Date: December 2, 2024, 09:10h.
Updated on: December 2, 2024, 09:42h.
A man was taken into custody in Oklahoma last week after an alleged abduction and assault of a woman at Newcastle Casino.
Kevin Alando Martin was taken into custody and charged with crimes including kidnapping, human trafficking, and forcible sodomy, as reported by Oklahoma TV station KOKH.
Authorities in Oklahoma City responded to a distress call from an unidentified woman who claimed she had been abducted from the casino. Officers found the victim at NW 22nd Street and North May Avenue in Oklahoma City, pointing to a nearby vehicle where Martin was found.
Martin cooperated with law enforcement and was subsequently arrested, with a bond set at $50K.
Local police have not disclosed specific details of the incident or any physical harm inflicted on the victim. It is unknown whether the victim required medical attention.
The charges suggest that the victim was taken from the casino, located approximately 24 miles away from where Martin was apprehended, and was subjected to a sexual assault.
Martin was previously charged with human trafficking in April in a separate case involving a teenage victim, according to KOKH.
Therapist Found at Casino Instead of Attending to Patient
A mental health therapist from Nebraska, Pamela J. Helem, avoided imprisonment after being sentenced to probation last week due to Medicaid fraud charges.
Helem, aged 69 and residing in Papillion, Neb., pleaded no contest to Medicaid fraud for falsely billing Medicaid while being at a casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa, instead of treating a patient in her Omaha office.
Probation Terms and Conditions
Helem was sentenced to five years of probation in federal court, with the possibility of evading a two-year prison term if she successfully completes probation. Additionally, she is required to reimburse Medicaid $60K as restitution.
Judge Leigh Ann Retelsdorf imposed several conditions, including an assessment for gambling addiction. Helem is prohibited from engaging in gambling activities or entering any casino, and she must fulfill community service obligations.
Her practice, Helem’s Counseling and Consulting, found itself at the center of legal scrutiny regarding Medicaid fraud allegations by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers.