April 28, 2010

INDICTMENT CHARGES MEXICAN CITIZEN WITH TRANSPORTING ILLEGAL ALIENS
IN SEDGWICK COUNTY, KAN.

WICHITA, KAN. – Alexis Valasquez-Morales, 28, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully transporting 10 illegal aliens from Mexico and Guatemala in a Chevrolet Avalanche and one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of a felony and deported. The crimes are alleged to have occurred April 10, 2010, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Wichita Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

A federal grand jury meeting in Wichita, Kan., also returned the following indictments:

Andy Nghiem, 30, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. The crimes are alleged to have occurred during July 2008 through February 2009 in Sedgwick County, 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 the charge of receiving child pornography, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the possession charge. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.

David Wayne Ellis, 51, Cherryvale, Kan., is charged with one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. The crime is alleged to have occurred Oct. 24, 2008, through Oct. 7, 2009, in Montgomery County, 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 the distribution charge, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the possession charge. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.

Manuel Jesus Rodriguez, 22, Emporia, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Jan. 22, 2010, in Lyon County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, and a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $4 million on the methamphetamine charge. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith is prosecuting.

Patrick Galindo, 21, Arkansas City, Kan., is charged with six counts of distributing cocaine, one count of distributing methamphetamine, and one count of distributing marijuana. The crimes are alleged to have occurred at various times in 2009 in Cowley County, Kan.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
Distributing cocaine: A maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Distributing methamphetamine: A penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $4 million.
Distributing marijuana: A maximum penalty of 5 years and a fine up to $250,000.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith is prosecuting.

Kevin C. Kneisley, 54, Oxford, Kan., is charged with theft of government property. The crime is alleged to have occurred from May 2, 2006, to Sept. 1, 2009, in Wichita, Kan.

According to the indictment, Kneisley received more than $46,000 in Death and Indemnity Compensation funds from the Department of Veterans Affairs for which he was not eligible.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Veterans Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.

Adam Hersch, 30, Derby, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of producing false Kansas driver’s licenses, and one count of producing counterfeit $100, $50 and $1 bills. The crimes are alleged to have occurred April 17, 2008 in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the drug charge; a maximum penalty of 15 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count of producing false driver’s licenses; and a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the counterfeiting charge. The U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.

Jose Juan Gutierrez-Medina, 31, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of possession of false documents, four counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of aggravated identity theft on an I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form, one count of misusing a Social Security number and one count of producing a State of Kansas identification bearing his photo and the name of another person. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in March and April 2009, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
Possession of false documents: A maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory two years to run consecutively to other sentences and a fine up to $250,000.
Making a false statement: A maximum penalty of five years without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Misusing a Social Security number: A maximum penalty of five years without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Producing a false identification document: A maximum penalty of 15 years without parole and a fine up to $250,000.

The Kansas Department of Revenue investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Florentino Urbina Escobar, 45, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of possessing false documents, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of producing a false document. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in August 2009 and January 2007 in Sedgwick County, Kan.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

Possession of false documents: A maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory two years to run consecutively to other sentences and a fine up to $250,000.
Producing a false identification document: A maximum penalty of 15 years without parole and a fine up to $250,000.

The Kansas Department of Revenue investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Juan Carlos Garcia-Roman, 40, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of an aggravated felony and deported. He was found March 27, 2010, in Barton County, 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.

Jesus Salas-Villegas, 36, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found April 16, 2010, in Crawford County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of two 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.

Phillip B. Long, 23, El Dorado, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Jan. 11, 2010, in Lyon County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith is prosecuting.

Felix Ismael Ledesma, 24, Amarillo, Texas, is charged with one count of using physical force and threats to prevent a witness from testifying. The crime is alleged to have occurred in February 2010.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.

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