Indictment: Manhattan Accountant Embezzled More Than $500,000

TOPEKA, KAN. – An accountant in Manhattan, Kan., has been charged with embezzling more than $500,000 from the commercial construction company where he worked, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Larry D. Lord, 63, Manhattan, Kan., is charged with 10 counts of mail fraud. The indictment alleges that from 2005 to 2012 he used his access to the bank accounts of Cheney Construction Incorporated in Manhattan to steal $536,179. Lord was responsible for paying the company’s bills and for issuing payroll checks to company employees. The indictment alleges he wrote checks on the company’s accounts and mailed them to pay personal credit card debts belonging to him and his wife.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The FBI, the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office and the Internal Revenue Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney is prosecuting.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

Shawn Lee Smith, 41, Salina, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of Cottonwood Elementary School in Salina, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Dec. 3, 2012, in Saline County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than one year and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $2 million on the drug charge; a penalty of not less than five years and not more than life and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking; and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction.

The Salina Drug Task Force investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot is prosecuting.

Robert Benjamin Isaac Ewing, 27, Topeka, Kan., is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Sept. 24, 2012, in Shawnee County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot is prosecuting.

Camona Javaughn Crowder, 28, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Sept. 30, 2011, in Shawnee County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot is prosecuting.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.