United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Cordeus Lamont Rainey, age 38, was sentenced in federal court Monday, in Omaha, Nebraska, for one count of Failing to Register as a Sex Offender in violation of the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”).  The Honorable Laurie Smith Camp sentenced Rainey to 21 months of imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  After completing his term of imprisonment, Rainey will begin a five-year term of supervised release. 

 

On about June 25, 2002, Rainey was convicted in Kansas of Attempted Aggravated Indecent Solicitation of a Child.  Based upon Rainey’s conviction, he was required to register as a sex offender for life in Kansas and he was subject to the reporting requirements of SORNA.  Beginning about March 31, 2017, to on or about August 20, 2018, Rainey was living and working in Nebraska.  Rainey had never registered as a sex offender in Nebraska.   

  

The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Columbus Police Department.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A Lincoln attorney has been accused of keeping $27,500 in insurance checks intended for two clients.

Lancaster County Court records say 43-year-old Craig Hoffman is charged with two felony counts of theft. The records don’t list the name of a lawyer who could comment for him. Hoffman’s next court hearing is scheduled for June 24.

Officer Luke Bonkiewicz says two Lincoln residents say Hoffman hadn’t turned over settlement payments to them from insurance companies. Both dated to 2017.

United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Mark Ringland, 53, was sentenced on Monday, June 3, 2019, to 168 months in federal prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release by Senior U.S. District Judge Laurie Smith-Camp in Omaha. A jury convicted Ringland of Receiving Child Pornography after a two-day trial that took place in February. There is no parole in the federal system.

Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation Task Force received information in the spring of 2017 from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, that a specific email address was receiving child pornography.  The investigators were able to determine that it was Ringland’s email.  He was arrested on September 1, 2017, and had a cell phone and iPad in his possession.  The investigators seized both devices for which they had an authorized search warrant.  Searches were done and investigators located more than 900 images of what they believed to be child pornography between the two devices.  It was determined that at least one of the images was received by Ringland between April 1, 2017 and September 1, 2017.  On the date of his arrest Ringland told the investigators he downloaded child pornography as a “pill for pedophilia,” that is, he looked at the images so that he would not act out himself on children.  At his sentencing hearing he blamed Google for providing a forum for child pornography to exist.  He claimed to be searching for the images so he could report to Congress they need to change laws with respect to child pornographic content.

This case was investigated by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, including members from the FBI, Nebraska State Patrol, and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) have arrested a Hastings man following the discovery of child pornography on a computer and cell phone.

On Friday, NSP was informed by the Grand Island Police Department that they had received a report of possible illegal activity involving a Hastings man. NSP Investigators continued the investigation in Hastings, finding thousands of images of child pornography on a computer, cell phone, and additional devices during a search of a home at 1201 E. 3^rd Street in Hastings.

The suspect, Thomas Harlow, 52, was arrested Friday, May 31, for Sexually Explicit Conduct, a Class IIA Felony. He was lodged in Adams County Jail.

The investigation remains ongoing.

GRETNA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an 18-year-old who recently graduated from high school died after a collision in eastern Nebraska’s Sarpy County.

The accident occurred around 10 p.m. Friday on U.S. Highway 6 southwest of Gretna. The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office says Claire Kresak was trying to pass another westbound vehicle when her car collided with an eastbound minivan driven by 44-year-old Jeffrey Johnson.

The sheriff’s office says Kresak was flown to Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where she died Saturday evening. Johnson is expected to survive his injuries.

The Ashland-Greenwood Public School District says Kresak graduated Ashland-Greenwood High School last month.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska county is testing the state’s first night court sessions aimed at accommodating the schedules of regular people facing criminal charges who would otherwise need to take time off work or find babysitting services.

Lancaster County scheduled the state’s first evening court sessions for May 30 and June 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Lincoln Journal Star reported.

Lancaster County Attorney Pat Condon said he suggested piloting evening court after a successful nighttime warrant amnesty in November when 90 misdemeanor warrants were cleared so people could avoid arrest over the Thanksgiving holiday.

“If we can make (the court process) more accommodating to the people, then that’s what we want to do,” Condon said.

The night sessions are intended only for handling misdemeanor warrants, entering misdemeanor case pleas, holding non-custody felony case docket calls and preliminary hearing waivers. Also, the sessions can be used for a defendant charged with a felony who is not in custody and is pleading to a misdemeanor charge.

Laurie Yardley, a Lancaster County court judge, said a strict work schedule could keep someone from attending court during the day.

“They risk losing their jobs if they come to court,” Yardley said, adding that some judges already try to accommodate the schedules of people, especially when they’re representing themselves.

There are many reasons why people miss court, and it is usually not that they are trying to flee, Lancaster County Public Defender Joe Nigro said.

“People are presumed innocent, and yet sometimes the system doesn’t treat them that way,” Nigro said.

The night sessions will be costly because court clerks and sheriff’s deputies providing security need to be there, Condon said. But Condon and City Attorney Jeff Kirkpatrick agree it’s a more effective use of public resources to process those cases during court hours rather than have people sitting in jail.

BEEMER, Neb. (AP) — A Nickerson woman has been sentenced to six months in prison for pilfering nearly half-a-million dollars from a Beemer bank where she worked.

Federal prosecutors for Nebraska say 59-year-old Diane Ludwig was sentenced Friday in Omaha’s federal court. There is no parole in the federal system.

Prosecutors say an investigation by the FBI found that Ludwig transferred $491,411 in 56 transactions over four years from First Community Bank of Beemer accounts to her personal accounts. At the time, Ludgwig was a cashier and information technology and Bank Secrecy Act officer for the bank. She was also a bank director and shareholder.

Prosecutors say after she was caught, she repaid the money.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) – Police are looking for a central Nebraska auto sales employee who was sent to make a more than $14,000 cash deposit, but never showed up at the bank.

The Grand Island Independent reports that an employee with Jubba Auto Sales in Grand Island was sent Wednesday to make a deposit $14,443 at the business’ bank. When he failed to return, and the bank said no deposit was made, police were called.

Police say the employee is a man in his 70s.