Dongping “Daniel” Tao, a former mining engineering professor at the University of Kentucky, who previously admitted to defrauding the University and a private company out of tens of thousands of dollars, has been sentenced to one year in prison.

Today, U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell sentenced Tao, 52, for wire fraud. In addition to the 12-month term of incarceration, Judge Caldwell ordered that Tao pay a $10,000 fine, $59,411.86 in restitution to the University, and $2,280.00 in restitution to Georgia-Pacific, LLC, a private company for whom he worked as a consultant.

http://liarcatchers.com/fraud_investigation.html

At his guilty plea in February of this year, Tao admitted that he received grant money from the University that was intended for mining engineering research, but used the money for his consulting business, paying for travel, materials, and services. Tao then sought payment from his consulting clients, as reimbursement for expenses that he had actually used the University’s money to pay.

Tao also admitted that he fabricated and altered invoices, to show fictitious costs, and submitted those invoices to the University and Georgia-Pacific for payment. Tao then received payment for these fraudulent expenses.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the University Police Department, and the University Internal Audit Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew T. Boone prosecuted this case on behalf of the federal government

A 32-year-old Redmond man who police consider to be endangered has been missing since June 3, when he walked away from his home

A Redmond family is desperate to find a 32-year-old man with autism and diabetes who hasn’t been seen in a week.  And they say his signature rubber band stick figures are key to finding him.

Jamaal Stroschein walked away from his home on NE 31st Street in Redmond last Thursday. Jamaal’s dad told KIRO 7 Jamaal has been making the rubber band stick figures for 20 years and doesn’t leave home without them.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

“And if you see a rubber band person you are in the presence or near Jamaal,” said Jerome Stroschein.  “And that’s pretty much the only thing we have to go on.”

Redmond police are having a hard time coming up with leads.

“A lot of the traditional means of finding a missing person are simply not available to us,” said Ron Gibson, Redmond Police Chief.  “He doesn’t have a cellphone, he doesn’t drive a car, he doesn’t have credit cards.  He’s not on social media.”

Police have received 10 tips that haven’t panned out. They don’t suspect any crime or specific danger, but he needs his medication.

Crossroads in Redmond is one area Jamaal was known to hang out. He was also known to sell his little rubber band figures at Bellevue College.

“With the help of people around we can find him,” said Jerome Stroschein.  “And we really have to, because he is very vulnerable.”

Call 911 and report if you see him or his famous little rubber band figures.

A traffic stop early Wednesday morning led to the arrest of a man found with several bags of cocaine in his vehicle, police said.

Meriden police dog Anouke aided in the investigation. Around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, police stopped Dylan Simoneau, 23, of 60 Pine St., in the area of Springdale Avenue and Maple Street for a traffic violation.

http://liarcatchers.com/drugdogsweeps.html

Anouke was called to the scene “to assist by sniffing the car for drugs,” according to a Facebook post by the Meriden Police K-9 Unit. While sniffing the outside of the car, Anouke was alerted to the odor of drugs, the post states. Upon further investigation, the dog picked up the scent of drugs in the car’s center console.

“Officers found several bags of cocaine leading to a felony arrest,” according to the Facebook post.

Simoneau was charged with narcotics possession, intent to sell, possession within a school zone and intent to sell within a school zone.

He posted $15,000 bond and is due to appear in Meriden Superior Court on June 24.

The Lexington man convicted of killing his girlfriend and dumping her body in a trash bag was sentenced Thursday.

Chico Rucker was convicted of second degree manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years in the death of 32-year-old Elmia farris.

http://liarcatchers.com/wrongful_death.html

Farris’ body was found in July of 2013 near a building on Mariette Drive.

Rucker was originally charged with murder but a grand jury amended the charge.

A man was found guilty of sexually abusing an unconscious woman at a Lexington gentleman’s club.

 

Clyde Sexton was found guilty by a jury last night for third-degree sex abuse of Melissa Kline Smiley in 2013. Kline Smiley was sexually abused while unconscious at the Fillie’s Gentleman’s Club. Reports say that Sexton performed various sexual acts on her. An ambulance was not called for her until 20-30 minutes later.

 http://liarcatchers.com/contact.php

Sexton was a handyman at the club.

 

The coroner says Smiley died a few days later of a  heroin  and  hydrocodone overdose. The jury recommended 90 days in jail and a $250 fine.

Sexton  will  be formally sentenced July 17th.

Contact ViCAP for information on how your agency can obtain access to the ViCAP Web National Crime Database and view this case. Additional ViCAP Alerts can be viewed at: http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/vicap/.

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Unidentified Human Remains – Apex, North Carolina

Attention: Violent Crime/Missing Person/Cold Case/Crime Analysis Units

Found on 7/9/2003 in Apex, North Carolina

Victim Reconstructed Photo

 

Items recovered with victim

6/11/2015

On July 9, 2003, the unidentified remains of a Hispanic male, possibly of South American descent, were discovered in the area of Jenks Road in Wake County, North Carolina. The victim’s teeth were in poor condition with some mild gum recession. The color of his eyes and hair and estimation of his weight could not be determined. It is believed that the victim had been deceased for approximately 1 year before the skeletal remains were discovered. Based on forensic analysis, the victim spent less than 5 years in North Carolina. He may have been a migrant worker.

http://liarcatchers.com/contact.php

Race: Hispanic (South American descent)

Sex: Male

Age: 40 to 50 years old

Height: 5’6”

Clothing: Lejanoeste cowboy boots (size 10 ½), brown leather belt (size 37), black jeans, large polo shirt, size 26 underwear, and size 9 ½ gold ring with a black face and a gold-colored religious figure

Agency case #: 03-034591

NamUs case #: 6270

To provide or request additional information, please contact Detective T.S. Barefoot, Wake County, North Carolina, Sheriff’s Office, at 919-856-2601 or scott.barefoot@wakegov.com or the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) at 800-634-4097 or vicap@leo.gov.

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Unidentified Human Remains – Highland Springs, Virginia

Attention: Violent Crime/Missing Person/Cold Case/Crime Analysis Units

Found on 1/28/2014 in Highland Springs, Virginia

6/11/2015

On January 28, 2014, the victim’s remains were found near some vacant apartments in Highland Springs, Virginia. The victim’s skull was separated from the other remains due to either animal interference or environmental circumstances. Other skeletal bones were found tied inside four layers of black, plastic trash bags and were lying underneath a futon mattress. Under the mattress was a “Sponge Bob” fleece blanket.

Sex: Male

Race: White or Hispanic/Latino

Age: 25 to 35

Height: Approximately 4’8”

Weight: Unknown

Hair: Brown

ViCAP alert #: 2015-05-02

To provide or request additional information, please contact Detective Matt Rosser of the Henrico County, Virginia, Police Department, at 804-928-0273 or Ros44@henrico.us; Investigative Analyst Joyce Salmon of the Henrico, Virginia, Police Department at 804-501-4842, SAL06@henrico.us, or joyce.salmon@henrico.us; or the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) at 800-634-4097 or vicap@leo.gov.

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RANDOM SHOOTER SERIES

Attention: Violent Crime/Crime Analysis Units

6/11/2015

Between the dates of February 17, 2015, and February 22, 2015, five separate shooting incidents occurred in Houston and Missouri City (southwest section of the Houston metroplex), Texas. The shootings seemed to be random, robbery was not a motive, and the victims usually were pedestrians walking alone. One of the incidents resulted in a homicide. The Houston and Missouri City Police Departments are requesting assistance in identifying the suspect of these shootings.

Offender description:

Race: Black (light skinned or mixed race)

Sex: Male

Age: approximately 30 years old

Vehicles: Black Jeep Cherokee, dark SUV

Weapons: .380-caliber handgun

Agency case #: Houston PD 20977715 (homicide case)

ViCAP alert #: 2015-05-01

To provide or request additional information, please contact Sergeant Norman Ruland of the Houston, Texas, Police Department, at 713-308-3600 or the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) at 800-634-4097 or vicap@leo.gov.

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Unidentified Human Remains – Immokalee, Florida

Attention: Violent Crime/Missing Person/Cold Case/Crime Analysis Units

Found on October 18, 1980, in Immokalee, Florida

2/10/2015

The remains of an unidentified Hispanic male were discovered in Immokalee, Florida. The victim was wearing Levi’s brand blue jeans; K-Mart brand underwear; a Prest Rite-brand long-sleeved, red-checked flannel shirt; green socks with orange and white stripes at the top; and brown boots. The victim may have had family living in Houston and Dallas, Texas. He was known by the name Raldalpho or Raldalfo (name spelling was determined to vary).

Race: Hispanic

Sex: Male

Age: 20 to 25 years old

Height: 5’6″

Weight: 154 pounds

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown

Distinguishing characteristics: Linear scars on both the left and right arms

Agency Case #: 80-36053

NamUs #: 1294

ViCAP Alert#: 2015-01-01

To provide or request additional information, please contact Senior CRI Kim K. Cherney, Collier County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office, at 239-252-0050 or kim.cherney@colliersheriff.org, or kim.cherney@leo.gov or the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) at 800-634-4097 or vicap@leo.gov.

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Missing Person – Atlantic City, New Jersey

Attention: Violent Crime/ Cold Case/Crime Analysis Units

Sierra Sahara Thomas

Missing since November 21, 2002, from Atlantic City, New Jersey

2/10/2015

On November 21, 2002, Sierra Thomas was with a male friend when her then-current boyfriend saw them together. A short time later, the victim and her boyfriend met. He is the last person to see her alive. He was last seen wearing light blue sweatpants, dark blue or black shirt, black jacket, and a multicolored scarf.

Race: Black

Sex: Female

Age: 19 years old (at time of disappearance)

Height: 5’1″ to 5’2″

Weight: 140 to 150 pounds

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown                                                    

Agency Case #: 02-158598

NamUs #: 11955

ViCAP Alert#: 2015-02-01                                                

To provide or request additional information, please contact Detective Charles Stuart, Atlantic City, New Jersey, Police Department, at 609-318-4450 or cstuart@acpolice.org or the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) at 800-634-4097 or vicap@leo.gov.

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Unidentified Human Remains – Alsip, Illinois

Attention: Violent Crime/Missing Person/Cold Case/Crime Analysis Units

Found on 09/23/1980 in Alsip, Illinois

2/10/2015

On 09/23/1980 at approximately 12:19 p.m., the body of a black female was located in the Cal-Sag Channel in Alsip, Illinois. The victim was facedown in the fetal position naked from the waist down. She had six stab wounds to her back and two to her chest. She was bound with an electrical cord around her hands and had a neck tie around her neck, which also bound one hand to her upper legs. Her face was covered with adhesive tape. She was found wearing a blue wool sweater, dark floral blouse, and a beige bra.

Race: Black

Sex: Female

Age: 19 to 25 years old

Height: 5’5″ to 5’7″

Weight: 133 pounds

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown

ViCAP Alert#: 2015-02-02

To provide or request additional information, please contact Special Agent Ken O’Brien, Illinois State Police, at 847-608-3213 or Kenneth_Obrien@isp.state.il.us or the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) at 800-634-4097 or vicap@leo.gov.

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Unidentified Human Remains – Clay County, Missouri

Attention: Violent Crime/Missing Person/Cold Case/Crime Analysis Units

Found on April 18, 1985 in Clay County, Missouri

Victim’s Hair Comb

Composite Sketch

Reconstruction

3/10/2015

On April 18, 1985 the victim’s remains were found in a field on Cooley Road north of Route 210 in rural Southeastern Clay County, Missouri. The only remains found were the victim’s skull and a few other bones. There was a brown hair comb, numerous teeth, and two bullets recovered near the skull.

Sex: Female

Race: Unknown

Age: 18 – 25

Height: Approximately 5’5″

Weight: Unknown

Hair: Brown

ViCAP alert #: 2015-03-01

To provide or request additional information, please contact Detective Shane O’Roark of the Clay County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office, at 816-407-3716 or coldcase@sheriffclayco.com or the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) at 800-634-4097 or vicap@leo.gov.

While it is very popular to purchase, spend, and give others gift cards, the FBI would like to warn consumers of the potential for fraud. The online presence of the Secondary Gift Card Market has grown significantly in recent years. The Secondary Gift Card Market provides a venue for consumers to resell unwanted gift cards. However, criminal activity has been identified through sites facilitating such exchanges.

http://liarcatchers.com/fraud_investigation.html

There are both online and in-store venues for reselling gift cards. Kiosks and pawn shops are an option for consumers who prefer to handle a transaction in person. Secondary Gift Card Market websites exist to exclusively buy and sell gift cards.

Some of the various types of gift card scams reported to the IC3 are as follows:

• Victim sells a gift card on an auction site, receives payment for the sale, and sends the PIN associated with the gift card to the buyer, who disputes the charge after using the gift card.
• Victim purchases an item on an auction site and is advised by the seller to purchase gift cards to pay for the transaction. After purchasing thousands of dollars in gift cards, the victim finds out the auction transaction is a scam.
• A Secondary Gift Card Market site agrees to pay a victim for a discounted merchant gift card. The victim sends the code on the gift card, and the payment for the transaction was reversed. Thus, the buyer uses the gift card code to purchase an item and stops payment to the seller.

Consumers should beware of social media postings that appear to offer vouchers or gift cards, especially sites offering deals too good to be true, such as a free $500 gift card. Some fraudulent offers may pose as Holiday promotions or contests. The fraudulent postings often look as if a friend shared the link. Oftentimes, these scams lead to online surveys designed to steal personal information. Never provide your personal information to an unknown party or untrustworthy website.

Tips to Prevent Gift Card Fraud:

Consumers can take several steps to protect themselves when buying and selling gift cards in the Secondary Gift Card Market, as listed below:

• Check Secondary Gift Card Market website reviews and only buy from or sell to reputable dealers.
• Check the gift card balance before and after purchasing the card to verify the correct balance on the card.
• The re-seller of a gift card is responsible for ensuring the correct balance is on the gift card, not the merchant whose name is on the gift card.
• When selling a gift card through an online marketplace, do not provide the buyer with the card’s PIN until the transaction is complete. Online purchases can be made using the PIN without having the physical card.
• When purchasing gift cards online, be leery of auction sites selling gift cards at a discount or in bulk.
• When purchasing gift cards in a store, examine the protective scratch-off area on the back of the card for any evidence of tampering.

If you believe you have been a victim of a gift card scam, you may file a complaint, providing all relevant information, with the IC3 at www.IC3.gov.

A man who was on a date Saturday night with missing mother Nicole White is a person of interest in her disappearance, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday.

Detectives searched the Graham home of the man who was seen with White in Jeepers Bar in Spanaway Saturday night — the last time the mother of two from Orting was seen publicly — and towed away his car.

“They put it on a flatbed last night and towed it out,” one neighbor said.

Q13 FOX News spoke with Kathy Simonson, the owner of Jeepers Bar in Spanaway,  who remembered seeing White, 28, in the establishment the night before she went missing.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

Nicole was spotted at Jeepers Saturday night on a date with a man. That was the last time she was seen. Now detectives say that man is a person of interest in her disappearance.

“Nicole came with a gentleman, a gentleman that`s been in our bar many times,” Simonson said.

White and the man had been at her bar before, Simonson said, and on Saturday she said nothing seemed out of place.

“They had a couple of beers, they were not intoxicated,” she said. “Upon leaving, my security guy shook the gentleman`s hand, gave Nicole a hug, told them to have a good evening and they left.”

Simonson is turning over surveillance video from the bar and telling detectives everything she knows.

“I haven`t slept since it happened. I have children of my own. I can’t believe what the children are going through,” Simonson said of White’s two small boys.

Detectives and family members have been searching for White for the past four days.

“It’s heartbreaking, sad, sickening,” said her sister, Melissa Nieto.

She said her sister is a loving and responsible mother.

“It’s very unlike her,” Nieto said. “She is very responsible, she talks to everyone. She doesn`t turn her phone off.”

White’s mother contacted police early Sunday when she failed to pick up her sons.

White’s red Dodge neon was found Monday hidden in the woods over a ravine in the 26000 block of 70th Avenue East, near Graham, with the keys still in the ignition. Search dogs on the scene led detectives to a nearby pond. However, no sign of White was found.

“We are hoping for the best, but expecting probably something sinister happened,” Pierce County sheriff’s detective Ed Troyer said.

Desperate for answers and clinging onto hope, Nicole`s sister said her disappearance doesn`t seem real.

“I am kind of numb to it, it doesn`t seem like reality. It’s overwhelming right now,” said Nieto.

Nicole White is 4-foot-10 and about 100 pounds. She has a tattoo on her neck and arm.

If you have any information about the case, call 911 or (253) 591-5959 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS. A $1,000 reward is being offered in the case.

Kentucky Sate Police spent the afternoon searching for a Knott county woman who has been missing for more than a month.

Their only clue is a note she left for her 10 year-old son.

“She left me a note under my pillow that she’d be back in a couple of days,” said Hunter Jones. “But she never came back.”

Words the 10 year-old boy is holding onto wishing his mother, Natasha Fugate Jones, is safe.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

“She needs to come home this isn’t funny anymore,” said Hunter.

Jones’ family said she was last seen the morning of May 7th but no one has heard from her or knows where she is.

“I’d just like to tell her that I love her and I’d wish she’d come home,” said Ola Chaffins, Jones’ grandmother. “Her two boys miss her.”

Chaffins says her granddaughter has done something like this before but has never gone missing this long without keeping in touch, that’s why state police have stepped in and have been actively searching for her since Sunday

“The helicopters went over this morning,” said Chaffins.

While state police searched by air, family and friends searched on the ground. They spend most days checking nearby mountains.

Jones is described to be 5’7 weighting about 110 lbs.

She has blonde hair, hazel eyes and has a tattoo on her back of the outline of a butterfly

Now her son is taking to social media in search for clues of where his mother may be.

“Mostly on Facebook and no one has answered anything,” said Hunter.

The family said there is a $1,000 reward for tips that lead to Natasha Fugate Jones.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Jones, contact Kentucky State Police Post 13.