WICHITA, KAN. — A Dodge City, KAN.,
woman has been indicted on a charge of lying to a grand jury during an
investigation of the Nortenos gang, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Petra Garcia–Martinez, 29, Dodge City,
KAN., is charged with one count of perjury.
She also is charged with one count of
aiding and abetting her husband, Hector L. Martinez–Ramirez, who is not a
citizen of the United States, in the unlawful possession of a firearm by an
illegal alien, one count of aiding and abetting him in the unlawful possession
of ammunition by an illegal alien, and one count of misprision of a felony.
Her husband, Hector L. Martinez–Ramirez,
is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal
alien, one count of unlawful possession of ammunition by an illegal alien, and
one count of using false documents, including a counterfeit Social Security
card, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
On the perjury count, the indictment
alleges that on May 25, 2011, Petra Garcia–Martinez testified falsely before a
grand jury when she was questioned about her brother, Peter Garcia, also known
as Pedro Garcia. The indictment recites a series of questions and answers:
•Q: Does Peter (Garcia) claim that the
Norteno gang is in Dodge City?
•A: No.
•Q: Is Peter a Norteno gang member?
•A: No.
•Q: Has Peter told you he is not a
Norteno gang member?
•A: He’s never said he was, so he’s...”
•Q: Have you ever discussed his gang
membership with him?
•A: No.
The indictment alleges Petra
Garcia–Martinez was aware Peter Garcia was a member of the Nortenos street
gang. Peter Garcia was one of 23 defendants charged in a racketeering
indictment announced May 11 in Dodge City.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the
following penalties:
Perjury: A maximum penalty of five years
in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Aiding and abetting unlawful possession
of a firearm, aiding and abetting unlawful possession of ammunition: A maximum
penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Unlawful possession of a firearm,
unlawful possession of ammunition: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up
to $250,000.
Using false documents: A maximum penalty
of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory
two years to run consecutive to other sentences and a fine up to $250,000.
Misprision of a felony: A maximum
penalty of three years and a fine up to $250,000.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives, the Dodge City Police Department and the KBI investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith are
prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Chad L. Irvin, 34, Lacrosse, KAN., is
charged with unlawfully killing a golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). The crime
is alleged to have occurred Jan. 9, 2012, in Trego County, KAN.
If convicted on the misdemeanor count,
he faces a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison and a fine up to
$100,000. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service investigated. Assistant U.S.
Attorney Matt Treaster is prosecuting.
Tammy L. Harris, 37, Dodge City, KAN.,
is charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact to bank robbery
and one count of making a false statement to an investigator from the FBI. The
crimes are alleged to have occurred April 17, 2012.
The indictment alleges Harris was aware
that Carlos Manuel Buten had robbed the Western State Bank at 2121 N. 14th in
Dodge City, KAN., when she attempted to help him avoid arrest. Buten was indicted
in April on the bank robbery charge.
If convicted, Harris faces a maximum
penalty of 12.5 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge
of accessory after the fact, and a maximum penalty of five years and a fine up
to $250,000 on the charge of making a false statement. The FBI investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
Marc Joseph Miller, 40, is charged with
failing to register as required by the federal Sex Offender Registration and
Notification Act. The crime is alleged to have occurred from Oct. 27, 2011, to
May 2, 2012, in Shawnee County, KAN.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty
of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Marshals
Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.
Brian Welch, 45, Pomona, KAN., is
charged with one count of distributing child pornography and one count of
possessing child pornography. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in March
and May 2012 in Franklin County, KAN.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not
less than five years and not more than 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on
the distribution charge and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to
$250,000 on the possession charge. The Wichita Police Department investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.
Sonni L. Peerman, 25, Russell, KAN., and
Eric P. Ouse, 28, Natonia, KAN., are charged with one count of counterfeiting
and two counts of passing counterfeit $100 bills. In addition, Ouse is charged
with one count of counterfeiting. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in
April 2012, in Meade County, KAN.
If convicted, they face a maximum
penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
The U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is
prosecuting.
Ponciano Munoz–Meraz, 20, Sugar Creek,
Mo., and Justin R. Trotter, 27, Wichita, KAN., are charged with drug
trafficking. Munoz–Meraz is charged with one count of possession with intent to
distribute methamphetamine, one count of distributing methamphetamine, and two
counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a person under indictment.
Trotter is charged with one count of distributing methamphetamine.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the
following penalties:
Possession with intent to distribute
methamphetamine: Not less than five years and not more than 40 years in federal
prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Distributing methamphetamine: A maximum
penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Unlawful possession of a firearm by a
person under indictment: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
The Wichita Police Department
investigated. The U.S. Attorney’s is investigating.
Dustin J. Hanson, 27, Pratt, KAN.,
Christopher A. Gould, 29, Pratt, KAN., Cody Wayne Ly, 22, Pratt, KAN., and Amy
Marie Ryan, 30, Pratt, KAN., are charged with counterfeiting $20 and $50 bills.
In addition, Ryan is charged with passing counterfeit $20 and $50 bills. The
crimes are alleged to have occurred in March 2012 in Pratt County, KAN.
If convicted, they face a maximum
penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The U.S. Secret
Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is prosecuting.
Joe Rodriguez, 27, Dodge City, KAN., is
charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a user of
controlled substances and one count of unlawful possession of a sawed–off
firearm made from a rifle. The crimes are alleged to have occurred May 16,
2012, in Ford County, KAN.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty
of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the count of unlawful
possession by a user of controlled substances, and a maximum penalty of 10
years and a fine up to $10,000 on the other count. The Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron
Smith is prosecuting.
Grant Alon Mares, 24, Fort Morgan,
Colo., Anthony Lee Reese, 48, Great Bend, KAN, and Wesley Jerome Laplant, 36,
Garden City, KAN., are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute
methamphetamine and one count of distributing methamphetamine. In addition,
Mares is charged with one count of distributing methamphetamine and one count
of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crimes are alleged
to have occurred in December 2009 and January 2010 in Finney County, KAN.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not
less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $5 million on
each count. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S.
Attorney Blair Watson is prosecuting.
Raymond J. Hickman, Jr., 39, Hutchinson,
KAN., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute crack
cocaine, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug
trafficking crime and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a
felony conviction.The crimes are alleged to have occurred June 22, 2011, in
Reno County, KAN.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the
following penalties:
Possession with intent to distribute
crack cocaine: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million.
Unlawful possession of a firearm in
furtherance of drug trafficking: Not less than five years and a fine up to
$250,000.
Unlawful possession of a firearm after a
felony conviction: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
The Reno County Sheriff’s investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Blair Watson is prosecuting.
Courtland J. Gray, 27, Wichita, KAN., is
charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of
drug trafficking and one count of possession with intent to distribute
marijuana. The crimes are alleged to have occurred May 8, 2012, in Sedgwick
County, KAN.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not
less than five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the firearm charge and a
maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million on the marijuana
charge. The Wichita Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney
Jason Hart is prosecuting.
Marco A. Gramajo, 28, Garden City, KAN.,
is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction,
one count one count of unlawful possession of ammunition after a felony
conviction, and one count of possession of a stolen firearm. The crime are
alleged to have occurred Jan. 16, 2012, in Garden City, KAN
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty
of 10 years 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 Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
Hugo Nelson Campos–Rodriguez, 41, a
citizen of El Salvador, is charged with illegally re–entering the United States
after being deported. He was found May 7, 2012 in Sedgwick County, KAN.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty
of two years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. ICE’s
Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent
Anderson is prosecuting.
Rosario Zavala–Lopez, 30, a citizen of
Mexico, is charged with one count of possession of false documents, four counts
of aggravated identity theft, one count of making a false statement on an I–9
Employment Eligibility Verification form, one count of misusing a Social
Security number and one count of producing a false document. The crimes are
alleged to have occurred in 2008 in Ford County, KAN.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the
following penalties:
Possession of false documents: A maximum
penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory
two years to run consecutively to other sentences on each count and a fine up
to $250,000.
Making a false statement: A maximum
penalty of five years without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Misusing a Social Security number: A
maximum penalty of five years without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Producing a false identification: A
maximum penalty of 15 years without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Felipe Vega–Ramos, 22, a citizen of
Mexico, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute
cocaine, four counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine,
and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. The
crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2012 in Shawnee County, KAN.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the
following penalties:
Possession with intent to distribute
cocaine: Maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Possession with intent to distribute
methamphetamine: Not less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine
up to $250,000.
Unlawful possession of a firearm: A
maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
The Topeka Police Department
investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot is prosecuting.
Allan M. Firman, III, 32, Augusta, KAN.,
is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime
is alleged to have occurred March 30, 2012, in Sedgwick County, KAN.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not
less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $4 million. The
Butler County Sheriff’s and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.
Luis Avalos–Estrada, 37, a citizen of
Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re–entering the United States after being
deported. He was found May 14, 2012, in Sedgwick County, KAN.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty
of two years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. ICE’s
Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Blair
Watson is prosecuting.
Anthony M. Dickens, 51, a citizen of
Jamaica, is charged with unlawfully re–entering the United States after being
deported. He was found May 7, 2012, in Sedgwick County, KAN.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty
of two years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. ICE’s
Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Blair
Watson is prosecuting.
Carlos Barrerra–Lara, 30, a citizen of
Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re–entering the United States after being
deported. He was found May 14, 2012, in Sedgwick County, KAN.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty
of two years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. ICE’s
Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Blair
Watson is prosecuting.
Rigoberto Hernandez–Castillo, 38, a
citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re–entering the United States
after being deported. He was found May 9, 2012, in Sedgwick County, KAN.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty
of two years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. ICE’s
Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Blair
Watson is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed
innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain
allegations of criminal conduct.
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