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January 23, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

Grand Jury Indicts Four Individuals

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - Four individuals were named in four Indictments returned on January 18, 2012, by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced that:

❶RONALD LAMONT CLEMENTS, age 44, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was named in a ten-count Indictment. Counts One and Two charge that on June 28, 2008, CLEMENTS submitted two altered certificates of discharge from the United States Army reflecting that CLEMENTS actively served in the United States Army from September 5, 1985, until his separation date of January 26, 1992, in order to support a claim of disability and retirement benefits. Counts Three and Four charge that CLEMENTS falsely stated on the Certificate of Release or Discharge that he was a Purple Heart and Combat Infantry Badge recipient . Counts Five and Six charge that CLEMENTS falsely represented himself as being a recipient of military medals or decoration. Counts Seven and Ten charge that CLEMENTS committed mail fraud by causing the United States Postal Service to mail from Berkeley County, West Virginia, to Huntington, West Virginia, the Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty in order to obtain disability benefits. Counts Eight and Nine charge that CLEMENTS did knowingly steal monies from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from December 11, 2008 to January 18, 2012, in the amount of $20,454 and from July of 2007 to January 18, 2012, in the amount of $77,442.

If convicted, CLEMENTS faces a maximum penalty of 1 year imprisonment and a fine of $100,000 on Counts One, Two and Five; 5 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 on Counts Three and Four; 6 months imprisonment and a fine of $100,000 on Count Six; 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 on Counts Seven and Ten; and, 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 on Counts Eight and Nine. The case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin K. Reisenweber and was investigated by the Veterans Administration-Office of Inspector General and the Defense Criminal Investigative Services.

❷LEO RAYMOND BRANT, JR., age 64, of Kearneysville, West Virginia, was named in a one-count Indictment. BRANT is charged with possession of a firearm on March 25, 2009, in Jefferson County, after having previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

If convicted, BRANT faces a maximum exposure of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin K. Reisenweber and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

➌LEO RAYMOND BRANT, JR., age 64, and VICTORIA I. BRANT, age 46, of Kearneysville, West Virginia, were named in a seven-count Indictment. Count One charges LEO and VICTORIA BRANT with conspiracy to commit tax evasion from January 2006 to April 15, 2009, by filing false and fraudulent U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns. Counts Two through Seven charge that LEO and VICTORIA BRANT each filed fraudulent tax returns on April 14, 2007; April 8, 2008; and, February 28, 2009. If convicted, LEO and VICTORIA BRANT face a maximum exposure of 5 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 on Count One and 3 years imprisonment and a fine of $100,000 on Counts Two through Seven.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin K. Reisenweber and was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service.

❹THOMAS JOSEPH ORR, age 31, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was named in a two-count Indictment. Count One charges ORR with the distribution of heroin on August 6, 2009, in Martinsburg. Count Two charges ORR with the possession with intent to distribute heroin on August 11, 2009, in Martinsburg. If convicted, ORR faces a maximum exposure of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $1,000,000 on each count. ORR appeared before Magistrate David J. Joel on January 19, 2012, for his initial appearance and was released on bond pending his arraignment on January 24, 2012.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas O. Mucklow and was investigated by the Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, consisting of officers from the West Virginia State Police - Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Martinsburg Police Department, and the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department.

It should be noted that the charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations and not evidence of guilt, and that each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.