A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court Thursday for his role in leading a marriage fraud conspiracy to circumvent immigration laws.

Delmar Dixon, 49, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to three years in federal prison without parole.

Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri Tom Larson said Dixon pleaded guilty on March 8, 2017, to leading a conspiracy to assist African nationals come to the U.S. by arranging fraudulent marriages. Dixon also pleaded guilty to falsely swearing in an immigration matter.

Dixon admitted that he arranged 30 to 40 fraudulent marriages, including his own. Dixon charged the African nationals $1,000 upfront for his services, which included providing them U.S. citizen spouses. The African nationals were additionally required to pay $500 to the spouse at the time of the wedding, and an additional $500 immediately after completion of the wedding. They were required to pay their spouses $250 each month after the weddings until the immigration process was complete. The African nationals were coached by Dixon on how to make their marriages appear legitimate.

In addition to arranging fraudulent marriages, Dixon engaged in a fraudulent marriage himself. Dixon obtained a marriage license on March 19, 2008, and married a Kenyan national who had entered the United States as a B2 nonimmigrant visitor but overstayed her visa.

Co-defendant Traci R. Porter, 45, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced to two years in federal prison without parole. Co-defendant Tierra Ofield, 24, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison without parole. Co-defendants Kakeland Barnes, 37, Shakeisha Harrison, 37, and Stephanie Harris, 22, all of Kansas City, Mo., have pleaded guilty to their roles in the marriage fraud conspiracy and await sentencing.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Moore. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Fraud Detection and National Security.

A Missouri man who worked or volunteered at two Kansas City area churches was sentenced in federal court Thursday for embezzling more than $86,000 from those parishes. David Townley, 60, of Raytown, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to one year and one day in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Townley to pay $86,297 in restitution.

On Feb. 14, 2017, Townley pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud and one count of tax evasion, Acting United States Attorne Tom Larson said.

Nativity of Mary (Wire Fraud)
Townley admitted that he engaged in a scheme to defraud Nativity of Mary church and school in Independence, Mo., from 2007 through 2013. Townley was employed by the Nativity of Mary church and school as the business manager from December 2006 through June 2013. Townley handled the payroll and had access to both cash and check collections/donations, and school tuition payments. From 2011 through 2013, Townley skimmed money from cash tuition payments made by parents. Townley recorded accurate tuition deposits in the school’s log but deposited a lesser amount into the church’s bank account.

Townley is responsible for a loss of $52,166, which includes $32,194 in unauthorized checks deposited into Townley’s personal account and $19,971 in cash from tuition payments deposited into Townley’s personal bank account. Townley’s bank records revealed frequent cash deposits separate from his and his wife’s salary payments. Nativity of Mary banked at the Blue Ridge Bank and Trust in Kansas City, Mo. The processing of checks through the Federal Reserve System from Nativity of Mary constituted the wire fraud.

Sacred Heart of Guadalupe (Mail Fraud)
Townley stole $34,131 from Sacred Heart of Guadalupe church in Kansas City, Mo., in a fraud scheme that lasted from 2006 through 2013. Townley was a volunteer at Sacred Heart of Guadalupe from 2002 through 2013. Townley was in charge of paying the church’s bills, making QuickBooks entries, reporting to the financial committee and filing the church’s tax returns. From 2006 through 2013, Townley negotiated more than 20 checks, totaling $47,705, and deposited them into his personal bank account. Some of these checks were unauthorized salary payments and others were made out to third parties, such as the “Society of the Precious Blood” and the Diocese of Kansas City. Sacred Heart of Guadalupe banked at U.S. Bank in Kansas City, Mo., which mailed statements to the church and constituted the mail fraud charge.

The total loss amount from the two fraud schemes was $86,297. According to an analysis of his bank records, Townley used the money he embezzled mostly to pay off credit card debt.

Tax Evasion
Townley admitted that he failed to file federal income tax returns for tax years 2005 through 2013. During those years, Townley had taxable income that ranged from $54,633 to $115,721. The total federal tax loss for those years is $59,322. The total tax loss to the state of Missouri is $30,117. Townley attempted to conceal his true sources of income at Nativity of Mary and Sacred Heart of Guadalupe. The acts of evasion in those years included making false entries in the accounts of Nativity of Mary and skimming cash from tuition payments made by parents at the Nativity of Mary school.

A Leavenworth area business owner has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of theft from an employee benefit fund.

Brenda Wood, 48, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of theft from an employee benefit program. In her plea, she admitted the crime occurred while she was owner of PCI, a building cleaning service, and CDM, a construction and property management service.

She set up a 401K plan, encouraged PCI and CDM employees to participate and began withholding employee contributions. In 2011, employees learned that no contributions had been deposited in their accounts. Wood falsely assured employees that their funds were being held in escrow. In fact, she used their contributions for her own benefit and without their permission, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Sentencing is set for Oct. 24. She faces up to five years in federal prison and restitution.

A separate trial is set for Dec. 5 on 21 other counts including bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, wire fraud and committing a felony while on supervised release.