LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — On Thursday, a Little Rock lawyer pleaded guilty to his involvement in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Agriculture out of more than $11.5 million that was intended to benefit farmers who had been discriminated against.
75-year-old Everett Martindale admitted in court that he acted as the legal representative for claimants who filed false claims asserting they were discriminated against when they tried to get assistance from USDA for their farming operations.
According to official documents, Martindale signed certifications that said he investigated the claims when prosecutors said he did not.
Authorities also said, the proceeds from the false claims were mailed to Martindale, and he took a portion of the money as an attorney's fee.
Martindale was the last defendant to enter a plea in the case. Lynda Charles, 72, of Hot Springs; Rosie Bryant, 74, of Colleyville, Texas; Delois Bryant, 75, of North Little Rock; and Brenda Sherpell, 72, of Gainesville, Texas, each pleaded guilty on J to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.
Niki Charles, 49, who is the daughter of Lynda Charles, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiracy to commit mail fraud based on her role in notarizing affidavits that she knew to be false and soliciting people to file false claims.
The sisters also admitted that they hired a tax preparer to falsify tax returns, resulting in the failure to report over $4.6 million to the Internal Revenue...
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