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Second suspect in bank extortion, carjacking plots also pleads not guilty

Posted at 4:06 pm January 29, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Michael Benanti

Michael Benanti

KNOXVILLE—A second suspect has also pleaded not guilty to three alleged bank extortion and carjacking plots that involved bank employees and their family members, including at Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge.

One of the suspects, Brian Witham, pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Tuesday.

The second suspect, Michael Benanti, pleaded not guilty during a Friday afternoon arraignment.

Each man is facing a minimum mandatory sentence of 142 years in prison, if they are convicted on all 15 federal charges that they face. The charges include bank extortion, attempted bank extortion, carjacking, and brandishing a firearm while committing a crime. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Knoxville, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: arraignment, attempted bank extortion, bank extortion, Brian Witham, carjacking, Dave Lewen, Edward Reinhold, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Michael Benanti, Nancy Stallard Harr, Northeast Community Credit Union, Oak Ridge Police Department, SmartBank, U.S. District Court, United States Attorney, Y-12 Federal Credit Union

Roane Sheriff part of investigation that leads to long sentence for pill mill operator

Posted at 11:54 pm August 30, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

A Chattanooga pill mill operator was sentenced to 280 years in federal prison on Thursday, and the Roane County Sheriff’s Office was among the law enforcement agencies that participated in the investigation that led to her indictment and subsequent conviction, authorities said.

Barbara Lang, a.k.a. “Aunt Bea,” 61, of Rossville, Georgia, was sentenced by the Honorable Curtis L. Collier, U.S. District Judge, said United States Attorney William C. Killian of the Eastern District of Tennessee.

After a 25-day trial that spanned almost three months, Lang was convicted of two counts of conspiring to distribute and dispense Schedule II and IV controlled substances, outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose; five counts of maintaining a premises for the purpose of distributing controlled substances; and 14 counts of structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements, a press release said.

Lang was charged along with three other people. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Police and Fire, Roane County, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: Aunt Bea, Barbara Lang, Charles Larmore, Chattanooga Police Department, Curtis L. Collier, Daniel R. Salter, DEA, Drug Enforcement Administration, Eastern District of Tennessee, Elite Care, Faith Blake, Gregg L. Sullivan, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Internal Revenue Service, IRS, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Jerome Sherard, Michael D. Porter, opioid pain medication, pain clinic, pill mill, pill mill operator, prescription drugs, primary care, Roane County Sheriff's Department, Roane County Sheriff’s Office, Rockwood Police Department, Sherard Clinic, Superior One, Superior One Medical Clinic, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tracy Stone, U.S. District Court, U.S. District Judge, United States Attorney, William C. Killian

Y-12 protesters face new national defense charge, longer prison sentence

Posted at 9:28 am December 5, 2012
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Transform Now Plowshares

The three anti-nuclear weapons activists pictured above allegedly cut through fences and vandalized a uranium storage building at the Y-12 National Security Complex in July and now face federal charges of property destruction, property depredation, and injuring national defense premises. From left to right the three are Michael R. Walli, Megan Rice, and Greg Boertje-Obed. (Submitted photo)

A new federal charge has been added against the three protesters who allegedly cut through fences at the Y-12 National Security Complex in July and splashed human blood and spray-painted slogans on a uranium storage building.

A three-count indictment returned against Greg Boertje-Obed, Megan Rice, and Michael Walli adds a new count of injuring national-defense premises, U.S. Attorney William C. Killian said in a Wednesday morning press release. The new charge carries a longer prison sentence of up to 20 years.

The indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Knoxville on Tuesday supersedes the earlier three-count indictment from August.

The new indictment does not include the earlier trespassing charge. However, it does include the previous charges of property destruction and property depredation. Including all the charges, the protesters, who are opposed to Y-12’s nuclear weapons work, now face jail sentences of up to 35 years and fines of up to $750,000.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Police and Fire, Top Stories, Y-12 Security Breach Tagged With: federal grand jury, Greg Boertje-Obed, injuring national defense premises, Jeffrey E. Theodore, Megan Rice, Melissa M. Kirby, Michael Walli, protesters, U.S. Attorney, United States Attorney, Y-12 National Security Complex

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Classifieds

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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