April 22, 2008

FOUNDERS OF GLOBAL MISSIONS UN LIMITED CHARGED WITH FRAUD

OAKLAND – United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced that a federal grand jury in Oakland indicted Joseph Lawrence Williams, of Hayward, Keith Aaron Vann, of Oakland, and William Joseph Little, Jr., for conspiring to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. These charges are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.

According to the indictment, the defendants established a corporation called Global Missions UN Limited (Global), which they falsely represented to prospective donors to be a nonprofit church that had provided humanitarian aid worldwide, including in Africa. The defendants allegedly falsely represented to prospective donors that:

Donations to Global were tax deductible and could be applied both to donors’ taxes due and owing and to future IRS tax liabilities;

If the IRS did not credit the donors with a tax deduction on the full amount of the donation, the defendants would return to the donors their contributions;
Donations to Global would be used solely for charitable purposes; and.
A fictitious person they referred to as “James Preston” was legal counsel for Global and a former IRS employee knowledgeable about the tax consequences of charitable contributions.

The Indictment alleges that in or about March 2003, defendant Williams met with donors in Mesa, Arizona, and convinced them to donate to Global their father’s estate, including commercial property in Anchorage, Alaska. The property was later sold by the defendants, who received more than $3.3 million from the sale.

All three defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. Mr. Williams was also charged with one count of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering. Mr. Vann was also charged with one count of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering. Mr. Little was also charged with one count of wire fraud.

Mr. Williams and Mr. Vann were arrested and made their initial appearance in federal court yesterday in Oakland. Mr. Little was arrested and made his initial appearance yesterday in Sacramento.

The maximum statutory penalty for the conspiracy count, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. §§ 1349, 1341 and 1343, is 20 years in prison. The maximum statutory penalty for each count of money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1956(a)(1)(A)(i) is 20 years in prison, and the maximum statutory penalty for each count of money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957 is 10 years in prison. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

An indictment contains only allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, Mr. Williams, Mr. Vann, and Mr. Little must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Stephen Corrigan is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of legal tech Katie Turner. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.

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For more information on federal criminal defense law, contact the Law Offices of Joseph Shemaria of Los Angeles, California.