News and Press Releases

Indictment: Insurance Agent Stole
More than $480,000 in Customers' Premiums

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Aug. 22, 2012

TOPEKA, KAN. – A former Marshall County insurance agent has been indicted on charges of stealing more than $480,000 in customers’ premiums, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Monica Smart, 48, Frankfort, Kan., is charged with two counts of mail fraud and seven counts of wire fraud. The indictment alleges Smart defrauded Allied Insurance Company and United Insurance by using her position as an agent and office manager to divert customers’ insurance premiums to pay her personal expenses. United Insurance, an insurance agency located in Marysville, Kan., was approved to underwrite insurance policies on behalf of Allied, which is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa.

The indictment alleges that in 2009 and 2010 Smart changed customers’ premium payment schedules from annual and semi-annual payments to monthly payments. She continued to collect the full annual and semi-annual payments but only forwarded the amounts due for a monthly payment to Allied. She changed customers’ mailing addresses in company records so customers would not receive statements from Allied.

If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney is prosecuting.


OTHER INDICTMENTS

Kirk Roberts, 49, Salina, Kan., is charged with failing to report $537,942 in income for tax years 2006, 2007 and 2008 and underpaying his taxes by $153,519. The indictment alleges Roberts owned Wild Wild West, Inc., a strip club in Salina. He collected $3 to $5 cash per night per customer for door cover charges, $25 to $50 per night in cash for house fees paid by dancers for the ability to dance on the stage and $35 per half hour in cash for fees charged to dancers for use of private rooms or “champagne rooms.”

The cash from the fees was not recorded on the business’ cash register. Rather than depositing the cash into the business’ bank account, Roberts deposited the money into a personal account.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Internal Revenue Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney is prosecuting.

Linda J. Woods, 53, Carbondale, Kan., is charged with unlawfully acquiring controlled substances. The indictment alleges that while Woods was working as a nurse at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Topeka, she stole controlled substances for her personal use including fentanyl, oxycodone, morphine and hydrocodone. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2010 and 2011.

If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of four years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Veterans Administration, Office of Inspector General investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney is prosecuting.

Julio Rosario, Jr., 45, Wichita, Kan., is charged with failing to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. The crime is alleged to have occurred from March 8 to Aug. 2012 in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Marshals Services investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.

Jose Alejandro Mendoza-Campos, 29, who has been living in Topeka, Kan., is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found July 26, 2012, in Shawnee County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot is prosecuting.

Vondel Shamar Johnson, 29, Salina, Kan., is charged with one count of stealing a firearm from Moneylenders Pawn and Jewelry at 301 W. Ash in Salina, which is a federally licensed firearms dealer, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after felony convictions. The crime is alleged to have occurred May 22, 2012, in Saline County, Kan.

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

Brian Eugene Post, 36, Phillipsburg, Kan., is charged with three counts of distributing methamphetamine, one count of distributing oxycodone, one count of distributing hydrocodone, one count of carrying 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 in March, April and May 2012 in Mitchell County, Kan.

If convicted, the faces the following penalties:
Distributing methamphetamine: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million on each count.
Distributing oxycodone: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million on each count.
Distributing hydrocodone: A maximum penalty of 5 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Carrying a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking: Not less than five years and not more than life and a fine up to $250,000.
Unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot is prosecuting.

Vashawn M. Fitzpatrick, 24, is charged with unlawful possession of firearms after a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Aug. 2, 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.

Tiffany D. Woosley, 22, is charged with unlawful possession of firearms after a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Aug. 2, 2012, in Shawnee County, Kan.

If convicted, she 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 Jared Maag is prosecuting.

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

 

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