Timothy Alexander Conley, the Morgan County judge executive, has been charged with soliciting and accepting kickbacks from a Salyersville, Kentucky-based bridge contractor in exchange for contract awards, according to a federal indictment unsealed today.

The indictment, filed under seal on Thursday, December 5, charges Conley and Kenneth Lee Gambill and Ruth L. Gambill, the co-owners of PBTHNOJJ Construction, with several offenses arising from the kickback scheme. Conley and Kenneth Gambill are both charged with four counts of mail fraud and one count of theft from a program receiving federal funds. All three defendants are also charged with conspiring to launder money.

http://liarcatchers.com/fraud_investigation.html

Specifically, the indictment alleges that, from early 2009 until August 2013, as part of a mail fraud scheme, Conley rigged competitive bidding processes to select PBTHNOJJ Construction for Morgan County construction contracts. After obtaining PBTHNOJJ Construction’s payments for these contracts, Kenneth Gambill then delivered to Conley cash kickbacks from the contract proceeds.

In addition, Conley and Kenneth Gambill are charged with defrauding a federally funded program. The indictment alleges that Conley misappropriated money from Morgan County, which received federal funding for emergency services, debris cleanup, and rebuilding efforts following a tornado that swept through West Liberty, Kentucky, on March 2, 2012. As part of the debris cleanup effort, Morgan County contracted with PBTHNOJJ Construction and other entities. Conley allegedly abused his position to ensure that PBTHNOJJ Construction received excessive payments for this work.

Finally, Conley, Kenneth Gambill, and Ruth Gambill are charged with conspiring to launder the proceeds of these crimes, in order to promote ongoing illegal activities and conceal the nature and source of the funds, among other things.

Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Perrye Turner, Special Agent in Charge, FBI; and Jack Conway, Kentucky Attorney General, jointly announced the indictment today.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the FBI and the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office. The indictment was presented to the grand jury by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew T. Boone.

Conley is scheduled to appear in federal court on Tuesday, December 10 in Lexington at 3:00 p.m. Kenneth Gambill will appear in court on December 30 in Lexington. A date for Ruth Gambill to appear in court has not yet been scheduled. The mail fraud and money laundering counts each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The federal program fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The maximum fine for each count is $250,000. However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statutes.

An indictment is an accusation only. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Identity theft is bad enough if it happens once, because it takes so much time to get your credit and your life back — but can you imagine being victimized twice by the same suspect?

“It’s an ongoing thing. They steal your identity. It destroys your life,” fraud victim Maria Chen said.

Chen had her identity stolen online and the suspect literally took everything.

“He had withdrawn all of my money out of the bank and opened up credit cards in my name,” Chen said.

Chen’s bank alerted her. When she found out her money was gone and her credit destroyed, she was angry.

“My credit is still messed up because of him,” Chen said.

Chen immediately went to police, who were able to track down the suspect and arrest him. She also put alerts on her accounts — yet somehow, the suspect got out of jail. He was able to use her personal information yet again.

“The bad guys are calling in with all the personal identifying information of the victims,” U.S. Postal Inspector Carla Menendez said.

Once they do that, they can essentially access your credit card account, add themselves as users, get their own card with their name on it, and start charging to your account.

Some advice from Postal Inspectors involves safeguarding your personal information at all times.

“One thing we always recommend is to check your credit once a year to make sure no fraudulent activity has happened,” Menendez said.

http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html

“I’ve been trying to get my life back again, so I can continue on, but it’s been very hard,” Chen said.

Postal Inspectors also recommend never carrying your social security card with you. Some people carry the cards in their wallet, but it’s best to memorize the number and keep the card somewhere safe.

Additional details can be found at http://www.kentucky.com/2013/12/10/2981245/lexingtons-most-wanted-dec-11.html

Lexington Police have arrested a man wanted in the fatal shooting of a clerk at a Lexington gas station Monday afternoon.

The incident happened at the Marathon station on Alexandria Drive at about 3:15 p.m. Upon arrival officials located the victim, Mukeshbhai Patel, 51, who was unresponsive. He was transported to UK Medical Center, where he subsequently died.

http://liarcatchers.com/wrongful_death.html

On Tuesday, investigators in the Robbery/Homicide Unit obtained an arrest warrant for Travis Michael Bredhold, 18, in relation to this homicide. He was arrested at Fayette Mall without incident.

Police say Bredhold has been charged with murder and robbery in the case.

Police are still looking for a man who went missing before Thanksgiving.

Joseph Hartsoe, 22, has been missing since Nov. 25. He was last seen in Collinsville, wearing a gray T-shirt, dark blue jacket and dark gray coat.

Hartsoe has a history of substance abuse and police consider him an endangered missing person.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

Anyone with information is asked to call Collinsville Police at 344-2131, or the anonymous tip line at 301-4444.

A Woodbury man suspected of swindling an insurance company out of more than $25,000 was arrested Nov. 27, at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

A search resumed Monday in the mountains of northwest Nevada for a couple and four children who went to play in the snow and haven’t returned after a night of sub-zero temperatures.

Pershing County deputies said aircraft and crews on the ground were searching for 34-year-old James Glanton, his 25-year-old girlfriend, Christina McIntee, and the four children: a 10-year-old, two 4-year-olds and a 3-year-old. The relationship between the couple and children was unclear.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

Officials said the group went to the Seven Troughs area on Sunday in a silver Jeep with a black top but hadn’t returned home. It was unclear what supplies they might have been carrying or whether they were able to communicate with rescuers.

The situation was considered especially urgent because of unseasonably cold temperatures. In nearby Lovelock, temperatures dipped to 16 below zero early Monday, National Weather Service Meteorologist Mark Deutschendorf said.

Dispatcher Jerry Reid said the search began Sunday evening and continued through most of the night. A Navy search and rescue team was assisting Pershing County authorities, and the Civil Air Patrol was expected to join the effort, Reid said.

Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s deputies are seeking tips from the public in locating a missing person.

Thirty-three-year-old Teleka Patrick never made it to work last Friday morning after spending Thursday evening in downtown Kalamazoo.  It’s believed she was dropped off at her vehicle that was parked in the Borgess parking lot.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

Patrick is a black female with black hair, standing five-feet, seven-inches in height and weighs around 160-pounds.  Her vehicle is a gold 1997 Lexus ES300 sedan with a Michigan license plate.

Patrick has no known medical conditions that could become a concern and foul play is not suspected.

A 21-year-old Indiana man whose car and cell phone were found in Grant Park nearly one month ago is still missing.

Richard “Ricky” Spindler, of Crown Point, Ind., was spotted in his hometown about a week after he went missing, his sister told The Daily Journal in November. On Monday, a post on a Facebook page dedicated to Spindler said he is still missing.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html

“Please do not forget he is still out there,” the post read.

Other posts addressed to Spindler from his family tell him is not in trouble and assure him that he is a good person.

Spindler’s family said he was despondent when he left his father’s Munster, Ind., home on Nov. 15, the last day he was seen by his family.

The next night, his Hyundai Elantra and cell phone were found on private property of 12000E Road north of 9000N Road in Grant Park.

Spindler is described as a 6-foot-4 Caucasian and Hispanic man with a thin build, brown eyes and short, brown hair. Anyone who comes into contact with him is asked to call the police.

MISSING: Charles Franklin Pfleger was last seen December 6, 2013 in Mimbres, New Mexico. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Charles Franklin Pfleger please contact the Grant County Sheriff’s office at (575)574-0100.

http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html