14 Defendants Indicted in Alleged $1 Million Kickback Scheme

TOPEKA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Topeka, Kansas, returned an indictment charging 14 people in connection to a kickback scheme involving more than $1 million in fraudulent customer refunds.

Kanesha Mercer, 32, Darius Polite, 27, and Rudy Hunt, 29, were indicted on Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. Mercer, Polite, Hunt as well as Veronica Kilman, 31, were indicted for Wire Fraud. 

According to court documents, Mercer, Polite, Hunt and Kilman are all former employees of Advanced Call Center Technologies (ACCT) in Junction City, Kansas. ACCT provides support services including processing refunds for AT&T Digital Life home security systems. Mercer, Polite, Hunt, and Kilman are accused of authorizing fraudulent refunds then directing the deposits into the bank accounts of other accomplices who agreed to return a percentage of the money.

A federal grand jury also indicted Sharika Pope, Erica Jackson, Caylon McCormick, Mercele Brooks, Shunqureau Gilbert, Fontelle Jolly, Kory Epps, Jr., Kiondra Armstrong, Anthony Charite, and Shenece Marryshow on Laundering of Money Instruments. 

Each of the charges, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Laundering of Money Instruments, carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Skip Jacobs is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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