ATF Offers $5K Reward for Information on Retail Gun Theft

/PRNewswire/ -- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Atlanta Field Division today announced a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for a recent firearms theft at American Classic Marksman, a federally licensed gun dealer in Norcross, Ga. The incident has triggered a joint investigation, being conducted by ATF and the Gwinnett County Police Department.

"We all have a vested interest in arresting those responsible and recovering these stolen guns," said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jeffery Pearce. "We know that in many instances stolen firearms end up in the hands of violent criminals, who use them to commit additional crimes. Law enforcement is asking for the public's assistance in removing these threats from the community."

The burglary occurred on Sept. 17, at the business located at 5303 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Norcross, Ga. Security cameras from within the business filmed one white male subject, make entry into the business and then exit with three firearms. The individual made entry by crawling through duct work and eventually climbing down from the vent/ceiling area of the shooting range. He exited the building through the same entry point.

Investigators are seeking the public's help with identifying the subject involved and providing information on the location of any or all of the stolen firearms. Anyone with information is encouraged to call ATF's toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-888-ATF-TIPS (1-888-283-8477). Callers can remain anonymous.

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Waycross Woman Pleads Guilty to $2 Million Embezzlement and Identity Theft Scheme

SANDRA L. COOMBS, 39, from Waycross, Georgia pleaded guilty yesterday in federal district court before Chief United States District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to one count of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to steal over $2 million from her former employer.

United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver said, “This defendant betrayed her employer by using her position of trust to steal over $2 million. Ms. Coombs also stole names and identities of others to commit her fraud. This defendant’s unlawful conduct will send her to federal prison for a lengthy sentence.”

According to the evidence presented during Ms. Coombs’ guilty plea hearing, from 2005 through 2009 Coombs worked as the office manager for Ace Pole Company, a Blackshear business specializing in the production and sale of wooden utility poles. Coombs used her position as office manager to systematically steal over $2 million during a more than four-year time period. To accomplish her scheme, Coombs forged the names of Ace Pole Company officers on over 200 checks written from the company’s Patterson Bank account. To hide the scheme, Coombs falsified company records to make it appear that the forged checks she made payable to herself were instead payments made to vendors of the company. Coombs’ fraudulent activities came to light during an unrelated drug trafficking investigation, when Pierce County law enforcement uncovered the suspicious money transfers in and out of Ms. Coombs’ bank account.

Coombs now faces a 30 year maximum prison sentence for bank fraud, and two-year consecutive prison terms on her aggravated identity theft convictions. A sentencing date has not been set. Coombs was again remanded to U.S. Marshal custody following her guilty plea.

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Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy for Participation in Fraudulent Driver's License Ring

GUO XING SONG, a/k/a “Andi Chen,” 43, of Charlotte, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today in federal district court to two charges in connection with his participation in a fraudulent driver's license ring and to a charge of aggravated identity theft in connection with the sale of a Social Security card issued to another individual by the Social Security Administration.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “This defendant, along with his coconspirator who worked for Georgia Driver's Services, arranged for illegal Chinese nationals to obtain Georgia driver's licenses without documentation and without even taking the driver's exam. The customers paid $2000 to $3000 for real driver's licenses. Now the defendants face real time.”

According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: SONG, who lived in Atlanta between 2001 and 2006, placed ads in a Atlanta area Chinese language newspaper, claiming he could assist persons who did not have documentation to obtain driver’s licenses in Georgia and other states. Persons responding to the ads were instructed to meet SONG or a co-conspirator at a designated location, usually a gas station or shopping center parking lot. They were then driven from the Atlanta area to Georgia Driver’s Service locations in either Colquitt or Thomasville, Georgia. The alleged co-conspirators in that part of the scheme, ZHONG LIANG LI, 34, and his brother, ZHONG HUA LI, 31, formerly of Colquitt, Georgia, were indicted by a federal grand jury on January 19, 2010, and are awaiting trial.

A co-defendant in the case who has already pleaded guilty, CLEVELAND SPENCER, 47, of Thomasville, Georgia, is a former Georgia Driver’s examiner who worked at those Driver’s Service locations. He admitted issuing driver’s licenses to SONG’s customers without requiring any documentation showing legal residence in the United States or the state of Georgia. SPENCER also did not issue the required written and road test examinations to SONG’s customers. SONG or his alleged co-conspirators paid SPENCER for fraudulently issuing the licenses. SPENCER reportedly received $250 to $400 per license. SONG’s customers paid SONG approximately $2,000 to $3,000 for the licenses. Georgia Driver’s records indicate that approximately 300 licenses were fraudulently issued.

In December 2006, SONG sold a genuine Social Security card to a confidential informant, who was purportedly buying it for a Chinese national who was illegally in the United States. The Social Security card actually belonged to an individual who had previously been in the United States on a temporary work visa and returned to China.

SPENCER pleaded guilty to the conspiracy on April 27, 2010, and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14, 2010, at 10:30 a.m.

SONG was indicted on the charges on January 19, 2010. Today he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft. He could receive a maximum possible sentence of up five years in prison on the conspiracy count, and faces a minimum mandatory sentence of two years for the aggravated identity theft. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 on each count. In determining the actual sentence on the conspiracy count, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 2, 2010, at 10:30 a.m., before United States District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr.

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Atlanta Man Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to the FDIC and Aggravated Identity Theft

BRENT MERRIELL, 37, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty today in federal district court to charges of making false statements to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and aggravated identity theft.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “This case demonstrates our resolve to prosecute those who attempt to cheat the FDIC as that agency works to secure the assets of hard-working Americans deposited in this country’s banks.The FDIC has limited resources to guarantee deposits across this country, and we will not ignore attempts by criminals like Merriell to steal money intended to protect honest citizens.”

According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: MERRIELL obtained millions of dollars in loans from Omni National Bank before Omni’s failure and takeover by the FDIC on March 27, 2009.Beginning in October 2009, when he was facing foreclosure on 14 different properties, MERRIELL asked the FDIC to forgive $2.2 million in Omni loan payoffs and allow him to “short sale” two properties each to seven new purchasers at greatly reduced amounts.

A “short sale” occurs when a lender agrees to the sale of property—on which the current owner has defaulted—to a third party for less than the full amount due on the loan.Lenders are willing to accept “short sales” as a means of reducing their losses on bad loans and assisting the distressed property owner. In this case, MERRIELL attempted to arrange short sales in the names of people whose identities had been stolen, and he submitted forged and counterfeited sales contracts and loan commitment letters to the FDIC in support of the sales.MERRIELL was arrested before he could complete these sales and ruin the credit of the persons whose identities he stole.

MERRIELL was indicted on the charges in December 2009. He could receive a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for the false statements crime, as well as a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 for the aggravated identity theft.In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 25, 2010, at 2 p.m. before United States District Judge Jack T. Camp.

Additional Omni-related prosecutions to date include:

MARK ANTHONY MCBRIDE, 43, of East Point, Georgia, who pleaded guilty on April 4, 2009, to fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in mortgage loans from Omni and other lenders, is scheduled to be sentenced on April 1, 2010, at 2:00 p.m., before United States District Judge Jack T. Camp. MCBRIDE remains in jail while awaiting sentencing.

JEFFREY L. LEVINE, 68, of Atlanta, Georgia, who pleaded guilty on January 14, 2010, to causing materially false entries that overvalued bank assets to be made in the books, reports and statements of Omni, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 25, 2010, at 10:00 a.m., before United States District Judge Jack T. Camp.

DELROY OLIVER DAVY, 37, of Lithonia, Georgia, was charged in a Criminal Information on December 18, 2009, with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank, mail, and wire fraud in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars of mortgage loans from Omni and other lenders. At his initial appearance, DAVY waived indictment and is now scheduled to plead guilty on May 11, 2010, at 2 p.m.before United States District Judge Jack T. Camp.

These cases are being investigated by Special Agents of a Mortgage Fraud Task Force formed for Omni-related cases, made up of the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - Office of Inspector General, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the FDIC -Office of Inspector General, the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Task Force is continuing to investigate a number of Omni-related matters.

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