Crackdown on unemployment fraud leads to more convictions

SEARCY — Two women became the latest to plead guilty in federal court Monday among 20 White County residents who were charged in 2018 with conspiracy to commit wire fraud concerning more that $500,000 in unemployment benefits that they allegedly obtained from 16 states, including Arkansas.

Kristin Coburn, 36, of Searcy and Cherrie Davis, 37, of Bald Knob each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S.

District Judge Kristine G.

Baker in Little Rock.

Coburn and Davis are now awaiting sentencing, according to Assistant U.S.

Attorney Allison Bragg, and could face up to 20 years in prison.

The investigation that led to the charges began in the spring of 2016. The White County Sheriff’s Office and police departments in Searcy, Judsonia and Bald Knob assisted the U.S.

Department of Labor and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

The conspiracy allegedly took place from June 2012 through August 2017 with Mark “Big Head” King of Judsonia creating “employer business accounts in 16 states, using fictitious business names,” according to a release from the U.S.

Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

All of the “fictitious businesses … addresses in Arkansas,” according to the indictment, alleging that King reported to state unemployment agencies in each state that wages were paid by these companies “to him and the other indicted and unindicted coconspirators for work performed, when, in fact, that was not true.”

King and his co-conspirators reportedly then filed for unemployment benefits, and “because King did not contest the unemployment benefits on behalf of the fictitious businesses, these conspirators were paid by the Department of Labor.”

Payments were made by way of wire transfers that were then put in as direct deposits into banking accounts or loaded to debit cards.

Some of the co-conspirators reportedly were incarcerated while claiming unemployment benefits.

King is among nine charged who are awaiting jury trials Aug. 30. The others are Christi Finn, Alan Gentry, Brandy Harley, Joshua Jackson, Michael King, William Perkins, Rachel Turner and Rhonda Turner.

Others who have been sentenced include: Tara Blair pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years of probation and restitution in the amount of $12,254.

Benjamin Bradley pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served, two years of supervised release and restitution in the amount of $9,646.

James Bunker pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years of probation and restitution in the amount of $4,090.

Faith Donnell pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years of probation and restitution in the amount of $4,090.

Delanna Edwards pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years of probation and restitution of $21,383.

Natalie Floyd pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven months to run concurrently to the sentence she is currently serving, two years of supervised release to run concurrently to the term of supervised release imposed from an earlier docket and restitution in the amount of

Continued on Page 11 STATE NEWS (cont.)

$4,165.

Mark Landis pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years of probation and restitution in the amount of $17,984.

Mark Scheffler pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment to run concurrently to the sentence he is currently serving in the Arkansas Department of Correction, three years of supervised release to run concurrent to any term of supervised release he serves with the state and restitution in the amount of $7,693.

John Schnebly pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served, three years of supervised release and restitution in the amount of $12,978.

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JONESBORO — New coronavirus cases are down in most Northeast Arkansas counties but so is testing.

Craighead County reported 51 confirmed through lab testing and 19 probable positives found through rapid antigen testing after seeing 114 confirmed and 36 new probable cases this time last week.

Meanwhile, Greene County had two COVID-19 deaths last week – the only deaths in the 10 Northeast Arkansas counties in daily reports from the Arkansas Department of Health.

Northeast Arkansas COVID-19 cases by county through Sunday: Crittenden – 6,075 confirmed (up 5 from May 3), 816 probable (9), 68 active cases (up 5); 59 confirmed, 9 probable.

Craighead – 11,636 confirmed (up 51), 1,810 probable (19), 122 active cases (up 7); 159 confirmed, 20 probable.

Greene – 4,864 confirmed (13), 1,253 probable (unchanged); 32 active (down 2); 63 confirmed deaths, 14 probable (up 2).

Lawrence – 1,698 confirmed (up 6), 421 probable (up 2); 20 active (down 4); 39 confirmed deaths, 4 probable.

Poinsett – 2,758 confirmed (up 6), 408 probable (unchanged); 12 active (up 1); 61 confirmed deaths, 16 probable.

Mississippi – 5,197 confirmed (up 15), 657 probable (up 5); 40 active cases (up 2); 91 confirmed deaths, 16 probable.

Jackson – 2,437 confirmed (unchanged), 786 probable

Continued on Page 15 (up 5); 6 active cases (up 2); 23 confirmed deaths, 15 probable. (both unchanged).

Randolph – 1,615 confirmed (up 14), 503 probable (up 3); 20 active cases (up 10); 35 confirmed deaths, 12 probable (both unchanged).

Cross – 1,513 confirmed (up 1), 435 probable (up 4); 7 active cases (up 3); 46 confirmed deaths, 4 probable.

Clay – 1,357 confirmed (up 5), 409 probable (up 6); 19 active cases (up 5); 36 confirmed deaths, 14 probable.( unchanged).