Michigan Criminal Lawyers Blog

August 24, 2015

Ypsilanti Man Faces Punishment After Filing False Tax Return with IRS

Michigan white collar crimes attorneys know that even in situations where no violence is involved or harm done to others, crimes involving financial matters can result in serious punishment. Recently, 52-year-old Paul Joseph Waltner of Ypsilanti pleaded guilty to once count of filing a false tax return with the IRS.

On August 14, U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade and IRS Special Agent in Charge-Criminal Investigation Jarod J. Koopman announced in a press release that Waltner had pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen J. Murphy, III.

According to the release, Waltner failed to report his full wages and a bonus he earned for the year 2008 while working in the Kingdom of Bahrain at Unicom Investment Bank. He was employed at the bank from 2007 through March of 2011. While Waltner actually earned more than $246,000 and received a bonus of nearly $216,000 from UIB in 2008, the Form 1040 he filed with the IRS reported combined wages and bonuses of only $150,000. Waltner used the Foreign Earned Income Form 2555. By reporting approximately $310,000 less than he had actually received, the amount Waltner actually owed in taxes was understated by $101,998.

August 20, 2015

Police Arrest Suspect They Believe Responsible for 14 or More Arson Fires in Saginaw

by Scott Grabel

For months, someone has been setting fire to abandoned homes in Saginaw; now, police believe they have their man, although his name cannot be released pending his arraignment. News reports do indicate the suspect is 49 years old, and police along with residents are relieved to get the man police are calling a “serial arsonist” off the streets.

Following police interviews with the suspect, Michigan State Police Lt. David Kaiser said the man is responsible for at least 14 of the fires that have occurred in recent months. He also said that the interviews did not reveal why the man set the fires, and no motive can be determined.

How did police catch the suspect? According to Kaiser, police set up on various homes in Saginaw on Tuesday the 18th anticipating the man would return to the scene of the crimes. Police were in luck; the suspect did return to a house that had been set on fire in the past. He was holding a cup police believed was filled with accelerant. Police say he struck again, and police confronted the man as he was walking away from the scene. The suspect dropped the cup, and police took him into custody. Meanwhile, the home the suspect had returned to had a porch that was noticed to be in flames by other officers.

August 18, 2015

Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer Charged with Drug Distribution

by Scott Grabel

On Monday, August 17, 35-year-old Macon defense attorney Holly Hogue Edwards was charged with drug distribution. A news article at 11 Alive says that Edwards was arrested after being pulled over on Interstate 75 in Peach County, according to Monroe County investigator Greggory Phillips. Authorities pulled the criminal defense lawyer over to serve an arrest warrant charging her in the case involving distribution of oxycodone.

Edwards is charged with a single count of distribution of oxycodone and methamphetamine, and three counts of distribution of oxycodone. Oxycodone is a prescription narcotic pain medication that is highly abused and addictive.

A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office news release stated that Edwards sold drugs to undercover agents. The investigation of Edwards began in May when it was learned that she might be involved in illegal activities including the use and distribution of illegal drugs. The indictment revealed that the incidents Edwards is alleged of being involved in occurred in May and June.

August 17, 2015

Michigan Man Arrested in More than a Dozen Jurisdictions for DUI Arrested Again

by Scott Grabel

On June 16 of this year, 51-year-old Joseph Robert Livingood of White Pigeon was stopped as he drove away from the Four Winds Casino in Dowagiac; his blood alcohol level at the time was 0.18, more than twice the legal limit according to an article at the South Bend Tribune. On Friday, August 14, Livingood pleaded guilty to a third offense DUI. He was sentenced in Cass Circuit Court to between two and five years in prison. He was also ordered to pay $1,658 in fines, costs, and restitution.

According to the report, Livingood has been arrested for drunken driving in 12 jurisdictions across several states. In addition to Michigan, he has been arrested for DUI in Illinois, Mississippi, New York, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The defendant claimed he had never been offered treatment for his alcohol problem. At court on Friday, Cass Circuit Judge Michael Dodge noted that Livingood had a long criminal history including six prison terms for nine felony convictions, although the specific crimes were not revealed.

In the state of Michigan, anyone who has been convicted of driving under the influence more than twice will face 3rd offense charges, regardless of whether it is the third offense or twelfth. A third DUI offense is a felony, which means the defendant will face harsher penalties, including certain jail time. Other punishment may include driver’s license revocation, steep fines, community service, and possibly vehicle immobilization. The court may also order the defendant to have an ignition interlock device installed on his/her vehicle. Felony DUI is punishable by up to five (5) years in prison.

August 14, 2015

Suspect in Weekend Shooting Death in Grand Rapids Held on Open Murder Charge

by Scott Grabel

On Sunday, August 9, 24-year-old Antonio Lee Albert and 34-year-old Jason Jordan were reportedly in the backseat of a car in Southeast Grand Rapids when an argument began. According to news reports, Albert exited the vehicle, walked around to the other side, then shot at Jordan three to four time, striking him twice in the head.

The vehicle the two were riding in was stopped at a red light in the vicinity of Franklin Street SE and Eastern Avenue as the driver of the car was waiting for the light to turn green. The shooting took place at approximately 7 a.m.

Albert then walked away from the scene, however the driver of the vehicle took the victim to a local hospital, where he died just a short time after his arrival. For several days police were asking for the public’s help in finding Albert; on Thursday he turned himself in. The driver of the car and others who were in the vehicle identified Albert as the man who shot Jordan.

August 13, 2015

Pontotoc Man Convicted of Murder Will Not Get a New Trial

by Scott Grabel

In November of 1999, Eric Brown of Pontotoc pleaded guilty to the murder of a woman he had been in a relationship with. The woman was pregnant at the time, and Brown was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years for the death and manslaughter of Shorelonda Moore and her unborn child.

Brown was in a relationship with another woman at the time of his relationship with Moore, and had children with both. He married the other woman, who was not named in news reports. A few days later, Brown reportedly strangled Moore behind a Pontotoc restaurant. According to a news article at the Daily Journal, Brown and his wife drove the victim’s vehicle to Memphis where they proceeded to douse it with gas and set it on fire after parking it in an alley. Moore’s body was discovered the next day.

Brown appealed his murder conviction, which was recently upheld by the Mississippi Court of Appeals. The defendant argued upon appealing his conviction and sentence that due to the fact the Circuit Court did not conduct a competency hearing prior to accepting his guilty plea, his fundamental rights were violated. The appeals court did not agree, and upheld Brown’s conviction and life sentence on Tuesday, August 11.

August 11, 2015

Authorities Seize About 2,500 Grams Cocaine, Arrest Five Including Father and Son in Austin-area Drug Bust

by Scott Grabel

Following a months-long investigation of the activities of five men in the Austin, TX area, all five were arrested on Wednesday, August 5 according to a recent report at the Statesman. The investigation spanned several cities in the Austin area, and resulted in the seizure of about 2,500 grams of cocaine along with more than $60,000 in cash.

Brent Garrett, 41, and his son Brent Garrett Jr., 22, both of Hutto are suspected of being involved in cocaine trafficking through several networks in Williamson and Travis Counties, according to arrest affidavits. Police said months of information provided by confidential informants and multiple sources led to the arrests of the Garretts, and that members of the Austin Police Department’s Gang Suppression Unit tracked the men, watching what they suspected to be drug transactions. Father and son were arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

Another man, Terry Alexander, rode with the elder Garrett as the two made their way to a Target packing lot, where a man who was waiting got into the back seat of the vehicle. The man got out of the back seat a short time later and got into another car. Police believed they were watching a drug deal in progress. When Garrett and Alexander left the parking lot, the two men were pulled over because Garrett did not use a turn signal. Police called in a narcotics detection team, and ultimately found over 100 grams of cocaine in the center console of the car. Both were arrested.

August 10, 2015

California McAfee Antivirus Software ‘Superstar’ Arrested for DUI and Gun Possession in Tennessee

by Scott Grabel

A self described “eccentric millionaire,” John McAfee was recently arrested in the small town in Tennessee where he now lives, Lexington, on charges of DUI and possession of a handgun, according to a news article at CNN.

Pill bottles on shelf

Warrants clerk Sheila Austin of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office said she didn’t know why McAfee, who once fled police in Belize, would move to a little town like Lexington. After being jailed, McAfee was released on a $5,000 bond.

August 7, 2015

Detroit Man, Two Others Arrested After Allegedly Breaking and Entering Mecosta County Home

by Scott Grabel

On Monday, August 3, three individuals were arrested after neighbors claim to have seen two of the three carrying items from a home that had been broken in to on Olaf Street in Big Rapids. The three were arrested, according to a news article at UpNorthLive.com.

One of the suspects was a juvenile; one of the men arrested is an 18-year-old White Cloud man, the other a 23-year-old man from Detroit. Officials with the Big Rapids Dept. of Public Safety say the Detroit man broke into the home at just before 3 p.m. Neighbors claim to have seen the two men carrying an XBox One, two pairs of Air Jordan sneakers, and a curtain which was believed to be used to carry the items stolen from the home.

The 18-year-old fled the scene and went to a nearby business where he was apprehended by Dept. of Public Safety officers. The Detroit man and juvenile were located after officers surrounded an apartment complex in Big Rapids.

August 4, 2015

Alabama U.S. Postal Workers Facing Drug Distribution Charges

by Scott Grabel

Recently, four individuals were arrested in connection with distribution of drugs (namely marijuana) in Alabama. The four individuals are employees of the U.S. Postal Service, and work at three different facilities in Tuscaloosa County. All of those involved are also residents of Tuscaloosa, according to an ABC news article.

The post offices where the four individuals work include one in the downtown area, one in Northpoint, and one on Skyland Boulevard. Those arrested include Jocelin Betts, Lenard Pompey, Quincy Doss, and Manual Johnson. Doss is believed to be the head of the drug trafficking organization. Betts is charged with one count each of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and trafficking marijuana. Pompey is charged with two counts of conspiracy to distribute marijuana; Doss is charged with one count each of trafficking marijuana, attempted distribution of marijuana, attempted possession of marijuana first-degree, and two counts of distribution of marijuana. Johnson is charged with one count each of conspiracy to traffic marijuana, attempted possession of marijuana first-degree, attempted distribution of marijuana, and two counts of distribution of marijuana.

Investigations have been ongoing since late 2014 when agents with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force discovered Tuscaloosa was being shipped a higher rate of marijuana, and started suspecting employees of the U.S. Postal Service may be involved. The drug distribution scheme is believed to have involved more than 500 lbs. of marijuana. Other agencies assisting in the drug distribution investigation include the FBI – Tuscaloosa office, U.S. Postal Inspectors, and the U.S. Postal service-office of Inspector General. Investigators claim the workers were paid by known drug traffickers who recruited the individuals to facilitate the delivery of the inbound drugs to members of the trafficking organization. Postal employees also allegedly “tipped off” dealers when they were aware law enforcement had been alerted regarding drugs in certain packages, so that the dealers would not accept those packages.