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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Feb. 21, 2008
GRAND JURY INDICTS TWO FROM ARIZONA ON CHARGE OF POSSESSING 480 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA
TOPEKA, KAN. – Albert Steven Barr, 52, Phoenix, Ariz., and Dawn Marie Hotchkiss, 44, Phoenix, Ariz., are charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and one count of possession of 219 kilograms (more than 482 pounds) of marijuana. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Feb. 4, 2008, Shawnee County, Kan.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Coody is prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
A federal grand jury meeting Wednesday in Topeka also returned the following indictments:
Timothy L. Roe, 43, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. The crimes are alleged to have occurred at various times from July 21, 2006, to Sept. 7, 2007, in Shawnee County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of receiving child pornography, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the possession charge. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney is prosecuting.
Jose Luis Juarez-Vasquez, 25, a citizen of Mexico, and Felipe Silva-Alonzo, a citizen of Mexico, are charged with unlawfully transporting 14 undocumented Mexican nationals in a 2002 Dodge Caravan. The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 12, 2008, in Wichita, Kan.
If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Alejandro Soto-Ortega, 27, is charged with unlawfully transporting 13 persons who are not citizens of the United States in a 1999 GMC Safari minivan. The crime is alleged to have occurred Jan. 31, 2009, in Meade County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Larry Eugene Goppert, 49, Belleville, Kan., is charged with one count of conspiracy to attempt to manufacture methamphetamine, two counts of maintaining a building for the purpose of manufacturing and distributing a controlled substance, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a user of controlled substances, and one count of attempting to manufacture methamphetamine. According to the indictment, he maintained a residence at 721 190th Road, Belleville, Kan., for the purpose of manufacturing and distributing a controlled substance. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in March and August 2007 in Republic County, Kan.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
– Conspiracy: Not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2 million.
– Attempt to manufacture methamphetamine: Not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2 million.
– Maintaining a building for drug trafficking: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $500,000.
– Unlawful possession of a firearm by a user of controlled substances: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Coody is prosecuting.
Ismael Ortiz-Miguel, 34, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Jan. 26, 2008, in Kingman County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 2 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Ricardo Escobedo-Pulgarin, 34, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Jan. 26, 2008, in Wichita, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 2 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Felipe Marquez-Escamilla, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Jan. 26, 2008, 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.
Audon Juarez-Galvan, 43, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of an aggravated felony and deported. He was found Feb. 1, 2008, in Wichita, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Daniel Garcia Lux, 18, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of using fraudulent documents to be employed in the United States, one count of possession of false identification documents with intent to defraud the United States, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Feb. 10, 2008, in Mead County, Kan.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
– Using fraudulent documents to be employed in the United States: A maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
– Possession of a fraudulent identification document with intent to defraud the United States: A maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
– Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory 2 years to run consecutively to other sentences.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson 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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