Waynesboro Woman Charged with Conspiring to Defraud the United States with False Tax Returns

Edward J. Tarver, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced February 9 that Charlene Hughes of Waynesboro, Georgia was indicted last week by a federal grand jury sitting in Savannah and charged with Conspiracy to Defraud the United States in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 286. At her initial court appearance yesterday in the federal courthouse in Augusta, U.S. Magistrate Judge W. Leon Barfield stated the defendant would be released from custody once she deposited with the Court ten percent of her $10,000 bond.

The Indictment arises out of a joint investigation by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into Hughes’ alleged involvement with more than twenty-five fraudulent tax returns which falsely claimed more than $90,000 in refunds between April 2006 and August 2007. The Indictment alleges that these fraudulent tax returns contained false Form W-2 information, including false employers and wages. United States Attorney Tarver stated, “As we near the height of this year's tax filing season, those who might consider preparing false tax returns should be aware of the severe consequences of doing so. This indictment emphasizes that the IRS, the FBI and the United States Attorney's Office will aggressively pursue anyone who attempts to defraud America's tax system.”

Tarver emphasized that an indictment is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of ten (10) years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

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Waynesboro Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Receiving Child Pornography

Edward J. Tarver, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced that Roger Alan Gambrel, convicted on June 5, 2009, of the federal offense of Receipt of Child Pornography, was sentenced December 2 by United States District Judge J. Randal Hall, to 240 months imprisonment, followed by supervised release for the remainder of his life. Gambrel will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from federal prison.

Tarver stated that the evidence presented at the defendant’s guilty plea and sentencing hearings showed that Gambrel routinely engaged in sexually suggestive online “chats” with others about the child pornography images being traded during those communications. When his computer and other computer media were seized from Gambrel, he was found in possession of over 2,000 child pornography images.

The case was the result of a joint investigation by Special Agent Brian Ozden of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Agent Charles Kicklighter of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, based upon information they received from FBI agents in California. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Greenwood represented the Government.

Tarver commented that this case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide U.S. Department of Justice initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.

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Four Bank Robbers Sentenced to Total of 539 Months in Prison‏

Edmund A. Booth, Jr., United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced that Christopher Michael Walker and Georgeann Marie Nixon, both residents of Waynesboro, Georgia, were sentenced last week in U.S. District Court by U. S. District Judge J. Randal Hall for their roles in the June 26, 2008 armed robbery of the Regions Bank branch in Louisville, Georgia and the June 30, 2008 armed robbery of the Quick Cash payday loan store in North Augusta, South Carolina.. Walker was sentenced to 140 months and Nixon was sentenced to 60 months. Judge Hall recently sentenced Leonardo Davinci Hardwick of Waynesboro, Georgia to 219 months imprisonment for his role in those armed robberies, as well as for his participation in the July 7, 2008 armed bank robbery of the Southern Bank branch in Waynesboro, Georgia.

Another Waynesboro resident, Kellington Toan Chandler, had been previously sentenced by Judge Hall to 120 months imprisonment for his role in the Southern Bank robbery. Booth stated that the evidence at the guilty plea and sentencing hearings for these defendants established that Nixon drove Hardwick and Walker to the Regions Bank branch in Louisville, Georgia on June 26, 2008 in an automobile provided by Walker, where Hardwick entered the bank wearing a mask provided by Walker, pointed a firearm at a teller, and stole $3,100. The evidence also showed that Nixon drove Hardwick and Walker to the Quick Cash payday loan store located at 4701 Jefferson Davis Highway, North Augusta, South Carolina on June 30, 2008 in an automobile provided by Walker, where Hardwick entered the store wearing a mask provided by Walker, pointed a firearm at two employees, and stole $1,800. The evidence also established that Hardwick accompanied Chandler to the Southern Bank branch in Waynesboro, Georgia on July 7, 2008 and provided him with the firearm that Chandler used to steal $16,000 from a teller. While Chandler fled the bank, he fired the revolver twice but did not strike anyone.

Booth also noted that, in addition to imprisonment, these defendants will be required to pay restitution as follows: Hardwick, $10,792; Chandler, $5,887; Nixon, $4,905; and Walker, $3,205. After their release from prison, Hardwick, Chandler, and Walker will serve five years of supervised release and Nixon will serve three years of supervised release.

Booth praised the joint efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Waynesboro Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and the efforts of Assistant United States Attorney David M. Stewart who represented the government in this prosecution.

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Amber Alert Issued for Georgia Child

Editor's Note: The license plate for the black Cadillac is 616HWS.

If you have information, please contact Burke County Sheriff's Office, 706-554-2133.

A three year old white male, Isaiah Ezekiel Tan, has been abducted. He was last seen in Midville, Georgia, wearing a navy blue t-shirt and cartoon underwear. The child is 3'2" and weighs 36 pounds.

He is believed to be with suspect Deloris Marie Miller, age 46, in a black cadillac with Tennessee plates. Miller is 5'6", weighs 150 pounds ad has brown hair and eyes. She was last seen wearing a light brown button-up shirt with blue jeans and black tennis shoes.

It is believed the vehicle may be traveling to Tennessee.

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