The last of five people charged in an adulterated meat case on which Georgia Department of Agriculture Meat Compliance Officers began surveillance and investigation two years ago has been convicted, Commissioner Tommy Irvin said.
Charles Ricky Bobo of a Cumming address, was found guilty in Walker County Superior Court on nine counts of violations of Georgia’s Meat Inspection Act. He was found guilty on such charges as offering meat under a false label, offering uninspected meat and intent to fraud. Bobo was charged on 26 counts in February of last year with the violations based on the casework prepared by the Georgia Department of Agriculture investigation. Bobo is incarcerated awaiting sentencing in March.
The GDA Officers worked closely with District Attorney Herbert (Buzz) Franklin in Walker County to provide the crucial testimony and evidence linking Bobo to the illegal sale, slaughter, processing and delivery of mislabeled, adulterated and uninspected meat.
“I want to thank and congratulate my staff, the federal workers and the officials in Walker County for their hard work on this case,” said Commissioner Irvin.
“People are subject to possible injury from the unwholesome, adulterated or misbranded meat operations such as this and livestock producers and meat processors of wholesome products also suffer losses,” said Irvin.
The five arrests made in February 2007 were the result of an intense year-long investigation by GDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA FSIS). GDA Compliance Officers and USDA investigators coordinated the arrests with Walker, Bartow, Gwinnett and Barrow Counties. Four of those charged in the case pled guilty earlier.
Bobo was convicted of charges made in connection with the slaughter of sheep in December, 2006 that were intended for distribution in the Atlanta area.
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Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Conviction Closes Adulterated Meat Case
Sunday, November 23, 2008
End Dogfighting and Reap the Reward
(NAPSI)-To keep animal fighting--and what can be done to stop it--in the minds of Americans, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has an Animal Fighting Rewards program.
The organization will give up to $5,000 for information leading to an animal-fighting conviction, turning the information into busts of what it calls some of the nation's most significant illegal dogfighting and cockfighting operations.
"Because animal fighting is conducted in the shadows among a tightly-knit network of criminals, it has been difficult to infiltrate," says John Goodwin, the HSUS's manager of animal fighting issues. "With our new rewards program, we've found a perfect tool to counteract this."
People who suspect dogfighting or cockfighting activity should call the animal fighting tip line at (301) 258-1459. They should also call the police and mention the reward program.
For more information, visit www.humanesociety.org/rewards.
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Friday, October 10, 2008
Metals Theft Summit Brings Renewed Commitment to Catch Thieves
PRNewswire/ -- "I'm sure we all wish the passage of a law could eradicate a criminal act, but it doesn't work that way," said Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) Director Vernon Keenan.
Keenan made the remarks at a Metals Theft Stakeholder Summit held Oct. 6 in middle Georgia and telecast in Atlanta. Keenan referred to legislation passed in 2007 which allows prosecutors a greater ability to seek a felony conviction (rather than a misdemeanor) for the crime of metals theft. Despite changes to the law, however, metals thefts continue to rise at an alarming rate.
Consequently, Georgia Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) hosted the Metals Theft Stakeholders Summit during which approximately 100 representatives from across Georgia, representing utilities, telecommunications, law enforcement, district attorneys, railroads, homebuilders, apartment owners, automobile dealers and recyclers, among others, gathered to bring attention to the widespread nature of these crimes and share the devastating impact to businesses and consumers.
Since these organizations and consumer groups have been hardest hit and have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars associated with the problem, they are partnering to galvanize their grassroots efforts in communities throughout Georgia to enhance coordination of security and communication among stakeholders and consider ways to stem the rising tide of these costly crimes.
According to Georgia EMC Vice President of Government Relations and Communications and Member Services Bill Verner, thieves are becoming increasingly bold and careless when stealing metals.
"Consumers foot the bill for the damage left by a wire thief. Utilities must pass along increased costs to replace and repair damaged equipment, and more importantly, our employees and the public are left vulnerable to electrocution hazards in the wake of many such crimes," Verner said.
"Homebuilders, already struggling in today's tough economy, must replace copper stolen from new and vacant houses. Apartment owners must increase rent to recover costs, and taxpayers are bearing the costly treatment in emergency rooms for burn victims who've been injured during the course of break-ins to energized electric substations. The costs to the consumer -- and public safety -- are tremendous," he said.
Consequences extend beyond consumers' pocketbooks. Recreation leagues have been forced to cancel soccer and basketball practice for hundreds of young athletes throughout the state, because copper has been ripped from poles which light soccer fields and basketball courts. Churches have suspended services after copper was taken from pipes and air conditioners, and a small historic church in rural Washington County was burned to the ground last year by copper thieves who tried to cover up their crime with the fire.
According to Verner, metals thefts are now causing power outages in some parts of the country. Yesterday approximately 7,400 residents in Ohio lost power following a copper theft. "When wire is ripped from a substation as happened this week in Ohio," he said, "It can result in entire neighborhoods losing power."
Since metals thefts affect a wide spectrum of businesses and associations, the summit attracted representatives from the electric cooperatives throughout Georgia, Georgia Transmission Corp., Georgia Power, AT&T, MEAG Power, Southwire, Homebuilders Association of Georgia, Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia, Georgia Sheriffs Association, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, Norfolk Southern, Georgia Apartment Association and Georgia Automobile Dealers Association, among others.
During the meeting, stakeholders discussed possible ways to reduce the rash of thefts, while representatives ranging from the Homebuilders Association of Georgia to Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia discussed the financial and safety impacts of these crimes and the challenges they face when attempting to enforce the law.
The EMCs in Georgia reported approximately 350 incidents of metals thefts in 2007 with costs reaching $200,000. Companies such as Georgia Transmission Corp. reported as many as 98 incidents (through September 2008) totaling $500,000. AT&T and Georgia Power spokespersons reported 56 incidents (through August 2008) costing more than $100,000, and 147 incidents (through September 2008) totaling $237,000, respectively.
Coalition members pledged to maintain an open dialogue among stakeholders; strengthen relationships among recyclers, sheriffs, chiefs of police, district attorneys, and public and private businesses; pursue additional avenues of prevention and work to close any loops in existing state law.
Stakeholders agree it will take a solid partnership and cooperation to lessen the epidemic and stem the surge of these unlawful acts, and each committed during the meeting to become an active partner in the effort to reduce metals thefts.
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Monday, August 11, 2008
Medical Supply Executive Imprisoned for Defrauding Medicare
ANGELA D. ISLEY, 44, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Charles A. Pannell, Jr. to serve more than 5 years in prison on charges of health care fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. ISLEY was convicted of these charges on April 28, 2008, following a two week jury trial.
United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said, “The defendant submitted false claims to Medicare with a total value of more than $600,000, resulting in a loss to Medicare of $219,000. She also used her position at Orthoscript, Inc. to steal more than $360,000 from that company. Every dollar the defendant stole from the Medicare program was a dollar taken from the elderly and disabled Americans who depend on Medicare for their health care needs, and from the taxpayers who fund the program. The prison sentence imposed today reinforces the message that health care fraud is a serious crime with serious penalties.”
OIG Special Agent in Charge Melody Jackson said, “Today's action sends a message to those who corruptly take advantage of the Medicare system. The Office of Inspector General, Atlanta Regional Office will continue to work aggressively to eliminate this type of corruption in our health care system.”
ISLEY was sentenced to five years, ten months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $703,814. Judge Pannell said from the bench at today’s hearing that, partly because of extra costs incurred by the government retrieving hundreds of documents demanded by ISLEY during discovery that he is also ordering her to pay a fine of $125,000.
According to United States Attorney Nahmias and the information presented in court: Between January 2001 and December 2003, ISLEY knowingly assigned incorrect “product codes” to certain wrist braces and walking boots in Orthoscript Incorporated’s inventory in order to generate higher reimbursements from Medicare. ISLEY instructed company employees, often over their objections, to file claims with Medicare listing fraudulent product codes which are to be specifically used for custom-fabricated wrist braces, when all Orthoscript actually supplied were cheaper, prefabricated, off-the-shelf items. As a result of the health care fraud scheme, ISLEY caused Orthoscript to fraudulently bill the Medicare program for more than $600,000.
ISLEY's responsibilities at Orthoscript also included handling and accounting for ordinary business expenses, such as writing checks to vendors. Between April 2001 and April 2004, ISLEY wrote Orthoscript company checks to pay her and her partner's personal Capital One credit card bills, and used her sole control over Orthoscript's books to cause these payments, totaling more than $360,000, to be falsely recorded as legitimate business expenses. Orthoscript's officers and shareholders never authorized ISLEY to obtain reimbursement for these personal expenses.
A defendant in a related case, ARCH NELSON, 46, of Alpharetta, Georgia, who was a partner in Orthoscript, was sentenced late this afternoon to 5 years of probation, and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service, on a charge of misprision of felony, in knowing about and not reporting ISLEY’s crimes. NELSON had pleaded guilty to the charge in October 2006 and testified against ISLEY at her trial.
This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Glenn D. Baker and John Horn prosecuted the case.
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Monday, August 4, 2008
Local Businessman Convicted by Federal Jury on All Counts for Bribing Atlanta Public School Official
Bribes Helped Businessman Receive Millions in Federal "E-Rate" Funds
R. CLAY HARRIS, 56, of Peachtree City, Georgia, was found guilty this morning by a federal jury on charges of bribery and conspiring to bribe a former Atlanta Public School (APS) official and to deprive APS and the citizens of Atlanta of that official’s honest services.
United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said, “Business people who think they can bribe their way into contracts with school systems and government agencies face the risk of being caught and convicted. Our investigations into public corruption do not end with the conviction of the public officials; we seek to investigate and prosecute the business people who pay bribes and join the corrupt conspiracies. In this case, we have already convicted the recipients of Harris’ bribes, and now he too will go to prison.”
"Today's guilty verdict demonstrates the Department's resolve to hold accountable individuals who subvert the competitive process and frustrate efforts to help our nation's economically disadvantaged school children," said Thomas O. Barnett, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department's Antitrust Division in Washington D.C.
According to United States Attorney Nahmias, the charges and other information presented in court: HARRIS was the CEO and majority owner of Multimedia Communications Services Corporation (MCSC), while co-conspirator Arthur Scott was the Director of APS’s Operational Technology-Telecommuications Division, with responsibility for APS’s technology infrastructure and for managing and overseeing APS’s “E-rate” program. Arthur Scott pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribery charges in May 2007, and testified at trial against HARRIS.
The E-rate program was created by Congress in 1996 to provide funding to connect needy schools to the Internet and was authorized to provide billions of dollars of funding to such schools. In 1998, Arthur Scott and other APS Information Services employees recommended that MCSC (and related companies) be awarded contracts to do E-rate work for APS.
Evidence at trial showed that starting in late 2000 and continuing until late 2002, HARRIS paid M&S Consulting, a business partnership between Arthur Scott and his wife, Evelyn Myers Scott, over $230,000 for favorable treatment in receiving E-rate and other APS business. In January 2001, shortly after the corrupt payments began, Arthur Scott submitted E-rate funding applications requesting over $22 million for MCSC to provide equipment and services to APS, without competitive bidding.
The evidence showed that in September 2001, APS learned that E-rate had approved and set aside $11 million for MCSC projects. Arthur Scott testified at trial that he did virtually no work for HARRIS from that point forward, yet he continued to invoice HARRIS and got over $200,000 in payments from HARRIS. During that same time period, HARRIS received over $11 million in E-rate funds for work at APS.
In January 2002, Arthur Scott submitted E-rate funding applications requesting over $16 million more for MCSC to provide equipment and services to APS, again without competitive bidding. HARRIS’ payments to Scott stopped when HARRIS’ company, MCSC, was forced to competitively bid for additional E-rate work in December 2002 and was not selected by APS to conduct further work under the E-rate program. Evelyn Myers Scott, the partner in M&S Consulting, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to deprive of honest services in May 2007, and she also testified at trial against HARRIS.
Sentencing for HARRIS is set for October, 22, 2008, at 4 p.m. before United States District Judge Clarence Cooper. HARRIS faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in federal prison. 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. Arthur Scott is serving a sentence of 3 years, 1 month in federal prison. Evelyn Myers Scott is serving a sentence of 2 years in federal prison. They were both sentenced in July 2007.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Communications Commission Office of the Inspector General. APS cooperated in the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys William McKinnon and Sally B. Molloy prosecuted this case, with the assistance of the Atlanta Field Office of the Antitrust Division.
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