KCK resident charged in fraud scheme

Four people, including a professor at an Ohio medical school, were indicted Wednesday on charges that they tried to defraud Compaq Computer Corp. out of millions of dollars.

Herbert H. Cates, 44, of Kansas City, Kan., Dennis P. McIntosh, 49, of Lee’s Summit, Mo., Janice Douglas, 59, of Bratenahl, Ohio, and Leroy Anthony Sallee, 43, of Ashtabula, Ohio, were charged with 14 counts of mail and wire fraud.

The defendants submitted a purchase order to Compaq for equipment worth more than $5 million, prosecutors said.

By saying that the purchase order was on behalf of Case Western Reserve University by Douglas, a professor at the university, the defendants negotiated $2 million in discounts, prosecutors said.

Cates, an authorized reseller of Compaq equipment, negotiated the details with Compaq, authorities said. Compaq shipped the equipment to a warehouse in Tewksbury, Mass., and then Sallee sold it outside the country.

Counties receive funds to help abused children

The State Crime Victims’ Assistance Fund for Child Abuse and Neglect will give $248,514 to 18 programs in Kansas, including one in Douglas County, in 2003.

The money will be used to provide temporary emergency shelter, counseling and assistance, and education services to victims of child abuse and neglect. The services are aimed at reducing abuse and neglect and helping those that have already been victimized.

Douglas County CASA will receive $7,291, which will be used to help more abused children and increase cultural awareness in CASA volunteers.

CASA of the 4th Judicial District in Franklin County will receive $5,892, and 1st Judicial District CASA in Leavenworth County will receive $21,156.

Kansas wins EPA grant

The Environmental Protection Agency awarded Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska grants totaling more than $1.6 million to share environmental data on the Internet.

Kansas received a $500,000 “One Stop” grant to continue work on data management.

The grants will be used to share environmental information and create a central computer location to submit data to EPA headquarters.

For more information, visit www.epa.gov/neengprg/index.html.