Liar Catchers Blog

Fraud Investigation Ravonda Edwards Adoption Fraud

Posted on June 2, 2012 by InvestigatorKelly

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The co-defendant in the case of a former Oklahoma County judge accused of adoption fraud has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from her role in that crime and other offenses.

Ravonda Edwards entered pleas Friday to two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony and four counts of making a false claim against the state of Oklahoma. Edwards also pleaded guilty to first-degree arson in a separate case that led to the adoption fraud investigation, The Oklahoman (http://bit.ly/L977Po) reported.

http://liarcatchers.com/fraud_investigation.html

Edwards received three-year deferred sentences on the conspiracy counts and two-year deferred terms on the each of the other counts. She was given a five-year suspended sentence on the arson count as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

Former District Judge Tammy Bass-LeSure and her husband, Karlos LeSure, were accused of secretly giving away twin babies to Edwards after the couple became their foster parents in 2008. Edwards’ sister was Bass-LeSure’s bailiff.

Bass-LeSure pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining public assistance by false representation, and her husband pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining public assistance and a count of attempting to obtain public assistance. Bass-LeSure resigned as part of her deal with prosecutors.

The couple adopted the children in 2010.

Prosecutors alleged Bass-LeSure gave the children to Edwards in 2008 and later lied on adoption records to continue the deception. Edwards was accused of conspiring with the couple to deceive the state and cashing state-issued checks for foster care payments endorsed by Bass-LeSure.

Prosecutors said Edwards raised the boy and girl.

The allegations came to light after Oklahoma City Fire Department arson investigators looked into a June 4, 2010, fire at a woman’s home. The woman was identified as Edwards’ former girlfriend.

Edwards declined to comment after leaving court Friday. A call to her attorney, listed in court records as Gary James, wasn’t immediately returned on Saturday.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged fraud investigation | Comments Off

Pedophile Tracking Van Handel’s Sexual History Made Public

Posted on June 2, 2012 by InvestigatorKelly

In a $28 million settlement a pedophile priest’s records have become public and now society can explore the mind of a molester. If they want to.

Van Handel, who is accused of molesting 17 boys, is that 65-year-old pedophile priest being laid bare before the world today, and he resides in Santa Cruz County in California.

Handel’s 27-page “sexual history” now available for others to see was originally a therapeutic tool between him and his therapist in regards to the victimization of male children, according to the Houston Chronicle. Now, however, it has become the latest scandal sheet for public consumption, while also giving a glimpse into the mind of a pedophile.

http://liarcatchers.com/pedophile_tracking.html

And his attorney, Robert “Skip” Howie, thinks it is a big mistake that will have negative repercussions for the identification and treatment of sex offenders.

“You want the person to be open in an interview,” Howie said, “But you totally destroy that avenue if you make these records public.”
Advertisement

And the pedophile’s attorney has a valid point, as Van Handel, like many other pedophiles in the country, is still alive and living among the rest of America.

But now he will have to live through the backlash of revealing his depraved mind (which some think is only fair), and it could prevent others like him from giving medical professionals the data they need to treat such persons.

However, it can also give parents, schools, churches and law enforcement the information they need to do a better job of protecting the young from such victimization, regardless of the pedophile’s job.

And the greater good would appear to outweigh the limited bad that can come from such disclosures. One victim of Handel’s supports this position, saying “It is really validating to read—in his own words—that what we’ve been saying really did happen.”

And that, if nothing else, appears to be sufficient reason for the records to have been released, since, after all, it is the victims who deserve justice and closure in such cases, since they are the ones who experienced the crime.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged Pedophile tracking | Comments Off

Wrongful Death Marjorie Sands of Beloit

Posted on June 2, 2012 by InvestigatorKelly

The Rock County Sheriff’s Office is renewing its efforts to solve a suspicious death case that was first categorized as an accidental death.

On the afternoon of Sept. 18, 2011, 91-year-old Marjorie Sands of Beloit, was discovered dead in the home where she lived alone at 2236 E. West Hart Road. Her daughter, Mariann Murphy, found the body and called her older brother, Kenneth Sands.

http://liarcatchers.com/wrongful_death.html

The Rock County Deputy Coroner determined the cause of death to be “accidental blunt force trauma to the head” consistent with a fall. Five days after Mrs. Sands’ death however, the Sheriff’s Office received information from family members that brought the accidental death theory into question.

“Too many things came up that we weren’t comfortable with,” Kenneth Sands told the Beloit Daily News.

Sands said that the family gave its permission for Mrs. Sands’ body to be exhumed for an autopsy. The Dane County forensic pathologist who performed the postmortem exam discovered “inconsistencies with the initial ruling of the cause of death.”

At that point the Rock County Detective Bureau began investigating Mrs. Sands’ death as a possible homicide.

“There should have been an autopsy right off the bat,” Kenneth Sands said. “The sheriff’s department has done a great job for what they have to work with.”

Commander Troy Knudson of the Rock County Sheriff’s Office said that while the Sands investigation is a high priority case, there have been no notable breakthroughs in recent months.

“This may change when we get DNA results back from the State Crime Lab,” he said.

Captain Todd Christiansen of the Rock County Detective Bureau said the first round of DNA that they collected yielded “no significant results.”

He said that his department sent another DNA sample to the lab about two-and-a-half weeks ago.

“These were elimination samples. We did this second round because when we first collected samples, we hadn’t been able to contact everyone yet,” Christiansen said. “The second round included persons known to the family.”

Christiansen said that results from the state lab usually come back to individual departments in a couple months.

“It all depends on how busy the lab is,” he said. “To us this is high priority, but because it is an older case, the lab will have to give priority to any fresh homicides that come in.”

“Once the DNA results come back, we will decide on our next steps. In the meantime, we’re continuing to follow up the leads on this case,” he said.

The family of Marjorie Sands will soon offer a reward alongside money offered by Crime Stoppers for information that leads to anyone responsible in the death.

Kenneth Sands said the Sheriff’s Office has recommended they keep the exact amount confidential. The Sheriff’s Office as a rule does not get involved in private rewards. Family members are working closely with the Sheriff’s Office and Area Crime Stoppers.

Anyone with information on the case may contact the Rock County Sheriff’s Office at 608-757-2244. Callers can ask to remain anonymous. They may also submit anonymous tips through the Greater Beloit Area Crime Stoppers at 608-362-7463 or Janesville Crime Stoppers at 608-756-3636 or online at www.gbacrimestoppers.com or www.stopjanesvillecrime.com .

Meanwhile, Marjorie Sands’ family waits for closure.

“It’s an unusual situation having someone my mother’s age die this way,” Kenneth Sands said.

Mrs. Sands, a former homemaker, used to run the family farm alongside her husband, Edwin, who predeceased her. She had been an active member of the community who enjoyed handiwork such as knitting and crocheting. She was known to be an avid Milwaukee Braves fan and also a supporter of he Milwaukee Brewers.

“A person lives to be 91 years old and you pray that something like this would never happen,” Kenneth Sands said.

He and his sister hope that anyone responsible for their mother’s death will be found soon and brought to justice.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged wrongful death | Comments Off

Insurance Fraud Christopher Aparicia, of Colton

Posted on June 2, 2012 by InvestigatorKelly

A 25-year-old Colton man was charged with insurance fraud and other crimes after he reported his car stolen in January.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney has filed charges against Christopher P. Aparicio, 25 of Colton, according to a news release. Aparicio was charged with filing a false auto theft report, filing a false insurance claim and perjury.

http://liarcatchers.com/insurance_fraud.html

The charges stem from a Jan. 29 hit and run in the City of Loma Linda. The following day, a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy spotted a car with front end damage in the same vicinity as the hit and run, according to the news release.

The deputy found out that Aparicio had reported the car stolen. The deputy called Aparicio and had him come to claim his car.

During questioning, the deputy became suspicious of Aparicio’s accident claim. Eventually Aparicio admitted to the hit and run and to reporting the car stolen. He also admitted to filing a false insurance claim.

The Auto Insurance Fraud Unit of the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office was informed about the incident.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged Insurance fraud | Comments Off

Electronic Surveillance Muslim Group Says They will Sue

Posted on June 2, 2012 by InvestigatorKelly

In its strongest statement yet, the New Jersey branch of a national Muslim group says it is building a case for litigation in response to the surveillance of Muslims by the New York Police Department.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations of New Jersey said findings from the state attorney general that New York City detectives broke no laws and were not profiling during surveillance at the Omar Mosque in Paterson, at mosques and businesses in Newark, and on college campuses, have spurred the group’s resolve to sue.

http://liarcatchers.com/electronic_surveillance.html

“Our office intends to find legal redress through litigation and ask for an immediate cessation of surveillance, an order of rights to be submitted by the court, and monetary damages for American Muslims affected,” the groups stated in an email Friday.

Khurrum Ali, the group’s civil rights director, said Friday that while a lawsuit is not certain, the organization is scrutinizing case law to determine the grounds on which it could sue. Legal action would be taken in partnership with the New York chapter, he added.

“No case has been formulated yet,” Ali said, “but we’d like to find something to make them stop.”

The organization took action after a May 24 meeting with state Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa, where he told Muslim leaders that New York police broke no laws or didn’t commit ethnic or religious profiling when it monitored and mapped Muslims in New Jersey. The attorney general’s findings followed a three-month fact-finding review.

His remarks echoed what New York City police officials and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have said all along: that their actions were legal and the result of legitimate law enforcement leads.

But Muslim leaders believe they were targeted because of their religion and say reports of monitoring have chilled free expression in their communities.

Chiesa said last week his office will establish a Muslim outreach committee to talk about law enforcement issues and improve relations.

In one step toward outreach, a representative from the Attorney General’s Office was scheduled to attend the Masjid Ibrahim in Newark on Friday afternoon for a service and to answer questions afterward, said the mosque’s Imam Mustafa El-Amin.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged electronic surveillance | Comments Off

Drug Dog Sweep 22 lbs of Meth

Posted on June 2, 2012 by InvestigatorKelly

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — U.S. Border Patrol agents say they’ve seized more than 22 pounds of methamphetamine a man was smuggling in the body of a minivan in Orange County.

Customs spokesman Jerry Conlin said Friday that agents and a drug-sniffing dog discovered about $445,000 worth of the drug after searching a vehicle being driven by a 34-year-old man in San Clemente.

The drug was hidden inside the front bumper and frame rails of a 1995 Toyota Previa, which was pulled over at about 9:30 a.m. on Interstate 5.

http://liarcatchers.com/drugdogsweeps.html

Authorities did not say why the vehicle was singled out.

The van was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged Drug Dog Sweeps | Comments Off

Pedophile Tracking Thomas Gibbons

Posted on June 2, 2012 by InvestigatorKelly

Thomas Gibbons is a poster boy for why school arbitration must be stopped at once — a scum-sucking, violent pedophile who has no business in society.

But the New York City school system, and the teachers union that runs the joint, has declared the 59-year-old Bronx high school special-ed teacher perfectly suited to be around your kids and mine.

http://liarcatchers.com/pedophile_tracking.html

Disgusting!

I’ve written about Gibbons for more than a decade, since I learned that this man, who should be locked up with beefy mutants, was roaming freely in a city school — unpunished and unwatched.

Until he was caught, allegedly, doing it again.

Gibbons was arrested in his Westchester home yesterday, charged with having sexual contact with a female relative in New Jersey. The child was 9.

This is shocking. Brutal. And preventable.

Because back in 1995, Gibbons was arrested for grabbing a young woman by the hair inside William H. Taft HS in The Bronx, slamming her against a wall and holding a gun to her chest.

Gibbons was angry over the girl’s attempt to end a sexual relationship that began when she was 15.

That should have ended his career as both a teacher and a pervert. But rather than having Gibbons fired, the girl, a recent immigrant from India, “was tricked and manipulated [by Gibbons] into dropping the charges,’’ the school system’s then-legal counsel Lawrence Becker wrote.

The Gibbons case went into arbitration — the school system’s black hole, run by union-backed legal nitwits, that exists to clear the worst educators of heinous crimes.

This, after another former student told investigators that she was sexually touched by Gibbons nearly four years earlier. But when her mother complained to the principal, nothing was done.

Still, the school had a smoking gun! Gibbons was caught by investigators on a secretly recorded audio tape, begging his victim to protect him. He talked explicitly about their years having sex.

So was Gibbons fired?

Put to bed without porn?

No.

Arbitrator Margaret Leibowitz needed only a “preponderance’’ of evidence to fire Gibbons. But in a 1996 trial, she decided the evidence was “insufficient.’’

She did nothing.

And the brilliant then-Board of Education just moved Gibbons from Taft to John F. Kennedy HS. He remains there to this day.

When I called Gibbons in 2001, he got huffy.

“I’ve never been convicted of anything,” he said.

The horrific school arbitration system must end.

Anyone who wants to be hired as an arbitrator must be approved by both the school system and the teachers union — a conflict of interest, because arbitrators who rule against teachers risk never getting hired again.

Mayor Bloomberg backs a bill in Albany that would give Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott the sole right to fire teachers. An overdue move.

With pigs like Gibbons infesting schools, there’s no time to waste.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged Pedophile tracking | Comments Off

Private Detective Police Search for Dog Bitten Drug Suspect

Posted on June 1, 2012 by InvestigatorKelly

A suspected heroin dealer who fled from investigators in West Scranton may be a little gnawed around the edges.

Lackawanna County detectives were searching Friday for Khalif K. Samad, 25, of 119 S. Main St., Taylor, who faces narcotics and other charges after an undercover drug buy went awry.

http://liarcatchers.com/index.php

According to a criminal complaint filed in the office of Magisterial District Judge Terrence Gallagher, an undercover investigator was attempting to make a controlled purchase of heroin from Mr. Samad on Thursday around 9 p.m. in the 200 block of Hennessy Court when the suspect became suspicious and started arguing with the officer.

When the investigator identified himself as a police officer and ordered Mr. Samad to the ground, the suspect took off on foot, ignoring repeated orders to stop.

Other officers joined in as the footchase continued in the area of St. Francis Cabrini Avenue, where Mr. Samad began jumping fences and running through yards, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

At one point, Mr. Samad hopped into a fenced yard containing an unchained Rottweiler, which attacked the intruder, latching onto his left forearm, the affidavit said. Mr. Samad managed to pull away from the dog and jump another fence, losing his pursuers in the process.

City police K-9 units later searched for the Mr. Samad in the area but were unable to locate him.

In addition to multiple counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, Mr. Samad is wanted on charges of flight to avoid apprehension, resisting arrest and fleeing or eluding police.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged private detective | Comments Off

Fraud Investigation Las Vegas HOA

Posted on June 1, 2012 by InvestigatorKelly

An expanding federal investigation into corruption and fraud in Las Vegas-area condominium homeowners associations has resulted in 14 more guilty pleas, bringing total convictions to 26 so far, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Four retired Las Vegas police officers — two of them captains — are among the conspirators who have pleaded guilty in the scheme and a related bank-fraud case, says the Review-Journal.

Federal prosecutors said the scheme involved enlisting straw buyers to rig HOA elections, take control of nearly a dozen boards and steer construction, management and legal work the conspirators’ way between August 2003 and February2009.

http://liarcatchers.com/fraud_investigation.html

The scheme was bankrolled by $8 million funneled through secret accounts, prosecutors said Thursday in announcing the 14 pleas.

Pleading guilty to a single felony count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud were:

Rosalio Alcantar, 60; Patrick Bergsrud, 43; Robert Bolten, 44; Glenn Brown, 52; Paul Citelli, 59; Michelle DeLuca, 51; Charles Hawkins, 51; Sami Robert Hindiyeh, 54; Lisa Kim, 47; Brian Jones, 38; Morris Mattingly, 51; Frank Sutton, 58; Anthony Roy Wilson, 34; and Jeanne Winkler, 44.

Sutton is a retired police captain and Mattingly is a retired officer. Both were straw buyers. Kim’s husband, Benjamin, a retired police lieutenant, pleaded guilty with her Tuesday in a related bank-fraud scheme.

Sentencing was postponed until February because the investigation continues.

Each agreed to pay restitution to the victims, from as little as $6,000 to as much as $369,252. The combined restitution is more than $1.2 million.

Here’s how the Justice Department summarized the scheme:

In order to accomplish the scheme, certain co-conspirators identified HOAs that could potentially bring construction defect cases. Once identified, the co-conspirators enlisted real estate agents to identify condominium units within the HOA communities for purchase. The co-conspirators then enlisted individuals as straw purchasers to use their names and credit to purchase condominiums in the complexes. The defendants admitted that the co-conspirators provided the down payments and monthly payments to the straw purchasers, including HOA dues and mortgage payments, and that various false and misleading statements were made to secure financing for the properties. Certain co-conspirators operated and managed the payments associated with these properties. The payments were often wired between California and Nevada. …

Once elected, the co-conspirator board members met with other co-conspirators in order to manipulate board votes and process, including the selection of property managers, contractors, general counsel, and attorneys to represent the HOA. Once hired, co-conspirators, including property managers and general counsel, often recommended that the HOA board hire the co-conspirator construction company for construction defect repairs and the co-conspirator law firm to handle the construction defect litigation.

Previously, 11 others pleaded guilty in the case, and another defendant pleaded guilty in a related bank-fraud scheme

Prosecutors said they hope to secure ss many as a dozen more indictments.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged fraud investigation | Comments Off

Missing Person Ike Byron King

Posted on June 1, 2012 by InvestigatorKelly

UPDATE: Friday, June 1, 6:40 p.m.
The Doddridge County Sheriff’s Department received calls that people saw King riding his red Mountain Bike on Route 33 in Buckhannon Friday afternoon. He was heading towards Buckhannon and supposedly said that he was going to Virginia.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

ORIGINAL: Friday, June 1, 12 p.m.
The Doddridge County Sheriff’s Department is looking for a missing man. Authorities said Ike Byron King, 38, was apparently last seen around 4:00 Thursday afternoon near 2nd and Main Street in Weston. Sheriff’s Deputies say he was supposedly on a mountain bike at the time.

He’s 5’11”, and he weighs about 210 pounds. He has dark complexion and brown hair. Police aren’t sure what he was wearing or where he might be heading, but family members said he has been working at a cemetery in Bridgeport.

If you’ve seen him, please call 304-873-3253 or 304-873-1944.

Posted in Private Investigator Lexington | Tagged Missing persons | Comments Off

Fraud Investigation Ravonda Edwards Adoption Fraud

Pedophile Tracking Van Handel’s Sexual History Made Public

Wrongful Death Marjorie Sands of Beloit

Insurance Fraud Christopher Aparicia, of Colton

Electronic Surveillance Muslim Group Says They will Sue

Drug Dog Sweep 22 lbs of Meth

Pedophile Tracking Thomas Gibbons

Private Detective Police Search for Dog Bitten Drug Suspect

Fraud Investigation Las Vegas HOA

Missing Person Ike Byron King

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Liar Catchers Private Investigation Lexington KY