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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
June 24 , 2009
INDICTMENT ADDS FIREARMS VIOLATIONS TO POT FARMING
WICHITA, KAN. – A new indictment adds more than two dozen federal firearms violations to the charges against a man already accused of growing more than 100 marijuana plants in a house in Newton, Kan.
Judah Prince, 50, now living in Overland Park, Kan., is charged with one count of manufacturing a controlled substance, 25 counts of making false statements on federal forms for the purchase of firearms, and one count of possession of firearms by an unlawful user of controlled substances. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2007 and 2008 in Harvey County, Kan.
The government is seeking the forfeiture of more than 35 firearms seized from Prince, including rifles, shotguns and pistols.
If convicted, Prince faces a sentence of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $4 million on the marijuana charge, a maximum penalty of 5 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count of making false statements to purchase firearms, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a drug user. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster is prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
A federal grand jury meeting in Wichita, Kan., also returned the following indictments:
Manuel O. Robles, 28, Olathe, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 11, 2009, in Sedgwick 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 Drug Enforcement Administration investigated.
Gerardo Castro-Morales, 36, San Luis, Ariz., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred May 28, 2009, in Thomas County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $4 million on the methamphetamine charge, and a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $2 million on the cocaine charge. The Kansas Highway Patrol investigated.
Pascal Varquez-Villa, 44, Great Bend, Kan., and Jose A. Aranda-Naza, 44, Great Bend, Kan., are charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred at various times from June 15, 2008, through June 17, 2009, in Barton 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 on the conspiracy charge, and not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $2 million on the charge of possession with intent to distribute. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough is prosecuting.
Jose G. Silerio-Galindo, 29, Topeka, Kan., is charged with two counts of distributing methamphetamine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in June 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 on each count. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough is prosecuting.
Raul Vargas-Bautista, 30, Topeka, Kan., are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 17, 2009, in Topeka, 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 Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough is prosecuting.
Lorenzo Olivas-Cervantes, 39, Wichita, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred Sept. 10, 2008, in Wichita.
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 Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Blair Watson is prosecuting.
Ignacio Balderama-Armendariz, 39, 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 Sept. 11, 2006, in Great Bend, 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.
Jose De Jesus Padilla-Jimenez, 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 June 9, 2009, 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.
Jaime Contreras, 36, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of making a false written statement to the government, one count of falsely claiming to be a citizen on an I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form, and one count of perjury. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Feb. 18, 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 on each count. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Giovanni Leone Castelli, 47, is charged in a superseding indictment with one count of misusing a Social Security number, four counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of aiding the production of a fraudulent identification document, one count of making a false written statement to the government, and one count of using fraudulent documents to be employed in the United States. According to the indictment, on Nov. 20, 2007, he represented to National Beef Packing Company in Ford County, Kan., that another person’s Social Security number was his own.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
Misuse of a Social Security number: A maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Aggravated identity theft, a mandatory 2 years in federal prison to run consecutively to any underlying sentence, and a fine up to $250,000.
Aiding in the production of a fraudulent identification document: A maximum penalty of 10 years without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Making a false written statement to the U.S. government: A maximum penalty of 5 years without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Using fraudulent documents to be employed: A maximum penalty of 10 years without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Jose Sandoval Valadez, 50, St. John, Kan., is charged with one count of failing to appear in court on charges of aggravated identity theft. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 11, 2009, in Sedgwick 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 Kansas Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments filed merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
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