KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas City, Kan., woman and her associate are charged with embezzling a total of $27,200 from the bank where she worked. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in September and October 2011 in Kansas City, Kan.

Brittney L. Crane, 22, Kansas City, Kan., and Cierra M. Clayborn, 20, Kansas City, Kan., are charged with 14 counts of embezzlement and four counts of aggravated identity theft. Crane, a teller at U.S. Bank in Kansas City, Kan., made unauthorized withdrawals and gave the money to Clayborn.

If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each embezzlement count and a mandatory two years served consecutively to other sentences on each count of identity theft. The U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Martin is prosecuting.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

Victor Casarez-Ramirez, 26; Diego Beltran-Vega, 43; Hector Medina-Hernandez, 29; Cesar Hernandez, 34; Israel Ramirez-Unzuetta, 23; Robert J. Slater, 43; Javier Aldrete, 31; Samuel Galindo, 20, Wichita, Kan., and Jose Rojas, 26, Wichita, Kan., are charged with drug trafficking.

The 32-count indictment includes charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, unlawful use of a telephone in furtherance of drug trafficking, distribution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and unlawful possession of a firearm by an undocumented alien. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2011 and 2012 in Sedgwick County, Kan.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine: Not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $4 million on each count.
Unlawful use of a telephone in furtherance of drug trafficking: A maximum penalty of four years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
Distributing of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine: A penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $2 million on each count.
Possession of a firearm by an undocumented alien: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking: Not less than five years and not more than life and a fine up to $250,000.

The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.

William Morain, Sr., 53, Lawrence, Kan., is charged with one count of receiving and distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in January and February 2010 in Douglas County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces penalty of not less than five years and not more than 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the receiving and distributing charge and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the possession charge. The Lawrence Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Martin is prosecuting.

Joshua Campbell, 28, is charged with one count of producing child pornography. The crime is alleged to have occurred July 26, 2009, in Shawnee, Kan.

If convicted he faces a penalty of not less than 15 years and not more than 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Martin is prosecuting.

Robert Henderson, 32, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with five counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2010 and 2011 in Kansas City, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each distributing count and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the possession count. The Overland Park Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask is prosecuting.

Michael D. Arnett, 38, Roeland Park, Kan., is charged with one count of producing child pornography, one count of possessing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2007 and 2008 in Johnson County, Kan.

Arnett initially was charged in May in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
Producing child pornography: Not less than 15 years and not more than 30 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Possessing child pornography: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Receiving and distributing child pornography: Not less than five years and not more than 20 years and a fine up to $250,000.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Martin is prosecuting.

John Wesley Towner, Jr., 24, Topeka, Kan., is charged with escaping from the Mirror Inc., a residential re-entry center while he was serving a federal sentence. The crime is alleged to have occurred May 25, 2012, in Shawnee County, Kan.

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

Thomas Crowl, 64, is charged with one count of bank robbery. The indictment alleges that on May 22, 2012, he robbed the Metcalf Bank, 10300 Metcalf Avenue, Overland Park, Kan.

He initially was charged in a criminal complaint filed May 23 in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan.

If convicted he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Overland Park Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Smith is prosecuting.

Bernice Esparra Ramirez, 37, Las Vegas, Nev., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 2, 2012, in Ellis County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $10 million. The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is prosecuting.

Arturo Hernandez, 34, who is not a citizen of the United States, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the country after being convicted of a felony and deported. He was found April 27, 2012, in Shawnee County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000. The Department of Homeland Security investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot is prosecuting.

Juaquin Gutierrez, 28, Kansas City, Kan., and Amber Hennessy, 26, Kansas City, Kan., are charged with firearms violations. Gutierrez is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. Hennessy is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a user of controlled substances, two counts of making false statements in order to purchase a gun from a licensed firearms dealer. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in January and February 2012 in Kansas City, Kan.

Each count carries 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 Kim Martin is prosecuting.

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

 

Return to Top