U.P. man gets 30 years for sexually abusing 9-year-old
Updated Apr 09, 12:17 PM;
Posted Apr 09, 12:17 PM
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SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – An Upper Peninsula man is sentenced to 30 years in prison and other penalties for sexually abusing a 9-year-old child in 2018.
Ralph Fletcher Hepner Jr., 53, of Sault Ste. Marie, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney to 360 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release and no contact with the victim, U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced in a news release.
Hepner pleaded guilty in December to the charge of abusive sexual contact with a child under 12 years old, authorities said. The charge stems from an incident that happened in early 2018 at Hepner’s home on the Sault Ste. Marie Reservation. Law enforcement became aware of it after the victim reported the abuse to a relative. An extensive investigation followed and a federal grand jury later indicted Hepner.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced that Ralph Fletcher Hepner, Jr., 53, of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 360 months’ imprisonment for abusive sexual contact with a child under the age of twelve.
In addition to the prison term, U.S District Judge Paul L. Maloney ordered Hepner to serve five years of supervised release following his release from prison and to have no contact with the victim.
“The federal penalties for hands-on sexual abuse of a child under twelve are severe because the crime is so awful,” said U.S. Attorney Birge. “While children are resilient in many ways, they are robbed of their innocence and the trauma from this sort of offense endures for years. This sentence sends a strong deterrent message and will keep the victim and other potential victims safe from Hepner for years.”
South Haven health care company owner sentenced for health care fraud
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and last updated 2021-02-10 20:13:04-05
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. â The owner of a home health agency in South Haven has been sentenced to five years behind bars for committing health care fraud, according to the U.S. Attorneyâs Office, Western District of Michigan.
Weâre told Kenneth Nash pled guilty back in October, saying Universal Home Health Care submitted claims for services surpassing $750,000 by means of forging doctorsâ signatures.
U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney added three years of supervised release to Nashâs sentence, as well as a restitution order, according to the U.S. Attorneyâs Office.
Man found with drugs hidden in his anus gets 11½ years in federal prison
James Robert Hooks was indicted last year on four drug charges; he had cocaine and fentanyl hidden on his person when he was booked into the Kent County Jail.
Credit: Kent County Jail
James Hooks has a criminal history that began when he was 13 with an assault and battery conviction. Author: John Hogan Updated: 5:25 PM EST January 22, 2021
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. A seasoned drug dealer booked into the Kent County Jail with fentanyl and cocaine tucked away in his anus was sentenced to 11½ years in prison for crimes described as being “akin to Russian roulette.’’
Grand Rapids, Michigan Michael David Stamp of Decatur, Michigan, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison for bank fraud and federal farm program fraud. U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney imposed the sentence. He also sentenced Stamp to five years of supervised release and ordered him to pay more than $17 million in restitution to Wells Fargo Bank, the U.S. Department of Agriculture s Risk Management Agency, and U.S.D.A. s Farm Service Agency. Mr. Stamp fraudulently obtained $68 million in bank loans and took advantage of government programs funded by U.S. taxpayers. Today s sentence should serve as a reminder that defrauding public programs and providing false or misleading documents to financial institutions are serious crimes that undermine our financial system and will not be tolerated, said Sarah Kull, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigations.