TOPEKA, KAN. - A former insurance company service representative in Topeka was indicted Wednesday on federal embezzlement charges, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Erin Rebecca Thomas, 46, formerly of Topeka, Kan., is charged with five counts of embezzlement. The indictment alleges that the crimes took place while she was an employee of American Home Life Insurance Company.
The indictment alleges:
On July 26, 2010, she embezzled a $5,177 death claim.
On Dec. 27, 2010, she forged a loan request for $9,500.
On May 18, 2011, she forged a loan request of $18,500.
On Oct. 18, 2011, she changed the name of a policy owner and fraudulently caused a check to be issued for $19,000.
On Feb. 16, 2012, she forged a loan request for $25,000.
If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney is prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Hinds Thomas Jones, 46, Vicksburg, Miss., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred May 9, 2010, in Shawnee County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard and Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot are prosecuting.
Collin Graham Bicknell, 22, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Jan. 11, 2015, in Shawnee County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 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 Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.
William D. Gross, 59, who is in custody in the Osage county Jail, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Oct. 11, 2014, in Osage County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 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 Duston Slinkard is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
