Local Area Sex Assault Fugitive Arrested by U.S. Marshals Mountain State Fugitive Task Force

Martinsburg, WV - On August 25, 2015, the Mountain State Fugitive Task Force, comprised of members from the United States Marshals Service, West Virginia State Police, Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, and Berkeley Springs Police Department, arrested Todd Rankin of Hedgesville, West Virginia who was wanted on multiple warrants for sexual assault.

Todd Rankin was charged by the West Virginia State Police with multiple counts of sexual assault stemming from an investigation conducted by the Martinsburg West Virginia State Police detachment. The warrants were turned over to the Mountain State Fugitive Task Force for apprehension.

Officers located Todd Rankin on a job site near Little Creek Trail in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. Rankin was arrested without incident and given a $250,000 dollar bond. Rankin remains currently in the Eastern Regional Jail.

The primary mission of the U.S. Marshals led task forces is to locate and capture fugitives charged with violent crimes, drug crimes, sex offenders and other violent felony offenses.

Huntington Woman Sentenced in Connection with Illegal Food Stamp Fraud Scheme

HUNTINGTON, WV—U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that a Huntington woman was sentenced to three months of community correction and six months of home confinement as a part of her four-year sentence of probation for her role in an illegal food stamp fraud scheme. Stephanie Pauley, 35, of Huntington, previously pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud. Pauley admitted that she participated with other known individuals in a scheme to defraud the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. These benefits are given to eligible individuals in the form of a debit card called the Mountain State Card.

Pauley was an employee of the Huntington-area convenience store, All-in-One store (“All-in-One”) at the time of the illegal fraud scheme. Pauley admitted that some time after March 2009 and continuing until February 2012, she conspired with other known individuals in an illegal card-swiping scheme that took place at All-in-One. The owner of the All-in-One store, Abe Eloirzazi, and another store employee, Cindy Gibson, are both pending sentencing.

She fraudulently swiped certain recipients’ Mountain State Cards by charging a certain dollar amount against the value of the recipient’s card. Pauley admitted that the card recipients were given 50 to 65 cents on the dollar in cash. Pauley also admitted to illegally selling cigarettes and alcohol by charging the purchase on the Mountain State Card as though it was an eligible food item. The All-in-One bank account then received the full amount of the fraudulent transactions from the government. Pauley admitted that as a result of the scheme, she redeemed a portion of approximately $127,000 in SNAP benefits.

The court also ordered the defendant to pay $127,000 in restitution.

The Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the Huntington Police Department, the West Virginia State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes handled the prosecution. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.

AEP Power Surge Scammers Sentenced to Federal Prison

American Electric Power Issued More Than Half-a-Million Dollars in Fraudulent Claims Checks as a Result of the Conspiracy

CHARLESTON, WV—U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that three individuals were sentenced to federal prison yesterday in connection with a scheme to obtain money by submitting fraudulent claims for power surge damage to American Electric Power Service Corporation Inc. (“AEP”). Lead defendant and former AEP property damage claims adjuster Deborah Farmer, 47, was sentenced to three years in prison. Farmer previously pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Farmer admitted she arranged the scheme and conspired with other individuals to unlawfully obtain money from the power company by submitting the fraudulent claims. Co-defendant Julia Washington, 45, of Charleston, was sentenced to two years in prison. Washington previously pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. A third defendant, Freda Bradshaw, 47, of Pliny, Putnam County, West Virginia, was sentenced to one year in prison (six months of which will be served on home confinement) and three years of supervised release. Bradshaw previously pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

Four other co-defendants involved in the conspiracy were also sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy: Jonathan Shaffer, 32, of Charleston, was sentenced to eight months of home confinement with electronic monitoring. Tiffany Shaffer, 24, of Poca, West Virginia, was sentenced to four months of home confinement with electronic monitoring. Bryan P. Javins, 33, of Nitro, West Virginia, was sentenced to four months of home confinement with electronic monitoring. Jeanette Boggs, 58, also of Nitro, was sentenced to four months of home confinement with electronic monitoring. These four defendants also received five years of probation once their sentences have been discharged.

A two-year investigation revealed that false claims were filed with AEP related to phony power surge damage to homes. These claims were submitted by Deb Farmer. Claims checks, ranging from $2,000 to as much as $25,000 per fraudulent claim, were mailed to the defendants at various times between March 2009 and March 2010. Farmer and Washington recruited other people into the scheme in exchange for a “cut” of the claims checks. A total of 57 fraudulent claims were filed resulting in a loss of approximately $598,485. The final restitution figure was slightly lowered due to account for some offsets that were uncovered in the course of the investigation and one scam participant settling with AEP in the civil suit filed in Putnam County.

At sentencing, the court also ordered Farmer and Washington to pay $558,412.36 in restitution, jointly and severally with each other. Defendant Freda Bradshaw was ordered to pay $115,639.07 in restitution. Defendant Jonathan Shaffer was ordered to pay $44,929 in restitution. Defendant Bryan Javins was ordered to pay $20,945 in restitution and defendant Janette Boggs was ordered to pay $25,724.57 in restitution, with a $5,000 down payment due in 20 days. All defendants were placed on payment plans.

Judge Copenhaver stated during the sentencing of defendant Deborah Farmer that he was shocked at the “ease in which more than 30 people were recruited into this fraudulent scheme.” The court continued that Farmer spent a considerable amount of time “assailing the treasury of AEP” and “acting with abandon until the scheme ended in March 2010.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the West Virginia State Police conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes handled the prosecution.

U.S. Attorney Goodwin Announces the 15th and 16th Guilty Pleas in the Bluefield Pill Initiative

Co-Defendants Admit to Distributing Approximately 2,000 Pills Over Several Months

BECKLEY, WV—U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin today announced that a Mercer County man and woman pleaded guilty today in federal court for illegally distributing prescription drugs. Jerry Poore, 44 and his co-defendant Jill Sells, 27, both of Bluewell, Mercer County, West Virginia, admitted that from September 14, 2011 until October 11, 2011, they conspired together to obtain and sell oxycodone and oxymorphone in and around McDowell and Mercer Counties.

Poore and Sells admitted that they sold oxycodone to a person cooperating with authorities on several occasions during September and October 2011. Poore admitted that on September 14, 2011, he sold four oxycodone pills to an individual cooperating with authorities. The illegal pill transaction took place at the defendant’s residence in Maybeury, McDowell County, West Virginia. Sells admitted that on September 23, 2011, she sold four oxymorphone pills to an individual cooperating with authorities. The illegal pill transaction took place at the defendant’s Bluewell residence. Poore admitted that on September 28, 2011, he sold four oxymorphone pills to an individual cooperating with authorities. The transaction took place at the defendant’s Bluewell residence. Also, on September 30, 2011, Poore and Sells aided and abetted each other in the distribution of eight oxycodone pills to an individual cooperating with authorities. Poore further admitted that on October 11, 2011, he sold 20 oxycodone pills to an individual cooperating with authorities. The transaction took place at the defendant’s Bluewell residence.

Both defendants face up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine when they are sentenced on November 1, 2012 by United States District Judge Irene C. Berger.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the West Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Miller Bushong and John File are in charge of the prosecutions.

The prosecutions were brought as a part of the Bluefield Pill Initiative. The Bluefield Pill Initiative is a collaborative, multi-agency regional law enforcement effort designed to halt prescription drug trafficking in Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming Counties. The Bluefield Pill Initiative is led by the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, which includes the West Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation; the Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming County Sheriff’s Departments; and the Bluefield and Princeton Police Departments.