July 9, 2015

Kansas City-Area Business Owner Indicted in 2014 Indicted Again on Bank Fraud

KANSAS CITY, KS—A Kansas City area business owner indicted in 2014 on federal bank fraud charges has been indicted again on charges of committing financial crimes while awaiting trail, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Brenda Wood, 47, Leavenworth, Kan., was indicted in August 2014 on ten counts, including five counts of bank fraud, one count of theft from an employee benefit program and four counts of violating the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. On Wednesday, a federal grand jury returned an indictment adding 16 counts, including eight counts of bank fraud, seven counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of committing a felony while on pretrial release in a federal case.

Allegations in the new indictment include:

  • Wood ran a check kiting scheme by opening checking accounts in the names of various businesses and exchanging and cross depositing checks among them.
  • Wood used another person’s Social Security number to open a checking account for a business named “Everything Real Estate, Inc.”
  • Wood used another person’s Social Security number to open a checking account for a business named “20 W 9th, LLC.”
  • Wood used another person’s identity to obtain an American Express card.
  • Wood used another person’s Social Security number to open a checking account for a business called “Shelter Management, LLC.”
  • Wood provided false information in an application for a loan from Merchant from Merchant Advance Express.
  • Wood provided false information in an application for a loan from U.S. Funding.
  • Wood used another person’s Social Security number to open a checking account for a company doing business as “Action Real Estate Services.”

Upon conviction the crimes carry the following penalties:

Bank fraud: A maximum penalty of 30 years and a fine up to $1 million on each count.

Theft from an employee benefit program: A maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000.

Violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.

Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory two years to be served consecutively and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.

Wire fraud: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.

Committing a felony while on release: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.

The Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, the Special Investigator General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble is prosecuting.

OTHER GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS

Clifford C. Copp, 58, Overland Park, Kan., who owned Copp Trucking Co. in Kansas City, Kan., has been indicted on a federal tax evasion charge. The company closed in 2001.

The indictment alleges that while Copp Trucking was in business the defendant was responsible for paying quarterly employment taxes for the company. In 2001, he filed reports to the IRS indicating the company owed approximately $939,408 in employment taxes for that year. However, the company did not pay the employment taxes due.

In February 2004 he was assessed trust fund recovery penalties of $669,037. Since then he has provided false information to the IRS. He failed to accurately disclose his monthly income, concealed assets, and placed funds and property in the names of nominees.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Internal Revenue Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley is prosecuting.

Dustin E. Ash, 35, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred June 16, 2015, and June 26, 2014, in Kansas City, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead is prosecuting.

Oliver Kimbrel, 53, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with three counts of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, one count of maintaining a residence in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in February and March 2014 in Kansas City, Kan.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

Possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine: A maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each count.

Maintaining a residence in furtherance of drug trafficking: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $500,000.

Unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction: Not less than 15 years and a fine up to $250,000.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Ward is prosecuting.

Yazmin Azucena Maldonado Ballesteros, 38, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported and one count of using another person’s Social Security number. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2012 and 2015.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the unlawful re-entry charge, and a mandatory two years to be served consecutively and a fine up to $250,000 on the identity theft charge. The Department of Homeland Security investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble is prosecuting.