didn't notice anything strange or unusual about Dylan. Counselors and others also didn't notice anything unusual.
Looking back, there were telltale hints and clues that something was seriously wrong. Videotapes, journals, guns and bombs in their rooms would have been easily found if the parents had looked. Harris had made a website with hateful epithets that could have been followed up on.
The Columbine Massacre changed the way society looked at children and at schools. Violence was no longer just an after-school, inner-city activity. It could happen anywhere.

http://youtu.be/l853KaRheqw

Columbine pt. 2

At 11:10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris arrived at Columbine High School. Each drove separately and parked in spots in the junior and senior parking lots, flanking the cafeteria. Around 11:14, the boys carried two 20-pound propane bombs (with timers set for 11:17) in duffel bags and placed them near tables in the cafeteria. No one noticed them place the bags; the bags blended in with the hundreds of school bags that the other students had brought with them to lunch. The boys then went back to their cars to wait for the explosion.
Nothing happened. (It is believed that if the bombs had exploded, it is probable that all 488 students in the cafeteria would have been killed.)
The boys waited a few extra minutes for the cafeteria bombs to explode, but still nothing happened. They realized that something must have gone wrong with the timers. Their original plan had failed, but the boys decided to go into the school anyway.
Klebold, wearing cargo pants and a black T-shirt with "Wrath" on the front, was armed with a 9-mm semi-automatic handgun and a 12-gauge double-barrel sawed-off shotgun. Harris, wearing dark-colored pants and a white T-shirt that said "Natural Selection," was armed with a 9-mm carbine rifle and a 12-gauge pump sawed-off shotgun. Both wore black trench coats to hide the weapons they were carrying and utility belts filled with ammunition. Klebold wore a black glove on his left hand; Harris wore a black glove on his right hand. They also carried knives and had a backpack and a duffel bag full of bombs.
At 11:19, the two pipe bombs that Klebold and Harris had set up in an open field several blocks away exploded; they timed the explosion so that it would be a distraction for police officers.
At the same time, Klebold and Harris started firing their first shots at students sitting outside the cafeteria. Almost immediately, 17-year old Rachel Scott was killed and Richard Castaldo was injured. Harris took off his trench coat and both boys kept firing.
Unfortunately, many of the other students didn't realize yet what was happening. It was only a few weeks until graduation for the seniors and as is tradition among many U.S. schools, seniors often pull a "senior prank" before they leave. Many of the students believed that the shootings were just a joke - part of a senior prank - so they didn't immediately flee the area.
Students Sean Graves, Lance Kirklin and Daniel Rohrbough were just leaving the cafeteria when they saw Klebold and Harris with guns. Unfortunately, they thought the guns were paint ball guns and part of the senior prank. So the three kept walking, heading toward Klebold and Harris. All three are wounded.
Klebold and Harris swiveled their guns to the right and then shot at five students who were eating lunch in the grass. At least two were hit - one was able to run to safety while the other was too debilitated to leave the area.
As Klebold and Harris walked, they nearly continually threw small bombs into the area.
Klebold then walked down the stairs, toward the injured Graves, Kirklin and Rohrbough. At close range, Klebold shot Rohrbough and then Kirklin. Rohrbough died instantly; Kirklin survived his wounds. Graves had managed to crawl back down to the cafeteria, but lost strength in the doorway. He pretended to be dead and Klebold walked over him to peer into the cafeteria.
The students in the cafeteria started looking out the windows once they heard gunfire and explosions, but they too thought it was either a senior prank or a film being made. A teacher, William "Dave" Sanders, and two custodians realized that this was not just a senior prank and that there was real danger. They tried to get all the students away from the windows and to get down on the floor. Many of the students evacuated the room by going up the stairs to the second level of the school. Thus, when Klebold peered into the cafeteria, it looked empty.
While Klebold was looking into the cafeteria, Harris continued shooting outside. He hit Anne Marie Hochhalter as she was getting up to flee.
When Harris and Klebold were back together, they turned to enter the school through the west doors, firing as they went. A policeman arrived on the scene and exchanged fire with Harris, but neither Harris nor the policeman was injured. At 11:25, Harris and Klebold entered the school.
Inside the School
Harris and Klebold walked down the north hallway, shooting and laughing as they went. Most of the students not at lunch were still in class and didn't know what was going on. Stephanie Munson, one of several students walking down the hall, saw Harris and Klebold and tried to run out of the building. She was hit in the ankle but managed to make it to safety. Klebold and Harris then turned around and headed back down the hallway (toward the entrance they had gone through to enter the school).

Columbine pt.1

On April 20, 1999, in the small, suburban town of Littleton, Colorado, two high-school seniors, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, enacted an all-out assault on Columbine High School during the middle of the school day. The boys' plan was to kill hundreds of their peers. With guns, knives, and a multitude of bombs, the two boys walked the hallways and killed. When the day was done, twelve students, one teacher, and the two murderers were dead; plus 21 more were injured. The haunting question remains: why did they do it?
The Boys: Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris
Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris were both intelligent, came from solid homes with two parents, and had older brothers who were three years their senior. In elementary school, Klebold and Harris had both played in sports such as baseball and soccer. Both enjoyed working with computers.
The boys met each other while attending Ken Caryl Middle School in 1993. Though Klebold had been born and raised in the Denver area, Harris' father had been in the U.S. Air Force and had moved the family several times before he retired and moved his family to Littleton, Colorado in July 1993. When the two boys entered high school, they found it difficult to fit into any of the cliques.^* As is too common in high school, the boys found themselves frequently picked on by athletes and other students.
However, Klebold and Harris seemed to spend their time doing normal teenager activities. They worked together in a local pizza parlor, liked to play Doom (a computer game) in the afternoons, and worried about finding a date to the prom. For all outward appearances, the boys looked like normal teenagers. Looking back, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris obviously weren't your average teenagers.
Preparations
According to journals, notes, and videos that Klebold and Harris left to be discovered, Klebold had been thinking of committing suicide as early as 1997 and they both had begun thinking about a large massacre as early as April 1998 - a full year before the actual event.
By then, the two had already run into some trouble. On January 30, 1998, Klebold and Harris were arrested for breaking into a van. As part of their plea agreement, the two began a juvenile diversion program in April 1998. Since they were first-time offenders, this program allowed them to purge the event from their record if they could successfully complete the program. So, for eleven months, the two attended workshops, spoke to counselors, worked on volunteer projects, and convinced everyone that they were sincerely sorry about the break-in. However, during the entire time, Klebold and Harris were making plans for a large-scale massacre at their high school.
Klebold and Harris were angry teenagers. They were not only angry at athletes that made fun of them, or Christians, or blacks, as some people have reported; they basically hated everyone except for a handful of people. On the front page of Harris's journal, he wrote: "I hate the fucking world." Harris also wrote that he hates racists, martial arts experts, and people who brag about their cars. He stated:

You know what I hate? Star Wars fans: get a friggin life, you boring geeks. You know what I hate? People who mispronounce words, like 'acrost,' and 'pacific' for 'specific,' and 'expresso' instead of 'espresso.' You know what I hate? People who drive slow in the fast lane, God these people do not know how to drive. You know what I hate? The WB network!!!! Oh Jesus, Mary Mother of God Almighty, I hate that channel with all my heart and soul."¹

Both Klebold and Harris were serious about acting out on this hate. As early as spring 1998, they wrote about killing and retaliation in each other's yearbooks, including an image of a man standing with a gun, surrounded by dead bodies, with the caption, "The only reason your [sic] still alive is because someone has decided to let you live."²
Klebold and Harris used the Internet to find recipes for pipe bombs and other explosives. They amassed an arsenal, which eventually included guns, knives, and 99 explosive devices.
Klebold and Harris wanted to kill as many people as possible, so they studied the influx of students in the cafeteria, noting that there would be over 500 students after 11:15 a.m. when the first lunch period began. They planned to plant propane bombs in the cafeteria timed to explode at 11:17 and then shoot any survivors as they came running out.
There is some discrepancy whether the original date planned for the massacre was to be April 19 or 20. April 19 was the anniversary for the Oklahoma City Bombing and April 20 was the 110th anniversary of Adolf Hitler's birthday. For whatever reason, April 20 was the date finally chosen.
* Though some claimed they were part of the Trench Coat Mafia, in truth, they were only friends with some of the group's members. The boys didn't usually wear trench coats to school; they did so only on April 20 to hide the weapons they were carrying as they walked across the parking lot.

 http://youtu.be/4u2j7hM8MPo

Houston-Area Doctor Convicted in $17.3 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme Involving Fraudulent Claims for Home Health Care Services

WASHINGTON—A federal jury in Houston today convicted Ben Harris Echols, 63, of Houston, for conspiring to commit health care fraud by falsifying plans of care for Medicare beneficiaries, including patients whom he did not treat. After a four-day trial, the jury convicted Echols of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and six counts of false statements relating to health care matters.
Today’s verdict was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas; Special Agent in Charge Stephen L. Morris of the FBI’s Houston Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Mike Fields of the Dallas Regional Office of HHS’s Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
According to evidence presented at trial, Echols was a physician practicing in the Houston area. The evidence showed that Echols signed plans of care for Medicare beneficiaries so that fraudulent claims could be billed by Family Healthcare Group Inc. and Houston Compassionate Care. Echols would sign plans of care for Medicare beneficiaries who were not under his care and about whose conditions he had no knowledge. In many instances, the evidence showed, Echols would sign plans of care even though other doctors were listed as the attending physician on the documents.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Family Healthcare Group Inc. and Houston Compassionate Care fraudulently billed Medicare for home health services and were paid approximately $17.3 million by Medicare, including $5.5 million for beneficiaries for whom Echols signed a plan of care.
At trial, doctors in whose names claims were submitted to Medicare testified that they were treating the patients on plans of care signed by Echols, and that the patients did not need the care that had been billed to Medicare based on the plans. Two Medicare beneficiaries for whom Echols signed plans of care testified at trial that they had never seen Echols, that they had different primary care physicians, and they did not want or need home health care.
The conspiracy count carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; each of the false statements counts carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for March 14, 2013.
The case was tried by Trial Attorneys Alexander H. Berlin, Abigail B. Taylor and Senior Trial Attorney Joseph S. Beemsterboer, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Kyle Maurer and Alison Anderson of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,480 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $4.8 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov

Aurora Man Convicted of Sexual Contact with Female Passenger Aboard Airline Flight to Chicago

CHICAGO—An Aurora man was convicted today of sexually groping the inner thigh of a Chicago-area woman while they were seated next to each other aboard an airplane from Las Vegas to Chicago in June 2011. The defendant, Srinivasa S. Erramilli, who was convicted twice previously of nearly identical crimes, was found guilty of felony abusive sexual contact by a federal jury following a three-day trial in U.S. District Court.
Erramilli, 45, a software consultant, remains free on bond pending sentencing, which was set for April 26, 2013, by U.S. District Judge Joan H. Lefkow. He faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Evidence at the trial showed that Erramilli was the last passenger to board a Southwest Airlines flight to Chicago’s Midway Airport on June 14, 2011, and was seated in the only open seat available between the victim, who had chosen a window seat to sleep during the flight, and her husband, who had chosen an aisle seat to enable easier access during the flight. The couple had traveled to Las Vegas for their 34th wedding anniversary.
The victim, who was wearing shorts during the flight, testified that Erramilli groped her three times aboard the plane. The first time, she awoke to feeling something brush against her thigh; the second time, she testified that she awoke to feeling “pressure” on her thigh. The third time, the victim testified that Erramilli placed his hand up the leg of her shorts and then rubbed and grabbed her inner thigh. She struck Erramilli and yelled at him after realizing that he had been groping her. Other passengers and flight attendants also testified during the trial.
The jury also heard testimony from another victim who was seated in the row in front of Erramilli when he fondled her breast on a flight from Detroit to Chicago in August 1999. Erramilli pleaded guilty to battery in Cook County in 2000 and was sentenced to two years’ probation and five days’ community service. In 2002, Erramilli was sentenced in Federal Court in Detroit to three years’ probation after he was convicted of abusive sexual contact for groping the breast of yet another woman aboard a flight from San Jose, California to Detroit.
The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bolling W. Haxall and Heather K. McShain.
The verdict was announced by Gary S. Shapiro, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Thomas R. Trautmann, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Chicago Police Department assisted in the investigation.

Las Vegas Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Robbing Three Banks in May 2011

ALBUQUERQUE—This morning in federal court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Justin A. Wolaver, 27, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment for robbing three banks, including a bank in Raton, New Mexico, in May 2011. Wolaver will be on supervised release for five years after he completes his prison sentence. He also was ordered to pay full restitution to each of the three victim banks.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Wolaver pled guilty on July 27, 2012, to (1) the armed robbery of Bank of America in Hudson, Florida, on May 2, 2011; (2) the robbery of Chase Bank in Flagstaff, Arizona, on May 9, 2011; and (3) the armed robbery of the Bank of America in Raton on May 23, 2011.
Court records reflect that Wolaver was arrested after robbing the Bank of America in Raton at gunpoint on May 23, 2011. Wolaver walked into the bank, approached the bank teller, displayed what appeared to be a handgun, and verbally demanded money. After the bank teller provided cash to Wolaver, he fled in a small, white sedan. Officers of the Raton Police Department followed the sedan with lights and sirens as it left the bank. Officers of the New Mexico State Police and Colfax County Sheriff’s Office joined the pursuit when Wolaver tried to outrun the police. Wolaver was apprehended approximately 40 miles south of Raton. After his arrest, Wolaver confessed to robbing the Bank of America in Raton. He also confessed to robbing two other banks earlier that month.
Wolaver has been in federal custody since May 24, 2011. On July 27, 2012, Wolaver agreed to waive his right to be prosecuted in the judicial districts where he committed the out of state crimes and to plead guilty to the bank robberies in Florida and Arizona in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.
The case was investigated by the Albuquerque Field Office of the FBI, the Raton Police Department, the New Mexico State Police, and the Colfax County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shammara H. Henderson.

FBI Atlanta Presents Director’s Community Leadership Award

ATLANTA—Today, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Mark F. Giuliano, FBI Atlanta, presented the Director’s Award for Community Leadership for 2012 to Soumaya Khalifa, founder and executive director of the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta (ISB). In this role, Ms. Khalifa has facilitated numerous interactive presentations and workshops within the community to provide for a better understanding of American Muslims and how they live their lives. On April 5, 2013, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller will host all of the FBI’s 56 selectees from around the country at a national ceremony to be held at FBI Headquarters with Ms. Khalifa present as Atlanta FBI’s honoree.
Ms. Khalifa, born in Alexandria, Egypt, raised in Texas, and earning degrees at the University of Houston and Georgia State University, saw the need to educate and inform others unfamiliar with the Islamic faith based communities. As an extension of her duties at the ISB, Ms. Khalifa is president of her consulting firm, Khalifa Consulting, which specializes in various diversity based training.
Ms. Khalifa is a recent graduate of the FBI’s Citizens Academy and has added valuable insight into various issues surrounding her community and serves as a conduit to other communities within the Atlanta area. Under her leadership, the ISB is committed to upholding the right to freedom of expression and unconditionally condemns any use of violence as a means to protest offensive or hateful speech.
In addition, Ms. Khalifa works with students, business executives, and even military members in providing an informative lunch time program used to address common stereotypes regarding the Muslim community.

Four-Time Fraudster Sentenced to 44 Months in Prison

BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis sentenced Ronald Louis Coleman, age 65, of Baltimore, today to 44 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for using one or more unauthorized credit and/or debit cards. Judge Garbis also ordered Coleman to pay restitution of $102,314.54.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to Coleman’s plea agreement, from March through December 9, 2011, Coleman possessed a skimmer device, which he provided to an employee of a popular Baltimore restaurant so that the employee could obtain the credit card numbers from patrons of the restaurant as they paid their bills. The employee skimmed a number of cards each week and then turned the skimmer over to Coleman, who downloaded the information using a computer. Coleman used the information to encode blank cards with the stolen credit card account number and then he and others used the cards to obtain cash at ATMs and to purchase merchandise and services.
During the same time, Coleman directed other individuals to call American Express, posing as an American Express employee, to obtain access to active and closed accounts in the American Express computer system. In this way, Coleman caused American Express to remove holds that were placed on accounts, to issue unauthorized credit cards, and to have those cards mailed to an address provided by Coleman. Coleman removed the cards from the mail, or directed others to do so, and then he and others used the unauthorized cards to make purchases. A search of Coleman’s home on December 9, 2011, recovered three blank cards encoded with different American Express credit card numbers belonging to individuals living outside Maryland. The investigation showed that at least 10 American Express accounts were compromised, and the total loss to American Express is between $70,000 and $120,000.
At the time of this activity, Coleman was on supervised release for a previous federal conviction related to credit card fraud and had been convicted of similar crimes two other times.
Today’s announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF) which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices, and state and local partners, it is the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory, and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state, and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions, and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants. For more information on the task force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the FBI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein praised Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard C. Kay, who is prosecuting the case.