August 27, 2014

Indictment: Two Topekans Robbed Wendy’s

TOPEKA, KS—Two Topeka residents were indicted in federal court Wednesday on robbery charges, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

George Christopher Walton, Jr., 37, who is in custody in the Shawnee County Jail, and Tashjaun Desanic Walton, 18, who is in custody in the Shawnee County Jail, are charged with one count of robbery. In addition, George Walton is charged with one count of brandishing a firearm during a robbery, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Aug. 4, 2014, in Topeka, Kan.

The indictment alleges that on Aug. 4, 2014, the defendants robbed the Wendy’s restaurant at 728 Southwest Topeka Boulevard in Topeka. The indictment alleges that George Walton brandished a firearm during the robbery.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

  • Robbery: A maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
  • Brandishing a firearm: A penalty of not less than seven years and a fine up to $250,000.
  • Unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.

The Topeka Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag is prosecuting.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

James W. Duke, 51, currently of Converse, Texas, is charged with three counts of aggravated abuse of a child, two counts of sexual abuse of a minor, two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, and one count of transporting child pornography across state lines. The crimes are alleged to have occurred at various times from January 1997 to December 2000 on the Fort Riley military installation.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

  • Aggravated sexual abuse of a child: A maximum penalty of life in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
  • Sexual abuse of a minor: A maximum penalty of 15 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
  • Sexual exploitation of a child: Not less than 10 years and not more than 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
  • Transporting child pornography: A maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000.

The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Graham are prosecuting.

Alfredo Rodriguez, 31, Kansas City, Kan., is charged in a superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and one count of attempting to intimidate a witness in a federal criminal case. The drug trafficking crime is alleged to have occurred from April 2011 to December 2012 in Wyandotte County, Kan. The other crime is alleged to have occurred July 7, 2014.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $10 million on the conspiracy charge, and a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the other counts. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri McCracken is prosecuting.

Kevin Smith, 31, Richmond, Kan., Justin Ingram, 29, Ottawa, Kan., and Elizabeth Diane Lewis, 33, Ottawa, Kan., are charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In addition, Ingram and Lewis are charged with one count of maintaining a residence at 707 S. Ash in Ottawa, Kan., in furtherance of drug trafficking; and Ingram is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a user of controlled substances. The crimes are alleged to have occurred at various times from Jan. 1, 2014, to Aug. 12, 2014.

The defendants initially were charged in a criminal complaint filed Aug. 13, 2014, in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan. The complaint alleged that during the investigation Ingram told another person that he had Semtex explosives and wanted to blow up a house where the mother of a detective with the Ottawa Police Department lived.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

  • Conspiracy: Not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $10 million.
  • Unlawful possession of a firearm by a user of controlled substances: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
  • Maintaining a drug involved premises: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri McCracken is prosecuting.

Noe Beltran, 33, Wichita, Kan., Cecilia Gomez, 49, Wichita, Kan., German Fernandez-Hernandez, 52, Wichita, Kan., and Ramona Gomez-Hernandez, 43, are charged with drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2014 in Sedgwick County, Kan.

Beltran is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute 21 pounds of methamphetamine.

Gomez is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, count of possession with intent to distribute 21 pounds of methamphetamine, and one count of conspiracy to distribute two pounds of methamphetamine.

Fernandez-Hernandez is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute two pounds of methamphetamine and five counts of distributing methamphetamine.

Gomez-Hernandez is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 21 pounds of methamphetamine.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

  • Conspiracy: Not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million.
  • Possession with intent to distribute 21 pounds of methamphetamine: Not less than 10 years and a fine up to $4 million.
  • Distribution of methamphetamine: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million; or a penalty of at least five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $5 million, depending on the quantity.

The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.

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