Indictment: Police Watched Topeka Woman Try to Pick up Meth at Post Office

TOPEKA, KS—A Topeka woman has been charged with trying to pick up a seven-pound package of methamphetamine at a post office, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Maria DeSocorro Martinez, 41, Topeka, Kansas, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred March 18, 2013, in Shawnee County, Kansas.

Martinez initially was charged in a criminal complaint filed March 19, 2013, in U.S. District Court in Topeka. An agent’s affidavit stated that the Topeka Police Narcotics Squad had Martinez under surveillance on March 18, 2013, when she picked up a package containing methamphetamine at the post office at 2921 Adams in Topeka.

Martinez did not know that earlier investigators had learned the package contained methamphetamine and that they had obtained a search warrant. When they opened the package, they found it contained seven pounds of methamphetamine.

If convicted, she faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $10 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough is prosecuting.

Other Indictments

Michael Dean Engstrom, Jr., 33, Topeka, Kansas, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred January 28, 2013, in Shawnee County, Kansas.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Hathaway is prosecuting.

Steven Harrison, 51, Kansas City, Kansas, is charged in a superseding indictment with one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in November 2011 and April 2012 in Wyandotte County, Kansas.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 20 years in federal prison 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. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney is prosecuting.

Mark David Davis, 45, Manhattan, Kansas, is charged with failing to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. The crime is alleged to have occurred from April to November 2012 in Riley County, Kansas.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Marshals Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney is prosecuting.

Tony Dennis, 26, Grandview Plaza, Kansas, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred February 3, 2013, in Geary County, Kansas.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.

Ricardo Rivera-Guiterrez, 52, Palm Dale, California, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred January 29, 2013, in Shawnee County, Kansas.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $10 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.

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