KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a Kansas City, Kan., man with producing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Ronny D. Peters, 39, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with two counts of producing child pornography. According to court records, the investigation began when Peters’ former employers called the FBI to report finding child pornography on a company cell phone Peters turned in after he was fired. The phone belonged to Pop-A-Lock, a locksmith company based in Lafayette, La. The company has franchise operations across the United States and Canada, including Kansas City.
The indictment alleges Peters sexually exploited a minor child to produce videos that investigators found on the phone.
If convicted, he faces not less than 15 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask is prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Kenneth William Clark, III, 35, Scott City, Kan., is charged with receipt and possession of stolen mail. The crime is alleged to have occurred Aug. 2, 2016, in Sedgwick County.
The indictment alleges Clark possessed stolen mail from senders including Discover Financial, Gold MasterCard, H&R Block, Bank of America, Intrust Bank, Fidelity Bank, the Kansas Department of Revenue and others. The stolen mail was addressed to recipients in Wichita and Park City.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.
Ran Wells, 39, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of counterfeiting U.S. currency. The crime is alleged to have occurred in March and April 2017 in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.
Ronald L. Phillips, 25, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred July 27, 2017, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on the marijuana charge, up to 10 years on the charge of felon in possession of a firearm and not less than five years on the charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The FBI and the Wichita Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
Jose A. Hernandez-Diaz, 23, Lucio Cabanas, Mexico, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute approximately six pounds of methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute approximately two pounds of heroin. The crime is alleged to have occurred July 14, 2017, in Ford County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces not less than10 years and a fine up to $10 million on the methamphetamine charge and not less than five years and a fine up to $5 million on the heroin charge. The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.
Anthony Carrasco, 40, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred April 6, 2017, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is prosecuting.
Carlos Salas-Lopez, 45, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with one count of misusing a Social Security number, one count of possessing a counterfeit Permanent Resident card, and one count of making a false statement on an I-9 employment eligibility verification form. The crimes are alleged to have occurred June 8, 2016, in Johnson County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces up to five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the Social Security count, 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the document fraud count, and five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the false statement count. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley is prosecuting.
Habraham Altamirano-Jeronimo, 29, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found July 14, 2017, in Lawrence, Kan.
If convicted he faces up to two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon Patton is prosecuting.
Oscar Vallejo-Tolentino, 25, Hays, Kan., a citizen of Mexico who has been living in Hays, Kan., is charged with five counts of unlawful possession of a firearm or ammunition by an alien illegally in the United States. The crime is alleged to have occurred in 2017 and 2015 in Ellis County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Juan Carlos Jimenez-Caraveo, 26, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found July 28, 2017, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted he faces up to two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Clay Don McElroy, 40, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana. The crimes are alleged to have occurred April 16 2017, in Finney County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces not less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $5 million on the methamphetamine charge, and up to five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the marijuana charge. The Garden City Police Department investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Rodebaugh is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
--DOJ District of Kansas
--DOJ District of Kansas