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Scheme to Defraud Kansas Grocery Wholesaler Sends Florida Man to Federal Prison

U.S. Attorney’s Office August 21, 2009
  • District of Kansas (316) 269-6481

KANSAS CITY, KS—William Morrison, 45, Escambia, Fla., has been sentenced to 100 months in federal prison for his part in a fraudulent scheme that cost Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. of Kansas City, Kan., more than $650,000, U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch said today.

In March 2009, Morrison pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. In his plea, he admitted he and three other people conspired to make Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc., pay them for goods and services never received. Co-defendant Aponte Gomez was the maintenance department manager at AWG’s warehouse in Kansas City, Kan. His duties included making repairs and purchasing maintenance products. Morrison and co-defendant Crystal Hall visited AWG’s warehouse representing themselves as agents of a maintenance supply vendor they called Innovative Cleaning. The conspirators submitted false and fraudulent invoices to AWG seeking payment for goods the company never received.

At Morrison’s direction, co-defendant Arlene Francis withdrew money from an account the conspirators created under the name of Innovative Cleaning and gave the money to Morrison. Frances gave Morrison deposit and withdrawal slips and signed blank checks from an account she maintained at Mission Bank in Mission, Kan., so that he could disguise the fact he was receiving proceeds from the fraud.

Welch commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri McCracken for their work on the case.

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