Hayden man sentenced for fraud
Hayden businessman Christopher Close was sentenced to eight years in prison Tuesday for defrauding the federal government and some of his elderly clients.
Close, 36, is the former owner of the Hayden-based medical equipment company, Back ‘N Action. Many of the charges against Close involved his billing Medicare for $6,000 electric wheelchairs, but providing his elderly patients with $2,000 electric scooters. Close’s acts of fraud totaled more than $170,000, with most of the money coming from Medicare.
U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge said that Close’s conduct was motivated by greed and that the long sentence was necessary to “do justice to the victims” who were “devastated, hurt and taken advantage of” by Close.
Close will begin serving his sentence March 30 and must pay a $50,000 fine and restitution of $216,000. He also will serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.
Close was convicted in July of 30 counts of health-care fraud, nine counts of money laundering and two counts of obstructing justice. The jury reconvened in December for an unusual sentencing trail in which it found Close had engaged in a sophisticated scheme to defraud, which involved a large number of victims who were vulnerable because of age or disability.
Drivers will face variety of traffic restrictions
Traffic could be messy in Spokane over the next several days.
Southbound Division Street will be reduced to one lane from 1 to 3 p.m. today over the Division Street Bridge because of work on Convention Center expansion.
Qwest utility work will also restrict traffic. Stevens Street traffic between Fourth and Seventh avenues will experience lane closures and other restrictions today through March 2. And the northernmost lane of Third Avenue will be affected between Stevens and Division on the same days. Both restrictions are scheduled between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Farther east, intermittent lane closures are planned for the Freya Street Bridge between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. over the next several days.
The city will be drilling cores from the bridge as part of a planned 2006 bridge replacement project.
Elderly man’s ‘gun’ really a toy, police find
Spokane Valley police swarmed a retirement village Wednesday afternoon after reports that an elderly resident had a gun in his fifth-floor apartment.
The gun turned out to be a toy.
Police were called to the Good Samaritan Towers, 17117 E. Eighth Ave., about 2 p.m. when a staff member reported seeing a handgun in an elderly man’s apartment, Sgt. Wes Eylar said.
The resident had an argument with the staff member, and said “something like, it’s not worth it,” Eylar said.
The staff member thought he was suicidal and, after spotting the handgun, reported the incident to police.
More than a dozen officers, a K-9 unit and a school resource deputy from Central Valley High School responded to the retirement home.
Residents living next door to the man were relocated during the incident, but the building was not evacuated, Eylar said.
Police were able to talk the man out into the hallway, and he let them in to search for the gun, which turned out to be a toy, Eylar said.
“He said he had the toy gun for years, and he wouldn’t hurt a flea,” Eylar said. “I believe that to be true.”
“The (Good Samaritan) administration even let him keep the gun,” he added.
Guard unit turns over Kuwait command
A battalion of the Washington Army National Guard has relinquished command of its operations in Kuwait in advance of its redeployment to Fort Lewis near Tacoma, according to a National Guard news release.
The 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery, 81st Brigade has overseen security operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II since February 2004, conducting missions in Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
On Feb. 11, the battalion from Washington state turned over its command to the 1st Battalion, 487th Field Artillery of the 29th Brigade Combat Team from Hawaii during a ceremony at Camp Patriot, part of the Kuwait Naval Base.
“The battalion has set a new standard for force protection in Kuwait,” said Lt. Col. A. Grant Lingg, battalion commander.
All 2-146th soldiers should be out of Kuwait by the end of March, according to the news release.
Dog’s owners cited for trespassing
Two brothers whose dog was believed to be involved in killing one alpaca and injuring another were cited on criminal trespassing charges Wednesday.
According to Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dave Reagan, deputies went to the home of Jeremiah Hoke, 21, and Andrew Hoke, 19, on North Hemlock Street in Spokane where they were charged with a misdemeanor. Spokane County Regional Animal Care and Protection Services also cited Jeremiah Hoke for owning a dangerous dog that is at large.
The dog, believed to be a Dalmatian-pit bull mix, allegedly attacked the alpacas belonging to Patti and Gale Burnett of Johannsen Road on Feb. 11. Witnesses tied the dog inside the Burnetts’ barn, and the Hokes were later seen taking their dog. They told officials they gave the dog to a stranger named James.
“The suspects tell us they’ll make a good-faith effort to try to locate the dog,” Reagan said. The white dog is named Porsche.