Ohio County Magistrate indicted on wire fraud, bribery, and tax fraud charges

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Ohio County Magistrate Harry A. Radcliffe, III, was indicted today by a federal grand jury on charges involving wire fraud, bribery, and tax fraud, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Radcliffe, age 60, was indicted on one count of “Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Federal Program Bribery, and Travel Act Bribery,” three counts of “Wire Fraud,” one count of “Federal Program Bribery,” one count of “Travel Act Bribery,” and three counts of “Filing a False Income Tax Return.”

Radcliffe is accused of soliciting and accepting bribes from W&S Bail Bonding, doing business as A Bail Bonding (ABC) of Wheeling, West Virginia, concealing said bribes from the State of West Virginia and the IRS, directing defendants and their families to ABC without offering other options as required, altering bonds to require a bonding company, and collecting said bribes via credit card and interstate travel He is also accused of failing to report $11,000 in income on both his 2013 and 2014 federal income taxes, and failing to report $4,500 in income on his 2015 federal income taxes. The crimes are alleged to have occurred from January 2012 to April 2016 in the Northern District of West Virginia and elsewhere.

The United States is also seeking a money judgement in the amount of $26,500.

Radcliffe faces up to five years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the conspiracy count, up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for each of the wire fraud counts, up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for federal bribery count, up to five years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the travel act count, and up to three years incarceration and fine of up to $250,000 for each of the false income tax return counts. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

In addition, William W. Seelbach, owner of ABC, of North Fort Meyers, Florida, was charged in a two-count information today. Seelbach, age 68, is facing one count of “Conspiracy to Defraud the United States—Impede the Internal Revenue Service,” and one count of “Failure to File Individual Income Tax Return for Tax Year 2012.” Seelbach is accused of impeding the IRS in its collection of taxes, and failing to file a federal income tax return for 2012 to report $144,030 in income to the IRS.

Jolynn Gilchrist, former employee of ABC, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was charged in an information today with one count of “False Tax Return.” Gilchrist, age 49, is accused of filing an inaccurate federal tax return for the 2015 tax year.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jarod J. Douglas and Shawn M. Adkins are prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the West Virginia Commission on Special Investigations, and the West Virginia State Police investigated.

An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.