Federal Grand Jury Indictments

Contact Person: Beth Drake (803) 929-3000

United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that a Federal Grand Jury in Greenville, South Carolina, returned Indictment(s) against the following:

Greenville Residents Charged with Theft of Government Property
John W. Brown, age 63, and Betty Brown, age 57, both of Greenville, South Carolina, were charged in a two-count Indictment charging violations of Title 21, United States Code, Section 843(a)(3), which prohibits obtaining prescription drugs by deception and subterfuge, and Title 18, United States Code, Section 641, which prohibits the theft of government funds or property. The maximum penalty the defendants could receive is four years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.00. The case was investigated by agents of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney William J. Watkins, Jr., of the Greenville office for prosecution.

Individual Charged with Escape from Custody
Tishika N. Gatson, age 34, was charged in a single-count Indictment with escaping from the custody of a correctional facility, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 751(a). The maximum penalty Gatson could receive is five years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.00. The case was investigated by agents of the United States Marshals Service, and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney William J. Watkins, Jr., of the Greenville office for prosecution.

Foreign Nationals Charged with Illegal Re-entry
Maclovio Avellaneda-Gama, Miguel Angel Sanchez-Raudales, Magdelena Bartolon-Garcia, David Tello-Sanchez and Alfredo Jimenez-Gonzalez were each charged in Indictments with illegal re-entry to the United States, a violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326. The maximum penalty each could receive, depending on their prior criminal history, is two to twenty years imprisonment. These cases were investigated by Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and are assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Max Cauthen of the Greenville office for prosecution.

The United States Attorney stated that all charges in these Indictments are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.