Friday, Aug. 19, 2016 News 12 NBC 26 at 6 O'Clock

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) -- Those 25 cars and five houses seized as part of this indictment are now going to be used as evidence as lawyers meet to make a case for either side. That property is frozen until a decision is reached.

News 12 NBC 26 showed exclusive video of those cars taken away yesterday, Lexus', Audi's and others as seized assets. One FBI task force member not involved with the case said these cars are important pieces of evidence now. Especially in this case as the indictment says Murphy Village Enterprise members would roll odometers back to minimize mileage before selling.

Once the case is over or the property is not needed as evidence anymore it could go to the government who could sell them off. But the houses are evidence too and could also be sold when the case is over.

Looking at 2015 Aiken County property records these houses are costly, 1016 Kerry Court is valued at $612,490. Right down from there the 107 Mistletoe Court property is smaller at $157,931 and 117 Butterfly Drive is at $355,943. Down Edgefield Road at 199 Kildare Drive is valued at almost $546,052.

Now there are a couple possibilities at the end of this case when a judge will decide what happens with the property, but selling them is one possibility. That money could go to fund several local police agencies .

News 12 NBC 26 / Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) -- Federal agents were spotted in Aiken County overseeing property connected to a racketeering scheme get hauled away.

A Wal-Mart parking lot turned into an impound lot as at least two luxury cars connected to the Murphy Village investigation get strapped to a tow truck and hauled away.

News 12 NBC 26 got exclusive video of them pulling off.

The video shows a tow truck loading up a 2015 Lexus GX460 and a 2015 BMW 640I. They look like normal cars in the back of a Wal-Mart parking lot, but VIN numbers and car models confirm these cars are the same ones listed in the federal indictment. Though inconspicuous, a federal agent was close by in an unmarked car to supervise.

All of this happened in the Wal-Mart on Edgefield Road, just off exit 5 and right down the street from Murphy Village where at least 20 of these suspects live.

It's the latest in a 5-year, multi-agency investigation alleging schemes to steal life insurance benefits, food stamps, Medicaid funds, and vehicle loans.

Investigator Brian Jones is part of the FBI Task Force of Augusta. He was not involved in this case, but he knows what it takes to put a case like this together.

"It takes a lot of man hours, and a lot of effort, and a lot of digging to get the information that we need," he said.

In this case it led to 18 pages of allegations in the form of an indictment. All 22 people named in the indictment are innocent until proven guilty, but this document means a grand jury believes there is enough proof to take this case to court.

"We don't dive into that area of speculation, and that's why it takes a while to do this. Because yeah, you could go off a rumor if you wanted to, but rumors are not going to do anything in the courtroom, so you've got to chase it down," Jones said.

What they chased down led them to this. The indictment says members of the Murphy Village "enterprise frequently rolled back the odometers of their vehicles when trading or selling the vehicles and to minimize mileage under lease agreements."

The cars hauled away today are just two on a list of 25 in danger of being seized. The indictment also lists five properties in danger of forfeiture.

The Department of Justice couldn't tell us how many cars were seized today, if any other property was seized or when the next load might be taken away.

Federal investigators still have 30 days to get their evidence ready before turning it over to the government and moving on to the next step. We're keeping an eye on their next date in federal court. That has not been scheduled yet.

Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) -- News 12 NBC 26 has confirmed the cars seized from Murphy Village after a federal indictment have been loaded up and towed away from North Augusta.

The Federal Marshals Office and FBI were on scene of the Walmart on Edgefield Road Thursday where investigators brought the vehicles to be towed away. We're working to get more information and will update this story as it becomes available.

No court dates have been scheduled for the 22 people indicted on racketeering and fraud charges from an operation out of Murphy Village in North Augusta.

Defendants and their attorneys have 30 days to put together their evidence to submit to the government.

The long-term, multi-agency federal investigation spanned at least five years and details schemes to get life insurance benefits, food stamps, and Medicaid funds among others.

News 12 NBC 26 / Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) -- Twenty-two people have been indicted on racketeering and fraud charges stemming from an operation out of Murphy Village in North Augusta.

The long-term, multi-agency federal investigation spanned at least five years and details schemes to get life insurance benefits, food stamps, and Medicaid funds among others.

In all, 45 counts of racketeering fill the 18-page indictment carried out by what the U.S. Attorney's office is calling a "criminal organization that operates in Murphy Village." They refer to them as "Travelers," defined as a "self-identified group of itinerant laborers and salesmen who offer services door to door."

It's a recognizable part of the community. Even the indictment references their "large homes, luxury cars, and expensive jewelry and clothes, which are often acquired through fraud schemes" described as "theft, swindling, and deceptive and fraudulent construction and service work."

This investigation dates back to at least 2011. The earliest proof cites mail fraud for food stamp benefits in October of 2011 and evading reporting requirements for money they got from a death benefits check in June of 2011.

Now, Uncle Sam is coming to get his money back. The indictment lists five properties, all within two miles of each other, and 25 cars they could seize.

While the homes are close, many of the accused crimes are in different states. The indictment listed fraud from financing cars in Georgia, North Carolina, and New York. It also mentioned part of the conspiracy agreement was that each person would commit at least two acts of racketeering activity.

Since it's a federal case, there are no public mugshots available. We're working to find out when each of the 22 will be arraigned in court.

The following from North Augusta were indicted:

Hannah Carroll

Rose M. Mulholland

Kim Mulholland

Caroline Sherlock

Catherine Carroll

Anthony Carroll

Johnny M. Sherlock

Mary Rita Sherlock

Leslie Ann Sherlock

Jimmy J. Carroll

Mary Costello

Mary Gorman Carroll

Jimmy Gorman

Leslie C. Gorman

Renee Carroll

Rose S. Mulholland

Susan Sherlock

Tommy Sherlock

Willam Caroll

Johnny Mack

The following from Augusta were indicted:

Leonard New

Angela Askew

Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) -- The acting U.S. Attorney for South Carolina said Tuesday that twenty two people from the CSRA have been indicted for racketeering and fraud in Murphy Village.

The following from North Augusta were indicted:

Hannah Carroll

Rose M. Mulholland

Kim Mulholland

Caroline Sherlock

Catherine Carroll

Anthony Carroll

Johnny M. Sherlock

Mary Rita Sherlock

Jimmy Gorman

Leslie Gorman

Leslie Ann Sherlock

Jimmy J. Carroll

Mary Costello

Mary Gorman Carroll

Renee Carroll

Rose S. Mulholland

Susan Sherlock

Tommy Sherlock

William Carroll

Johnny Mack

Leonard New and Angela Askew, of Augusta, Georgia were also indicted.

According to allegations in the indictment, the defendants operated out of Murphy Village near North Augusta. The travelers are allegedly itinerant laborers and salesmen who go door to door and speak a dialect of English and Gaelic called "Cant," in addition to American English. In the indictment, it states those charged are either travelers or their associates. In Murphy Village the travelers own large homes, luxury cars, expensive jewelry and clothes, and according to the indictment, those items are are often acquired through the fraud schemes or acquired with the proceeds of the fraud schemes.

The indictment states they are accused of committing a number of fraudulent schemes in order to get life insurance benefits, food stamps, Medicaid funds, and fraud involving automobile financing.

The SNAP program provides food stamps only for the poor. According to the indictment, the defendants fraudulently understated their income and employment on food stamp applications to obtain these benefits for which they were not entitled.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshal’s Service, United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigative Division, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the South Carolina Department of Social Services, and Assistant United States Attorneys Jim May and Jay Richardson from the Columbia Office and Rhett Dehart from the Charleston Office worked together in the investigation.

What is an irish traveller?

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RICO Conspiracy carries a maximum sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine Mail and Wire Fraud each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine Structuring carries a maximum sentence of 5 years and a $250,000 fine Interstate Transportation of Stolen Items carries a maximum sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine These charges include a maximum term of supervised release following imprisonment of 3 years