Page 41 - Florida Sentinel 7-22-22

Crime
Former Exec Pleads Guilty To Taking $104,000 From Pasco Chamber Of Commerce
Woman Must Pay
David Gainer Jr., ex- president of the former Cen- tral Pasco Chamber of Commerce, pled guilty to wire fraud after he stole $104,000 of chamber funds for personal use.
Gainer admitted to three counts of wire fraud with each count carrying a sen- tence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
The Central Pasco Cham- ber of Commerce is an or- ganization to promote area businesses.
In media reports, Greg Armstrong, who serves as a board member of the current Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce, said the missing funds were discovered around the time of the 2019
money from the sale was dis- persed in a series of wire transfers, Gainer, who was on salary for his position as an executive officer, resigned after the missing money was discovered.
A four-month accounting audit showed that Gainer had access to the chamber’s bank account and used his position to make unautho- rized withdrawals. He then deposited the money in his own accounts to pay per- sonal expensed including utility and credit card bills. In total, Gainer admitted to taking $104,000 in his plea deal.
As part of the deal with prosecutors, Gainer agreed to forfeit that sum to the United States.
Aggravated ID Theft
$135,576 For Access
Device Fraud And
School Employee
Man Pleads
ROLANDA WINGFIELD
These UI benefits were then transferred to bank ac- counts or loaded onto debit cards issued in the names of other people.. Ms. Wing- field then used, or attempted to use, the fraudulently ob- tained debit cards to with- draw money from ATMs. The U. S. Department of Labor determined that Ms. Wing- field obtained $135,576.
Charged With 15 Counts
Guilty To
DAVID GAINER JR
merger of the West and Cen- tral Pasco chambers of com- merce to form the Greater Pasco Chamber of Com- merce.
The Central Pasco Cham- ber of Commerce sold its building it was operating out of in 2017, however the
U. S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced a 39-year-old Tampa woman to three years in federal prison for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.
She pleaded guilty on April 26, 2022. As part of her sentence, the court also or- dered Ms. Rolanda Wing- field to pay $135,576 in restitution to the various state workforce agencies she de- frauded.
According to court docu- ments, from approximately May through September 2020, Ms. Wingfield ob- tained the personal identify- ing information of others and used that information to sub- mit, or cause the submission of, false and fraudulent un- employment insurance (UI) claims.
Man Indicted For
Of Child Pornography
Beating Wife
Robbery, Shooting
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a middle school employee on multiple counts of posses- sion of child pornography.
Sean Shafer, 23, was arrested on July 15, 2022, after a search warrant re- vealed 15 confirmed child pornography files on his electronic devices. HCSO de- tectives were made aware of Shafer’s illegal internet ac- tivity through a cyber tip in May. Shafer is employed as a paraprofessional, working as a teacher’s aide at Mul- rennan Middle School lo- cated at 4215 Durant Road, in Valrico.
At this time, no students are suspected of being vic- tims. All of the images ap- pear to have been obtained off the internet.
Hillsborough County
Sheriff Chad Chronister
said, “The well-being of chil- dren should be the top prior- ity for all of our school district employees, so it is es-
At MacDill Air
SEAN SHAFER
pecially upsetting that some- one who works in the class room would share obscene images of children online.”
“Our office will continue working diligently to find and arrest any individual who seeks to take advantage of minors or aides in their victimization.”
Shafer is facing 15 counts of possession of child pornography, 26 counts of in-state transmission of child pornography by electronic device, and one count of pos- session of obscene material.
A 47-year-old native of Maryland has pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by strik- ing, beating, or wounding. Kirk Douglas Dudley faces a sentence of one year in fed- eral prison for each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court docu- ments, on January 26, 2021, while living on MacDill Air Force Base with this wife, Dudley repeatedly slapped his spouse with an open hand, knocking her to the ground. He then sat on top of her and stuffed a rag into her mouth, holding his hand over her mouth and nose to prevent her breathing. On January 31, 2021, Dudley again assaulted his wife by slapping her with open palms and slamming her head on various surfaces in their bathroom.
This assault was witnessed by a juvenile.
Last week, an indictment was returned charging a 31- year-old Tampa man with several crimes.
Marques Howard was charged under the Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy to com- mit that robbery, discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and pos- sessing a firearm as a con- victed felon, the discharging firearm charge carries a min- imum mandatory term of 10 years in prison. This sentence runs consecutive with any other prison sentence.
The indictment also noti- fies the Howard that the United States intends to for- feit any firearm and ammuni- tion traceable to the offense.
According to the indict- ment, on April 20, 2022,
MARQUES HOWARD
Howard robbed an individ- ual at his residence in the Tampa area. During the rob- bery, Howard, a convicted felon, discharged his firearm. As a previously convicted felon, Howard is not al- lowed to have a firearm or ammunition.
Force Base
During Robbery
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