Published Saturday, June 1, 2002
FARRELL, SHARON
Feds arraign 5th of 7 on bank fraud chargesBy Joe Pinchot
Herald Staff Writer
A U.S. District Court judge arraigned the fifth of seven people indicted on federal bank fraud charges Friday.
Joyce E. Green, 43, of Brownsville, Pa., pleaded not guilty and was released on $10,000 bond with supervision by Pre-Trial Services, said Assistant U.S. Attorney James V. Moroney.
Judge Donald C. Nugent, Cleveland, also issued an arrest warrant for Phillip "Jiggs" Wells, 30, of 622 Emerson Ave., Farrell, who is in the Pennsylvania prison system, Moroney said.
"Primarily, that's so the marshals can facilitate transportation," Moroney said of the warrant.
Wells is serving time for pleading guilty to simple assault for assaulting a 15-year-old boy in Farrell.
Wells is scheduled to be released June 14, and Nugent set his arraignment for June 18, which also is the date for a pretrial in the case, Moroney said.
An arrest warrant is outstanding on Craig S. Ison, 30, formerly of Sharon, who has not been located, Moroney said.
Nugent issued the warrant May 9 when Ison failed to show up for his arraignment that day.
Previously arraigned were:
All of those arraigned before have been released after posting bond, except for Harris, who remains in the Lake County Jail, Moroney said.
All seven defendants were charged with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Nugent canceled a June 17 trial date, Moroney said. The judge probably will set a new trial date at the next pretrial, Moroney said.
The federal speedy trial rule, which requires a trial within 70 days of arraignment, does not start until all defendants in a case have been arraigned.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Harris and Ms. Frieson obtained checks from businesses and organizations and used them as samples to make counterfeit checks.
The couple also assisted the other five people indicted with getting false identification documents to use in passing the checks, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Some of the checks were cashed and others deposited into accounts for later withdrawal, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
At least 13 financial institutions in Ohio and Pennsylvania were defrauded of at least $150,000 between April 8, 1998, and January 1999, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at jpinchot@sharon-herald.com