|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
June 19, 2008
COUPLE FAKED INFO ON INHERITANCE TO GET CASH ADVANCES, INDICTMENT SAYS
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – James Harshaw, Jr., 44, Overland Park, Kan., and Lonzetta Harshaw, 31, Overland Park, Kan., are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and seven counts of wire fraud. The crimes are alleged to have occurred from June 29, 2005, to Nov. 28, 2008, in Johnson County, Kan.
According to the indictment, James Harshaw Jr. was one of four heirs to the estate of James E. Harshaw Sr. His share was to be approximately $38,027. Harshaw and his wife, Lonzetta Harshaw, conspired to fraudulently obtain cash advances on his inheritance from three companies including Inheritance Funding Group in San Francisco; Core Funding of Bellevue, Washington; and Heir Advance in Laguna Niguel, Calif. The companies provided cash advances to heirs of probate estates in exchange for a priority assignment of the heir’s portion of the estate and a prearranged fee.
James and Lonzetta Harshaw submitted false documents overstating the value of the estate. As part of the scheme, the companies were contacted by persons posing as an attorney and an insurance agent who provided false information on Harshaw’s inheritance. The companies received false documents inflating the value of the real property in the estate from $275,000 to $430,000.
If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count of wire fraud and a maximum penalty of 5 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the conspiracy charge. The U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Hare is prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
A federal grand jury meeting Wednesday in Kansas City also returned the following indictments:
Richard McNett, 50, Lawrence, Kan., is charged with possession of child pornography. The crime is alleged to have occurred Aug. 2, 2006, in Lawrence, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Lawrence Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Martin is prosecuting.
Dedric J. Bradley, 30, is charged with possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. The crime is alleged to have occurred April 30, 2008, in Wyandotte County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $8 million. The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Krug is prosecuting.
Connie Goodwin, 46; Chad Ellis, 30; Corey Ellis, 24; Justin Kennard, 30; Brian Ele, 25; and Drew Hulett, 25, are charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering; and 21 counts of money laundering. The conspiracy is alleged to have existed from June 15, 2003, through Aug. 7, 2007, throughout central Kansas.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $4 million on the methamphetamine conspiracy charge; a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $500,000 on the conspiracy to commit money laundering charge, and a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $500,000 on each money laundering charge. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Lawrence Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri McCracken is prosecuting.
Brett A. Nelson, 37, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of possession of methamphetamine, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred June 11, 2008, in Shawnee County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $4 million on the methamphetamine charge, a penalty of not less than 5 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of possessing a firearm after a felony conviction. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough is prosecuting.
Noel Medina-Torres, 42, who is not a citizen of the United States, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the country after being convicted of an aggravated felony and deported. He was found May 30, 2008, in Douglas County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting.
As in any criminal case, a person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments filed merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
##