Indictment: Man From North Carolina Set Up $72,000 Drug Deal In Wichita

WICHITA, KAN. – A man from North Carolina and two associates from Texas have been charged with coming to Wichita to sell more than $72,000 worth of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Jorge Castro-Cisneros, 29, Hickory, N.C.; Fabrizio Tovar-Rodriguez, 26, Houston, Texas; and Daniel Santiago-Bermudez, 37, Houston, Texas, are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The men initially were charged in a criminal complaint filed Jan. 18 in U.S. District Court in Wichita. The complaint alleged that in October Castro-Cisneros talked to a Wichita Police Department detective working undercover about coming to Wichita to sell methamphetamine. Castro-Cisneros sent the detective a text indicating the methamphetamine would cost $24,000 a pound.

Castro-Cisneros arrived in Wichita Jan. 15 and the undercover detective picked him up at the Greyhound bus depot. Castro-Cisneros told the detective that the drugs would be arriving soon from Houston. On Jan. 16, a Chevy pickup with a Texas tag met Castro-Cisneros and the undercover detective at the Motel 6 at 5736 W. Kellogg. The detective told the driver of the pickup to follow him. Police stopped the pickup near Central and Ridge. They found a package hidden in the engine compartment containing more than 3 pounds of methamphetamine.

If convicted, the defendants face a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $5 million. The Wichita Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is prosecuting.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

Llewellyn Richard, 44, Kansas City, Kan., was charged with 12 counts of robbery.

Richard initially was charged with nine counts of robbery in a criminal complaint filed Jan. 3 in U.S. District Court.

The three new robbery counts include:
– Cricket Wireless, 840 Minnesota, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 29, 2012
– Russell Stover Candies, 2814 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, Kan., Dec. 30, 2012.
– Nationwide Cellular, 4314 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 31, 2012.

The other robberies include:

– Boost Mobile, 3726 State Avenue, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 21, 2012.
– Dollar General, 2272 Quindaro, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 25, 2012.
– Family Dollar, 1251 Central Avenue, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 25, 2012.
– Quick Service gas station, 7959 State Avenue, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 25, 2012.
– Boost Mobile, 7640 State Avenue, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 26, 2012.
– Cricket store, 4635 Shawnee Drive, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 27, 2012.
– Sally’s Beauty Supply, 5020 Roe Boulevard, Roeland Park, Kan., Dec. 28, 2012.
– Dollar General, 2801 S. 47th Street, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 28, 2012.
– Family Dollar, 3129 State Avenue, Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 30, 2012.

According to a criminal complaint and affidavit, the first robbery at the Boost Mobile store occurred at about 1:14 p.m. Dec. 21 when Richard walked behind the counter, grabbed a clerk around the waist and demanded money. He gestured to her as if he had a gun in his jacket pocket. He fled the store with the money.

In the second robbery at the Dollar General Store on Dec. 24, he walked behind the counter and pushed the clerk. The clerk stated she felt what she believed to be a gun that the robber shoved into her back. She said he threatened her, saying “Don’t look at me! Don’t turn around!”

On Jan. 1, 2013, officers of the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department stopped a 1997 red GMC pickup. The driver pulled over and then drove away when the officers approached the truck. A pursuit ended when the truck crashed and Richard was arrested.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.

The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead is prosecuting.

Ramiro Gonzalez-Gonzalez, 41, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported and two counts of making a false claim of U.S. citizenship. He was found Jan. 18, 2013, in Wyandotte County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000 on the re-entry charge and a maximum penalty of three years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the other counts. The Kansas Department of Revenue and ICE Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Jeremy L. Smith, 41, Wichita, Kan. and Brandee L. Rimer, 31, Wichita, Kan., are charged in a superseding indictment with one count of possession of stolen mail, two counts of producing a false identity document, two counts of using an unauthorized credit card and three counts of aggravated identity theft. In addition, Smith is charged with one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of forging an endorsement on a savings bond and one count of possession of a false identification document with intent to commit fraud.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
Possession of stolen mail: A maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000.
Production of false identity documents: A maximum penalty of 15 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory two years to run consecutive to any other sentence and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
Using an unauthorized credit card: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
Forging an endorsement on a bond: A maximum penalty of one year and a fine up to $100,000.
Possession of a false identification with intent to defraud: A maximum penalty of 15 years and a fine up to $250,000.

The U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.

Julius T. Williams, 33, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction and six counts of unlawful possession of ammunition after a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Dec. 19, 2012, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 15 years and not more than life and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Wichita Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.

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