Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: US FBI

      LITTLE ROCK – A Maumelle man has pleaded guilty to assaulting a flight attendant. Leon Anderson, 40, entered his guilty plea Wednesday afternoon before United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.

      On October 6, 2020, a federal grand jury indicted Anderson with one count of abusive sexual contact on an aircraft. Yesterday, he pleaded guilty to a Superseding Information charging him with one count of interference with a flight attendant.

      Anderson was a passenger on PSA Airlines flight 5686 from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Little Rock on February 11, 2020. Prior to takeoff, a flight attendant was walking through the aisle of the plane when a passenger grabbed his leg. Startled, the flight attendant turned around, and the passenger—Anderson—apologized and said it was a mistake. Moments later, Anderson put one arm around the flight attendant’s shoulder and attempted to put a hand around his waist while apologizing again. The flight attendant told Anderson he did not need to apologize further.

      The flight attendant continued his duties, but Anderson made inappropriate, sexual comments to the flight attendant and ultimately grabbed the flight attendant two more times in a sexual manner. The flight attendant notified the captain, who notified law enforcement.

      Judge Moody will sentence Anderson at a later date. Anderson’s crime is punishable by not more than 20 years imprisonment, a fine of not more than $250,000, and not more than three years supervised release. The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Benecia Moore.

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

http://www.justice.gov/edar

Twitter:

@EDARNEWS

Source: US FBI

FORT SMITH – James Read, 45, of Mountain Home was sentenced on September 20, 2021 to 63 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for charges stemming from his abuse of various COVID-19 related economic relief programs.  According to court documents, Read falsified documents to apply for Small Business Administration loans intended for businesses struggling from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Read also filed for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, on behalf of himself and others, in multiple states despite being ineligible for the funds.  The Court further ordered Read to pay $277,827.00 in restitution for the fraudulently obtained funds.

“Our office will continue to vigorously pursue criminals such as Mr. Read and Mrs. Payne,” stated Acting United States Attorney David Clay Fowlkes.  “This couple executed a scheme to steal money that was intended to help those who were truly in need.  This sort of fraud is reprehensible and will not be tolerated in the Western District of Arkansas.  It is our sincere hope that this sentence sends a clear message to all those who would endeavor to steal money that is intended for the less fortunate: that we will continue to investigate and prosecute these crimes to the very best of our ability and that we will seek sentences that will deter this kind of criminal conduct in the future.”

“Our agents will continue to pursue fake business owners such as Mr. Read aka ‘Snowbird Bob’, who chose to steal funds intended for small business owners crippled by this global pandemic,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Artemis, of Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations.

“In a time of national turmoil and uncertainty, Mr. Read flagrantly defrauded programs intended to assist Americans and their businesses,” said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James Dawson. “Mr. Read’s total disregard for his fellow citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed his true colors as a fraudster. The FBI will continue to work with its partners to bring criminals who defraud SBA and PUA programs to justice.”

“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration aggressively pursues those who endeavor to defraud programs afforded to the American people under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act,” said J. Russell George, of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  “We appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners in this effort.” 

Read’s wife, Crystal Payne, 43, was sentenced on September 20, 2021 to five years of probation, a $5,000 fine, and $59,130.00 in restitution for her role in the offense.

The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), and the Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General.

Assistant United States Attorney Hunter Bridges prosecuted the case for the United States.

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Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov.

Source: US FBI

FORT SMITH – A Van Buren man was sentenced yesterday to 360 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release on one count of Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity. The Honorable Judge P. K. Holmes III presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fort Smith.

According to court documents, in September of 2014, Jeffrey Callen Gonzagowski Jr., 39, transported a minor, across state lines from Mt Ida, Arkansas to Oklahoma. During this time Gonzagowski sexually assaulted the minor. Gonzagowski was arrested in December 2020 and pled guilty in March 2021.

Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Williams prosecuted the case for the United States.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: US FBI

FAYETTEVILLE – A Florida dentist, formerly of Arkansas, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud in a scheme with former Arkansas State Senator Jeremy Hutchinson that occurred between 2014 and 2016. 

U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the change of plea hearing, in which Benjamin Gray Burris, age 49, pleaded guilty to count one of an Indictment issued by a grand jury charging him with conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.  Burris was charged with additional counts of honest services wire fraud, but according to the terms of the plea agreement, those charges will be dismissed at sentencing.  

According to court documents, between February of 2014 through November of 2016, Burris was the owner of several orthodontic clinics and practiced as an orthodontist through Arkansas.  The scheme began when on February 27, 2014, Burris, State Senator Jeremy Hutchinson, and others met for a dinner at a Little Rock restaurant and discussed Burris’s legislative objectives and hiring Hutchinson as Burris’s corporate legal counsel.  Jeremy Hutchinson, who then represented state Senate District 33, comprised of portions of Pulaski and Saline County, Arkansas, stated that as part of any arrangement there needed to be “real legal work.”  In his plea agreement, Burris admitted that part of his intent in hiring Hutchinson was to enable Burris to influence and request official action from Hutchinson on legislative issues and other matters as the need arose.  Throughout the course of their arrangement, Burris’s legal entities paid Hutchinson Law Firm an approximate total of $157,500 at a rate of approximately $5,000 per month as a general retainer and Hutchinson was assigned legal work.

Specifically, Burris sent Hutchinson an email outlining Burris’s “Legislative Objectives” in late February of 2014 in which Burris stated that he wanted specialty restrictions on orthodontists removed.  On January 26, 2015, Hutchinson filed a shell bill in the Arkansas Senate entitled “An Act to Clarify the Laws Governing Dental Practice.”  Later on, April 6, 2015, Hutchinson filed a related Interim Study Proposal with the Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor.  On September 22, 2015, Hutchinson filed another Interim Study Proposal (ISP-2015-154) on the subject.  This ISP, among other things, proposed to remove the specialist restriction for orthodontists.  According to text messages cited in Burris’s plea agreement, in 2016 Burris texted Hutchinson complaining about a lack of “ROI” also known as “return on investment” in his arrangement with Hutchinson and he requested specific updates on legislative matters.    ISP-2015-154 was eventually filed as House Bill 1250 on January 23, 2017, after Hutchinson claimed a belated conflict, in the 91^st General Assembly of the State of Arkansas, passed, and was later signed into law on or about March 15, 2017. 

Burris sold his businesses and moved to Florida in the spring of 2017 and has not practiced in Arkansas since that time. 

“This conviction for a bribe payor is an important milestone for the people of the State of Arkansas in our lengthy public corruption investigation,” said Acting United States Attorney David Clay Fowlkes.  “While the bribery conduct of several members of the Arkansas Legislature is disgraceful, the only lasting disgrace would be in meeting these schemes with silence and toleration.  The exposure of the truth of this arrangement, from the bribe payor to the bribe recipient, brings honor to our people, our law enforcement, and our Court institutions.  They have all displayed great strength in exposing and opposing official corruption and are a credit to our nation of laws.  We are also indebted to the many witnesses who came forward to tell their stories.  The series of cases in our sprawling corruption investigations has required the coordination of not only this office, but also the Eastern District of Arkansas, the Western District of Missouri, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service- Criminal Investigation.  We are grateful for their continued assistance.”  

“Our nation has a well-established process by which its citizens communicate with their elected officials, and this process can never include bribery or fraud,” said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson.  “When Mr. Burris attempted to illegally induce the alteration of laws to favor his own purposes, he trod directly upon the democratic institutions of our Republic.”

Burris’s sentencing is expected to take place in approximately four months.  Burris faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the crime for which he pled guilty, however, the plea agreement also states that if the Court wishes to sentence Burris to a sentence that is not a year and a day in federal prison, Burris will have the right to withdraw from the plea agreement.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI and the IRS are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Wulff, Allison Bragg and Stephanie Mazzanti are prosecuting the case for the United States.

Source: US FBI

FAYETTEVILLE – A federal jury convicted two Arkansas men today for Wire Fraud, Aiding and Abetting Wire Fraud, Money Laundering and Aiding and Abetting Money Laundering in connection with the development of a wind turbine that was never operational and a proposed wind farm project in Elm Springs, Arkansas, that was never constructed.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Jody Douglas Davis, 46, of Searcy, Arkansas, and Phillip Vincent Ridings 64, of North Little Rock, Arkansas, formed a limited liability company in Texas in 2014 called Dragonfly Industries International, LLC (“Dragonfly”) and Arkansas Wind Power (“AWP”), an Arkansas limited liability company located in Springdale, Arkansas, to develop what they told investors was a revolutionary wind turbine design that was to be installed on a 311-acre wind farm proposed for construction in Elm Springs, Arkansas.  

According to the superseding indictment, Davis and Ridings conspired with Cody Fell of Springdale, Arkansas, and others, beginning as early as June 2014 and continuing through and including March 2018, to obtain money from investors who were told that the investors’ money would be used to build a prototype of the wind turbine and develop wind farms in Elm Springs, Arkansas, in Iowa, and other states.  The evidence presented at trial showed that Davis and Ridings used most of the $700,000 they obtained from investors for Davis’ and Ridings’ personal use.  Specifically, evidence at trial revealed that investors were told that Dragonfly’s wind turbine could produce more energy than the traditional three-blade wind turbines commonly used on existing wind farms;  that nationally recognized engineering firms and a University of Memphis mechanical engineering professor had “validated” the Dragonfly wind turbine’s design; that the Department of Defense has expressed strong interest in acquiring Dragonfly’s wind turbines for use in combat zones; that a prototype of the wind turbine was nearing completion; that leaders of underdeveloped countries were ready to buy Dragonfly’s wind turbines; and that a $10 million grant from the Department of Energy was soon to be awarded to Dragonfly, when in truth and fact, none of these representations were true.

Cody Fell pled guilty to Wire Fraud and Tax Evasion in December 2018 and will be sentenced on September 17, 2021. A sentencing date for Davis and Ridings has not yet been scheduled.

Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyra Jenner and Kenneth Elser prosecuted the case.

Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.