Computer Fraud Case Alleges Three Women Tampered with Municipal Court Records
Public Corruption Case Investigated by U.S. Attorney, FBI, and Wichita Police

WICHITA, KS—Three Wichita women have been indicted on charges of computer fraud in connection with altering Wichita Municipal Court bond records, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Wichita Police Department announced today.

“It is our duty to assure that citizens receive the honest services of their public employees,” said U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch. “In part because Municipal Court receives federal funds, our office and the FBI have worked with the Wichita Police Department on this investigation.”   

The indictment alleges that a Municipal Court employee, Kaylene Pottorff, 53, Wichita, took bribes to change court records for the benefit of bonding agents Alicia Bell, 35, Wichita, and Jessie Garland, 41, Wichita.

According to the indictment:

• Pottorff worked as a collections officer for the Wichita Municipal Court. During a period from March 2004 through April 2008, she changed and removed data from the court’s computerized records system for the benefit of co-defendants Alicia Bell and Jessie Garland.
• Pottorff accepted bribes from Bell and Garland, both of whom worked as bondsman agents, for falsifying the court’s computerized records.
• On multiple occasions, Bell used fraudulently altered lists of active bonds from court records, together with false and fraudulent jail booking forms she created, to defraud her mother, Pearl Neal, AAA Bonding Company, and others.
• On multiple occasions, Garland used fraudulently altered lists of active bonds from court records to defraud B&J Enterprises and Larry Hiebert, the bondsman and surety company on Garland’s bonds.

Charges against each of the defendants are as follows:

• Pottorff is charged with two counts of conspiracy, two counts of impairing computer data, and two counts of bribery.
• Bell is charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of impairing computer data and one count of bribery.
• Garland is charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of impairing computer data and one count of bribery.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

• Conspiracy: A maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison a fine up to $250,000.
• Impairing computer data: A maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison a fine up to $250,000.
• Bribery:  A maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison a fine up to $250,000.

The investigation, which is ongoing, is being conducted by the FBI, the Wichita Police Department and the U.S. Attorney. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson and U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch are prosecuting.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments filed merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

A federal grand jury meeting in Topeka, Kan., also returned the following indictments:

Bryce Ebert, 24, Topeka, Kan., is charged with three counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in June 2007 in Riley County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each count. A Drug Enforcement Administration task force investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.

Eduardo Corrales-Castro, 28, Salina, Kan., is charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in April 2009 in Saline County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each count. A Drug Enforcement Administration task force investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.

Edgar Reyes-Martinez, 22, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of a felony and deported. He was found April 29, 2009, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Wichita Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Guadalupe Rodriguez, 36, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm while he was an illegal alien in the United States. The crime is alleged to have occurred April 9, 2009, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting. 

Maria Evangelina Lopez-Valencia, 37, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of an aggravated felony and deported, one count of credit card fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in February and May 2009 in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000 on the immigration charge, a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of credit card fraud, and a mandatory 2 years to run consecutively to other sentences and a fine up to $250,000 on the identity theft charge. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Keith A. Peters, 44, Brownell, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred May 4, 2009, in Ness County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2 million on the firearms charge and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,0000 on the drug charge. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster is prosecuting.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments filed merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.