http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2008/0 ... 660277.txt
HAMMOND | Lawrence Meeks was sentenced Wednesday to 10 months of house arrest and 100 hours of community service for his role in the Gary Urban Enterprise Association scandal, said Mary Hatton, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office.
Meeks, 55, of Gary, pleaded guilty in March during a surprise hearing in Hammond federal court to five counts of failing to report income he received from the GUEA for janitorial jobs.
His was the ninth GUEA conviction since the scandal broke in December 2004.
From the executive director on down to the janitor, everyone associated with the Gary Urban Enterprise Association who was indicted for financial crimes thus far has been convicted.
His daughter, Jojuana Meeks, the former executive director of the organization, admitted to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the organization with the help of the former fiscal manager, Charmaine Pratchett, and the two board members who signed all the checks, Johnnie Wright and Derrick Earls.
Jojuana Meeks, Earls, Pratchett and Wright all admitted embezzling from the group and are in prison. And Pratchett's long-time boyfriend, Gregory Hill, is headed to prison for not reporting income he received for mowing GUEA lawns.
Lawrence Meeks was also ordered Wednesday to pay back more than $5,500 to the federal community defender's office, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Bell said.
Bell said the restitution will repay the public for a court-appointed lawyer Meeks demanded last year when the government charged him with tax fraud.
Meeks claimed at his initial court hearing he couldn't afford a private defense lawyer. A judge provided him with a federal court defender for a time, but Meeks later hired a number of private lawyers.
The government alleged that Lawrence Meeks earned more than $539,000 between 2000 and 2007 from the GUEA, a nonprofit organization from which he, his daughter and seven others have been convicted of embezzling funds.
Unbelievable!
