3 Osceolans face tax-fraud charges
Three Osceola residents were indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Little Rock on charges of filing and conspiring to file fraudulent claims for federal income tax refunds.
Chris Thyer, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Christopher Henry, special agent in charge for the criminal investigation division of the Internal Revenue Service, announced the indictments Wednesday evening. They said a 14-count indictment was filed against Christopher Minor, 39, Annie Watkins, 60, and Roosevelt Oliver, 50.
The indictment alleges that between January 2010 and February 2011, the three schemed to obtain tax refunds by using the names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth of unemployed people, in whose names false tax returns were filed without their consent.
The three obtained about $91,835 in false refunds by filing about 29 false returns, according to a U.S. Justice Department news release. It says the refunds were received in the form of a check or debit card, and in most instances, the taxpayer whose name was used was unaware of the return being filed and didn’t receive any of the proceeds.
As the April 15 deadline for filing tax returns approaches, Henry noted that “an integral part” of the IRS’ mission involves detecting and catching fraudulent tax-refund claims.
- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTEOklahoma boy, 9, shot dead at home
BOKOSHE, Okla. - Authorities in eastern Oklahoma are investigating after a 9-year-old boy was shot to death at a home in LeFlore County.
Undersheriff Kendall Morgan said the shooting occurred Wednesday afternoon at a home in Bokoshe. Morgan said authorities are investigating whether one of the boy’s siblings accidentally shot him.
Authorities told the Southwest Times Record that the boy’s mother was also home at the time of the shooting. The sheriff’s office has not yet released the boy’s name.
Morgan said deputies recovered a shotgun at the scene.
- THE ASSOCIATED PRESSWoman convicted in Missouri killings
FORSYTH, Mo. - A Taney County jury Monday convicted Windy Friend on two counts of first-degree murder in the April 2011 deaths of Rusty and Rebecca Porter of Willard.
She is the third person convicted in the slayings of the rural southwest Missouri couple. Friend’s husband, Tony Friend, pleaded guilty to the same charges in February and was sentenced to life in prison. Tony Friend’s son, Phillip Friend, previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and felonious restraint.
The Porters’ remains were found in rural Taney County in July 2011.
Court records indicate Rusty Porter was involved in a long-standing dispute with his neighbor and uncle, Robert Campbell, who is awaiting trial along with a fifth suspect in the couple’s death.
- THE ASSOCIATED PRESSOfficer accused in bribes, drug case
TULSA - A Tulsa police officer has been charged with receiving bribes and attempting to deliver cocaine.
The Tulsa County district attorney’s office charged Tyrone Jenkins, 40, on Thursday with two counts of receiving bribes, two counts of violating the Computer Crimes Act and one count of attempting to deliver an illegal narcotic.
Prosecutors accuse Jenkins of receiving two payments totaling $3,100 in exchange for the officer’s agreement to provide confidential information from a Tulsa police computer database. Prosecutors also allege that Jenkins attempted to deliver cocaine.
Jenkins was arrested after Tulsa police conducted a sting operation.
Online court records don’t list an attorney for Jenkins.
- THE ASSOCIATED PRESSJudge to rule Joplin must release report
JOPLIN, Mo. - A Jasper County judge says he will order Joplin officials to release a report involving the firing of the former city manager.
The Joplin Globe and its parent company, Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., had asked for the release of an investigator’s report that led to the Feb. 4 firing of Mark Rohr as city manager.
The Globe reported that the investigation was intended to focus on two City Council members but also focused on Rohr.
Previously, the city released part of the report about the two councilmen but withheld sections concerning Rohr. It has also refused to allow access to some exhibits of the report and testimony from the investigation. The city contends that the report on Rohr is a personnel record that is closed to the public.
- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 10 on 04/04/2014