Month: July 2017

Update:

During further investigation this evening, emergency crews have now determined that there were five fatalities and six vehicles involved in the accident, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Turnpike Authority stated.

The investigation is ongoing, she stated. Westbound I-70 is still closed at mile marker 218, according to KC Scout.

Earlier report:

Four people are dead after a crash about 2:30 p.m. about 2 miles east of the Kansas Turnpike Authority I-70 toll plaza.

Four vehicles, including two semis, a car and a sport utility vehicle, were involved in the crash on westbound I-70, said Rachel Bell, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Turnpike Authority.

Both trucks were engulfed in fire after the crash, she said.

The accident location was in Leavenworth County. Traffic had been backed up on I-70 into Wyandotte County.

I-70 was shut down in both directions for a few hours, and eastbound I-70 has now reopened, Bell said. Westbound I-70 was still shut down as of 4:50 p.m.

Bell said initial reports show that one of the semis struck the back of the car and SUV, and afterward, struck a second semi. The cause of the accident is under investigation, she said.

The four persons who died were in the car and the SUV, she said. One truck driver was injured and taken to a hospital, she added.

One of the trucks involved in the wreck was hauling frozen food, Bell said.

An Olathe woman was sentenced Tuesday for a scheme to collect income tax refunds by creating companies that existed only on paper, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said. In addition, a co-defendant in the case pleaded guilty Tuesday.

Raquel Odegbaro, 44, Olathe, Kan., was sentenced Tuesday to 6.25 years in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $894,000 in restitution. She had pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of mail fraud.

Co-defendant Abdirizak Aden, 33, Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

In their pleas, Odegbaro and Aden said they operated Cokeza Styles, an online business that sold hair products. They admitted creating a series of fictitious companies and filing tax returns in the names of so-called employees by providing false information about wages earned, amounts withheld and refunds due.

The false tax returns directed the Internal Revenue Service to deposit refunds electronically to reloadable credit cards controlled by the conspirators. The individuals whose names appeared on the refunds never actually worked for the fictitious companies.

In addition, the conspirators used stolen Social Security numbers to apply for unemployment benefits from the Kansas Department of Labor. They created more than nine fictitious companies and registered them with the labor department. They filed false claims in the names of employees who purportedly were terminated without fault.

Aden is set for sentencing Oct. 2. The parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 18 months and restitution of approximately $541,000.

Co-defendants include Alexander Limihagati, 35, Overland Park, Kan., who is set for sentencing Aug. 14, and Zia Mkubi Kajanja, 42, Overland Park, Kan., who is awaiting trial.

Beall commended the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation; the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Labor and Racketeering and Fraud; the Kansas Department of Children and Families; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Department of Education – Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General; the Kansas Department of Labor; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble for their work on the case.