Newspaper Page Text
The True Citizen, Wednesday, August 25, 2021 — Page 7
^FOR THE RECORD
Three sentenced for gambling operation
Two Waynesboro men and a Greenwood, S .C., man have been
sentenced for participating in an illegal gambling operation.
Grady Brandon Mobley, 44, of Waynesboro, was sentenced
to five years of probation and forfeited $340,084 after pleading
guilty to “an information charging him with Prohibition of an
Illegal Gambling Business and Fraud and False Statements,” said
David H. Estes, Acting U .S. Attorney for the Southern District of
Georgia. Mobley also must pay $207,716 in restitution to the IRS
and Georgia Department of Revenue and pay a fine of $2,000.
Two co-defendants also were sentenced after pleading guilty
to Prohibition of an Illegal Gambling Business. Daniel Cates, 40,
of Waynesboro, was sentenced to three years of probation and
agreed to forfeit $100,000, and fined $4,000, while Joel Rees
Jones, 59, of Greenwood, S.C, was sentenced to four years of
probation and a fine of $10,000.
“With his long-running illegal gambling operations, Grady
Mobley showed utter disregard for the law and compounded
the activity by drawing others into his orbit,” said Acting U.S.
Attorney Estes. “These sentences will hold them all accountable
for their actions.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Mobley oper
ated as a “bookie” for an illegal sports betting operation for at
least the past 10 years in Burke County, at first collecting bets and
paying out winnings himself, and later through a sports betting
website operated from Costa Rica.
In 2015, Mobley merged his operation and began splitting his
profits with a smaller gambling ring operated by Jones. From
2015 to 2017, Mobley cashed bettor’s checks totaling approxi
mately $220,000 at his parent’s check cashing business which
operated out of the Mobley Package Shop in Girard. To help
conceal the growing amount of cash involved in the transactions,
Mobley enlisted the assistance of Cates, who admitted that he
funneled approximately $250,000 in gambling proceeds through
his Waynesboro tire store, Cates Firestone, in return for money
and favors from Mobley.
During this period, Mobley admitted filing false information
on his income tax returns to conceal the amount of proceeds from
the illegal gambling operation.
Chris Hacker, Special Agent in charge of FBI Atlanta, said,,
“their greed eventually caught up with them and now they will
suffer the consequences. No matter where an investigation takes
us, the FBI and our federal partners will pursue criminal activity
that violates our Constitution.”
“Operating an illegal gambling operation and filing false tax
returns to the IRS are dangerous moves,” said IRS-Criminal
Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Harde
man. “Not only can the unreported income from the gambling
operation result with tax due, interest, and penalties, but it also
can result in prison time. The sentencing today brings account
ability and justice for the conspiring parties.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and IRS Criminal In
vestigations, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant
U.S. Attorneys Tara M. Lyons and Asset Recovery Unit Chief
Xavier A. Cunningham.
BURKE COUNTY JAIL BOOKINGS AUG. 16-22
Justin Brian
Bossick, 36
Rollins Rd., Augusta
BCSO, Aug. 17
Probation violation
for fingerprintabie
charge - felony
Lawanda Lavell
Crawford, 42
Washington Dr.,
Waynesboro
WPD, Aug. 19
Simple battery -
family violence
Brandon Wade
Crist, 29
Farmers Bridge Pd.,
Hephzibah
BCSO-Aug. 18
Bench warrant - mis
demeanor - criminal
trespass
Desmond Reshun
Hughes, 39
Skylark Rd., Augusta
WPD, Aug. 19
Terroristic threats
and acts ( 2 counts);
safekeeping for Ga.
Dept, of Community
Supervision
Deshaun Arzavi-
ous Maynor, 26
Burtons Ferry Hwy.,
Syivania
BCSO, Aug. 22
Simple battery -
family violence
Hipolito Segura, 44
7th St., Waynesboro
BCSO, Aug. 17
Burglary, 2nd degree
Donovan Jacques
Owens, 31
North Liberty St.,
Waynesboro
WPD, Aug. 20
Battery - family vio
lence (1st offense)
misdemeanor;
safekeeping for Ga.
Dept, of Community
Supervision
Thomas Alexander
Walker, 32
Violet Hill Pd.,
Soperton
BCSO, Aug. 16
DUI -driving under
the influence of
alcohol; failure to
maintain lane; open
container of alcohol
in motor vehicle;
driving under the
influence (alcohol)
Ethan Chalfant
Lafontaine, 23
Farmers Bridge Rd.,
Hephzibah
BCSO, Aug. 17
Bench warrant - mis
demeanor; (criminal
trespass on public
hunting and fishing
areas)
Alex
Youmans, Jr., 32
Andrews Chapei Rd.,
Girard
Sardis PD, Aug. 16
Harassing commu
nications; terroristic
threats and acts;
safekeeping for Ga.
Dept, of Community
Supervision
Carolina Marie
Stone, 32
Mixon Rd., Aiken,
S.C.
BCSO, Aug. 18
Aggravated as
sault; possession
of firearm or knife
during the commis
sion of or attempt
to commit certain
felonies; fleeing/
attempting to elude
police; reckless
conduct; influencing
witnesses
Cheryl Ashley
Youmans, 30
Andrews Chapei
Rd., Girard
Sardis PD, Aug. 17
Terroristic threats
and acts
Roderick Antonio
Stone, 33
Grays Grove Church
Pd., Waynesboro
BCSO, Aug. 18
A ggra vated assault;
possession of a
firearm during com
mission of or attempt
to commit certain
felonies; posses
sion of a firearm by
a convicted felon;
reckless conduct; in
fluencing witnesses
Barbara Jean
Williams, 40
OJBlvd.,
Waynesboro
BCSO, Aug. 18
Conditional transfer
(theft by taking mo
tor vehicle)
Bobby Jermaine
Turner, 33
Briarwood Apts.,
Waynesboro
BCSO, Aug. 19
Murder; possession
of firearm during
commission of a
crime; probation vio
lation for fingerprint-
able charge - felony;
theft by taking - mo
tor vehicle; posses
sion of firearm by
convicted felon or
first offender
Eddie Lamar
Jackson, 42
Cates Mead Rd.,
Waynesboro
BCSO, Aug. 22
Probation violation
for fingerprintabie
charge - felony; pos
session of firearm
by convicted felon
or first offender (
2 counts); theft by
receiving stolen
property - felony;
cruelty to children -
3rd degree - allow
child to witness
forcible felony/bat
tery/family violence;
Pointing or aiming
a gun at another (2
counts)
BURKE EMA REPORT
The Burke County Emergency Management Agency
answered 134 patients’ calls during the week ending
Aug. 22. Of those, 77 resulted in transports, including
42 to Augusta hospitals and one to another out-of-county
hospital. Thirty six of the transports were determined to
be emergencies and 41 were non-emergent.
The agency also responded to 20 fire calls during the
week. They included 14 rescues, one power line down
one public service call and four unspecified calls.
REPORT AUG. 30
Jurors drawn
for State Court
Jurors have been drawn for the August 2021 term of State
Court criminal session with Judge Jackson E. Cox, II presiding.
Jurors are to report at 1:00 p.m. Monday, August 30 to the Burke
County Judicial Center.
The list includes: Travon Dominic Brown, Hephzibah; Casey
Lynn Cox, Girard; Arrie C. Jackson, Midville; Glenda Rogers
Burke, Sardis; Michael Wayne Welch, Waynesboro; Lydia Starnes
Nunez, Keysville; Antonio F. Bush, Sardis; Samuel Joseph
Kent, Waynesboro; John Francis Machino, Waynesboro; Duane
Hampton Williams, Waynesboro; Jan Hoak Buttrill, Waynesboro;
Sandra Marie Norris, Waynesboro; Tayanda Gernae Wilson,
Waynesboro; Candice Mason McManus, Hephzibah.
Jennifer Leaolia Heath, Sardis; Kaysie Leigh Shelton, Waynes
boro; Ryan M. Kennedy, Sardis; Daniel Edgar Liddic, Waynes
boro; Patricia Denice Murray, Sardis; Mary Gresham, Midville;
Jennifer Nicole Carter, Girard; Michael Alan Dukes, Augusta;
Matthew S. Mendoza, Waynesboro; Melissa Nicole Taylor,
Waynesboro; Howard Sherril Wren, Sardis; Harris Brasinton Col
lins, Hephzibah; Donnie Wayne Hunter, Keysville; Mary Gunter
Lamont, Waynesboro; Destiny Leona Spencer, Waynesboro; Rosa
Mae Farmer, Waynesboro.
Alicia Coles Quick, Waynesboro; Jason Carl Perry, Waynes
boro; Roy Lee Wallace, Sr., Waynesboro; Mary R. Rucker,
Midville; Barbara A. Cunningham, Waynesboro; Cassandra F.
Hankerson, Waynesboro; Whitney Nicole Cooper, Sardis; Nick
Garber, Waynesboro; Chamele Patrone Coe, Blythe; Emanuel
Larkin, Jr., Waynesboro; Retrina Trenette Conner, Hephzibah;
Rodney A. Braswell, Waynesboro; Jacob R. Habersham, Sardis;
Velma Denice Golden, Waynesboro; Vanessa Nicole Rogers,
Sardis; Dory an James Williams, Waynesboro.
Mindy Marie Munn, Hephzibah; Takeyla Latrice White,
Waynesboro; Wayne Ray Haynes, Hephzibah; Adriana Paige
Powers, Keysville; John Lee Dukes, II, Hephzibah; Raymond
Wade Brookins, Waynesboro; Katherine Buxton, Waynesboro;
Kendra Collins, Blythe; John Brigham Scott, Waynesboro; Carlos
J. Suarez, Waynesboro; Michael Tolbert Dixon, Girard; Wayne
Carpenter, Jr., Waynesboro; Youmas McGruder, Waynesboro;
Kelli Nicole Collins, Keysville.
Man charged with
child pornography
A local man has been ar
rested and charged with inter
net child pornography activity.
According to a report from
the Burke County sheriff’s
Office, on Monday, August
23, officers with the depart
ment’s Criminal Investigation
Division received information
from the GBFs Internet Crimes
against Children Task Force
which revealed multiple hies
containing child pornographic
images and videos which had
been uploaded via an IP Ad
dress. As a result of the inves
tigation, Robert Godbee, 22,
was identified.
He was interviewed and after
further investigation, Godbee
was taken into custody without
incident and charged with
two (2) counts of Possession
of Child Pornography. Godbee
was transported and com
mitted to the Burke County
Detention Center.
No further details were avail
able at press time.
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