Eastern District of Oklahoma

FOR RELEASE:   October 17, 2007
SUBJECT:           POOLE, John Charles

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - Sheldon J. Sperling, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that CARROLL WAYNE ROGERS, age 54, of Spiro, Oklahoma, was arrested on five counts of Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341 and 2.

"At an arraignment this morning the defendant was advised of his rights, represented by appointed counsel and plead not guilty. He was given ten days to file pretrial motions. Trial was set for December 3, 2007."

"The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. ROGERS is an elected official and serves as the District Number One County Commissioner and also as Chairman of the County Board of Commissioners for LeFlore County," U.S. Attorney Sperling reported. "The indictment alleges that, beginning in or about May 1, 2002, and continuing through to on or about August 31, 2006, ROGERS, and others devised and intended to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud Markel American Insurance Company and Farmers Insurance Group, by means of false and fraudulent statements and insurance claims to obtain money from the insurance companies," stated U.S. Attorney Sperling.

"The alleged scheme involved ROGERS' purchase of three houses, directly or indirectly, over a period of months. The grand jury indictment contends that the defendant caused insurance to be obtained on the properties for far more than the purchase price. After the insurance was in place, the defendant is alleged to have caused the houses to be destroyed by fire. Inflated insurance claims were then submitted to the insurance company. When the claims were paid, ROGERS pocketed the money. In addition, in one instance, the indictment charges, ROGERS made a $5,000.00 claim for damage to a mobile home trailer located on his property, when in reality the trailer was a derelict hull with little, if any, value," stated U.S. Attorney Sperling.

"ROGERS also made a claim for hail damage to the roof of his house. Although the insurance claim was paid, ROGERS did not use the money to repair the roof. Rather, four years later ROGERS made another claim for the same damage, asserting that the roof had again been damaged by hail," U.S. Attorney Sperling reported.

"The statutory range of punishment is up to 20 years imprisonment and/or fines in the amount of up to twice the amount of the loss to the insurance companies, with three years supervised release," stated U.S. Attorney Sperling. "Advisory sentencing guidelines must ultimately be considered with regard to punishment upon convictions. Federal prison sentences are not subject to parole."

"At the conclusion of the arraignment ROGERS was released on a $20,000.00 unsecured bond and ordered to be subject to home confinement and electronic monitoring.

"An Indictment does not constitute evidence of guilt. Under the law, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until his guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."

"Assistant United States Attorney William Clabault represents the government."