Page 19 - Florida Sentinel 8-14-18

Crime
Man Shot During
Help Needed To Identify
Artist Chris Brown Enters Not Guilty Plea In Battery Case
CHRIS BROWN
Police said Vines stated he had been hired to take photographs at the event by Club Aja. He said Brown was sitting near him and that Brown motioned to Vines to move away. Vines told po- lice that he moved away and attempted to tell Brown that he was hired to take pictures of the crowd.
Witnesses said Brown approached Vines, assumed a fighting stance, and punched Vines in the upper lip. Brown and his entourage then left the club.
Tampa Police responded to the club and conducted an investigation. The report was then forwarded to the Hills- borough County State Attor- ney’s Office, who reviewed the case and issued a warrant for Brown’s arrest on August 11, 2017.
Exchange Of Gunfire
Car Burglary Suspect
Last week, Attorney Kevin Napper entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of artist Chris Brown. Brown is accused of hitting a photog- rapher at a Tampa nightclub earlier this year.
Brown, 29, did not ap- pear for the arraignment. He was arrested in July after a warrant was issued for his ar- rest for battery while he was performing in Palm Beach County. The popular enter- tainer was released after he posted a $2,000 bond.
The following night, Brown performed to a sold- out crowd of screaming fans in Tampa at Mid-Florida Am- phitheatre as part of his “Heartbreak On A Full Moon Tour.”
The warrant had been is- sued by Hillsborough County in connection with an inci- dent involving Brown last year. He was charged with felony battery.
The Tampa Police Depart- ment stated in a news release that on April 17, 2017, Brown allegedly punched a photographer while at Club Aja, 290 S. Meridian Avenue. The victim is listed as Bennie Louis Vines, 28, of Tampa.
At Nightclub
A 26-year-old man was in- jured during an exchange of gunfire at a local nightclub. The shooting took place at the Clock Tower Rental Hall, N. 40th Street and E. River Grove Drive.
According to police, while inside the club, around 4:30 a.m., Saturday, several pa- trons became engaged in a verbal argument. The argu- ment moved outside the club, and at some point, gunfire took place in the parking lot.
A hired Security Guard came outside the club and re- portedly observed one of the suspects shooting back to- wards the club. The Security Guard engaged the man, at which time he began shooting at the Security Guard. The Guard returned fire, striking him in the leg.
The man, identified as
Roshane Shemai Harris,
was transported to a local hospital with non-life threat- ening injuries. He was then
Loan Officer Sentenced For His Role In Mortgage Fraud Conspiracy
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is seeking help identifying a man suspected of breaking into several cars. The incidents took place in an Apollo Beach neighborhood.
According to police, around 4:30 a.m., Saturday, home video surveillance recorded a white man entering a 2018 Volkswagen utility ve- hicle. He is suspected of taking a 2018 Toyota Highlander from 716 Islebay Drive.
In other vehicle burglaries, the suspect took clothing items and a computer bag.
Anyone with information about the car burglaries is asked to contact Crime Stop- pers of Tampa Bay at 1-800- 873-TIPS or www.crimestopperstb.com.
ROSHANE HARRIS
transported to the Hillsbor- ough County jail. Harris was charged with possession of a firearm with the serial num- ber removed and aggravated assault on a licensed Security Guard.
His bond was set at $51,000.
No other injuries were re- ported to police. However, police said the front window of Riverside Seafood, 6501 N. 40th Street, located across the street, was damaged by gun- fire.
Store Chain
Loses $6,000
In Play-Doh
Brown had performed at the Amalie Arena prior to going to the club for the After Party.
Scam
UNCLE SANDY
A former loan officer was sentenced last week for his role in a mortgage fraud con- spiracy. He pleaded guilty on April 24, 2018.
U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven sentenced Daniel Cardenas, 37, of Tampa, to 18 months in fed- eral prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
According to court docu- ments, from as early as Octo- ber 2007 through May 2008, Cardenas and others con- spired to execute a wire fraud scheme affecting financial in- stitutions.
The goal of the scheme was to sell condominium units at The Preserve at Tem- ple Terrace, a 392-unit con- dominium complex. To entice buyers to purchase the units, the conspirators offered cash payments to buyers, either before or after closing. Pay- ment of the funds to the indi- vidual buyers was neither known to nor approved by the mortgage lenders.
The conspirators made material false statements on
loan documents, such as pur- chase and sale agreements, loan applications, and HUD- 1 settlement statements, to induce mortgage lenders to approve loans for otherwise unqualified borrowers.
The conspirators used several entities to conceal the payments to buyers from the mortgage lenders.
Cardenas’s role in the conspiracy, as a loan officer at Transcontinental Lending Group’s branch in Tampa, in- cluded, but was not limited to preparing, signing, and certi- fying false and fraudulent loan applications submitted to lenders in order to induce the institutions to provide funding for buyers.
The false representations submitted to and relied upon by the mortgage lenders in- cluded representations con- cerning occupancy, income, source of funds, and assets.
Cardenas’s participation in the mortgage fraud con- spiracy caused approximately $710,000 in losses to the vic- tim mortgage lenders.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office issued warrants for two men in connection with a scam that resulted in a store losing more than $6,000. One of the suspects has been taken into custody.
According to police, be- tween January 16 and January 18, 2018, Jose Rivera, 36, of Winter Haven allegedly pur- chased 69 Seagate brand ex- ternal hard drives from 16 different Target Stores. The stores were located in Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, and Volusia Counties.
Police said Rainer Ben- tulan, 32, of Orlando, re- turned all 69 hard drives, using the receipts, and ob- tained refunds for the pur- chases.
However, police said when store employees opened the boxes the hard drives had been replaced with Play-Doh. The Polk County Sheriff’s detec- tives met with the Attorney General’s Office and warrants were authorized for the arrests of both men.
Rivera was arrested over the weekend. He is being held in the Orange County Jail. Bentulan remains at large. The investigation is continu- ing.
Be on good terms 1, 16, 34 with your fellow man, as much as possible. We never know 15, 18, from where our blessings are going to come. 13, 25, 43.
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