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Complete Forecast for  Jul 05 2008

By CASEY KNAUPP
Staff Writer

A federal grand jury in Tyler indicted 11 people this week, including two men charged with using other people’s Social Security numbers to work at Pilgrim’s Pride.

Floriberta Beltran-Munoz and Jesus Perez-Arroyo, both of Winfield, were indicted on charges for using Social Security numbers not assigned to them to maintain employment at Pilgrim’s Pride. They each face up to five years in prison if convicted.

On April 16, federal authorities arrested 45 people at the Pilgrim’s Pride facilities in Mt. Pleasant as part of a roundup of illegal immigrants allegedly using other people’s Social Security numbers to obtain employment.

Also indicted in Tyler on Tuesday include:

Alfonso Hernandez-Tapia, 44, of Mexico, was indicted for being in the United States illegally after he was deported. The defendant, who was found in Gregg County on April 3, faces up to 20 years in prison.

Ofelio Carvajal-Ramirez, 26, was indicted for illegally possessing a firearm. On April 30, the man who was illegally in the U.S. allegedly possessed a semi-automatic rifle in Marshall. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Bill Thompson, 51, and Cindy Thompson, 45, of Texarkana, were indicted for conspiracy to provide false statements or fraud to obtain federal employee compensation.

Thompson was also charged with four counts of providing a false statement and nine counts of mail fraud, while Ms. Thompson was charged with five counts of mail fraud.

Thompson, a former crane operator for the Red River Army Depot, was injured in 2000 and began collecting disability benefits from the Office of Workers Compensation. Since 2002, the couple conspired and caused the office to issue nearly $135,000 in funds to which he was not entitled, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.

Both defendants are also accused of filing a false claim with Combined Insurance and defrauded the company out of more than $64,000. If convicted of the conspiracy, they face up to five years in prison, as well as 20 years for the mail fraud charges.

Robert G. Britton, 46, was indicted for escaping from a community facility in Smith County while serving a federal sentence. He would receive up to a five-year sentence.

Leland Wayne Randolph, 23, Palestine, was indicted for possessing an unregistered, sawed-off shotgun on Feb. 11, 2007, in Anderson County. He faces up to 10 years.

Davsi Yolanda Medrano, Francisco Joel Melendez and Jose Guillermo Portillo, all of Arkansas, were indicted for carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime and possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver.

On July 10, Nacogdoches police performed a traffic stop on a vehicle in which the three defendants were occupants. A search of the car revealed methamphetamine, cocaine and a firearm.

The defendants face up to 40 years in prison.