March 06, 2008 07:54 pm
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By Ashley Sanders
The Orange Leader
Said to have robbed the McLewis branch of the Orange Savings Bank last month because they “couldn’t find jobs,” four Newton County men were indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury for armed bank robbery.
Eddie Wayne Levias, 43; Patrick Jerome Levias, 46; Frederico Johnson, Jr., 19; and Jose Cruz, 18, are accused of conspiring to rob the bank, located on North Hwy. 62. Additionally, Johnson and Cruz were indicted for using firearms to commit the robbery.
Despite the suspects’ best efforts, however, the Orange Savings Bank did not suffer any financial losses during the robbery, as the men were unsuccessful in taking any money. No bank employees were injured in the incident.
The four defendants face up to 25 years in federal prison for the bank robbery charge, five years to life for the firearms charge, and five years for the conspiracy charge and a fine not to exceed $250,000.
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A former Beaumont Police officer is facing time behind bars after pleading guilty last November to defrauding the Beaumont Police Officers Association of funds for his own personal use.
Paul Perritt, 54, of Port Neches was sentenced Thursday to four months in federal prison and four months home confinement by United States District Judge Thad Heartfield. Perritt was also ordered to pay $142,000.00 in restitution, with $100,000 to be paid prior to sentencing.
According to information presented in court, an investigation revealed that Perritt, who was employed as a police officer with the Beaumont Police Department from 1976 until May 2007, assumed the position of Treasurer of the BPOA around January 1994 and maintained that position until March 2007.
As treasurer, Perritt had authority to write checks upon the BPOA bank accounts. Those accounts contained union dues deposited directly from the paychecks of Beaumont Police Officers. Although Perritt knew he was not authorized to use those funds for his personal benefit, he did in fact, use BPOA funds to pay his own personal expenses on several occasions from January 2003 until December 2006.
In having pled guilty to the aforementioned information, Perritt admitted to issuing a check on a BPOA account in the amount of $3,300 as payment for his personal credit card in June 2003. The check was mailed to the credit card company on June 27, 2003. He was charged with mail fraud in October 2007.
The total amount that Perritt admitted to taking from BPOA from January 2003 until December 2006 was $141, 942.
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A 41-year-old Port Arthur man was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison Thursday for federal firearms violations.
Tony Dondre Williams, who plead guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm on Oct. 9, 2007, was sentenced for shooting his firearm during an incident on Oct. 21, 2006.
On that October night, law enforcement officers responded to a report of shots being fired in the 2700 block of Lakeshore Drive in Port Arthur. Williams was located in the vicinity and a search of his vehicle revealed a pistol and ammunition.
Further investigation revealed Williams to be a convicted felon and prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition. Williams had previous convictions for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance in the Eastern District of Texas in 1996, possession of a controlled substance in Jefferson County in 1992 and arson in Jefferson County in 1992.
Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 6, 2007 and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
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