U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Robert Quintana, 50, of Buffalo, New York, was arrested
and charged by criminal complaint with mail fraud and health care
fraud. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a
$250,000 fine, or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Rogowski, who is handling the case,
stated that on March 16, 2005, the defendant, a Buffalo police officer,
was placed on injured on duty (IOD) status by the city of Buffalo.
According to the complaint, Quintana was placed on IOD status for
alleged injuries to his lower back and buttocks after he slipped and
fell on icy steps while responding to a 911-call.
The complaint further states that on numerous occasions while
allegedly out of work due to this injury, the defendant was observed
working at a local restaurant. The observed work included the lifting of
supplies, cleaning tables, stocking, kneeling and bending, and chipping
ice. Nevertheless, during the course of an independent medical exam
requested by the city of Buffalo in January 2012, Quintana told doctors
he was unable to perform any work. The defendant remains on IOD status
to this date (seven years after his initial injury) and has resisted
efforts to have him return to work.
“It is the duty of all sworn police officers to uphold the law and the vast majority of officers
do just that each and every day,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “All
should also recognize that police work can be hazardous, and for that
reason, communities frequently pay for officers injured in the line of duty until such time as they can return to their posts.”
Hochul further stated that “by falsely claiming to be too injured to return to work, an officer
not just breaks the law, she or he hurts the credibility of those
legitimately injured in the line of duty. This type of lie also leaves
one less officer to patrol the streets of the city, requires working officers
to perform overtime duty and thereby increase their own risk of injury,
and drives up the cost of health care in these times of difficult
economic circumstances. This office can and will act when presented with
evidence of this type of fraud.”
“We, as members of law enforcement, are keenly aware of how dangerous it is to be a law enforcement officer,”
said Steven L. Lanser, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge. “Every day
we see how the good, hardworking men and women in the Buffalo Police
Department out their lives and safety on the line. The injured on duty
program is in place to ensure members of the police department are
secure in knowing this benefit is available should they sustain a
serious injury while discharging their duties. Abuse of the IOD system
is an affront to the taxpayers of the city of Buffalo.”
The criminal complaint is the culmination of an investigation by
special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the
direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota, and the
Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel
Derenda.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an
accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless
proven guilty.
Showing posts with label mail fraud. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mail fraud. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Former Deputy Michelle Stiles Accused of Identity Theft
A former Knox County sheriff's deputy was arraigned in federal court in an identity theft case.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports 38-year-old Michelle Stiles is accused of stealing the driver's license from a crime victim and using it to open two credit accounts that she used to buy more than $9,000 worth of furniture and goods.
Stiles resigned from the Knox County Sheriff's Office after she was arrested on related state charges in November. She is charged in federal court with bank fraud, mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Stiles was arrested Wednesday by agents with the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
---
Information from: The Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports 38-year-old Michelle Stiles is accused of stealing the driver's license from a crime victim and using it to open two credit accounts that she used to buy more than $9,000 worth of furniture and goods.
Stiles resigned from the Knox County Sheriff's Office after she was arrested on related state charges in November. She is charged in federal court with bank fraud, mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Stiles was arrested Wednesday by agents with the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
---
Information from: The Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Detective Michael Palermo Arrested for Mail Fraud
A seasoned detective with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, who also worked with the FBI, was arrested yesterday on charges he filed false claims in a Superior Court lawsuit regarding flood damage to his home in 2007 to collect $10,000 for repairs that a federal informant did for free.
Michael Palermo, 50, a detective for more than 16 years, the past 11 of which he spent with an FBI violent crime task force, was arrested on a mail fraud charge by federal agents who said they were tipped off that he had falsified the financial tally for losses the officer suffered when his new home in Jackson Township flooded in April 2007. The officer, according to a federal complaint, convinced a repair contractor -- a convicted criminal and confidential informant who Palermo had worked with since 2003 -- to falsify a $10,000 receipt to bolster the damage claims the officer made in a lawsuit filed against his home builder, real estate broker and a project engineer.
"This is a sad day for everyone involved," said Weysan Dun, special agent in charge of the FBI's Newark Field Office, contending Palermo appears to have an otherwise unblemished law enforcement career.
"The charges against him have nothing to do with his law enforcement responsibilities. It does not reflect his many years of service," Dun added during a press conference held in Newark with Port Authority Police Superintendant Michael Fedorko.
The federal charges stem from a legal battle Palermo initiated against a home construction contractor in February 2007 after buying his Jackson Township home in 2006 and claiming there were problems with the construction. When the home's basement subsequently flooded in April of that same year, Palermo amended his lawsuit to add a Realtor, a project engineer and a claim he spent $10,000 to have a Jackson Township company called New Day Construction repair the flood damage, according to a federal complaint.
"He had never been charged for those repairs," Dun explained, contending the company owner, a federal informant, never charged Palermo.
According to the FBI complaint against Palermo, he admitted to lying about paying $10,000 in cash for repairs and to submitting a false receipt when confronted about the case by agents on July 12 in Newark.
Palermo had lied once in a signed and sworn statement in September 2007 and again in sworn testimony in December 2008 as the officer's lawsuit against the contractor proceeded through the legal system, according to the charges.
The lawsuit settled for $50,000 in January. But authorities contend they subsequently learned through a "tip from a citizen" that the flood repair bill was phony and that Palermo had many favors done for him over the past several years by the federal informant.
"Officer Palermo unfortunately developed a personal relationship with this cooperating witness," Dun explained.
The informant, who has a criminal record, was not identified by the FBI or Ralph Marra, deputy U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, at the press conference. Authorities said only that the informant had worked with Palermo from 2003 through 2008 while the officer was with the FBI task force and that the informant pleaded guilty in August 2008 to a federal charge of rolling back the odometers of cars. The informant also cooperated with the probe of Palermo, said Dun, confirming that the flood repair work was done for free and that the officer asked him to submit a phony receipt for $10,000. The informant, who has not been charged in the case, also told the FBI he did other favors for Palermo, including getting the officer favorable prices on high-end automobiles, repairing his car for free and getting him price breaks on landscaping work at the Jackson Township home.
But Dun and Marra said there is no indication that any investigations Palermo was working on were ever compromised or that the informant was extorted for the favors.
"There is no indication of anything like that at this point," said Dun, although the probe continues.
"We are undertaking an internal review of all of the cases in which Officer Palermo and the cooperating witness worked together," Marra added.
-----------------------------------
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/20091014_Officer_of_Port_Authority_arrested.html
Michael Palermo, 50, a detective for more than 16 years, the past 11 of which he spent with an FBI violent crime task force, was arrested on a mail fraud charge by federal agents who said they were tipped off that he had falsified the financial tally for losses the officer suffered when his new home in Jackson Township flooded in April 2007. The officer, according to a federal complaint, convinced a repair contractor -- a convicted criminal and confidential informant who Palermo had worked with since 2003 -- to falsify a $10,000 receipt to bolster the damage claims the officer made in a lawsuit filed against his home builder, real estate broker and a project engineer.
"This is a sad day for everyone involved," said Weysan Dun, special agent in charge of the FBI's Newark Field Office, contending Palermo appears to have an otherwise unblemished law enforcement career.
"The charges against him have nothing to do with his law enforcement responsibilities. It does not reflect his many years of service," Dun added during a press conference held in Newark with Port Authority Police Superintendant Michael Fedorko.
The federal charges stem from a legal battle Palermo initiated against a home construction contractor in February 2007 after buying his Jackson Township home in 2006 and claiming there were problems with the construction. When the home's basement subsequently flooded in April of that same year, Palermo amended his lawsuit to add a Realtor, a project engineer and a claim he spent $10,000 to have a Jackson Township company called New Day Construction repair the flood damage, according to a federal complaint.
"He had never been charged for those repairs," Dun explained, contending the company owner, a federal informant, never charged Palermo.
According to the FBI complaint against Palermo, he admitted to lying about paying $10,000 in cash for repairs and to submitting a false receipt when confronted about the case by agents on July 12 in Newark.
Palermo had lied once in a signed and sworn statement in September 2007 and again in sworn testimony in December 2008 as the officer's lawsuit against the contractor proceeded through the legal system, according to the charges.
The lawsuit settled for $50,000 in January. But authorities contend they subsequently learned through a "tip from a citizen" that the flood repair bill was phony and that Palermo had many favors done for him over the past several years by the federal informant.
"Officer Palermo unfortunately developed a personal relationship with this cooperating witness," Dun explained.
The informant, who has a criminal record, was not identified by the FBI or Ralph Marra, deputy U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, at the press conference. Authorities said only that the informant had worked with Palermo from 2003 through 2008 while the officer was with the FBI task force and that the informant pleaded guilty in August 2008 to a federal charge of rolling back the odometers of cars. The informant also cooperated with the probe of Palermo, said Dun, confirming that the flood repair work was done for free and that the officer asked him to submit a phony receipt for $10,000. The informant, who has not been charged in the case, also told the FBI he did other favors for Palermo, including getting the officer favorable prices on high-end automobiles, repairing his car for free and getting him price breaks on landscaping work at the Jackson Township home.
But Dun and Marra said there is no indication that any investigations Palermo was working on were ever compromised or that the informant was extorted for the favors.
"There is no indication of anything like that at this point," said Dun, although the probe continues.
"We are undertaking an internal review of all of the cases in which Officer Palermo and the cooperating witness worked together," Marra added.
-----------------------------------
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/20091014_Officer_of_Port_Authority_arrested.html
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Judge Manuel Barraza Arrested for Asking for Sex from Defendants
EL PASO, Texas
A state judge accused of taking money and asking for sex from defendants in exchange for help on felony cases in his El Paso court made his first federal court appearance Thursday.
Manuel J. Barraza, 53, did not enter a plea during the brief afternoon hearing. He is scheduled to be arraigned next week.
Outside the federal courthouse, he told reporters that he had faith in the justice system.
He was released after posting $10,000 bail.
The FBI arrested Barraza, who was elected in November and took the bench in January, at his house Thursday morning. He was indicted on four counts, including mail fraud, wire fraud and lying to a federal agent.
The 10-page indictment alleges Barraza took cash bribes and asked for sex from defendants, including an undercover FBI agent, in exchange for his help in felony cases.
___________________
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_12055167
A state judge accused of taking money and asking for sex from defendants in exchange for help on felony cases in his El Paso court made his first federal court appearance Thursday.
Manuel J. Barraza, 53, did not enter a plea during the brief afternoon hearing. He is scheduled to be arraigned next week.
Outside the federal courthouse, he told reporters that he had faith in the justice system.
He was released after posting $10,000 bail.
The FBI arrested Barraza, who was elected in November and took the bench in January, at his house Thursday morning. He was indicted on four counts, including mail fraud, wire fraud and lying to a federal agent.
The 10-page indictment alleges Barraza took cash bribes and asked for sex from defendants, including an undercover FBI agent, in exchange for his help in felony cases.
___________________
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_12055167
Friday, January 16, 2009
Jury Acquitted Former Sheriff Michael Carona of Bribery Charges
A jury acquitted former Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona of charges that he took bribes in exchange for the power of his office, a verdict that stunned the courtroom and was hailed by the elated defendant as "an absolute miracle." Carona was convicted of one witness-tampering count, but the jury rejected the heart of a case that federal prosecutors spent five years assembling against the former head of the nation's fifth-largest sheriff's department.
He had been accused of doing favors for a multimillionaire businessman and appointing him assistant sheriff in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts. Several jurors said they believed Carona was involved in misconduct but that the government hadn't proven its case.
Carona, 53, began shaking as the verdicts were being read in U.S. District Court, then put his head down on the counsel table and sobbed loudly.
In the gallery, his wife, Deborah, and friends gasped. "Oh my God!" blurted his wife, who, along with her husband's ex-mistress, faces related charges.
The conspiracy charge alone alleged 64 overt criminal acts. Although the statute of limitations expired on most of those acts, the jury only had to find one of the remaining acts true for a conspiracy conviction.
"If you all don't believe in miracles, if you don't believe in God, what you just witnessed was an absolute miracle and God is watching over me," Carona said later. "Based on what you heard in this trial, some of the salacious stuff, there's a lot of things I need to apologize for in my life. I've made some mistakes along the way. The good news is God forgives people and apparently I'm one of the people he forgave."
If convicted of all counts, Carona could have spent the rest of his life in prison. Instead, he faces up to 20 years, but is likely to get only two or three, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Ken Julian. The defense said probation is possible.
Several jurors said they believe the allegations against Carona but could not find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt because they considered businessman Don Haidl - the government's chief witness and the sheriff's alleged benefactor - to be untrustworthy. They also wanted to hear from another witness who was said to be the conduit for payments to the sheriff but was not called by the government.
"In my mind there's no doubt that he did what he did, but we have to go by what the law said," juror Jim Ybarra said. "They were obviously in some kind of cahoots and everybody felt that."
The jury, which had deliberated since Jan. 8 after a 10-week trial, found Carona not guilty of one count of conspiracy, three counts of mail fraud and one count of witness tampering.
His lone witness-tampering conviction involved a secretly recorded conversation in which he attempted to persuade Haidl to match their stories in front of the grand jury. Haidl, who was named as an unindicted coconspirator in the case, reached a plea deal with prosecutors in exchange for his cooperation.
Defense attorney Jeff Rawitz said he will appeal the conviction and has filed a motion asking the judge to dismiss the entire case on grounds of egregious grand jury conduct.
Prosecutor Julian said he was disappointed at the outcome but was pleased by jurors' comments.
"What I heard from the jurors was they thought the charged conduct had occurred but the indictment was brought too late and they had to follow the law, and we'll respect that," he said.
The judge said Carona could be released on bond, with restrictions against travel.
Carona, once dubbed "America's sheriff" by CNN's Larry King for helping put away a child murderer, was indicted in October 2007 and retired three months later.
The government charged in 1998, the year he was first elected, Carona solicited Haidl's help to launder at least $30,000 in campaign contributions.
Once elected, Carona rewarded Haidl with the post of assistant sheriff, prosecutors said. Haidl received a car, a gun, a badge, a "get-out-of-jail-free" card, and control over a new reserve deputy program that allowed him to hand out law enforcement badges to his friends, relatives and associates, the government said.
Haidl continued to bribe Carona once in office by paying him $1,000 a month, paying for luxurious trips and tailored suits, lending Carona his yacht and private jet and bailing out Carona's mistress and her foundering law firm with a questionable bridge loan, the government said.
The prosecution contended that Haidl's gifts to Carona exceeded $430,000 over several years.
Haidl eventually became a government informant, along with another former assistant sheriff and Carona's one-time campaign manager, George Jaramillo. Both men reached plea deals with prosecutors.
Haidl wore a wire to three meetings with Carona in summer 2007, producing hours of profanity-laced audio tapes that were repeatedly played at trial. Haidl spent 10 days on the witness stand but Jaramillo did not testify.
Ybarra, the juror, said putting Jaramillo on the stand "would have made a huge difference" because Haidl testified he funneled all payments to Carona through Jaramillo.
Haidl continued to bribe Carona once in office by paying him $1,000 a month, paying for luxurious trips and tailored suits, lending Carona his yacht and private jet and bailing out Carona's mistress and her foundering law firm with a questionable bridge loan, the government said.
The prosecution contended that Haidl's gifts to Carona exceeded $430,000 over several years.
Haidl eventually became a government informant, along with another former assistant sheriff and Carona's one-time campaign manager, George Jaramillo. Both men reached plea deals with prosecutors.
Haidl wore a wire to three meetings with Carona in summer 2007, producing hours of profanity-laced audio tapes that were repeatedly played at trial. Haidl spent 10 days on the witness stand but Jaramillo did not testify.
Ybarra, the juror, said putting Jaramillo on the stand "would have made a huge difference" because Haidl testified he funneled all payments to Carona through Jaramillo.
Julian said the decision not to call Jaramillo as a witness was a strategic one.
Jaramillo, like Haidl a former assistant sheriff, was listed as an unindicted coconspirator in Carona's indictment and was fired by Carona in 2004 for misconduct. He reached a plea deal in the current federal case and has also served time in state prison for unrelated felony charges.
Ybarra said the jury also was frustrated that the statute of limitations left only five acts to consider for a conspiracy. Three other acts fingered other members of the alleged conspiracy.
"If they had issued that indictment in June that would have brought in about 30 other overt acts and we could have been able to find him guilty," said Ybarra, 54, a teacher from Garden Grove.
Carona's former mistress, Debra Hoffman, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud and bankruptcy fraud. His wife is charged with a single count of conspiracy.
The women are facing trial together, but Julian said the government was reviewing what to do with the two remaining defendan
He had been accused of doing favors for a multimillionaire businessman and appointing him assistant sheriff in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts. Several jurors said they believed Carona was involved in misconduct but that the government hadn't proven its case.
Carona, 53, began shaking as the verdicts were being read in U.S. District Court, then put his head down on the counsel table and sobbed loudly.
In the gallery, his wife, Deborah, and friends gasped. "Oh my God!" blurted his wife, who, along with her husband's ex-mistress, faces related charges.
The conspiracy charge alone alleged 64 overt criminal acts. Although the statute of limitations expired on most of those acts, the jury only had to find one of the remaining acts true for a conspiracy conviction.
"If you all don't believe in miracles, if you don't believe in God, what you just witnessed was an absolute miracle and God is watching over me," Carona said later. "Based on what you heard in this trial, some of the salacious stuff, there's a lot of things I need to apologize for in my life. I've made some mistakes along the way. The good news is God forgives people and apparently I'm one of the people he forgave."
If convicted of all counts, Carona could have spent the rest of his life in prison. Instead, he faces up to 20 years, but is likely to get only two or three, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Ken Julian. The defense said probation is possible.
Several jurors said they believe the allegations against Carona but could not find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt because they considered businessman Don Haidl - the government's chief witness and the sheriff's alleged benefactor - to be untrustworthy. They also wanted to hear from another witness who was said to be the conduit for payments to the sheriff but was not called by the government.
"In my mind there's no doubt that he did what he did, but we have to go by what the law said," juror Jim Ybarra said. "They were obviously in some kind of cahoots and everybody felt that."
The jury, which had deliberated since Jan. 8 after a 10-week trial, found Carona not guilty of one count of conspiracy, three counts of mail fraud and one count of witness tampering.
His lone witness-tampering conviction involved a secretly recorded conversation in which he attempted to persuade Haidl to match their stories in front of the grand jury. Haidl, who was named as an unindicted coconspirator in the case, reached a plea deal with prosecutors in exchange for his cooperation.
Defense attorney Jeff Rawitz said he will appeal the conviction and has filed a motion asking the judge to dismiss the entire case on grounds of egregious grand jury conduct.
Prosecutor Julian said he was disappointed at the outcome but was pleased by jurors' comments.
"What I heard from the jurors was they thought the charged conduct had occurred but the indictment was brought too late and they had to follow the law, and we'll respect that," he said.
The judge said Carona could be released on bond, with restrictions against travel.
Carona, once dubbed "America's sheriff" by CNN's Larry King for helping put away a child murderer, was indicted in October 2007 and retired three months later.
The government charged in 1998, the year he was first elected, Carona solicited Haidl's help to launder at least $30,000 in campaign contributions.
Once elected, Carona rewarded Haidl with the post of assistant sheriff, prosecutors said. Haidl received a car, a gun, a badge, a "get-out-of-jail-free" card, and control over a new reserve deputy program that allowed him to hand out law enforcement badges to his friends, relatives and associates, the government said.
Haidl continued to bribe Carona once in office by paying him $1,000 a month, paying for luxurious trips and tailored suits, lending Carona his yacht and private jet and bailing out Carona's mistress and her foundering law firm with a questionable bridge loan, the government said.
The prosecution contended that Haidl's gifts to Carona exceeded $430,000 over several years.
Haidl eventually became a government informant, along with another former assistant sheriff and Carona's one-time campaign manager, George Jaramillo. Both men reached plea deals with prosecutors.
Haidl wore a wire to three meetings with Carona in summer 2007, producing hours of profanity-laced audio tapes that were repeatedly played at trial. Haidl spent 10 days on the witness stand but Jaramillo did not testify.
Ybarra, the juror, said putting Jaramillo on the stand "would have made a huge difference" because Haidl testified he funneled all payments to Carona through Jaramillo.
Haidl continued to bribe Carona once in office by paying him $1,000 a month, paying for luxurious trips and tailored suits, lending Carona his yacht and private jet and bailing out Carona's mistress and her foundering law firm with a questionable bridge loan, the government said.
The prosecution contended that Haidl's gifts to Carona exceeded $430,000 over several years.
Haidl eventually became a government informant, along with another former assistant sheriff and Carona's one-time campaign manager, George Jaramillo. Both men reached plea deals with prosecutors.
Haidl wore a wire to three meetings with Carona in summer 2007, producing hours of profanity-laced audio tapes that were repeatedly played at trial. Haidl spent 10 days on the witness stand but Jaramillo did not testify.
Ybarra, the juror, said putting Jaramillo on the stand "would have made a huge difference" because Haidl testified he funneled all payments to Carona through Jaramillo.
Julian said the decision not to call Jaramillo as a witness was a strategic one.
Jaramillo, like Haidl a former assistant sheriff, was listed as an unindicted coconspirator in Carona's indictment and was fired by Carona in 2004 for misconduct. He reached a plea deal in the current federal case and has also served time in state prison for unrelated felony charges.
Ybarra said the jury also was frustrated that the statute of limitations left only five acts to consider for a conspiracy. Three other acts fingered other members of the alleged conspiracy.
"If they had issued that indictment in June that would have brought in about 30 other overt acts and we could have been able to find him guilty," said Ybarra, 54, a teacher from Garden Grove.
Carona's former mistress, Debra Hoffman, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud and bankruptcy fraud. His wife is charged with a single count of conspiracy.
The women are facing trial together, but Julian said the government was reviewing what to do with the two remaining defendan
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Sheriff Daniel Presgraves Faces Several Charges including Sexual Assault
HARRISONBURG
A closer look at the 42-page indictment against Page County Sheriff Daniel Presgraves shows what prosecutors say was a pattern of widespread corruption that dates back to around the time he took the oath of office in 2000.
The federal government alleges that Presgraves, 46, who earns $97,198 a year, violated racketeering laws by using his position as sheriff to sexually assault women employees; obtain labor for personal projects; take bribes in the form of cash, gifts and the use of machinery; protect illegal activities from prosecution; conceal and divert revenue; and obstruct federal investigations.
Presgraves faces six counts of obstructing a law enforcement investigation, four counts of obstructing an investigation by a federal grand jury, four counts of violating the civil rights of women working at the Page County Sheriff's Office, two counts of making false statements, two counts of conspiracy, two counts of mail fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of violating federal racketeering laws, according to the indictment unsealed Thursday.
He faces 304 years in prison if convicted on all charges, according to prosecutors.
"Public service is a public trust and those who are elected to public office are held to the highest legal, moral and ethical standards," said Julie Dudley, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Thursday during the unsealing of the indictment. "It's what we all want and what we all expect."
However, it's not what Page County residents got, she said.
Sexual Abuse Alleged
Part of the abuse of power outlined in the 22-count indictment is in connection with the sexual harassment or assault of 12 of the women on his staff he was elected to supervise.
Although he is not specifically charged with sexual assault, four counts of the indictment charge him with violating the civil rights of those employees.
The indictment outlines graphic details of his attempts, sometimes successful, at persuading these women to perform sexual acts or watch him perform lewd acts.
In addition to the lewd acts, the indictment states, he also instructed many of the women not to tell anyone.
In one case, the indictment alleges that after performing a lewd act and groping a woman inappropriately, Presgraves told her not to talk to the "feds" because "nobody knows anything that happened besides you and I."
In a separate incident, the indictment says he told a woman not to testify before the federal grand jury about their sexual activities but to "take it to the grave."
Inmate Labor Claims
Separate from the sexual abuse claims, prosecutors also allege Presgraves abused his power as the top law enforcement officer in the county to receive personal gains.
Presgraves, the indictment says, used Page County Jail inmates to work on projects at his home, at a construction site he and his company, Page Properties LLC, were developing, and at another property he owned that's adjacent to the Shenandoah River and his cabin.
"The inmate labor included, but was not limited to, construction work, operation of machinery, landscaping, mowing, carpentry and painting," the indictment states. "The inmates were often transported to and from the Page County Jail to these work sites by [Presgraves], his wife and [Page County Sheriff's Office] employees at the direction of [Presgraves]."
His wife has not been charged, but prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing.
Prosecutors say he also took government property.
"[Presgraves] stole and converted to his own use construction materials and other items that were owned by the [sheriff's office]," the indictment states.
Presgraves also faces the same conspiracy charge that has resulted in convictions or guilty pleas for three Virginia men charged in connection with the Little Boxwood cockfighting ring. A fourth man awaits trail in that case.
Presgraves is charged with conspiracy to sponsor an animal-fighting venture, specifically for his alleged role in helping Little Boxwood remain active, and his conversations with the owner of a second pit.
In 2000, the indictment alleges, Presgraves told the owner of a cockfighting pit in the Naked Creek section of the county that as long as he, the owner, kept a low profile, he wouldn't have any trouble. It further states that Presgraves told three deputies not to "harass" the cockfighters.
In addition to Pregraves' receiving bribes, disguised as campaign contributions, the indictment alleges he told a resident who called to complain about cockfighting that he didn't have the manpower to combat the issue and that cockfighting was a part of the county's "heritage."
A closer look at the 42-page indictment against Page County Sheriff Daniel Presgraves shows what prosecutors say was a pattern of widespread corruption that dates back to around the time he took the oath of office in 2000.
The federal government alleges that Presgraves, 46, who earns $97,198 a year, violated racketeering laws by using his position as sheriff to sexually assault women employees; obtain labor for personal projects; take bribes in the form of cash, gifts and the use of machinery; protect illegal activities from prosecution; conceal and divert revenue; and obstruct federal investigations.
Presgraves faces six counts of obstructing a law enforcement investigation, four counts of obstructing an investigation by a federal grand jury, four counts of violating the civil rights of women working at the Page County Sheriff's Office, two counts of making false statements, two counts of conspiracy, two counts of mail fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of violating federal racketeering laws, according to the indictment unsealed Thursday.
He faces 304 years in prison if convicted on all charges, according to prosecutors.
"Public service is a public trust and those who are elected to public office are held to the highest legal, moral and ethical standards," said Julie Dudley, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Thursday during the unsealing of the indictment. "It's what we all want and what we all expect."
However, it's not what Page County residents got, she said.
Sexual Abuse Alleged
Part of the abuse of power outlined in the 22-count indictment is in connection with the sexual harassment or assault of 12 of the women on his staff he was elected to supervise.
Although he is not specifically charged with sexual assault, four counts of the indictment charge him with violating the civil rights of those employees.
The indictment outlines graphic details of his attempts, sometimes successful, at persuading these women to perform sexual acts or watch him perform lewd acts.
In addition to the lewd acts, the indictment states, he also instructed many of the women not to tell anyone.
In one case, the indictment alleges that after performing a lewd act and groping a woman inappropriately, Presgraves told her not to talk to the "feds" because "nobody knows anything that happened besides you and I."
In a separate incident, the indictment says he told a woman not to testify before the federal grand jury about their sexual activities but to "take it to the grave."
Inmate Labor Claims
Separate from the sexual abuse claims, prosecutors also allege Presgraves abused his power as the top law enforcement officer in the county to receive personal gains.
Presgraves, the indictment says, used Page County Jail inmates to work on projects at his home, at a construction site he and his company, Page Properties LLC, were developing, and at another property he owned that's adjacent to the Shenandoah River and his cabin.
"The inmate labor included, but was not limited to, construction work, operation of machinery, landscaping, mowing, carpentry and painting," the indictment states. "The inmates were often transported to and from the Page County Jail to these work sites by [Presgraves], his wife and [Page County Sheriff's Office] employees at the direction of [Presgraves]."
His wife has not been charged, but prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing.
Prosecutors say he also took government property.
"[Presgraves] stole and converted to his own use construction materials and other items that were owned by the [sheriff's office]," the indictment states.
Presgraves also faces the same conspiracy charge that has resulted in convictions or guilty pleas for three Virginia men charged in connection with the Little Boxwood cockfighting ring. A fourth man awaits trail in that case.
Presgraves is charged with conspiracy to sponsor an animal-fighting venture, specifically for his alleged role in helping Little Boxwood remain active, and his conversations with the owner of a second pit.
In 2000, the indictment alleges, Presgraves told the owner of a cockfighting pit in the Naked Creek section of the county that as long as he, the owner, kept a low profile, he wouldn't have any trouble. It further states that Presgraves told three deputies not to "harass" the cockfighters.
In addition to Pregraves' receiving bribes, disguised as campaign contributions, the indictment alleges he told a resident who called to complain about cockfighting that he didn't have the manpower to combat the issue and that cockfighting was a part of the county's "heritage."
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