Smithville Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Phony Military Documents

Robert E. Neener, 65, of Smithville, Tennessee, pleaded guilty on March 12, 2012 to possessing and selling federal agency seals and pretending to be a federal officer or employee, announced Jerry E. Martin, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. The guilty plea is pursuant to a plea agreement which includes a three-year prison sentence and the payment of restitution to defrauded victims.

As part of the plea agreement, Neener admits that from January 2007 through December 2008, he operated a document vending business from his residence in Smithville, Tennessee, which he advertised via the Internet. In these advertisements, Neener falsely represented that he could provide customers with “authentic” military replacement documents which were “exact reproductions” of those originally issued, and that he had contracts with military branches of the government.

Neener received more than $200,000 from customers who ordered thousands of documents, which included honorable discharges and various military awards. Neener had no authorization from any federal agency to either make or sell these documents. Neener also used the official seals of various federal agencies on most of these documents, including the U.S. Air Force; the Army; the Navy; the Department of Defense; Homeland Security; the Department of Justice; Veterans Affairs (VA); the DEA; the Coast Guard; and the U.S. Marine Corps, without authorization to do so.

Neener also signed or copied signatures of various federal officials on these documents, which made it appear that the various awards or certificates were endorsed and authorized by such officials. On some documents, Neener fabricated the names and official positions of federal officials and on others, he forged the signatures of real persons, identifying them by the federal positions they actually occupied, including a former secretary of the Navy and a former President of the United States.

“Using the Internet to fraudulently sell counterfeit documents is unlawful and triggers serious concerns when those documents falsely purport to be issued by federal agencies, particularly military agencies,” said U.S. Attorney Jerry Martin. “Federal prosecutors in this district will continue to focus attention on anyone who sells phony replacement awards to veterans who have earned such awards, as well as those who sell phony awards to individuals who have not earned them. We will continue to seek significant prison sentences for anyone convicted of such crimes.”

“The Office of Inspector General aggressively investigates unauthorized uses of the official VA seal, and unauthorized creation of documents by anyone pretending to act under the VA’s official authority will not be tolerated,” said Quentin G. Aucoin, special agent in charge of the VA Office of Inspector General.

Neener will be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell on July 13, 2012.

The case was jointly investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service, the Tennessee Highway Patrol-Criminal Investigation Division, and the FBI. The United States is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Hester.

Additional Individuals Arrested as Part of Today’s Multi-Agency Probe Targeting Drug-Related Corruption

FBI Knoxville Special Agent in Charge Richard L. Lambert, TBI Director Mark Gwyn, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigative Division (IRS-CID) Supervisory Special Agent David Martin, and District Attorney General Paul Phillips announce the arrests of additional individuals on May 24, 2011, who are charged with drug-related and other criminal offenses. These arrests represent the culmination of a long-term, multi-agency, undercover investigation targeting illegal activity in Union County, Tennessee.

Throughout the day, the following individuals were arrested, without incident, as part of the ongoing investigation:

Douglas Roy Acuff, age 40, of Maynardville, Tennessee

Jeffery Brown, age 42, of Maynardville, Tennessee

Joshua David Chesney, age 26, Maynardville, Tennessee

David Eugene Cooper, age 40, New Tazewell, Tennessee

Jerry Lynn Cooper, age 35, of Maynardville, Tennessee

Brenda Corum, age 31, of Luttrell, Tennessee

Robert A.Fraker, age 40, of Maynardville, Tennessee

Misty Hatfield, age 32, of Sharps Chapel, Tennessee

Jeremy Hubbs, age 20, of Maynardville, Tennessee

Angela Cheryl Jordon, age 39, of Tazewell, Tennessee

Joseph Adam Leonard, age 27, of Maynardville, Tennessee

Judy Hubbs Najar, age 59, of Maynardville, Tennessee

Stephen Michael Shelton, age 27, of Maynardville, Tennessee

Charles Eddie Stephens, age 35, of Tazewell, Tennessee

Brian Curtis Wynn, age 29, of Maynardville, Tennessee

All arrests were made pursuant to state capiases’ issued in Tennessee’s 8th Judicial District following the grand jury’s return of a multiple count indictment charging the above named persons. This investigation was a collaborative effort between the TBI and the Knoxville offices of the FBI and IRS-CID. Troopers from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, officers from the 8th Judicial Drug Task Force, and deputies from the Union County Sheriff’s Office assisted with today’s arrests.

Anyone with information related to this matter is encouraged to call the FBI’s toll free tip hotline at 888-678-6720.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment constitutes only charges and that every person is presumed innocent unless or until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Nine Defendants Indicted on Federal Drug and Firearm Charges

Two-Year Investigation Targets Cookeville-Area Violent Crime

NASHVILLE, TN—A 16-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Nashville, Tennessee was unsealed today, charging nine defendants with various counts of conspiring to possess and distribute crack cocaine and marijuana; using, carrying, brandishing and discharging firearms during and in relation to drug trafficking crimes; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; sale of a firearm to a convicted felon; and possession of an illegal sawed-off shotgun. The indictments were announced by Jerry E. Martin, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee; Amy S. Hess, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the FBI-Memphis Division; Glenn Anderson, SAC, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF)-Nashville Field Division; Randy York, District Attorney General, 13th Judicial District; Mark Gwyn, Director, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; Putnam County Sheriff David Andrews; and Cookeville Police Chief Bob Terry.

“Once again, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have come together to root out violent criminals and bring them to justice,” stated U.S. Attorney Jerry Martin. “Our overriding goal is to make all of our communities in the Middle District of Tennessee safer places for our law abiding citizens.”

The indictment charged the following defendants, all of Cookeville, Tennessee:

James Troy Tabor, 20;

Patti Jessica Hall, 22;

Keith Patrick Doherty, Jr., 21;

James Michael Casey O’Howell, 19;

Timothy James Neill, Jr. 25;

Dallas Allen, 50;

Daniel M. Elrod, 22;

Nepthali Damian Dachoute, 21; and

Ryan Jaeger, 21.

Defendants Tabor, Hall, Dachoute, Jaeger and Elrod were arrested this morning by local, state and federal law enforcement officers and are expected to make an initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate this afternoon. The remaining defendants are currently in state custody.

“The safe and successful arrests today were the culmination of a collective effort between federal and local law enforcement to target violence and the drug trafficking activity which fuels such violence,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Memphis Division, Amy S. Hess. “It’s our goal to disrupt and dismantle organizations like these through cooperation with our partner agencies in order to protect our communities and ensure justice is served.”

“Gun crime, drug trafficking and related violence makes communities fearful that they may become the next victim. Fortunately, intense investigations like this one make all the difference,” stated ATF SAC Glenn Anderson. “Illegal firearm possession and drug trafficking are a detriment to any neighborhood. ATF and our law enforcement partners will continue working investigations like this and hold suspected offenders accountable. Today, residents in the Putnam County area can rest a little easier.”

District Attorney General Randy York stated, “My office stands ready to pool our investigative and prosecutorial resources with our federal partners in order to ensure that justice is appropriately served when this caliber of criminals want to set up shop in our community. We will continue our collective efforts to rid this criminal behavior from our communities.”

The various offenses charged carry maximum penalties of between 10 years and life in prison and fines of $250,000 to $1 million, if convicted.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Cookeville Police Department’s Community Nuisance Eradication Team, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Criminal Investigation Division, the 13th Judicial District’s Attorney’s Office, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, with assistance by the U.S. Marshals and the Overton County Sheriff’s Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent A. Hannafan.

An indictment is merely an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants have the right to a trial at which the government would have to bear the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.