FBI's Top Ten News Stories For The Week Ending January 4, 2008

1. Kansas City: Texas Coach Sentenced for Sexually Molesting Minors

Timothy Daniel Morriss, a girls’ wrestling coach, was sentenced for the sexual molestation of two of his high school-age wrestlers during a cross-country trip to a national meet.

2. New York: Members of the Colombo Organized Crime Family Convicted on Murder Charges

Colombo organized crime family members, Alphonse “Allie Boy” Persico, acting boss, and John “Jackie” DeRoss, administration member, were convicted on murder in aid of racketeering and witness tampering.

3. Birmingham: ACCESS Owner Pleads Guilty on Bribery and Money Laundering Charges

James Winston Hayes, founder and owner of ACCESS Group Software, pled guilty to charges of money laundering and bribery which netted his educational software business $5 million in profit.

4. Miami: German National Charged in Bid Rigging Conspiracy

Uwe Bangert, a former marine hose executive, was indicted for participating in a world-wide conspiracy to rig bids, fix prices and allocate market share.

5. Portland: Four Cardiac Surgeons Agree to Pay $2.5 Million

Cardiac surgeons Stanley Baldwin, Richard Hicks, Warren Glover, and David Duke agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle claims of over-billing federally-funded health programs.

6. Houston: Guilty Plea in Airport Bomb Threat

Juan Rodrigo Rodriguez pled guilty to providing false and misleading information by an internet threat/hoax to the McAllen Miller International Airport.

7. Charlotte: Internet Furniture Businessman Charged With Wire Fraud

Henry Rayford Privette was charged with multiple counts of wire fraud in connection with his internet-based furniture business, Carolina Furniture.

8. Detroit: Eleven Indictments in International Illegal Spamming and Stock Fraud Scheme

Eleven individuals were indicted in a wide-ranging international fraud scheme which manipulated stock prices through illegal spam e-mail promotions.

9. Baltimore: Project Manager Pleads Guilty to Procurement Fraud

Suresh Pendem, consultant and project manager, plead guilty to fraudulently obtaining money under a contract with the National Institute of Health (NIH).

10. Springfield: Guilty Plea in Murder-for-Hire

Christopher A. Hemminghaus, owner of Washington Park Pawn Shop, pled guilty in the murder-for-hire of his girlfriend.