A former tax return preparation business owner was indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple tax and immigration charges.

Geoffrey Rotich owned and operated Inventax in Shawnee, Kansas. He’s charged with aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false income tax returns, making a false bankruptcy declaration, false testimony under oath in connection with a bankruptcy matter and unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization.

According to the indictment filed on Sept. 7 and unsealed Wednesday, Rotich allegedly prepared false and fraudulent tax returns for other individuals, claiming false deductions for medical and dental expenses and false education expenses. The indictment further alleges that, in connection with a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, Rotich made false declarations in his bankruptcy petition and related schedules and made false statements under oath during a meeting of creditors.

The indictment also alleges that Rotich obtained naturalization and citizenship to which he was not entitled on the basis of false representations on his application for naturalization.

If convicted, Rotich faces a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison for each of the tax counts, a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for each of the bankruptcy counts and a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the naturalization count. Rotich also faces a period of supervised release and monetary penalties.

Missourians are encouraged to help select the design of a new bicentennial automobile license plate, which will be out in time for the Show-Me State’s bicentennial in 2021.

Options for the plate design will be presented at four public hearings across the state. The initial hearing was held in September in Springfield. Here’s the schedule for the rest:

· October 11 at the Kansas City Area District– MoDOT building (600 NE Colbern Road, Lee’s Summit, MO 64086), phone 816.607.2000
· October 25 at the MoDOT Transportation Management Center (14301 South Outer 40 Road, Town and Country, MO 63017), phone 314.275.1500
· November 1 at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center (Tinnin Fine Arts Center, Poplar Bluff, MO 63901), phone 573.840.9605

All sessions begin at 6 p.m. The public is invited to discuss the plate options at the meetings. Online voting will be open from September 27 through December 1 at missouri2021.org.

Missouri became the nation’s twenty-fourth state on August 10, 1821. Planning for statewide commemorations began in 2013, after the 97th General Assembly selected the State Historical Society of Missouri to spearhead the efforts.

“It was essential that the process start when it did,” said Gary Kremer, SHSMO executive director. “The bicentennial license plate is the first step of many to help ensure that all Missourians are a part of the state’s celebration.”

State Representative Glen Kolkmeyer of Missouri’s 53rd District sponsored the legislation, and Dave Schatz, Senator from the 26th District, helped ensure the effort progressed on the Senate floor. On July 1, 2016, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon signed House Bill 2380, authorizing the bicentennial plate.

SHSMO trustee Doug Crews has also been an instrumental figure in the project. “A lot of people helped bring the idea of a bicentennial license plate this far. We are thankful to the Governor, Representative Kolkmeyer, and Senator Schatz for their support,” Crews said.

The public meetings were organized by the Bicentennial License Plate Advisory Committee, created by HB 2380. Members include leaders from the State Historical Society, Department of Revenue, State Highway Patrol, Department of Corrections, and Department of Transportation, as well as the chairpersons of the transportation committees in both houses of Missouri’s General Assembly.

See all the designs at the official Missouri 2021 Bicentennial Web site here.

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced the reopening of a busy Missouri-River bridge in Jefferson City.

The westbound Route 54 / 63 bridge is slated to reopen November 14, after being closed more than six months.

Officials say the bridge was closed for painting and other repairs, and was expected to open to traffic by the end of August. Unforeseen structural work kept that from happening.

More specifically, the blasting process used to remove the old paint on the bridge revealed a larger number of deteriorated rivets needing to be replaced, so MoDOT extended its contract with Saffo, Inc., to repair the rivets and perform other structural repairs.

“While we’re not happy we had to keep the bridge closed for longer than planned, we’re glad to be able to pinpoint a date for the bridge to reopen,” said MoDOT Central District Engineer David Silvester. “Nov. 14 is still some weeks off, but at least we can see a light at the end of the tunnel.”

He added: “We want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding during this time. We know this work has been an inconvenience for many folks.”

Silvester asked commuters to continue to avoid peak travel times on the bridge for the next several weeks to cut down on congestion and the potential for crashes. He also urged drivers to slow down and pay attention as they approach and cross the bridge.

Despite the project delay, Silvester said he was pleased with the contractor’s work.

“Saffo is providing a quality product at a very reasonable price,” Silvester said. “This investment will allow us to get another 20-30 years of service out of the bridge. Without routine maintenance, we’d eventually have to replace the bridge at an estimated cost of $100 million. That’s money we certainly don’t have.”

The bridge was built in 1955 and carries about 28,000 vehicles a day.