UPDATE (Friday, January 19, 2024, 1:19pm) – Former Raleigh County pharmacist and convicted felon, Natalie Cochran was expected to appear in court Friday for a hearing which was delayed due to weather conditions.
Cochran, who is currently serving a prison sentence in relation to a Ponzi scheme, was to be indicted in Raleigh County Circuit Court on Friday for the death of her husband in 2019.
A Thursday evening State of Emergency declaration from Governor Jim Justice resulted in the closing of all county office, and consequently necessitated a rescheduling of the hearing.
Cochran is now expected to appear in Raleigh County Circuit Court for arraignment at 11:00am on January 29, 2024, according to Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Hatfield.
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UPDATE: (Tuesday, October 24, 2023, at 10 am) – BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A former pharmacist who was originally indicted for murdering her husband, then had charges dropped, has been re-indicted for murder.
Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Hatfield made the announcement at a press conference. Cochran is already in prison for a wire fraud related to a Ponzi scheme.
Hatfield said Cochran was reindicted for first-degree murder against her husband, Michael Cochran, back in Feb 2019.
This is a developing story, stay with LOOTPRESS for further updates.
BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Pre-trial hearings got underway on Wednesday for Natalie Cochran, a Raleigh County pharmacist who was charged with the murder of her husband in 2019.
Wednesday’s hearing, which was scheduled to begin at 9:30am, marks Cochran’s first appearance in court since the issuing of the charges nearly three years prior. The case was tried by Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Hatfield, who has confirmed a dismissal of the murder charges against Cochran, a former Raleigh County pharmacist, without prejudice.
In what Hatfield likens to a continuance by way of temporary dismissal, a request was granted by a judge in court Wednesday for a second exhuming of the victim’s remains to allow for a specialized test to be run which will be of evidentiary value to the case.
The revelation elicited an audible reaction from the court room on Wednesday and will see an expert flown in to perform a test called an immunohistochemistry for subcutaneous insulin. Upon the analysis of these results, the grand jury will be approached about reindicting the case.
“This gives us time to get that done and to collect more evidence to further the investigation,” Hatfield tells LOOTPRESS. “It gives the state more time to lock down a forensic pathology that can support the evidence in the case.”
Cochran was initially indicted on charges of First-Degree Murder in late 2021 following a Special Session of the Raleigh County Grand Jury
The charges stem from accusations of the premeditated murder of Michael Cochran, 38 years old or Daniels, WV on February 11, 2019.
The murder investigation, which spanned multiple years, was conducted by West Virginia State Police Lieutenant Tim Bledsoe and West Virginia State Police Investigator Robert Hinzman.
Prior to these accusations, Cochran was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison in early 2019 for her role in a fraud scheme which ultimately led to over $2 million in losses for her victims. Restitution of over $2.5 million was ordered to be paid to the victim and Cochran was ordered to serve a term of three years of supervised release.
Court documents detailing the events, along with admissions at the plea and sentencing hearings, Natalie P. Cochran – 40 years old of Daniels, WV, and owner of Technology Management Solutions (TMS) and Tactical Solutions Group (TSG) in the Beckley area, intentionally and knowingly defrauded money and property from a financial institution, a number of individuals, and several companies between the period of approximately June 2017 and at least August 22, 2019.
The victims of these schemes had been persuaded to invest in the TMS and TSG organizations, as well as in fraudulent government contracts through misrepresentations with regard to herself and her companies’ experience and purported success as contractors with the government.
A minimum of 11 individuals were persuaded to invest approximately $2.5 million in alleged government contracts. These investments were paid by personal checks, cashier’s checks, and wire transfers from the victims. One investor was persuaded to send a wire transfer from North Carolina in the amount of $511,920. The funds received through these purported investments was never actually invested, and was instead deposited by Cochran into personal and business bank accounts for personal use.
Cochran admitted to utilizing investor funds to engage in numerous purchases over $10,000, including the withdrawal of $37,500 put towards the purchase of a 1965 Shelby Cobra sports car. Cochran also admitted to having knowledge of at least one of her investors having suffered a financial hardship as a direct result of her misdirection. Cochran used funds from some investors to pay partial returns to other investors in what is known as a Ponzi Scheme.
On September 21, 2010, Cochran pled guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering. Pursuant to her plea agreement, Cochran also agreed to forfeit her interested to the United States in the assets she obtained through the aforementioned fraudulent schemes, including two pieces of real estate property, a 1965 Shelby Cobra, multiple other vehicles, jewelry, and nearly $45,000 which was seized from Cochran’s business bank account. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Frank W. Volk.
“I want to commend the victims for the remarkable courage they displayed throughout the investigation and prosecution of this case,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. “I also want to thank the West Virginia State Police , the United States Secret Service, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG) and Assistant United States Attorneys Kathleen Robeson and Greg McVey who worked tremendously hard to ensure that the defendant was held accountable for the significant harm she inflicted on the victims.”
“The West Virginia State Police is proud that today we were able to secure justice for the numerous victims impacted by the selfish criminal conduct of Natalie Cochran,” said West Virginia State Police Lieutenant Timothy Bledsoe. “While this sentence does not undo the harm that Cochran brought upon each victim, we feel that our investigative efforts worked to ensure that she was held accountable for her criminal actions related to the operation of her Ponzi scheme.”
“The results of this investigation demonstrate the Secret Service’s commitment to protecting our nation’s financial institutions and citizens of West Virginia,” said U.S. Secret Service Resident Agent in Charge Robert W. Pyle. “We will continue to work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to bring offenders to justice. We would like to thank the West Virginia State Police and the FDIC-OIG for their cooperation and partnership in this case.”
“Today’s sentencing recognizes the importance of holding the defendant responsible for lying to a financial institution and investors, and fraudulently inducing them to finance her companies and fake government contracts,” said FDIC Inspector General Jay N. Lerner. “ The defendant then, in turn, purchased luxury items for her personal use with the illicit proceeds. The FDIC Office of Inspector General remains committed to working with the U.S. Attorney and our law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who commit such flagrant offenses, and to help preserve the integrity of the banking sector.”
