Bookkeeper Indicted on Charges of Stealing More Than $948,000 From Wichita Law Firm

WICHITA, KS—Vicki J. Olivarez, 34, Wichita, Kan., has been indicted on charges of stealing more than $948,000 from her employer, Pistotnik Law Offices.

Olivarez is charged with one count of bank fraud and 10 counts of forging the signature of Brian Pistotnik on checks drawn on the law firm’s account. The alleged crimes occurred from Sept. 27, 2004, through Sept. 2, 2009, while Olivarez was a bookkeeper for the law firm. The indictment alleges that Olivarez wrote 441 checks totaling $948,041 payable to herself, her husband and cash.

If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 30 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the bank fraud charge, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count of forgery. The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

A federal grand jury meeting in Wichita, Kan., also returned the following indictments:

Miguel Angel Silva-Carbayal, 26, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of knowingly transporting illegal aliens within the United States and one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported.

The indictment alleges that on Oct. 9, 2009, he was stopped in Chase County, Kan., driving an Oldsmobile minivan that held 11 undocumented aliens from Mexico and Guatemala.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000 on the transportation charge and a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the re-entry charge. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Patrick Renz, 44, Rush Center, Kan., is charged with one count of bank fraud. The indictment alleges that on June 20, 2005, he fraudulently obtained loans from Community Bank of the Midwest at 112 S. Main in Otis.,Kan., by pledging as collateral cattle he no longer possessed.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years and a fine up to $1 million. The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting

Christopher Sorrels, 35, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of producing counterfeit money, one count of passing counterfeit money, one count of producing counterfeit Kansas driver’s licenses, two counts of identity theft and one count of fraudulent use of an access device to obtain funds. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in August and October 2009 in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the counterfeiting charges, a maximum penalty of 15 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of producing false identifications, a mandatory two years to run consecutively to other sentences on each of the identity theft charges, and a maximum penalty of 15 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of fraudulent use of an access device. The U.S. Secret Service, the Wichita Police Department, the Park City Police Department and other law enforcement agencies investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

James A. Dick, 38, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of stealing mail. The crime is alleged to have occurred Oct. 26, 2009, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Secret Service, the Wichita Police Department, the Park City Police Department and other law enforcement agencies investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Kimberly S. Lakey, 38, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of producing false Kansas driver’s licenses, one count of possession of false identification documents, three counts of identity theft, and one count of bank fraud. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in August and October 2009 in Sedgwick County, Kan.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

Producing false driver’s licenses: A maximum penalty of 15 years without parole and a fine up to $250,000.

Identity theft: A mandatory two years to run consecutively to other sentences on each count.

Possession of false identification documents. A maximum penalty of 15 years without parole and a fine up to $250,000.

Bank fraud: A maximum penalty of 30 years without parole and a fine up to $1 million.

The U.S. Secret Service, the Wichita Police Department, the Park City Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Leon H. Mattocks, 67, Wichita, Kan. is charged with one count of possession of child pornography. The crime is alleged to have occurred in April 2008 in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Alejandro Sala-Corral, 31, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of an aggravated felony and deported. He was found Nov. 5, 2009, in Wichita, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Mario Petardi, 27, is charged with one count of arson. The indictment alleges on Aug. 28, 2009, he set fire to an apartment building at 416 South Ninnescah in Pratt, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 20 years and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.

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