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Paso Robles woman sentenced to six years in prison for fraud

November 21, 2011

Jean Cross

A Paso Robles woman was sentenced this morning to 72 months in federal prison for orchestrating a scheme to defraud the United States Department of Education out of a $35 million grant, according to a U.S. Attorney’s office press release.

Jean Michele Cross, 60, was found guilty of mail fraud, forging a writing to obtain money from the United States and making false statements. She also concealed a 15 percent fee she had negotiated in exchange for submitting a successful grant application.

The application was for a 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program that was authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 for the Indio Youth Task Force, a non-profit, community-based organization in the Coachella Valley.

United States District Judge Virginia A. Phillips also ordered the Cross to pay a $60,000 fine.

“The government has determined that one way to improve the lives and education of disadvantaged children is through the funding of programs like those covered under the 21st CCLC program,” prosecutors wrote in sentencing papers filed with the court. Cross “has taken advantage of that stream of taxpayer dollars and has diverted substantial sums into her own pocket.

“Here, she intended to divert more than $5 million earmarked for needy children into her own pocket by fraud and deceit.”

In imposing the six-year sentence, judge Phillips noted that Cross had obstructed justice by giving false testimony during her trial. In addition, the judge said her actions resulted in many needy children missing out on valuable programs.”

The case against Cross is the result of an investigation by the United States Department of Education, Office of Inspector General; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.


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This story sickens me to no end! Not only is Jean Cross’ stealing ungodly, but we know that this woman is not a True Christian by the simple fact that her hair is short!


Our God’s inspired word wants women to wear their hair long as so described in 1 Corinthians 11:13-15. “Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.”


She has forsaken Christ by following Satan with her actions, and by going directly against God’s word by having short hair! She’ll pay upon Judgment Day, praise!


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Ted Sanders

“Our God’s inspired word wants women to wear their hair long as so described in 1 Corinthians 11:13-15.”


Thank you I never knew that!


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LOL,,you are joking,,,right?


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The Fox network has Ned Flanders, CCN has Ted Slanders LOL Xtians. characters from cartoons.


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I’ve seen his posts before and thought that he was taking the name from the Simpsons. I believe that he’s just a troll trying to get attention with the religious nonesense. I’m not feeding into it anymore.


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zaphod,


Let me try and get this point across one more time.


Isn’t it ironic that the cartoon character of Ned Flanders of the Simpsons is so close to my godly given name? Let it be known, that I’ve had my name of “Ted Slanders” way before the Simpsons writers were even born.


Like I’ve said before, maybe they’ve come across my godly inspired writings over the years, and were so impressed, as they should be, that they used their name for their character in the Simpsons that was close to mine! I take a lot of heat on this issue as me being an alleged parody, and such, but let it be known, that I am not!


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this article, this website, not about you ,

Jesus Christ! .

Flanders Slanders Benton Fenton


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Too funny!


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Maybe you should have cereal for breakfast and not Chardonnay Ted. Every story that I have read today contains a rambling comment with your name on it. You sound so obtuse.


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Ted, I really pity you. You obviously dislike women who chose to have their hair short. Not EVERYONE looks good with long hair, especially after they reach a CERTAIN AGE. You need to be more forgiving, Sir.


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RU4Real,


Please, don’t put the erroneous onus upon me relating to the fact that I allegedly hate women. I am just pointing out the connection of Brenda Bautista Hurtado having short hair which goes against godly edicts within our bible as shown herein. This proves that she is not a true Christian, therefore, allowing her to do what she did to the bank in question.


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You have really hit the key issue here NOT!!! Thump your bible and whatever else you feel like thumping..


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Judge not, lest ye be judged? God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble?


Any of these ring a bell?


Also, I believe her hair is pulled back into a pony tail/pinned up. That whole sexy grandma look is working for her. May it work in prison as well…


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Wow! She got more time than the A-hole drunk that killed my best friend. He was out in just over 2 years.


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Exactly. Our judicial system has their priorities all screwed up. Many people get less time than this for not just murder but sexual assault and child molestation.


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I lived in Palm Desert CA for years and dealt with and know several people who work in the DA’s office they get the job done. too bad we can’t say that about SLO DA. Seriously, these guys are honest and honorable people. They don’t curry favors or feel the need to protect people just because they happen to KNOW THEM or feel they couldn’t possibly have committed a crime. When the evidence is there, the crime has been committed. Good for the Riverside DA and FBI field agent (I say agent because i think there is still only one guy handling the office in Palm Springs, Chuck Brown) Thanks for the story Karen.


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Let’s give Lois Capps, Kevin McCarthy and the rest of Congress the same. They’re responsible for the biggest fraud.


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How about dumping the Congress critters whose sole stated objective is to deny the sitting US President a second term? They do NOTHING to help the suffering country create jobs or solve the mortgage fraud!


They have already proved to disbelievers that they would risk the US defaulting on its bills which would bring international repercussions. One result: the “Tea Party Downgrade” happened recently when a rating agency changed its triple AAA credit rating for the US to a double AA.


Working to see America fail because of Congressional obstructionism seems like a sure formula for treason!


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What a waste of tax payer money. What good is it going to do to keep this woman in prison? Yeah she’s a thief and I hate thieves but I also don’t like wasting more of our money on vindictive punishments that only hurt ourselves. Put her out on the street, make her pay a certain amount of her income for the rest of her life. Don’t let her have a good credit rating until she’s made restitution. Make her do 10 years of community service. But lets save room for the child molesters and murderers in the big house and the jails.


Let her stay out and she can hook up with willie and he can pay off her debt to society :)


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Would you say the same thing if she was a male?


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I have been saying over and over that we are locking up the wrong people. Yes I would say the same thing if this were a he, why not? Wall street is stealing from us everyday and we just keep giving them more more more money. But that’s a whole diff. story.


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TYPOQUEEN? That is WHY we have prisons. What sickens me are all of the people who do time and don’t make the reparations to the victims. Hiding money they stole placing it in accounts in the names of relatives etc. If your family had been a victim of a fraud and forgery as was ours, you would think differently. The police in Honolulu and Chris van Marter with the AG’s office in Hawaii kept saying “Oh Attorney Jones would never have committed the fraud and forgery we originally had him charged with in Atascadero. He kept saying…”He is an attorney and wouldn’t jeopardize his position” Yeah right! If it smells it is rotten. Curious to see what happened to the money she made off with? Did she place it into accounts out of the US? Purchase property and put the property in someone elses name?


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Prisons should not be used to lock up everyone that violates the law. Prisons should not be used for vindictive purposes. People should be locked up to keep society safe. We have more people in our prisons then any country in the world including China. We have a much higher percentage of non violent offenders then any country in the world. Then we wonder why our prisons are such a mess.


I probably would feel differently if she had victimized my family, that is why family members don’t sit on juries or preside over cases that involve their families.


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And do you know why China has less people locked up in their prisons? It’s because they have harsher laws that scare most from staying out of their prisons. I.e. executions for stuff we would just lock you up for.


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They have a lower % of non violent offenders then we do. As I said, using the threat of prison as a deterrent doesn’t work.


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Typo, I think you’re forgetting all of the needy children that have been robbed by this woman. To not expect her to be locked away would be an injustice to society. Hopefully it warns others to think twice before their greed takes over. I want to know where the money is she took and can it be recovered?


If loose, she sounds stupid enough to continue her thievery. Paso Robles will surely remember her name.


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I agree that she’s done a terrible thing, I just don’t see any purpose served other than to cost you and me and those victims more money by locking her up, in a round about way you want to re-victimize her victims. We hurting ourselves to get back at her, her lockup isn’t free.


She can serve a much better purpose out of jail/prison. She can work to pay back her victims. She can do community work to clean up our beaches, feed the homeless, clean up graffiti etc.. We can get more from her out of jail than in jail. She could wear one of those tracking things on her leg, she can be on probation, her bank accounts can be watched. She can be monitored so she doesn’t take money from other people. She’s not a physical danger to society. What you and so many other people want is ‘justice’ but who pays for that justice? Frankly I don’t want to pay for this bimbo to sit in a prison and get three squares and better medical care than my kids. I would rather her go out and make some money and start paying back her victims.


The reason we started locking up non violent offenders is strictly political to fill the pockets of big corps. We now know that prison time doesn’t work as a deterrent to stop others from doing the same thing. Why do you think that other countries have a much lower prison population % of non offenders than we do?


She can’t continue her thievery if she’s on probation and closely monitored. Take you emotions out of the factor and look at it from an economic view, does it really make sense to you?


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She’s going to federal prison–not a California state prison. She deserves every bit of time she has been given, and I hope she doesn’t move back to Paso after this.


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Read my posts above, same answers apply to you.


I can’t imagine her moving back.


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Typoqueen

“Let her stay out and she can hook up with “willie” and he can pay off her debt to society ”


Thank you Typo, but I’m married.

And will NEVER EVER make the same mistake twice.


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I was just kidding willie. We may not always agree but I absolutely believe you to be loyal and trustworthy to your wife.


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What a nice looking girl.

I can’t believe she did all that!

Its unbelieveable!


That what “fraud” is all about.

Nice looking chick for 60!


If you look at Kelly Gearhart,

Nice handsome guy, FOS, Fraud


Makes you think twice about good looks.


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It was just too easy, almost a moral dilemma about found money. Some defense contractors probably got some serious Republican pork in exchange for the this Democratic pork. Hey, EVERYBODY wins.


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“Here, she intended to divert more than $5 million earmarked for needy children into her own pocket by fraud and deceit.”


Her fee should have been in the $125,000 range for this grant.


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