June 13, 2014

Week in Review—Fort Wayne

FORT WAYNE, IN—The United States Attorney’s Office announced the following activity in federal court:

DISPOSITIONS (before District Judge Theresa L. Springmann):

  • Scott Robb, 44, of West Chester, Ohio, was sentenced to time served and two years’ supervised release and ordered to pay $197,770.06 in restitution after pleading guilty to the felony offense of theft of property of the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) and misdemeanor offense of introduction into interstate commerce of stolen medical devices that were misbranded. According to documents both filed in this case and information made public during the prosecution, in August 2010 Northern Indiana Veterans Administration Police Chief reported that four Olympus scopes were reported missing and possibly stolen from the Endoscopy Department at the Fort Wayne, Indiana VAMC. Olympus service records showed that Robb was at the Fort Wayne VAMC on July 1, 2010, for a service call. Investigators learned that in May 2010, in Ohio, Veterans Administration Police chief reported that two Olympus endoscopes had been missing since April 1, 2010, and were last used in between April 2009 and March 2010. A third missing scope was identified during further review, which was last used in March 2010. A fourth scope was identified as missing on August 17, 2010, and was believed to be missing as long as the previous three. The value of the prescription medical devices range between $25,775.36 and $28,102.30, and the loss to Ohio VAMC totaled $108,670.06. According to the investigation, Robb stole the medical devices and sold them to an individual in Mexico, and the information was discovered after one of the stolen devices that had been sold was found in a medical facility in Nebraska and traced back to the VAMC. This case was the result of an investigation by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Office of the Inspector General and the United States Food and Drug Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
  • Darwin Altamirano, 31, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment with time served and given one year supervised released after pleading guilty to the felony offense of withholding information on a crime. According to documents filed in this case, between July 2011 and February, 2013, Altamirano concealed cocaine within a vehicle used to transport it intended for distribution by another. This case was the result of an investigation by the FBI Fort Wayne Safe Streets Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The Fort Wayne Safe Streets Task Force is composed of FBI agents and officers from the Indiana State Police, Allen County Police Department, and Fort Wayne Police Department. The New Haven Police Department, Steuben County Sheriff’s Department, Elkhart County Interdiction and Covert Enforcement Unit, South Bend Police Department, and IMAGE Drug Task Force assisted with this investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley J. Miller Lowery.