Month: June 2015

A Mexican man pleaded guilty Monday in Wichita, Kan., to laundering more than $4.7 million in drug funds through his bank accounts in Kansas and elsewhere, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Franz Wiebe Rempel, 44, Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, Mexico, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Wichita to one count of money laundering. In his plea, he admitted that from 2009 through July 30, 2013, he laundered drug funds through bank accounts at the Bank of America in Wichita, as well as accounts at Wells Fargo and J.P. Morgan Chase.

In his plea, he admitted he provided his bank account numbers so that another conspirator could distribute the information to others. Rempel had an understanding with the conspirator that third parties would deposit cash into his bank accounts. The deposits would be less than $10,000 in an attempt to avoid federal currency reporting requirements. Once Rempel received the funds, he would transfer or move the money through the U.S. financial system at the other conspirator’s direction. Rempel crossed the border from his home in Mexico almost on a weekly basis in order to move funds. Ultimately, most of the money wound up in the other conspirator’s hands.

Rempel’s accounts received funds deposited from Kansas City, Kan.; Kansas City, Mo.; Oklahoma City; Des Moines; Amarillo, Texas; El Paso, Texas; Knoxville, Tenn.; Nashville, Tenn.; Memphis, Tenn.; Charlotte, N.C.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Albuquerque, N.M. Rempel did not know the identities of the people making the deposits but he knew the funds were being transferred for the purpose of paying for drugs.

Sentencing is set for Aug. 17. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $500,000. Grissom commended the Drug Enforcement Administration and Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Barnett for their work on the case.

The Kansas City, Kan., Board of Public Utilities has been named a Finalist for the Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program category in the internationally recognized 2015 American Business Awards.

As a municipally owned utility, BPU is committed to maintaining, investing in, and protecting the local community, its customers, and the environment, a spokesman said.

In efforts to be a socially responsible organization, BPU and its employees support and continually give back to Wyandotte County in three core areas – community giving, volunteerism, and environmental education-advocacy.

BPU’s community giving efforts include raising over $450,000 for local children through its annual golf tournament, employee and corporate giving to United Way and helping more than 150 at-risk youth through the annual Summer Youth Program.

Volunteerism efforts include work by the BPU Employee Foundation, providing more than 5,000 volunteer hours and assisting more than 5,700 area children. And the utility’s industry leading environmental education and advocacy initiatives help promote a sustainable future through energy efficiency and water conversation efforts, including the emPOWER Education Partnership with local school districts and affordable Home Energy Audits, a BPU spokesman said.

The American Business Awards are considered the nation’s preeminent business awards program, with more than 3,300 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry for consideration in a wide range of categories. Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award winners from each category will be announced in several weeks.
– Information from BPU