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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
April 16, 2009
MEXICAN CITIZEN LIVING IN DODGE CITY INDICTED ON OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE CHARGES
TOPEKA, KAN. – A Mexican citizen who has been living in Dodge City has been indicted on federal obstruction of justice charges, Acting U.S. Attorney Marietta Parker said today.
Angela Ramos-Ocana, 60, a citizen of Mexico who was living in Dodge City, Kan., is charged with one count of eluding inspection by immigration authorities, one count of obstruction of justice, one count of conspiracy to obstruct a federal agent in the performance of an official duty, one count of attempting to bring an alien into the United States without inspection, and one count of encouraging an illegal alien to enter the United States. The crimes are alleged to have occurred at various times from March 2005 through September 2008 in Ford County, Kan.
According to the indictment, Ramos-Ocana directed her nephew to obtain the name of a federal prosecutor who was prosecuting him in U.S. District Court in Arizona. Ramos-Ocana initially was charged April 1 in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Wichita. According to the complaint, Ramos-Ocana was taped while talking on a telephone with her nephew about the prosecutor and how to “shut her mouth up.”
If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 6 months in federal prison and a fine up to $5,000 on the charge of eluding immigration authorities, a maximum penalty of life and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of obstructing justice, a maximum penalty of 6 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of obstructing a federal agent, a maximum penalty of 5 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of attempting to bring an alien into the United States without inspection, and a maximum penalty of 5 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of encouraging an illegal alien to enter the United States. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
A federal grand jury meeting in Topeka also returned the following indictments:
Dennis Stebbins, 57, Overbrook, Kan., is charged in a superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering, four counts of bank fraud, and four counts of money laundering. The crimes are alleged to have taken place at various times from 2003 through 2008 in Jefferson County, Kan.
According to the indictment, Stebbins conspired with Jay Aaron Wagner, who pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering. Beginning in 2003, the owners of the J Bar Ranch LLC in Jefferson County made an agreement with Stebbins for him to purchase cattle for the J Bar Ranch. The owners required that the cattle come from a single location and that they be examined by a veterinarian to assure none of the cattle were pregnant. The ranchers reimbursed Stebbins for the cost of purchasing the cattle plus a fee of $2 to $3 per head.
Stebbins conspired with Wagner to fraudulently increase the actual average weight and actual average cost of the cattle purchased for the J Bar Ranch and to fraudulently create documentation that the cattle had been examined by a veterinarian.
If convicted Stebbins faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on the conspiracy charge and on each of the bank fraud counts, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the money laundering counts. The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Hathaway is prosecuting.
Jon Reed Woodbridge, 18, Salina, Kan., is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of unlawful possession of a sawed off shotgun, and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Jan. 26, 2009, in Saline County, Kan.
If convicted, Woodbridge faces a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years on the conspiracy charge and the shotgun charge, not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of possessing 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 possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot is prosecuting.
Michael D. Goodwin, 25, Lawrence, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. The crime is alleged to have occurred March 16, 2009, in Shawnee County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $2 million. The Topeka Police Department investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.
Tyron D. Holliday, 24, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, one count of 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. 23, 2008, in Shawnee County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 5 years and no more than 40 years and a fine up to $2 million on the charge of possession with intent to distribute, not less than 5 years and not more than life and a fine up to $4 million on the charge of possessing 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 Topeka Police Department investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston J. Slinkard is prosecuting.
Vincent J. Ridley, 37, Topeka, Kan., and Jessica D. Geartz, 28, Topeka, Kan., are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. The crime is alleged to have occurred March 9, 2009, in Shawnee County, Kan.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $2 million. The Topeka Police Department investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.
Gonzalo P. Maldonado, 45, Woodland, Calif., and Manuel S. Garcia, 63, Southgate, Calif., are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 17, 2009, in Ellsworth County, Kan.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $4 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.
Travis J. Jackson, 25, Manhattan, Kan., and Megan N. Fuller, 20, Manhattan, Kan., are charged with two counts of distributing crack cocaine, one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, and three counts of using a telephone in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred at various times in November 2008 in Riley County, Kan.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $2 million on each of the distribution counts, a maximum penalty of 4 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the counts of using a phone in furtherance of drug trafficking, and a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million on the charge of possession with intent to distribute.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Douston Slinkard is prosecuting.
Deneco Maurice Scales, 24, Topeka, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 3, 2009, in Shawnee County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 40 years and a fine up to $4 million. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U. S. Attorney Greg Hough is prosecuting.
Wilson Mandujano-Diaz, 27, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of possession of false documents, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of misusing a Social Security number. The crimes are alleged to have occurred March 26, 2009, in Ford County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of using false documents, a mandatory 2 years to run consecutively to other sentences and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the aggravated identity theft charges, and a maximum penalty of 5 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of misusing a Social Security number.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Juan Carlos Estrada-Santiago, 35, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of possession of false documents, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of aiding and abetting the production of false identity documents. The crimes are alleged to have occurred March 26, 2009, in Ford County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of using false documents, a mandatory 2 years to run consecutively to other sentences and a fine up to $250,000 on the aggravated identity theft charges, and a maximum penalty of 15 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of aiding in the production of a false identification document.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Rosendo Lugo-Castro, 35, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found March 30, 2009, in Wichita, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 2 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Lester Carl Moore, 35, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of theft of mail by a postal employee. The crime is alleged to have occurred Sept. 11, 2008, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Postal Service - Office of Inspector General investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Arthur F. Smith, 35, New Philadelphia, Ohio, and Tracy R. Akins, 35, New Philadelphia, Ohio, are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. The crime is alleged to have occurred March 25, 2009, in Thomas County, Kan.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $1 million. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley is prosecuting.
As in any criminal case, a person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments filed merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
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