Blue Springs Man Sentenced for Illegal Firearm After Accidentally Shooting a Friend

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — David M. Ketchmark, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Blue Springs, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm. The crime was discovered after he accidentally shot a friend and took him to the hospital for treatment.

Travis L. Martin, 38, of Blue Springs, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to nine years in federal prison without parole.

On Jan. 5, 2012, Martin pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Martin admitted that he possessed a Colt .45–caliber pistol on June 27, 2011. Martin accidentally fired the weapon in his residence, injuring a friend in the arm. Martin took the wounded individual to the hospital for treatment of the gunshot wound.

Police officers executed a search warrant at Martin’s residence, where they found the pistol as well as nine additional firearms. Officers also recovered a baggie of marijuana, narcotics paraphernalia and 15 marijuana plants.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Martin has prior felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon, felonious restraint and armed criminal action.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Clark. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Firearms Task Force of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Bethany Man Sentenced for Armed Robberies at Five Grocery Stores

KANSAS CITY, MO—David M. Ketchmark, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Bethany, Missouri man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a string of armed grocery store robberies.

Jeremiah Kraushaar, 32, of Bethany, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 16 years in federal prison without parole.

On October 17, 2011, Kraushaar pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to commit the robberies. Kraushaar admitted that he and co-conspirators robbed five grocery stores, including Thriftway Store, 1616 E. 63rd Street, Kansas City, Missouri, on September 13, 2010; Cosentino’s Apple Market, 7506 Raytown Road, Raytown, Missouri, on October 3, 2010; Hy-Vee Store, 1104 S. 25th Street, Bethany, Missouri, on October 14, 2010; Patricia’s Food Store, 1212 W. 40 Highway, Odessa, Missouri, on October 22, 2010; and Apple Market Grocery Store, 1215 E. Emanuel Cleaver, II Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri, on November 2, 2010.

During each robbery, grocery store employees were held at gunpoint and their hands were bound with plastic zip-tie restraints. Kraushaar also pleaded guilty to two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence during the Cosentino’s Apple Market and Apple Market Grocery Store robberies.

Co-defendant Finis Richardson, 36, of Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on September 7, 2011, to five years and three months in federal prison without parole. Co-defendant Javon Turner, 36, of Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty on February 14, 2012 and awaits sentencing.

According to court documents, multiple law enforcement agencies were investigating a series of grocery store robberies across northwest Missouri. Certain common characteristics of the robberies were captured by the stores’ surveillance cameras, including the robbers entering the stores in the early morning when employees were opening the business, forcibly restraining employees with zip-ties, and using walkie-talkies and cellular phones during the robberies. After law enforcement released footage from the surveillance video of the October 3, 2010, robbery of the Apple Market in Raytown, an anonymous tip was made to the 474-TIPS hot line. The defendants were arrested following a high-speed pursuit on December 19, 2010.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the FBI; the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department; the Independence, Missouri Police Department; the Wichita, Kansas Police Department; the Odessa, Missouri Police Department; and the Raytown, Missouri Police Department.

Armed Robbery Suspect Shot by Police; Three Independence Residents Charged in Armed Robbery Conspiracy

KANSAS CITY, MO—Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that three Independence, Mo., residents were charged in federal court today for their roles in a conspiracy to commit armed robbery, during which one of the defendants was shot by a police officer.

Justin M. Epps, 22, Devontae A. Spears, 19, and Tairre Y. Matthews, 21, all of Independence, were charged in a federal criminal complaint that was filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., with participating in a conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, law enforcement officers were investigating the armed robberies of a Papa John’s restaurant and a KFC restaurant, both in Independence. Epps, who lived close to both of the restaurants and was associated with a tan Chevrolet that matched the description of a vehicle used in one of the robberies, had been identified as a suspect.

Local and federal officers and agents were conducting surveillance at Epps’ apartment building in Hawthorne Place Apartments near East 24 Highway during the night and early morning hours of Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 2 and 3, 2011. At approximately 3:30 a.m., the affidavit says, they observed the vehicle park outside a nearby 7-Eleven store. Epps and Spears, dressed in black, entered the store. Epps was allegedly carrying what appeared to be a handgun.

Officers arrested Epps and Spears as they were leaving the store. Epps was shot by law enforcement officers during the course of his arrest and was taken to the hospital. Spears was arrested without incident. Matthews, who was in the vehicle, was arrested without incident. Officers recovered two handgun air pistols, two white Halloween masks, and a bag containing $141.

Phillips cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin G. Davids. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.

Uzbek Man Sentenced for Role in Multi-National Racketeering and Forced Labor Enterprise

WASHINGTON – An Uzbek national was sentenced today for his role as the leader of a illicit enterprise that engaged in numerous criminal activities including forced labor, fraud in foreign labor contracting, visa fraud, mail fraud, identity theft, tax evasion and money laundering, the Department of Justice announced.  Abrorkhodja Askarkhodjaev was sentenced to 12 years in prison and three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $172,000 in restitution to the foreign worker fraud and forced labor victims in addition to restitution for harm caused by other aspects of the criminal enterprise.   Askarkhodjaev pleaded guilty in October 2010, to racketeering conspiracy, fraud in foreign labor contracting, evasion of corporate employment tax and identity theft.

As leader of this multi-national criminal enterprise, whose members included nationals of Uzbekistan, Moldova and the United States, Askarkhodjaev arranged for the recruitment and exploitation of dozens of workers from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines and elsewhere, many of whom were recruited with false promises concerning the terms, conditions and nature of their employment.    Once in the United States, the workers were held in overcrowded apartments and compelled into service and hospitality jobs in as many as 14 states.   Members of the criminal enterprise withheld much of the victims’ earnings and threatened them with deportation and financial penalties if they refused to comply with the defendants’ demands.

“The defendant directed a criminal organization that, out of pure greed, exploited the hopes and dreams of scores of foreign workers, degrading them through threats and deceit,” said Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez.   “The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously prosecute these cases and dismantle criminal networks that prey on vulnerable victims.”

“This case was the first in the country in which forced labor trafficking was charged as part of a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, conspiracy,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri Beth Phillips.  “Hundreds of illegal aliens working in 14 states were victims of modern-day slavery, including employees at hotels in the Kansas City, Mo., area and in Branson, Mo.”

Co-defendants Kristin Dougherty, Ilkham Fazilov, Viorel Simon, Nodirbek Abdollayev, Jakhongir Kakhkarov, Alexandru Frumusache and Abdukakhar Azizkhodjaev were previously sentenced for their respective roles in this criminal enterprise.   Dougherty was convicted of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud, and was sentenced to 60 months in prison.   Fazilov was convicted of racketeering conspiracy and was sentenced to 41 months in prison.   Simon was convicted of racketeering conspiracy and fraud in foreign labor contracting, and was sentenced to 25 months in prison.   Abdoollayev was convicted of racketeering and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.   Kakhkharov and Azizkhodjaev were convicted of racketeering conspiracy and misprision of a felony respectively, and both were sentenced to time served.   Andrew Cole, who was convicted of racketeering conspiracy and fraud in foreign labor contracting, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 10, 2011.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William L. Meiners, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford and Deputy Chief Jim Felte of the Civil Rights Division.    It was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor- Office of the Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service- Criminal Investigations, the Kansas Department of Revenue- Criminal Investigations, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Independence, Mo., Police Department in conjunction with the Human Trafficking Rescue Project.