United States Attorney Joseph S. Van Bokkelen
                  Northern District of Indiana
                 5400 Federal Plaza, Suite 1500
                      Hammond, IN   46320
                                
                                
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        CONTACT: Mary L. Hatton
September 25, 2006                                     PHONE: (219) 937-5603
                                             Fax: (219) 852-2770



     GARY  URBAN ENTERPRISE ASSOCIATION (GUEA) SUPERSEDING
                      INDICTMENT RETURNED
                                
                                
                                
Hammond, IN The United States Attorney's Office today announced the return of a
superseding indictment in the ongoing investigation into the operation of the Gary Urban
Enterprise Association (GUEA).  Previously, Jojuana Meeks, former GUEA Executive Director,
and Charmaine Pratchett, former GUEA Fiscal Manager, were indicted for conspiracy, mail fraud
and federal program theft.  The superseding indictment alleges two former GUEA Board of
Directors members, Johnnie Wright and Derrick Earls, participated in the illegal conduct with
Meeks and Pratchett.  The superseding indictment also alleges federal tax offenses against Meeks
and Pratchett.  In addition to the conspiracy, fraud and theft counts, Meeks and Pratchett are also
charged with federal tax offenses.

Johnnie Wright, age 76, and Derrick Earls, age 51, both of Gary, Indiana, served on the
GUEA Board of Directors from 1999-2004.  GUEA also established the Northwest Indiana
Commercial Industrial Corporation, Inc.  (NICICI), to assist GUEA in purchasing properties in
need of remediation. Wright and Earls had signature authority on GUEA and NICICI checks.

The indictment alleges that Meeks essentially allowed the GUEA Board to dissolve and
cease functioning in any oversight capacity.  This allowed Meeks, Pratchett, Wright and Earls to
handle GUEA's finances and divert money for their own personal benefit or the benefit of others.

Examples, as alleged in the indictment, include:

     Wright diverted and stole $95,920 and used this money to pay her
     personal utility bills, delinquent property taxes and college tuition
     for a relative.
     
     Earls diverted and stole $66,710 and utilized some of that money
     to pay for a family member to attend modeling school.
     
     In May 2002, Wright and Earls signed an NICICI check for over
     $37,000 payable to cash.  Pratchett endorsed the check splitting
     some $33,000 with Meeks.  The remaining $4,000 was used to pay
     off a personal judgment entered against Meeks in the Lake
     Superior Court.

All four defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, ten
counts of specific acts of mail fraud and one count of federal program theft.

Meeks is also charged with four counts of tax evasion for failing to file tax returns and
attempting to conceal her true income for the years 2000-2004.  Pratchett is charged with four
counts of filing false tax returns for those same years.

This indictment is a result of the Operation Restore Public Integrity initiative of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Indiana State Police, Internal Revenue Service and the United
States Attorney's Office.  Also assisting in this indictment was the Department of Housing and
Urban Development. 

 This matter is assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys
Gary T. Bell and Bernard L.Van Wormer who can be reached at 219-937-5500.

The specific sentence to be imposed upon conviction in each case will be determined by
the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing
Guidelines.  The United States Attorney's Office emphasized that an Indictment is merely an
allegation and that all persons charged are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in
court.


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