Speed and/or alcohol to blame as 2 Indiana Tech students dead, 2 others seriously injured in Saturday crash on I-69 in Fort Wayne, Indiana

2 Indiana Tech students dead in Saturday crash on I-69.  Speed and/or alcohol to blame

By: WANE Staff Reports


September 29, 2018

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA:
 
FWPD responded to a fatal crash Saturday.

Two people were killed and two were seriously hurt early Saturday after a crash on I-69.

It happened on I-69 Northbound, near exit 311 B for Lima Road.

According to Fort Wayne police dispatch, the crash happened just after midnight.

A least one car could be seen on it's top. Investigators believe all the vehicles involved were traveling northbound on I-69.

Fort Wayne police say two people died at the scene. The other two victims were transported to a local hospital, listed in critical and serious condition.

Indiana Tech has confirmed that the two that died were students at Indiana Tech.

The school released this statement Saturday morning on Facebook saying:


"The Indiana Tech community is shaken and saddened today by the deaths of two students during a car crash early this morning. We give thanks for both of their lives and the brilliance and vitality they brought to our university. May they rest in peace.

As we move forward as a university, we ask that you keep in your thoughts and prayers the family members and friends of all affected by this tragedy."

The interstate was completely reopened to traffic at around 5:30 a.m.

Fort Wayne Police Department's F.A.C.T. is processing the scene.

Most of the drunk or impaired driving occurs in the early am hours, like this one.  It is Friday night to Saturday 12:00 am and students speed and drink and drive.  Only a high speeding car would rollover like the one did here. The driver failed to negotiate the curve as he was taking the 311B exit and rolled over.

Rachel Kayl, 33, tearfully admits “excessive speed” during the 2016 winter morning was the “primary cause” that her SUV smashed into a vehicle carrying three teens to school, killing Bridget Giere and Stephanie Carlson, both 16

Officers who responded to the scene found Kayl “distraught and crying,” the complaint said. She did not show any signs of intoxication or impairment.

She told officers she “did not mean to hit” the other vehicle and couldn’t recall if the light was green, the complaint said. “It all happened so fast,” she told officers, according to the complaint

She asked officers if she could be charged if any of the passengers in the other vehicle died, according to the charges. Kayl declined to participate in follow up interviews with authorities.

The vehicle carrying the girls was traveling about 20 mph when it was hit.


Maple Grove woman tearfully admits speed caused crash that killed 2 Mounds View High School students


By Sarah Horner | shorner@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press
September 27, 2018 


Rachel Kayl was driving about 80 mph when her SUV smashed into a vehicle carrying three teens to school on a dark December morning now almost two years ago, killing two of them.

Bridget Giere and Stephanie Carlson, both 16, died in the crash. A third student, Samantha Redden, who was driving them to Mounds View High School in her Chevrolet Equinox that morning, sustained significant injures.

On Thursday, just days before her trial was to start, Kayl admitted in Ramsey County District Court that she was driving approximately 30 miles over the 50 mph speed limit on County Road 96 when the fatal collision took place.

She also admitted that it was her extreme negligence that day that caused Giere and Carlson’s deaths, and left Redden to recover from a collapsed lung, significant blood loss, an injury to her spleen and a traumatic brain injury.

Redden, now a freshman at Century College, as well as both Giere and Carlson’s parents, listened from benches in the gallery as Kayl tearfully described what happened during the hearing.

She also entered guilty pleas to two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and one count of criminal vehicular operation.

The 33-year-old was driving eastbound on County Road 96 around 7:30 a.m. Dec. 1 2016 when her SUV collided with Redden’s westbound Chevrolet Equinox that was turning left onto Old Highway 10.  



Ramsey County sheriff's office photo of Rachel Kayl, 33



Her admission came after nearly two years of preparing to fight the charges at trial.

While an accident reconstruction with the Minnesota State Patrol determined after the crash that Kayl’s “excessive speed” that winter morning was the “primary cause” of the collision, her attorney argued otherwise in motions filed with the court.

Defense attorney Adam Johnson asserted that it was actually Redden’s failure to yield to Kayl, who had a green light at the time, that caused the collision.

As a part of her plea deal, the state agreed to drop the two manslaughter charges facing Kayl in her case.

She is expected to receive a roughly 10-year stayed sentence for the convictions when she is sentenced in mid-December. That means Kayl will be sent to prison only if she fails to abide by the terms of her probation, according to a spokesman with the Ramsey County attorneys’ office. Mourners left flowers, Teddy bears, pictures and cards Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, where 16-year-old Mounds View High School students Bridget Giere and Stephanie Carlson were killed in a car crash on Minnesota 96 in Arden Hills. (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)

The judge also could order her to spend a year in jail.

Her attorney declined to comment Thursday on her decision to plead guilty.

“We intend on arguing our position at sentencing,” Johnson said.

Stephanie Carlson’s father, Steven Carlson, described the hearing afterward as “emotional” and cathartic.

“It was nice to have her take ownership of what she did and, you know, admit to everything we kind of knew since the beginning,” he said.” It’s hard to listen to though, and it’s too bad it took this long, but it’s nice that at least this part is over.”

He added that he and his wife, Catherine, were OK with the terms of Kayl’s plea deal, and said that while they don’t feel hatred toward her, they do believe she needs to be held accountable for her choices.

“We understand and acknowledge that Rachel and her family have their own burdens and sorrows, but we do not believe that exonerates her from the consequences of killing two young women and severely injuring a third in an action that was 100 percent preventable,” the couple wrote in a statement provided Thursday evening.

Giere’s parents, Marty and Marilee, said Kayl’s guilty plea offered them little solace, but added that they were struck by the remorse she showed in court.

“I just know if I had done that I would be very, very sorry and she never showed that until today,” Marilee Giere said.

Marty called the hearing “just one more step in the process … It never ends,” he said. “You think about her every day.”

Giere, Carlson and Redden had been close friends since grade school, the Carlsons said Thursday afternoon. The girls had been driving to school together ever since Redden got her license.

Hundreds of Mounds View High School students gathered in the days after the fatal wreck to grieve for their classmates.

Last fall, a memorial garden created in their honor was completed at North Heights Lutheran Church in Arden Hills, which is less than a mile from the crash scene.

Marilee Giere visits it all the time. “It’s beautiful,” she said. “I just sit there and think about the girls. … It’s really for all young people who have passed. There’s a lot of them.”

The Fairbury, Nebraska house fire that killed homeowner Gary L. Nolte, 67, was caused by a burning candle

FAIRBURY, Neb.  -- 

State Fire Marshal investigators have determined the cause of a house fire late Tuesday evening was accidental, originating with a burning candle.

Homeowner Gary L. Nolte, 67, was transported from the scene and pronounced deceased at Jefferson Community Health Center.

Fairbury Rural Fire Department responded to an alarm for 1224 3rd St. at 10:45p.m. The Jefferson County Sheriff, Fairbury Police Department, and the State Fire Marshal Agency assisted the department.

The investigation by the State Fire Marshal Agency is complete. 

=====================

Gary L. Nolte, 67, of Fairbury passed away September 25, 2018.  He was born February 1, 1951 to Eldo & Evelyn (Schwisow) Nolte in Fairbury.

Cremation has taken place.  No services are scheduled.

Deneise A. Roycraft-Hartman and Mavis A. Wolff, both of Omro, WI died, truck driver seriously injured after their car collided with the truck at the intersection of State 76 and Winnebago County GG

Deneise Roycraft-Hartman, the dead driver
RIP Deneise . Prayers to your family and friends . She attended Oshkosh High School and would have graduated 1958 . Dee worked as a Technician at Dr. Johanknecht's office in Berlin for many years.


VINLAND, WI - 

The two people who died in a two-vehicle crash Tuesday morning at State 76 and Winnebago County GG have been identified as Deneise A. Roycraft-Hartman and Mavis A. Wolff, both of Omro.

Lt. Tim Eichman of the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office said Roycraft-Hartman, 78, was the driver of a car in the crash and Wolff, 88, was a passenger in the car.

"No further information is being released at this time," Eichman said Friday. "The accident is still under investigation by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office."

The crash occurred about 8 a.m. and involved the Roycraft-Hartman car and a large truck. The driver of the truck suffered serious injuries.



=============================


Two dead in Tuesday morning truck-car crash on State 76

Sophie Carson, Oshkosh Northwestern 

September 25, 2018




VINLAND, WI - 


Two people died and one was injured after a car crash Tuesday on State 76 between Oshkosh and Neenah, authorities confirmed.

A large truck and a car crashed at the intersection of State 76 and County GG around 8 a.m. Tuesday, Winnebago County Sheriff's Lt. Tim Eichman said. How the crash happened is still under investigation.

Both the driver and passenger of the car died — the passenger at the scene and the driver after being flown to a hospital, Eichman said. The truck driver suffered serious injuries, and paramedics took him by ambulance to a hospital.

State 76 remained closed in both directions until 1:30 p.m. from Green Valley Road to County G.

Eichman said the truck had a trailer and was larger than a dump truck but smaller than a semitractor-trailer. Authorities are not releasing the names of those who died, pending notification of their family members.



=========================


Deneise Roycraft-Hartman
1940 - 2018 Obituary







Deneise Roycraft-Hartman

Omro - Deneise "Dee" Ann Roycraft-Hartman, age 78, passed unexpectedly on Tuesday, September 25, 2018. She was born in Oshkosh on August 7, 1940 the daughter of Ruford "Joe" and Susie (Stiller) Taylor. On November 10, 1994 she married Jack Hartman in Berlin. Dee worked as a technician at Dr. Johanknecht's office in Berlin for many years. She volunteered at Bethesda, the polling booths and Weyauwega-Fremont School District. Dee enjoyed reading, quilting, crocheting, card playing and the occasional Bingo. Her family was very important to her and she especially enjoyed attending her children's and grandchildren's sporting events. She will be remembered for her competitive nature and the love she had for her family.

Dee is survived by her husband, Jack; children: Robert Roycraft, Brian (Stacy) Roycraft and Terrance (Wenda) Roycraft; step-children: Debbie (Mark) Pilkington of California, Gary Hartman of California and Tony Hartman of Tennessee; grandchildren: Fawn (Jeff) Beck, Zachery Roycraft, Jamie Roycraft, Rhodes (Alyssa) Freeman, Tera Roycraft, John Roycraft, Boone Roycraft and Michael Roycraft; 9 great-grandchildren; mother, Susie Taylor; brothers: Dennis Taylor and Mark (Zepher) Taylor; brothers-in-law: Lee (Raora) Hartman and George (Sandy) Hartman; and many loving nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her former husband, William Roycraft Jr.; father, Joe Taylor; mother-in-law, Viola Marshall; and sister-in-law, Kyongae Taylor.

Bears Den Run Chemical Spill: Induction foundry discharged approximately 250 gallons of a white sodium hydroxide waste solution into the sanitary sewer which was illegally connected to the storm sewer off the property in Austintown, Ohio

By JUSTIN DENNIS

jdennis@vindy.com

AUSTINTOWN, OHIO

The milky white substance that leaked Friday into Bears Den Run stream in Mill Creek MetroParks was sodium hydroxide, according to city fire officials.

Youngstown Fire Department Battalion Chief Silverio Caggiano said Friday about 250 gallons of the slightly corrosive industrial chemical leaked into storm drains from a crack in the sanitary sewer lines of a nearby industrial complex along Hendricks Road in Austintown. Operators were unaware of the leak, he said.

Ohio EPA spokesman Anthony Chenault said Friday afternoon the complex’s sanitary line was improperly (aka, illegally) connected to the storm sewer off the property. The operators will be issued a violation notice, he said.

MetroParks Executive Director Aaron Young said the discoloration was reported to park officials early Friday. Youngstown wastewater officials and EPA investigators took samples of the cloudy water as city and Austintown fire officials tracked the contamination back to its source.

Mahoning County HazMat crews plugged the source drain – which cleared up much of the white cloudiness residents reported Friday – but responders couldn’t locate the source in time to keep the chemical from reaching Mill Creek, Caggiano said.

Caggiano said Lake Glacier, which is fed by Mill Creek, did not show signs of contamination Friday.

Sodium hydroxide is used as a cutting and cleaning agent and also acts as a slightly corrosive lubricant to keep cuttings clean, he said. It easily mixed with the stream water Friday, making filtration the only effective solution – but that was impossible, he said.

Neither Caggiano nor Mahoning County Soil and Water Conservation District officials noted any fish deaths as a result. Water testing performed Friday returned a pH level of 8, which is slightly more alkaline than water. The stream’s pH and dissolved oxygen levels fall within the EPA’s acceptable limits, Chenault said.

Kathleen Vrable-Bryan, Mahoning County Soil and Water Conservation District administrator, took the Friday incident as an opportunity to remind Valley residents to dump “only rain down the drain.” As Mill Creek’s lakes receive Youngstown’s combined sewer overflow, residents must be more careful about dumping in storm drains or yards.

“You can’t just dump out stuff and expect Mother Nature to take care of it,” she said. “Storm drains usually go right directly to a living, breathing body of water. ... It can do a lot of damage.

“You have to be cautious how you handle waste. It has to be properly disposed of.”

Caggiano said it isn’t the first time Bears Den Run neighbors have reported the stream turning milky white.

The Ohio EPA will continue to investigate and review remediation needs, Caggiano said, adding the running stream will likely dilute any residual contamination and “normalize” pH levels over time.

“Dilution is the solution to pollution,” he said. “Nature kind of does have a way of cleaning itself up.”

======================================





Justin Dennis | MetroParks Executive Director Aaron Young said the discoloration was reported to park officials early this morning, who contacted district health board and the soil and water conservation district.


YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO

The milky white substance leaked Friday into Bear’s Den Run in the Mill Creek Metroparks was sodium hydroxide, according to city fire officials.

Youngstown Fire Department Battalion Chief Silverio Caggiano said Friday afternoon about 250 gallons of the slightly corrosive industrial chemical accidentally leaked from the sewer system of a nearby industrial complex along Hendricks Road in Austintown. The complex operators were unaware of the leak, he said.

Ohio EPA spokesperson Anthony Chenault said Friday afternoon the complex’s sanitary line was improperly connected to the storm sewer off the property. The operators will be issued a violation notice, he said.

Plugging the sewer drain cleared up much of the white cloudiness area residents reported Friday, but responders couldn’t locate the source in time to keep the chemical from reaching Mill Creek, Caggiano said.

Neither Caggiano nor Mahoning County Soil and Water Conservation District officials noted any fish deaths as a result. Water testing performed Friday returned a pH level of 8, which is slightly more alkaline than water and falls within the EPA’s acceptable limits, Chenault said.

The Ohio EPA will continue to investigate and review remediation needs, Caggiano said. 

========================================






AUSTINTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) - 

According to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the chemical spilled in a creek near Bear's Den Run and Mahoning Avenue Friday was white sodium hydroxide.

Trumbull County and Mahoning County Hazmat, the EPA, the Youngstown Health Department, the Mahoning Valley Soil and Water, the Mahoning County Valley Sewer Department, and the Youngstown Fire Department investigated after the water appeared to be cloudy.

The EPA released a statement Friday afternoon stating the spill came from an induction foundry upstream from the original investigation area. The foundry discharged approximately 250 gallons of a white sodium hydroxide waste solution into the sanitary sewer.

Apparently, the sanitary line was incorrectly connected to the storm sewer off the property. The sanitary line is currently plugged until proper upgrades can be made.

The EPA said there was no noted impact on the wildlife.

Water quality readings for pH and dissolved oxygen in the contaminated water are within acceptable limits, the EPA states. They also say the responsible party will be issued a notice of violation.

Waste Management garbage truck driver Pierre Lamont Neal, 26 and passenger Rogelio Sanchez Marin, 54, both of Omaha, NE were killed after he crashed his garbage truck that then collided with a dump truck in Elkhorn, NE

Waste Management garbage truck driver Pierre Lamont Neal, 26, died in the crash.  What a shame.  He was speeding on the road and was not careful considering the garbage truck's difficulty in stopping on time or realizing the significant rollover risk associated with hard breaking these big trucks.  RIP.

2 Waste Management employees killed in crash involving dump truck, garbage truck
Investigation closes 204th & Fort for hours
KMTV
September 28, 2018


ELKHORN, Neb. (KMTV) - UPDATE 8:25 p.m.

The Nebraska State Patrol has released the names of two men killed when their garbage truck crashed in Elkhorn Friday afternoon.

Troopers say the garbage truck driven by 26 year old Pierre Lamont Neal and passenger 54 year old Rogelio Sanchez Marin, both of Omaha, was northbound on 204th Street as it approached Fort Street. Neal drove the truck into the southbound lane in an attempt to pass a pickup and trailer that was turning right onto Fort Street. As that happened, a dump truck turned left from Fort Street into the southbound lane of 204th Street. Neal over-corrected while trying to get back into his own lane and lost control, flipping the truck onto its side. As the truck slid, it ran into the dump truck.

Neal and Sanchez Marin died at the scene. The driver of the dump truck, 55 year old Darold Ashcraft of Omaha suffered minor injuries.

Troopers are still investigating. The intersection was closed for about six hours due to the investigation and cleanup.


What a shame.  Pierre Lamont Neal was speeding on the road as he was trying to pass the pickup truck and was not careful considering the garbage truck's difficulty in stopping on time or realizing the significant rollover risk associated with hard breaking these big trucks.  He had obtained his commercial truck driver license just last year.  He had a nice job.  He loved good food, based on the food pictures he was posting online.  Sorry bro.  RIP.
 
Previous story

Two people died in a crash involving a dump truck and a garbage truck at 204th and Fort streets Friday afternoon, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.

Both fatalities in the crash that happened at about 1 p.m. Friday were Waste Management employees, the company confirmed.

"Today is a day of profound sadness for the Waste Management family," Waste Management spokeswoman Lisa Disbrow said in a written statement Friday afternoon. "This is a heartbreaking incident and our deepest sympathies go out to their families and friends.

"We are working with local authorities, Nebraska State Patrol and would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the first responders who attended and assisted at the scene. We appreciate your patience as the authorities investigate this incident."

Authorities were advising drivers to avoid the area Friday afternoon as streets had been shut down while the crash was investigated.

Drivers are asked to avoid the area as it is expected to be closed off into the evening hours.




204/FORT STREET WILL BE SHUT DOWN ALL DIRECTIONS FOR AT LEAST 5 MORE HOURS FOR INVESTIGATION— Douglas County 911 (@DCNE911) September 28, 2018

===================================



ELKHORN, Neb. (KMTV) - 

The Nebraska state patrol is investigating a crash in Elkhorn involving a dump truck and a garbage truck that killed two Waste Management Employees. That crash happened around one Friday afternoon at the intersection of 204th and Fort closing the intersection for six hours.

Some neighbors who live around that intersection say the danger with it is the high rate of speed and low visibility. For some neighbors though Friday afternoon's accident was a bit shocking. “Anything that's close nearby is very shocking when you hear the word death, so it is of some concern at this point and a little bit shocking to hear such words like that in our neighborhood,” said nearby resident, Brett Gebhardt.

State troopers say a Waste Management garbage truck heading north on 204th Street switched lanes in an attempt to pass a pickup and trailer turning onto Fort. at the same time, a dump truck was turning left onto 204th. The garbage truck tried to get back in its own lane, overcorrected and lost control causing it to roll on its side and slide into the dump truck.

The garbage truck driver, 26-year-old Pierre Lamont Neal and passenger 54-year-old Rogilio Sanchez Marin died at the scene. One neighbor says it was only a matter of time for something like this to happen at that intersection. "Sadly, I was not surprised to hear that there had been an accident on that particular intersection,” said nearby resident Heather Duhacheck-Chase.

She said it's not uncommon to see people speeding down 204th, causing her to find different routes out of her neighborhood. “Intentionally avoid it even if it is easier to go that way or quicker because of the traffic there and because you don't have a good line of sight right there,” said Duhacheck-Chase.

Resident Roy McHugh said personally he's never had problems with that intersection but said there are some safety issues." It's a high speed coming in because it slows down to 45 right where the intersection hits,” he said.

The neighbors that spoke with 3 News Now agree now more than ever changes will need to be made to that intersection in the future. “I do believe that a stoplight will be needed eventually,” said Gebhardt. “Maybe if it dropped to 45 a little sooner that would make it a little safer,” said McHugh.Some neighbors say a big concern going forward is the amount of traffic around that intersection will increase because the neighborhood is still developing and right now heavy traffic is already a problem.

Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) will pay an $853.2 million fine to settle charges that former executives and directors of the state-run Brazilian oil company broke U.S. anti-corruption laws by bribing politicians and then seeking to conceal the payments

Petrobras to Pay $853 Million U.S. Fine in Car Wash Probe

September 28, 2018 by Reuters





Photo: Donatas Dabravolskas / Shutterstock.com 

By Carolina Mandl SAO PAULO, Sept 27 (Reuters) – Petróleo Brasileiro SA will pay an $853.2 million fine to settle charges that former executives and directors of the state-run Brazilian oil company broke U.S. anti-corruption laws by bribing politicians and then seeking to conceal the payments, the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) said on Thursday.

Shares in Petrobras, as the company is known, were up 6.3 percent in afternoon trading, helped by the latest milestone in turning the page on the landmark “Car Wash” investigation, which ensnared senior executives and high ranking politicians in Latin America’s largest economy.

The state oil company was the initial epicenter of that probe, which found evidence that political appointees on its board and elsewhere handed overpriced contracts to engineering firms in return for illicit party funding and bribes.


“Executives at the highest levels of Petrobras – including members of its executive board and board of directors -facilitated the payment of hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes to Brazilian politicians and political parties and then cooked the books to conceal the bribe payments from investors and regulators,” U.S. Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski said in a statement.

Because Petrobras securities trade on U.S. markets, regulators and prosecutors in the United States joined the investigation, alleging that related accounting fraud at Petrobras violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said that Petrobras had inflated its assets by about $2.5 billion.

“Petrobras fraudulently raised billions of dollars from U.S. investors while its senior executives operated a massive, undisclosed bribery and corruption scheme,” said Steven Peikin, co-Director of the SEC Enforcement Division. “If an international company sells securities in the United States, it must provide truthful information about its business.”

Petrobras said in a statement that it had acknowledged responsibility for “violations of books and records and internal controls provisions.” The executives at fault have already left Petrobras, the company said, noting that the company did not admit wrongdoing to the bribery allegation.

Under the agreement, which settles the FCPA case, Petrobras will deposit $682.6 million, or 80 percent of the penalties, in a special fund in Brazil, with the rest of the fine being split between the DOJ and the SEC.

Brazilian federal prosecutors will determine how Petrobras should allocate the funds in Brazil between social and educational programs in a future agreement.

Petrobras said in a statement that the deal “puts an end to the uncertainties, risks, burdens and costs of potential prosecution and protracted litigation in the United States.”

The oil company will book a charge of 3.6 billion reais in the third quarter – the local currency equivalent of the penalty – in the latest in a series of Car Wash-related payouts, which also included a $2.95 billion payment to settle a U.S. class action corruption lawsuit earlier this year. 

ONE CHAPTER ENDS

Although Petrobras had not already provisioned for the U.S. settlement, XP Investimentos’ analyst Gabriel Francisco said the penalties will not seriously hurt the company.

“The fines will not hinder Petrobras’ plans of reaching a net debt of $69 billion by year-end, as it has a comfortable cash position” said the analyst. “The deal means the end of a chapter.”

Despite the settlements with U.S. authorities and shareholders, Petrobras still faces other demands for compensation related to the corruption scandal.

Earlier this month, a Dutch court ruled that Petrobras shareholders will have their complaints heard.

Argentine investors also initiated this month an arbitration proceeding against the firm for losses related to the corruption probe.

Rafael Mendes Gomes, executive director of governance at Petrobras, said in an interview that admissions made by the oil giant as part of the settlement would not necessarily be used against it in the outstanding class action suits.

(Additional reporting by Alexandra Alper in Rio de Janeiro; editing by Christian Plumb, Steve Orlofsky and Marguerita Choy)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018.

Anthony Mace, 66, the former CEO of SBM Offshore, N.V. (SBM) and Robert Zubiate, 66, a former sales and marketing executive at SBM USA sentenced to federal prison after they played key roles in a massive bribery scheme that involved the payment of millions of dollars to public officials in exchange for lucrative oil-services contracts

Anthony Mace, 66, the former CEO of SBM Offshore, N.V. (SBM)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, September 28, 2018
Oil Services CEO and Executive Sentenced to Prison for Roles in Foreign Bribery Scheme


A former CEO and former executive of an oil services company were sentenced to prison today for their involvement in an international bribery conspiracy.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) Houston Field Office made the announcement.

Anthony “Tony” Mace, 66, of the United Kingdom, the former CEO of SBM Offshore, N.V. (SBM), a Dutch oil services company, and a former Board Member of SBM’s U.S.-based subsidiary, SBM Offshore USA Inc. (SBM USA), was sentenced to serve 36 months in prison and a fine of $150,000. Robert Zubiate, 66, of Agoura Hills, California, a former sales and marketing executive at SBM USA, was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison and a fine of $50,000.

“Anthony Mace and Robert Zubiate played key roles in a massive bribery scheme that involved the payment of millions of dollars to public officials in exchange for lucrative oil-services contracts,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “Their actions rewarded corrupt officials’ greed and tilted the playing field against honest, law-abiding companies. Today they paid a heavy price for their crimes. Their sentences should serve as a warning to corporate executives everywhere: if you pay bribes to advance your business interests, we will catch you and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Pursuing corrupt companies and individuals who misuse our financial system to commit FCPA violations represents our commitment to keeping the integrity of American democracy in place both here and abroad,” said U.S. Attorney Patrick. “We will continue to prosecute such cases involving wrongdoing for corporate crimes and greed.”

“This case is a prime example of Homeland Security Investigations’ enduring commitment to work closely with our foreign law enforcement partners to track down those who seek to gain an unfair competitive advantage in the international marketplace,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Dawson. “By working together to hold these individuals accountable for their actions, we have taken a significant step to level the playing field for companies and consumers.”

In November 2017, Mace and Zubiate each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with a scheme to bribe foreign government officials in Brazil, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

According to admissions made in connection with his plea agreement, Mace acknowledged that prior to his becoming CEO, other employees of SBM entered into an agreement to pay bribes to foreign officials including at Brazil’s state-controlled oil company, Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras); Angola’s state-owned oil company, Sociedade Nacional de Combustíveis de Angola, E.P. (Sonangol); and Equatorial Guinea’s state-owned oil company, Petroléos de Guinea Ecuatorial (GEPetrol). Mace admitted that he joined the conspiracy by authorizing payments in furtherance of the bribery scheme and deliberately avoided learning that those payments were bribes.

In particular, Mace maintained a spreadsheet reflecting payments to five individuals. Mace acknowledged that even though he was aware there was a high risk those individuals were Equatorial Guinean officials, he nevertheless authorized SBM to make over $16 million in payments to those individuals. Mace further continued a practice that was instituted before he became CEO by splitting payments to SBM’s Brazilian intermediary, that is, paying a portion of the intermediary’s commission to an account in Brazil and another portion of the agent’s commission to accounts in Switzerland held in the name of shell companies. Mace deliberately avoided learning that the ultimate recipients of the payments that he authorized to the shell companies were Petrobras officials, he admitted.

According to admissions made in connection with Zubiate’s plea, from between 1996 and 2012, Zubiate and others used a third-party sales agent to pay bribes to foreign officials at Petrobras in exchange for those officials’ assisting SBM and SBM USA with winning lucrative offshore oil projects from Petrobras. Zubiate also admitted engaging in a kickback scheme with the bribe-paying sales agent for SBM and its SBM USA.

In November 2017, SBM entered into a $238 million dollar, three-year deferred prosecution agreement with the United States over its role in the conspiracy, while its subsidiary, SBM USA, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA.

HSI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Trial Attorney Dennis R. Kihm of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Elmilady of the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also provided substantial assistance in this matter.

The Department of Justice is grateful to Brazil’s Ministério Público Federal, the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service and Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General and Federal Office of Justice for providing substantial assistance in gathering evidence during this investigation.

The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting all FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/foreign-corrupt-practices-act.

PHMSA Awards More Than $3.8 Million to 11 Universities to evaluate new approaches to reducing corrosion and other safety challenges facing the nation’s 2.7 million mile pipeline network

PHMSA Awards More Than $3.8 Million to 11 Universities to Support Pipeline Safety Technology Research



Friday, September 28, 2018
PHMSA 04-18
Contact: Bobby Fraser
Tel.: (202) 366-4831

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) announced that it is providing a total of $3,855,575 to 11 universities as part of its Competitive Academic Agreement Program (CAAP) for pipeline safety research and innovation. The awards announced today will go to the University of Alaska Anchorage, Ohio State University, University of Akron, University of Texas at Austin, Colorado School of Mines, Georgia Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, North Dakota State University, Texas A&M, University of Missouri, and the University of Nebraska to spur the development of research projects that could prevent or mitigate pipeline corrosion.

“This funding supports engineering and science students at universities across our country engaging in innovative solutions to some of our greatest challenges in pipeline safety,” said PHMSA Administrator Skip Elliott. “Students participating in CAAP research projects will evaluate new approaches to reducing corrosion and other safety challenges facing the nation’s 2.7 million mile pipeline network.”

Established in 2013, the CAAP, through cooperative agreement awards, has invested more than $5.9 million in research, and is responsible for introducing science and engineering students to pipeline design, mitigation, and corrosion issues as part of 33 sponsored projects. Previous CAAP projects to advance pipeline safety include measuring pipe strength, corrosion prevention, and detecting methane emissions.

Pilot ejected after he crashed his multi-million dollar Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II fighter jet on a small island just miles from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort on Friday morning in South Carolina

Marine pilot in stable condition after fighter jet crashes near Beaufort air station


By Mandy Matney, Wade Livingston, Maggie Angst And Stephen Fastenau

mmatney@islandpacket.com

wlivingston@islandpacket.com

mangst@islandpacket.com

sfastenau@islandpacket.com



September 28, 2018


A U.S. pilot ejected from a multi-million dollar fighter jet that crashed on a small island just miles from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort on Friday morning, according to officials.

The jet, a single-seat Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II with Marine Corps training squadron VMFAT-501 — a unit known as the “Warlords” — crashed around 11:45 a.m., according to Marine Corps spokesperson Capt. Christopher Harrison.

The pilot, a U.S. Marine, ejected safely, Harrison said, and was evaluated by medical personnel. There were no casualties on the ground, according to Harrison and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. The plane was not carrying any ordnance, Harrison said.
Breaking News




A man wearing what appears to be a flight suit with an squadron patch similar to that of the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort unit that flies the F-35B fighter jet leaves Friday afternoon in a Marine Corps Air Station Fire and Rescue ambulance. Law enforcement at the scene confirmed that the pilot of the crashed jet was still on the scene when media arrived on Clarendon Road in the Grays Hill area.
Drew Martin dmartin@islandpacket.com

The pilot — whom the Corps, citing privacy policies, did not name — is in stable condition at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, according to an email from II Marine Expeditionary Force spokesman Maj. Jordan Cochran.

The incident — which occurred on Little Barnwell Island, about five miles from the air station — marks the first crash and ejection by an F-35, Harrison said. An F-35B is valued at $115.5 million, a figure that includes the airframe, engine and associated contractor costs, according to Harrison.

The crash comes just a day after the first combat mission by Marine Corps F-35s, one completed in the skies of Afghanistan, Harrison said.



Kensley Crosby, of Beaufort, witnessed the aftermath of the crash from across the river.
Kensley Crosby

And while this is the first time one of the jets has crashed, it’s not the first time one of the stealth aircraft, known as the joint strike fighter, has suffered a critical incident.

Kensley Crosby, of Beaufort, lives across the Whale Branch River from Little Barnwell Island and witnessed the aftermath of the incident.

“I was inside and had on the morning news when I heard an explosion,” Crosby said. “At first I didn’t think anything of it, but then I looked up and saw the smoke.”

Related stories from Hilton Head Island Packet



First responders gather near the Marine plane crash site

Crosby said she saw a large black billow coming from the scene and heard an additional three to four loud booms within 30 minutes of the first explosion.

“It was crazy — I literally looked out and there were boats and helicopters everywhere,” she said. “This is such a small community, most people don’t even know we’re out here, so that was a lot to have happening.”

At 1 p.m., about an hour after the crash, Crosby said some smoke was still emitting from the crash site.

Richard Padgett, who lives on Joe Allen Drive, said smoke and some flames could be seen on what appeared to be Little Barnwell Island west of the air station and across from a boat landing. Padgett said there was a lot of boat activity in the area and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter overhead.

The scene of the crash was secured as of 2 p.m, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Residents and guests were asked to avoid Little Barnwell Island and the Grays Hill Boat Landing while emergency services personnel assess the area for safety.



Emergency crews were still on scene near the crash about five miles from the Beaufort air station around 2 p.m. Friday, hours after the crash.
Drew Martin dmartin@islandpacket.com

In October 2016, a MCAS Beaufort F-35B caught fire on a training flight. The plane landed and the pilot was OK, but the incident was deemed a Class-A mishap, because the damage to the aircraft exceeded $2 million, The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette reported.

Friday’s crash was the second Class-A mishap by an F-35, Harrison said.

In June, Popular Mechanics reported that a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found the F-35 had “nearly a thousand ‘deficiencies’” as it nears time for a decision on full production of the fighter.

“In 2019, (the Department of Defense) will decide whether to enter full-rate production for the F-35aircraft, the most expensive and ambitious weapon acquisition program in U.S. military history,” the GAO report, dated June 13, says.

“DOD has already requested the $9.8 billion it will need for 2019, and it will continue to request more over the next two decades—about $10.4 billion annually,” the GAO report continued. “However, the F-35 is just one program in DOD’s vast acquisition portfolio, raising questions about its long-term affordability.”

Over a 60-year “life-cycle” period, it’s estimated that it will take more than 1 trillion dollars to sustain the F-35 program, according to the report.



A military plane crashed five miles outside Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort just before noon today, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Kensley Crosby

MCAS Beaufort is home to five F/A18 squadrons and one F-35B Fleet Replacement Squadron, according to the air station’s website. This past summer, Defense News reported that an ongoing shortage of spare parts and software issues is causing “a headache” for MCAS.

Read more here: https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/community/beaufort-news/article219182290.html#storylink=cpy





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A @2nd_MAW @thef35 bravo crashed today near Beaufort, South Carolina. The pilot ejected safely and is being evaluated by medical staff. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

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Narrative:
The F-35 crashed during a training flight and the pilot ejected safely.

Sources:
https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/community/beaufort-news/article219182290.html
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Joe+Allen+Dr,+South+Carolina+29906/@32.5084612,-80.7835555,16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x88fc09b6b5282a4f:0x7487ebbf7a4b6654?hl=en-us&gl=us
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/military-plane-crash-beaufort-county-south-carolina-live-updates-2018-09-28/
https://news.usni.org/2018/09/28/breaking-f-35b-crashes-near-marine-corps-air-station-beaufort
https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2018/09/28/an-f-35b-has-crashed-near-marine-corps-air-station-beaufort/
Date: 28-SEP-2018
Time: 11:45 LT
Type:
Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II
Owner/operator: US Marine Corps (USMC), VMFAT-501
Registration:

C/n / msn:

Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: W of Beaufort MCAS/Merritt Field (KNBC), Beaufort, SC - United States of America
Phase: Unknown
Nature: Military
Departure airport:

Destination airport: