WICHITA KAN. - Two people who operated a business called Q Massage at 3833 W. 13th in Wichita were indicted Wednesday on federal charges, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Ping Liu, 43, Wichita, Kan., and Xingdi Lin, 48, Wichita, Kan., are charged with one count of attempting to persuade, induce, entice or coerce an individual to cross state lines to engage in prostitution and one count of using a telephone in furtherance of prostitution. The crimes are alleged to have occurred March 13 and March 16, 2015 in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on enticement charge and a maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the other count. The Wichita Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.
OTHER FEDERAL GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS
A man who was arrested in Kansas after escaping from a prison in Oklahoma has been indicted here on federal firearms charges.
Lance D. Colbert, 40, an inmate at the Mack Alford Correctional Center in Stringtown, Okla., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction, one count of unlawful possession of ammunition following a felony conviction, and one count of unlawfully possessing a.38 caliber revolver with the serial number removed.
On March 11, Colbert was arrested in Spivey, Kan. (Kingman County). He and another man had escaped from the prison in Oklahoma two days earlier.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Kansas Highway Patrol investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
Walt Jasper Samuel Shrum, 48, Kingman, Kan., is charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction, one count of unlawful possession of ammunition following a felony conviction and one count of possession of methamphetamine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred March 11, 2015, in Kingman County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the firearms charges and a civil penalty up to $10,000 on the misdemeanor methamphetamine charge. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
Gary Dewayne Meacham, 53, Caney, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred July 11, 2014, in Montgomery 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 David Lind is prosecuting.
Matthew T. Payton, 25, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of manufacturing counterfeit bills and one count of possessing counterfeit bills. The crimes are alleged to have occurred at various times from September 2014 to Feb. 15, 2015, in Wichita, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.
Wayne E. Williams, 45, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of wire fraud. The indictment alleges he used a telephone to make false statements as part of his application for unemployment benefits. The indictment alleges he received more than $34,000 in benefits to which he was not entitled during a period from Sept. 26, 2009, to April 20, 2013.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Department of Labor investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart 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
