SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas teen after a incident involving a gun.

Just after 4p.m.Thursday, police responded to a disturbance with a weapon call at Woodman Elementary in the 2500 block of South Hiram in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson. An employee reported that teens were on scene and that they possibly had guns.

The investigation revealed there was a verbal disturbance between a group of five boys and a group of six girls known to each other, who were walking from Truesdell Middle School to Woodman Elementary School.

During the disturbance, a 14-year-old boy pointed a handgun at the girls, according to Davidson.

No shots were fired and no one was injured. The 14-year-old was arrested on scene and recovered the gun. Woodman Elementary was briefly placed on lockdown.

USD 259 spokeswoman Susan Arensman said the incident happened in a neighborhood south of Woodman Elementary school and not on the school’s property.

The boy is being held in juvenile detention on requested charges that include six counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm by a juvenile and unlawful use of a weapon.

BARTON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities  in Barton County developed information of drug trafficking at a home in Great Bend and made two arrests.

Just before 11a.m. Thursday, detectives executed a search warrant developed at a residence at 1445 Park Street in Great Bend, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.

They discovered drugs and paraphernalia and arrested Eligus R. Ricketts, 34 of Salina.

He was booked on requested charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and interference with law enforcement officer. Ricketts was found hiding in a closet at the time of his arrest. Ricketts also had an outstanding warrant from Saline County. The Saline County warrant was a no bond warrant, the charges in Barton County carry a $100,000 bond, according to Bellendir.

He has nine previous convictions that include criminal possession of a firearm, aggravated escape from custody, aggravated assault, fee and attempt to elude law enforcement and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Deputies also came in contact with Howard L. Johnson age 23 of Great Bend Johnson was taken into custody on three outstanding warrants for parole violation. The bond on Johnson’s warrants range from $1500-$5000.

 

KANSAS CITY  (AP) — Relatives are outraged after a 17-year-old was killed outside a Kansas City home and his 7-year-old sister shot six times as she played nearby.

Police suspect that another teen opened fire Wednesday night after an argument, killing Zavien Hall and wounding his sister, Jazmine Hall. She is hospitalized in stable condition. No other suspect description has been offered and no arrests have been made.

The siblings’ great-grandmother, Jannie Hall, asked what Zavien could have done that was “so bad.” She also expressed outrage that Jazmine had been wounded, saying, “Son, what was wrong with you?”

Zavien’s great-grandfather, Emanuel Hall, says there is “no explanation as to why this would have happened.” Zavien’s family described the teen as a jokester, playful but extremely respectful.

SALINE COUNTY — A former employee of Saint Francis Ministries in Salina is facing 11 charges including rape, sexual exploitation of a child and indecent liberties with a child.

Saline County District Court records show Nathaniel McEachin worked for Saint Francis Ministries from December 2018 to May 2019, when he was fired.

Morgan Rothenberger, spokesman for Saint Francis Ministries, says the organization notified authorities when suspicions were raised about McEachin.

McEachin worked at the Youth Residential Center II in Salina.

The victims were four girls — ages 14 through 17 — and the alleged crimes occurred between May 30, 2018, and May 5, 2019, according to police.

Saint Francis has been a contractor for Kansas Department for Children and Families since 1986. It provides foster care, family preservation, reunification, adoption and child placement services

-The AP contributed to this report.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a case of shoplifting that also sent to officers to the hospital after they rescued a drowning suspect.

Just after 9:30p.m.Thursday, police responded to report of a suspicious character call at Kohls in the 6900 Block of West Kellogg in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

Police were told a group of individuals had shoplifted at the east Wichita Kohls, had arrived at the west location and were about to walk out of the store with $1,000 in clothing and other merchandise, according to Davidson.

As a male suspect and a 16-year-old were exiting the store with the merchandise, the store’s Loss Prevention staff confronted them. The two suspects dropped the merchandise and ran.

Loss Prevention staff identified for arriving officers the 16-year-old girl running through the parking lot. As officers attempted to contact her, she jumped into a nearby retention pond. The suspect swam to the middle of the pond and stated she could not swim. She swam to a shallow area and then made a second attempt to swim across the pond. She disappeared under the water, according to Davidson.

Two Wichita Police officers jumped in the pond and located the suspect and brought her to the surface. She was not breathing and unresponsive. The officers brought her to the shore where a third officer began CPR until Sedgwick County EMS arrived.

The girl was revived and taken to an area hospital where she remains hospitalized in critical condition, according to Davidson.

Due to bacteria in the pond, the two officers became violently ill and were taken to an area hospital, treated and released.

The two other larceny suspects fled the scene, according to Davidson.

SALINE COUNTY  —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after a domestic violence dispute.

Just after 3p.m. Thursday, police responded to a residence in a trailer park at 1200 W. Crawford in Salina after a report of domestic violence., according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.

A 22-year-old Salina woman was in the back of a 2011 Toyota pickup and and in an argument with Zachary Gonzales, 34, of Salina.

As she attempted to unload some items belonging to her, Gonzales drove the pickup off at a high rate of speed on the trailer park’s street, which is nearly a quarter-mile loop, according to Forrester.

A man who lives in the trailer park heard the woman screaming for Gonzales to stop and stepped out into the street to try to stop the vehicle.

The pickup struck the 41-year-old Salina man. A dent in the front of the pickup was consistent with the man’s story, according to Forrester.

Gonzales stopped and the woman was able to get out of the truck when her mother came to help, Forrester said.

Police arrested Gonzales on  requested charges of Kidnapping, Aggravated battery, Domestic aggravated assault. The 41-year-old man refused medical treatment, according to Forrester.

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a pair of early morning shooting incidents and looking for suspects .

Just before 2a.m. police were dispatched to a report of shots fired in the area of 3136 SE Irvingham in Topeka, according to Lt. Manuel Munoz.

While officers were in route, dispatch received information of a possible victim at the  address. Officers located a man who was suffering from non-life threatening injuries. He was transported to a local hospital. Police brought several witnesses to the Law Enforcement Center to be interviewed. No arrests have been made.

Just after 4a.m., police were dispatched to 935 SW Watson in Topeka on a report of a shooting, according to Munoz. Upon arrival, officers located a man suffering from non-life threatening gunshot wounds. The victim refused to cooperate with detectives.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Billionaire industrialist David H. Koch, who with his older brother, Charles, transformed American politics by pouring their riches into conservative causes, has died at age 79.

Charles Koch announced the death on Friday, saying, “It is with a heavy heart that I now must inform you of David’s death.”

David Koch, who lived in New York City, was the Libertarian Party’s vice presidential candidate in 1980. He was a generous donor to conservative political causes as well as educational, medical and cultural groups.

The Koch brothers were best known for a vast political network they built that became popularly known as the “Kochtopus” for its far-reaching tentacles in support of conservative causes. The brothers founded the anti-tax, small government group Americans for Prosperity.

“I was taught from a young age that involvement in the public discourse is a civic duty,” David Koch wrote in a 2012 op-ed in the New York Post. “Each of us has a right— indeed, a responsibility, at times — to make his or her views known to the larger community in order to better form it as a whole. While we may not always get what we want, the exchange of ideas betters the nation in the process.”

After battling prostate cancer for 20 years, he told a reporter following the 2012 Republican convention that he was thinking about what he will someday leave behind.

“I like to engage where my part makes a difference,” he told The Weekly Standard. “I have a point of view. When I pass on, I want people to say he did a lot of good things, he made a real difference, he saved a lot of lives in cancer research.”

David Koch donated $100 million in 2007 to create the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also gave millions to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, the M.D. Anderson Cancer in Houston, and other institutions.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History named in his honor a wing dedicated to the story of human evolution over 6 million years. David Koch donated $15 million to fund the 15,000 square-foot hall.

“The program has the power to influence the way we view our identity as humans, not only today, but for generations to come,” he said in a statement at the time.

David Koch, an engineer trained at MIT, joined Koch Industries in 1970, and served on its board. He also served as chief executive officer of Koch Chemical Technology Group, LLC, a Koch subsidiary. He retired from the company in 2018

Charles and David Koch, each with an estimated net worth of $50.5 billion, tied in fourth place in 2012 on Forbes 500 list of the nation’s richest men.

Two of the Koch brothers, Frederick and Bill Koch, sued the other two, claiming in a 1998 trial that they were cheated out of more than $1 billion when they sold their stake in Koch Industries back in 1983. David and Bill Koch are twins.

The dispute stemmed from a falling out three years earlier when Bill Koch criticized Charles’ management of the company, and with Frederick’s support, tried to gain control of the company’s board of directors. After the takeover move failed, the board fired Bill as an executive. Bill and Frederick Koch and other dissident stockholders sold their interests, and the brothers later sued claiming the company withheld crucial information that would have led to a higher sale price.

Bill and Frederick lost their case, but the lengthy public trial offered a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse at the Koch family.

The Kochs’ father, Fred Koch, guessed early — before two of his boys were out of diapers and before two were even born — that wealth might split his family apart.

“It will be yours to do with what you will,” the father wrote in a 1936 letter to his two oldest sons. “It may be either a blessing or a curse.”

David Koch and his wife, Julia Flesher, have three children.

 

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas woman on felony charges after a drug investigation.

The Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU)  for the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Department  followed up on information regarding a non-school aged juvenile boy who was being exposed to unsafe living conditions that include a drug environment, according Sgt. Todd Stallbaumer.

The DEU served a search warrant on the mother’s residence located in the 1100 block of SW Lincoln in Topeka.  They located narcotics and paraphernalia that would be in reach of the child. Members of DEU located the child and  placed him into Police Protective Custody.

Police arrested the boy’s mother 26-year-old Montanna L. Luker of Topeka and booked her into the Shawnee County Jail on felony narcotic charges.

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities report that they have seen a decrease this summer in the number of guns stolen from cars in Wichita.

According to Lt. Scott Bruno, 47 guns were stolen from cars during June and July in 2018. Only 26 were stolen in 2019 for a total of 120 guns so far this year after 250 were reported stolen in 2018.

The majority of the guns are stolen between midnight and 5a.m. after they are left in in cars overnight, according to Brunow.

The Wichita police department has started the Operation Save-A-Casing program. It is a partnership with law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal level and the community to combat firearm-related crime, according to the department web site.

 

Here’s a map of guns stolen from cars YTD in Wichita https://t.co/rUvt3InrHQ pic.twitter.com/HMjTjJdXwi

— Lt.Scott Brunow (@AutoTheftWPD) August 20, 2019

 

The campaign works by submitting two firearm casings to a Wichita Police Department Officer after a gun theft has occurred. These casings are then submitted into National Integrated Ballistic Information Network known as NIBIN, a national database containing digital images of spent bullets and cartridge casings that were found at crime scenes or test-fired from confiscated firearms. This database can be searched for possible matches and if a “hit” occurs, the NIBIN lab sends that information to WPD investigators.

Participation is completely voluntary, however, we encourage the community to take part in an effort to reduce violent crime involving firearms.

DOUGLAS COUNTY—A woman injured in an accident just before 4p.m. August 16 in Douglas County has died.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Jeep Cherokee driven by Kathy L. Robbins, 59, Independence, Mo., was westbound on U.S. 40 just south of 1802 Road driving erratically.

The vehicle left the roadway traveling through the west ditch and struck a tree.

EMS transported Robbins to KU Medical Center where she died Wednesday, according to the KHP.  She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two stolen car suspects after they ran from a traffic stop and crashed.

Just before 11:30p.m. Wednesday, police attempted to stop a Nissan Altima near the intersection of Harry and Bluff View in Wichita for a traffic violation, according to officer Charley Davidson.

The driver of the vehicle later identified as 23-year-old Ana Gonzalez refused to stop and sped away from officers.

A short time later, officers found the vehicle had crashed near the intersection of Harry and Lulu. They found Gonzalez and a passenger 28-year-old Donald Martin in the 1500 Block of South Patty. They were taken into custody without further incident, according to Davidson.

Investigators determined the car had been stolen early Wednesday.

Gonzalez is being held on requested charges of felony evade and elude police, possession of stolen property, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, additional traffic charges and outstanding warrants. Martin is being held on requested charges that included auto theft, possession of a controlled substance, obstruct, possession of drug paraphernalia and a Kansas Department of Corrections Warrant. He has 8 previous convictions for theft, burglary, aggravated assault, criminal discharge of a firearm and aggravated escape from custody, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

LOS ANGELES – A 252-count federal grand jury indictment unsealed Thursday charges 80 defendants, most of whom are Nigerian nationals, with participating in a massive conspiracy to steal millions of dollars through a variety of fraud schemes and launder the funds through a Los Angeles-based money laundering network, according to the United State’s Attorney.

The indictment was unsealed after law enforcement authorities this morning arrested 14 defendants across the United States, with 11 of those arrests taking place in the Los Angeles region. Two defendants were already in federal custody on other charges, and one was arrested earlier this week. The remaining defendants are believed to be abroad, with most them located in Nigeria.

The indictment alleges that the 80 defendants and others used various online fraud schemes – including business email compromise (BEC) frauds, romance scams, and schemes targeting the elderly – to defraud victims out of millions of dollars. According to a criminal complaint also unsealed today, co-conspirators based in Nigeria, the United States and other countries contacted the lead defendants in the indictment – Valentine Iro, 31, of Carson, and Chukwudi Christogunus Igbokwe, 38, of Gardena, both Nigerian citizens – for bank and money-service accounts that could receive funds fraudulently obtained from victims. Once members of the conspiracy convinced victims to send money under false pretenses, Iro and Igbokwe coordinated the receipt of funds and oversaw an extensive money-laundering network, according to the 145-page indictment.

The indictment and criminal complaint allege that Iro and Igbokwe, who were among those arrested Thursday morning, were involved in schemes resulting in the fraudulent transfer of at least $6 million in fraudulently-obtained funds – and the overall conspiracy was responsible for the attempted theft of at least an additional $40 million.

The fraudsters targeted victims in the United States and across the globe, including individuals, small and large businesses, and law firms. Some of the victims of the conspiracy lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fraud schemes, and many were elderly.

“This case is part of our ongoing efforts to protect Americans from fraudulent online schemes and to bring to justice those who prey upon American citizens and businesses,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “Today, we have taken a major step to disrupt criminal networks that use BEC schemes, romance scams and other frauds to fleece victims. This indictment sends a message that we will identify perpetrators – no matter where they reside – and we will cut off the flow of ill-gotten gains.”

“Today’s announcement highlights the extensive efforts that organized criminal groups will engage in to perpetrate BEC schemes that target American citizens and their hard-earned assets,” said Assistant Director in Charge Paul Delacourt of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Billions of dollars are lost annually, and we urge citizens to be aware of these sophisticated financial schemes to protect themselves or their businesses from becoming unsuspecting victims. The FBI is committed to working with our partner agencies worldwide to continue to identify these cyber criminals and to dismantle their networks.”

Iro and Igbokwe essentially were brokers of fraudulent bank accounts. According to the indictment, Iro and Igbokwe collected bank accounts, fielded requests for bank account information, provided that information to co-conspirators around the world, and laundered the money obtained from victims – all of this in exchange for a cut of the money stolen from victims of the various fraud schemes.

If a bank account with a specific business name was required to trick a business-victim into making a payment, Iro and Igbokwe often coordinated with “money mules” to open accounts that could receive funds obtained, according to court documents. In addition to making the fake business name mirror the name of a legitimate company, members of the conspiracy routinely filed fictitious business name statements with the Los Angeles County Registrar/Recorder’s Office that were presented to banks when the fraudulent accounts were opened.

Once a victim deposited funds into a bank account or a money services account, Iro and Igbokwe allegedly coordinated with others to further launder the funds. Members of the conspiracy sometimes wired funds to other bank accounts under their control; in other cases, they simply withdrew funds as cash or negotiable instruments such as cashier’s checks.

When stolen funds were withdrawn as cash, the defendants frequently used illicit money exchangers to move funds overseas, generally avoiding transferring the funds directly through banking institutions, the indictment alleges. To do this, Iro and Igbokwe coordinated the transfer of a victim’s funds from a fraudulent bank account they controlled to U.S. bank accounts belonging to illicit money exchangers. Those money exchangers, in turn, used a Nigerian banking application to transfer other funds in naira (₦), the currency of Nigeria, from Nigerian bank accounts they controlled to the Nigerian bank accounts specified by Iro and Igbokwe. This method was used to transfer millions of dollars to Nigerian co-conspirators without directly transferring funds overseas. The indictment alleges that Jerry Ikogho, 50, of Carson (who was taken into custody on Sunday), and Adegoke Moses Ogungbe, 34, of Fontana, were among those who served as illicit money exchangers for the conspiracy.

Each of the 80 defendants named in the indictment is charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to launder money, and aggravated identity theft. A number of the defendants also face substantive fraud and money laundering charges.

Additionally, Iro, Igbokwe, Ikogho, Ogungbe and three other defendants –Izuchukwu Kingsley Umejesi, 30, of Los Angeles, Tityaye Marina Mansbangura, 33, of Palmdale, and Obi Madekwe, 31, of Nigeria – are charged with operating illegal money transmitting businesses. Ogungbe and Mansbangura were also among those arrested this morning, and Umejesi is a fugitive currently being sought by authorities.

Iro, Igbokwe and Chuks Eroha, 39, face additional charges for attempting to destroy their phones when the FBI executed a search warrant in July 2017. Iro also is charged with lying to the FBI in an interview conducted during the search. The complaint alleges that, when the FBI arrived to conduct the court-authorized search at Iro’s apartment in Carson, Iro broke his phone in half, while Igbokwe and Eroha threw phones from a bedroom window of the apartment. While Iro claimed he previously had broken the phone during an argument with his wife, the complaint details how the FBI was able to determine that the phone was operational until seconds after the FBI knocked on Iro’s apartment door to execute the search warrant. Eroha is believed to have fled to Nigeria shortly after the FBI executed the warrant.

The charges contained in the criminal complaint and indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

This investigation is being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the United States Department of State provided substantial assistance during the investigation.

Several agencies provided support during today’s takedown or during the investigation, including the United States Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office and the California Franchise Tax Board.

Many of the FBI’s Legal Attachés provided assistance throughout this investigation, as did the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, and foreign authorities around the world. In particular, the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office thank the National Crime Agency in the United Kingdom and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Osnabrück, Germany for their contributions.