Month: May 2016

Arkansas man pleads guilty to selling counterfeit Garmin maps

An Arkansas man pleaded guilty Tuesday to selling counterfeit Garmin maps over the Internet, acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

William Yates, 26, Fort Smith, Ark., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., to one count of copyright infringement. In his plea, he admitted selling map products that were copyrighted by Garmin. Garmin International, Inc. is located in Olathe, Kan.

Yates sold counterfeit Garmin map cards on eBay, Amazon and Craigslist. An investigator with the FBI purchased cards from Yates.

He sold at least 874 counterfeit map products for more than $23,000. The products were valued at more than $67,000.

Sentencing will be set for a later date. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Beall commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask for their work on the case.

Cinco de Mayo Fiesta to be held Wednesday at CHWC

Community Housing of Wyandotte County will hold a Cinco de Mayo festival from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 4, at its offices at 2 S. 14th St., Kansas City, Kan.

The event is open to the public. There is no admission charge.

There will be a Mexican dance performance, Mariachi music and local food for sale from Indios Carbonsitos food truck.

The food truck will be located in the CHWC parking lot. Doors will be open so people can walk into the CHWC offices during the event.

Butler County woman sentenced for stealing $1.2 million from Presbyterian Manors

A Butler County, Kan., woman was sentenced Monday to five years on federal probation for stealing more than $1.2 million from Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said. The Wichita-based company owns assisted living centers in Kansas and Missouri.

Lori A. Shryock, 51, Augusta, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. Shryock’s husband and co-defendant, Brent A. Shryock, 45, Augusta, Kan., was sentenced to 36 months.

In their pleas, they admitted the crime occurred while Brent Shryock was employed as information systems director for PMMA. He was in charge of all computers, telephones, video information and electronic equipment, including the purchase of new or replacement equipment for PMMA, Presbyterian Manor, Aberdeen and Ashfield facilities.

Brent Shryock created four fictitious companies, two of which were called Innovative Software Solutions and LGR Technologies. He directed payment to be mailed to those companies at post office boxes. Lori Shryock opened the two post office boxes where the checks were mailed. Either Brent or Lori Shryock would retrieve the payments and deposit them into the Shryocks’ personal accounts. The resulting loss to PMMA totaled $1.2 million.

Beall commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger for their work on the case.