Greetings!
It is now time for the vrsjustice.com domain to expire. It will expire in 2023, and because of that, I moved everything from vrsjustice.com to vrsjustice.wordpress.com. I can still be contacted via vrsjustice at gmail dot com.
The vrsjustice.com site will redirect to this blog.
Constant vigilance!
Greetings,
With Mr. Samuel Hawk (Hawk Relay)‘s incarceration at the Schuykill FCI prison in February 2015, thus closing the final known VRS Fraud case. As there is a statue of limitations on Federal Fraud cases exceeding $1 million of 7 years, and if there are no additional VRS Fraud cases filed by the U.S. Government by the end of next year (2016), it will mean that it is time for VRSJustice to wrap up the constant vigilance. This site will remain open until a few months before the domain expires, and when that happens, the site will be relocated to a different site for all posterity forever.
Although there are other cases featuring deaf defendants (and plaintiffs) (look to the Zombie Walk Driver as an example), these cases are beyond the scope of which VRSJustice was started on. There are other deaf news outlets out there that will keep the deaf community updated on all happenings with respect to these other cases involving a deaf individual.
I would be remiss to not recognize the forefather of VRS Fraud coverage, Mr. Daniel Foster aka ClercJr, for keeping the Deaf Community updated on everything related to VRS Fraud. Hats off to him in spirit. He is still missed by many.
Finally, it is with sincere hope that all these VRS Fraud cases have helped our VRS Providers to become more responsible and serious about providing service organically and ethically.
Constant vigilance!
VRSJustice, who will forevermore remain anonymous.
vrsjustice@gmail.com
| Terminated | Pending Sentencing |
Guilty Verdict (Plea/Jury) |
Not Guilty/Dismissed | Prison | Released from Prison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 0 | 29 – Plea Bargain 1 – Guilty by Jury Trial (Benjamin Pena) |
1 – Dismissed/charges dropped (Kathleen Valle) | 4 – In Prison (John Yeh, Joseph Yeh, Benjamin Pena and Samuel Hawk) | 1 – Larry Berke |
Although this is late to the game, for the sake of completeness, here are the documents pertaining to Mr. Samuel Hawk‘s judgment and forfeiture for your reading pleasure.
It is with appreciation to iDeafNews for keeping you all updated when Mr. Hawk was sentenced.
Judgment info in summary for Mr. Hawk:
Sentence Date: January 14, 2015
Sentenced: 55 months to Federal Prison;
3 years of post-prison supervised release;
$18,987,188 million restitution to be paid to the U.S. Government — $25 payable every quarter from prison, a minimum of $200 per month 30 days after release from prison
Reported to Prison: Schuylkill FCI (same prison as John and Joseph Yeh)
Inmate Number: 71290-066
Release Date: 02-01-2019
Hawk Judgment is here
Hawk Amended Judgment is here
Hawk Forfeiture is here
Greetings,
In the last post, I mentioned that the VRS Fraud defendant, Samuel Hawk, has filed a Downward Variance Motion on January 6, 2015 before the Honorable Judge Pisano.
What is a Downward Variance Motion? Remember, I am not an attorney, and what I am to tell you is all on the Internet. This motion is a tactic employed by defendants indicted with at least one federal crime and who has been found guilty either by jury or plea. The defendant can petition the sentencing court for a sentence lower than the sentence recommended by the federal sentencing guidelines.
Mr. Hawk has filed a motion hoping that the Honorable Pisano will accede to his motion and sentence Mr. Hawk to a lower sentence than what Bryce Chapman, also of Hawk Relay, got.
Because this is the first time a VRS Fraud defendant has used this particular motion, there is no precedent for VRS Justice to fall back on in predicting the possible sentence Mr. Hawk will receive from the Honorable Judge Pisano.
Based on the severity of Mr. Hawk’s crimes, it is my opinion that the Honorable Judge Pisano will not grant the motion and give Mr. Hawk the same sentence Mr. Chapman received. I do not believe that the Honorable Judge Pisano will even allow Mr. Hawk the luxury of having a reduced sentence than Mr. Chapman. As we all already know, CEOs will get the brunt of any criminal penalties levied (see John Yeh, and Enron as examples). Mr. Hawk was the CEO of Hawk Relay.
In any case, the Downward Variance Motion is a very interesting bedtime reading. When you read this, keep in mind that Mr. Hawk’s attorney is citing cases with different defendants in order to argue on why Mr. Hawk should get a reduced sentence.
Hawk Downward Variance Motion is here
Greetings,
It is with much appreciation and gratitude to a source who tipped VRS Justice to two potential VRS Fraud defendants. After researching this tip, it was found to be credible.
Samuel Hawk and Bryce Chapman of Hawk Relay
Both men have been indicted of several counts of engaging in VRS Fraud. The counts are as follows:
Count 1: Conspiracy (18 U.S.C. § 1349)
Counts 2-4: Wire Fraud (18 U.S.C. § 981 and 28 U.S.C. § 2461)
Forfeiture Notice (18 U.S.C § 981 and 28 U.S.C. § 2461)
The defendants were indicted on March 13, 2014. Mr. Hawk was arrested on March 19, 2014 according to PACER. Both defendants were assigned public defenders end of March 2014.
On April 15, 2014, Mr. Chapman pled guilty to all counts for which he was charged for. Mr. Hawk followed suit pleading guilty to all charges levied against him on May 28, 2014.
On December 17, 2014, the Honorable Judge Pisano handed down Mr. Chapman’s sentence for Count 4 only, and dismissing the other counts. The sentence: 3 years of probation with standard conditions, pay a restitution of $18,987,188.99 ($18.9 million), and pay a $100 special assessment fee immediately.
This meant that Mr. Chapman has the dubious honor of holding the second largest restitution ever levied against a VRS Fraud defendant — $18.9 million dollars. If past history is of any indication, once Mr. Hawk is sentenced, he will get the same sentence as Mr. Chapman, but could have a higher restitution amount, but not more than the Yeh Brothers’ restitution of $20 million.
Finally, since Mr. Chapman has pled guilty and sentenced, the tally has been updated to reflect that. The pending sentence belongs to Mr. Hawk who has filed a Downward Variance motion waiting on January 7, 2015. More on this in a next post including what is a Downward Variance Motion.
VRS Justice continues to stand watch for future updates for the last pending VRS Fraud case, and if there are more defendants in the offing, you are more than welcome to contact me at vrsjustice@gmail.com. All sources will be confidential.
Hawk and Chapman Indictment is here
Chapman Plea Agreement is here
Hawk Permission to Enter Plea of Guilty is here
Hawk Plea Agreement is here
Chapman Judgment is here
For Bridget Bonheyo and Jerome Bonheyo, 2015 already is not looking to be a good year. Earlier today, January 7, 2015, the Bonheyos were finally handed their sentences by the Honorable Judge Pisano.
Ms. Bonheyo was sentenced to 3 years of probation with special conditions, pay a restitution of $18,550,554, that is $18.5 million dollars, with a special assessment of $100 to be payable immediately.
Mr Bonheyo was sentenced to 3 years with special conditions, pay a restitution of $18,550,554, that is $18.5 million dollars, with a special assessment of $100 to be payable immediately.
The Judgments do not mention what the special conditions are. VRS Justice will monitor PACER for an updated Judgment document, and if they do become available, you know where to find them. If we go with past history, the first year will be home confinement with electronic monitoring, followed by two years of no confinement and monitoring, especially with such a large restitution amount — just barely the third largest after the Yeh Brothers and one or two surprise defendant(s).
With their sentencings behind them, the VRS Fraud Tally now stands at:
| Terminated | Pending Sentencing |
Guilty Verdict (Plea/Jury) |
Not Guilty/Dismissed | Prison | Released from Prison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 0 | 29 – Plea Bargain 1 – Guilty by Jury Trial (Benjamin Pena) |
1 – Dismissed/charges dropped (Kathleen Valle) | 4 – In Prison (John Yeh, Joseph Yeh, Benjamin Pena and Samuel Hawk) | 1 – Larry Berke |
You may have noticed that the tally is not zero. In fact, the number of terminated cases increased. This is because of two new VRS Fraud defendants to make the list — Samuel Hawk and Bryce Chapman, both of Hawk Relay. More on that in my next post.
Bridget Bonheyo Judgment is here
Jerome Bonheyo Judgment is here
Greetings all,
A quick update your way about Larry Berke.
If you just started reading VRSJustice.com/ClercJr.com, Mr. Berke pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and received jail time as part of his sentence. He has appealed the sentence several times, only to have his sentence upheld by courts. You can find more information on Mr. Berke’s case over at http://clercjr.wordpress.com and his lawsuits here at vrsjustice.com.
Mr. Berke has served nearly all of his sentence and is scheduled for release on June 23, 2014 from a Phoenix Residential Reentry location.
Greetings,
I was contacted via comments and gmail about any updates concerning the two remaining VRS Fraud defendants, Bridget Bonheyo and Jerome Bonheyo, who are still free awaiting their sentencing dates. I am still alive and constantly checking with the PACER database on a weekly basis, usually either on a Monday or a Friday.
I have decided that I will go and do one extra step in communicating (or should I daresay ‘over-communicating’) to the community on a weekly basis an update of my PACER search. Also, I will report back on any communication that I do receive from the prosecutor’s office, if any.
That said, this post will stay on top of the blog feed with an update on a weekly basis.
PACER CHECKED: 6/13/2014
RESULT: No judicial actions since Oct 2013
As Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter-verse would say, “Constant Vigilance!”
A quick update on the whereabouts of the VRS Fraud inmates since there have been movement on their locations.
Larry Berke has transferred from Tucson FCI over to CCM Phoenix. This is interesting since if you recall his lawsuit prior to being incarcerated. BOP Tucson FCI had all the necessary accessibility accommodations needed for Mr. Berke’s stay due to the presence of another deaf inmate who is serving a life sentence. CCM Phoenix is a contract “halfway house.”
Benjamin Pena is still at the La Tuna FCI in Anthony, Texas. As an aside, one wonders why he was originally assigned to an Oklahoma prison then reassigned to a Texas prison, when his former residence was near Phoenix, Arizona. Would that make Tucson FCI a more logical choice with all the accessibility accommodations made for that other deaf lifer and is closer to his original residence?
John Yeh and Joseph Yeh are still incarcerated at Schuykill FCI in Pennsylvania.
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