Eastern District of Missouri

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from Salem, Missouri was indicted on Wednesday and accused of concealing the death of his uncle, a U.S. Army veteran with quadriplegia, for at least five years so that he could steal at least $650,000 of his disability benefits.

Brian K. Ditch, 44, is now facing four felony counts of wire fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, two counts of theft of government property and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The indictment alleges that Ditch was solely responsible for his uncle’s care beginning in 2008, and kept his uncle locked in his garage and under his control so he could fraudulently obtain his government benefits. Instead of properly caring for his uncle, Ditch trapped him in the garage for over 24 hours at a time, forcing his uncle “to sit in his own urine and feces without the ability to eat or drink,” the indictment says. After his uncle’s death around 2019, Ditch concealed his death and the body so that he could continue to receive the money, the indictment says. It says Ditch told relatives that he had moved his uncle into a nursing home.

His uncle received $9,559 per month in Disability Compensation benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the indictment says. The VA would not have continued to pay had they known Ditch’s uncle was dead, the indictment says. Ditch’s uncle also received a total of $235,210 in Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and Retirement Insurance benefits from the Social Security Administration since 2008.

Ditch used the money to buy exotic reptiles, fund lavish vacations and enrich himself, the indictment says. Salem police officers found the uncle’s partially frozen body in a trash can in March, as well as three shotguns, the indictment says. As a convicted felon, Ditch is barred from possessing firearms.

Ditch is expected to plead not guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Friday.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

“The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General is committed to holding accountable anyone who exploits veterans or steals their VA benefits," said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Billingsley with the VA OIG’s Central Field Office. “VA’s programs and services are established to justly compensate deserving veterans and the VA OIG will bring to justice those who would defraud these programs.”

The Salem Police Department, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis man who shot an acquaintance in 2023 to nine years in prison.

Clayton Pierce Davis, 39, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition.

On July 4, 2023, Davis was celebrating with others in St. Louis. After a Fourth of July event, the group went to a shop on the corner of Gravois Avenue and Chippewa Street in south St. Louis. An argument started and Davis fired 12 shots from a handgun, fatally shooting a man and wounding his girlfriend. At least one of the victims was armed and the woman fired one shot.

Davis is a felon and is thus barred from possessing firearms. He has prior convictions for robbery, riot in a penal institution, dog fighting, stealing and assault.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie Schneider prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Tuesday sentenced a woman from St. Louis County, Missouri to 25 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse material involving a two-year-old.

Judge Sippel also ordered Raven Ainesis Pointer, 27, to pay $15,000 in restitution. After her release from prison, Pointer will be on supervised release for life.

Pointer pleaded guilty in October in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of production of child pornography. Pointer admitted coercing the victim in 2022 into engaging in sexual conduct and using her phone to produce videos containing child sexual abuse material.

On six occasions, Pointer recorded the sexual abuse of the toddler and shared it with others for their “perverse sexual” entertainment, a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker says. In jail, Pointer continued to try and contact the child and berated the child’s father for seeking restitution, the memo says.

“The production and sharing of child sexual abuse material is an appalling betrayal of human decency. This defendant targeted an innocent toddler – someone who should have been protected, not exploited – and did so for her own twisted purposes and the gratification of others who feed on this sickness. Crimes like this are not only horrific, but they are also unforgivable,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Mark Zito. “We will use every tool we have to find predators like this, to stop them, and make sure they spend as many years as possible behind bars. There is zero tolerance for those who harm children.”

The investigation began in August of 2023 in Montgomery, Alabama, where Homeland Security Investigations agents learned that a man who had been distributing child sexual abuse material had received videos involving a two-year-old victim from Pointer. Investigators then tracked down Pointer in St. Louis.
    
Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a convicted felon who used a machine gun to rob and a carjack the woman selling him drugs to 15 years in prison.

On April 25, 2024, Walter C. Moore, 20, arranged to buy $900 worth of the painkiller Oxycodone from the woman. The seller drove to Moore’s house and invited him to sit in her 2014 Mazda6 to complete the sale. Moore pulled out a handgun, grabbed the Oxycodone pills and ordered the seller out of the car, threatening to shoot her. Moore then sped away.

St. Louis County police located the car near the 1800 block of Chambers Road. Moore ran as police approached, discarding a Glock handgun equipped with a “switch,” or machinegun conversion device, rendering it a fully automatic weapon. It also had an extended magazine and a laser sight. Police quickly located and arrested Moore. Moore had pictures in his phone of himself holding multiple guns. As a convicted felon, he is barred from possessing firearms.

Moore pleaded guilty in February in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a machine gun, robbery, carjacking and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – A man on Monday admitted running a “chop shop” that aided car thieves connected to a local gang.

Jorge Alberto Luviano-Martinez, 41, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of operating a chop shop. As part of his plea, he admitted running a chop shop in the 2900 block of Cass Avenue in St. Louis. Members of a local gang, “Big 5,” discussed obtaining electronic keys for stolen vehicles from Luviano-Martinez and switching vehicle identification numbers (VINs) on stolen vehicles. Investigators conducted a court-approved search of the shop on June 10, 2024, finding eight stolen vehicles. One vehicle had its VIN replaced with a new VIN and another vehicle had a VIN removed.

Before the search warrant was served, investigators saw Luviano-Martinez leaving the property in a stolen Jeep. He refused to stop for police, instead leading officers on a chase that lasted about 15 minutes. After driving down a dead end street, Luviano-Martinez jumped out of the Jeep and over a fence, but was arrested.

“Our investigation shut down two chop shops, disrupting a scheme in which gang members were able to easily profit from vehicle thefts,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “The impact should help stem the flow of rising vehicle thefts across the region.”

Luviano-Martinez, also known as “Charlie Cruz,” is scheduled to be sentenced in August. The charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both prison and a fine. 

The FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.

The investigation was conducted by the St. Louis Gateway Strike Force, which is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and includes members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. The OCDETF strike forces are permanent, multi-agency, prosecutor-led teams that conduct intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a man who committed a violent 2023 carjacking to 130 months in prison.

On May 8, 2023, Ahdaejay Britton, now 20, of Bel-Ridge, and a juvenile accomplice watched the victim drive a Mazda 3 into a parking garage in the 3800 block of Lindell Boulevard and decided to steal it. Britton waited for the victim to reach the bottom of a stairwell, grabbed him from behind and then threw him to the ground before pointing a handgun in his face. Britton demanded the victim’s keys, cell phone and wallet. He then passed the keys to the juvenile, who went to the car. Both later fled in the stolen car.

Police located the car in the 10000 block of New Halls Ferry Road. The juvenile was in the driver’s seat. Britton was in a nearby business. Officers found the victim’s phone and a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol in the Mazda.

Britton pleaded guilty last year in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of carjacking and one count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – The former police chief and city administrator of Velda City, Missouri was accused in an indictment Wednesday of fraudulently obtaining $313,420 in city funds through a series of fraudulent transactions.

Daniel Paulino, 51, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with three counts of wire fraud.

The indictment says Paulino used the city’s credit card to make about 828 charges for his personal expenses totaling about $145,428. The indictment says Paulino used the city credit card on about 17 additional occasions to transfer Velda City funds totaling about $43,870 to a business he owned, R & B Towing, and one owned by his spouse, Renovations-STL. The city funds were ultimately transferred to either Paulino’s personal bank account or the account for another company he owned, D and H Towing, the indictment says.

Paulino caused about eight city checks to be issued in a total amount of about $34,374 to pay third party vendors for his personal expenses, the indictment says. One $25,500 city check was used to pay for a 2007 International tow truck that was then registered in Paulino’s name and used by Paulino’s privately-owned towing company, the indictment says. Paulino caused Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions to be made from a city account to pay third party vendors for $2,575 in personal expenses, the indictment says.

Paulino also caused about 20 direct deposits totaling $30,667 in city funds, purportedly for additional payroll, into his personal account, the indictment says. He caused about 55 direct deposits of a total of about $54,693 in Velda City funds, purportedly for his spouse’s payroll, to be sent to his personal bank account, the indictment says. Paulino’s spouse was being paid for work that was not actually performed in the city’s public works division during the years 2021 through 2023 and Paulino used that money for his own personal expenses, the indictment says.

The indictment also alleges that Paulino caused three city checks totaling $1,800 to be fraudulently issued to him.

The money was transferred without the authority or knowledge of the city, its mayor, treasurer or Board of Aldermen, the indictment says. Paulino used the money for travel, automobiles, pool supplies, utilities at his personal residence and food and beverage charges, the indictment says.

During the scheme, Paulino transferred about $58,171 from his personal or business bank accounts to Velda City’s bank account or the city’s credit card to conceal his crimes, the indictment says.

Paulino was appointed to the city administrator position in 2021. He was police chief until the department was dissolved in 2024.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man to life in prison for the murder of a New Jersey man in 2022.

Moreion Lindsey, 35, was found guilty at a trial in January in U.S. District Court in St. Louis of one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and one count of murder-for-hire. Evidence and testimony showed that Lindsey fatally shot Titus Armstead on April 21, 2022, in Penrose Park in St. Louis.

Lindsey had been hired for the murder by Jerome Williams, at the request of a Seattle man, Ray Bradley, who trafficked cocaine and marijuana to St. Louis and other cities. Bradley falsely blamed Armstead for the theft of drugs and millions of dollars from a Bradley “stash” house in New Jersey. Bradley had Armstead fly to St. Louis, purportedly to protect him from possible harm. Bradley’s real goal was to have him killed in St. Louis because Williams said he knew someone who could do the job, evidence and testimony showed. Lindsey met Armstead at the airport and drove him to Penrose Park, where he fatally shot Armstead with a .45-caliber handgun, evidence showed. He then took a photo of the body using a prepaid “burner” phone to provide proof of the death to Williams and Bradley.

Lindsey was later paid $15,000 by Williams. Williams disposed of evidence, including the burner phone, Armstead’s Social Security card and other belongings. Lindsey had the SUV that he used to drive Armstead to the park reported stolen and then used $5,000 to buy another SUV.

In a victim impact letter to the court, Armstead’s sister wrote, “In a world full of limitless opportunities—where every day offers a chance to grow, create, and build a meaningful life—why choose a path of destruction and harm? It is deeply saddening that amidst all the gifts and possibilities life offers, some would resign themselves to a life of drugs and violence.”

“Moreion Lindsey, you threw away your life for $15,000—an amount you could have earned in six months of full-time work at minimum wage,” she added. “Instead, you chose a path that has deprived your children of a father and your mother of her son. You will spend the rest of your life without freedom—unable to enjoy a warm shower, a comfortable bed, or even the simple joys of being with your family.”

Williams, 52, pleaded guilty in December to a charge of destruction of evidence to obstruct a federal investigation. He was sentenced April 23 to 138 months in prison.

Bradley, 46, pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced in September to 25 years in prison.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Atlanta Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Illinois on Wednesday admitted trying to have a business associate in Florida murdered.

Ben Patrick Mullavey, 66, of Mechanicsburg, in Sangamon County, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one felony count of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of attempted murder-for-hire. As part of his plea, Mullavey admitted offering cash to a former employee to commit the murder.

On Jan. 3, 2024, Mullavey picked up the former employee in Missouri and took him to a McDonald’s restaurant. There, Mullavey flashed a stack of cash and said he wanted his business partner killed. On Jan.11, 2024, the employee drove to Mullavey’s house. During the next three days, the employee helped Mullavey with construction work as they discussed the murder. Mullavey said he had been planning the murder for months, had conducted surveillance of the victim in Florida and had stolen a Florida license plate in preparation for the murder. Mullavey suggested the best time and place to commit the murder and how to avoid being identified on surveillance cameras. He also discussed several possible ways of disposing of the victim’s body, including using lime to dissolve it. Many of the conversations were audio and video recorded.

On Jan. 13, 2024, the employee left Mullavey’s home with orders to kill the victim. Mullavey also gave him a crossbow, arrows, the stolen Florida license plate, handwritten directions to a restaurant located next door to the victim’s business and $2,100 in cash, Mullavey’s plea agreement says.

Mullavey is scheduled to be sentenced July 22. The attempted murder-for-hire charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a man who produced child pornography and secretly recorded women in the hospital where he worked to 20 years in prison.

Ian Wood, 45, of Rolla, Missouri, pleaded guilty in January to one count of production of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography. He admitted producing child pornography by recording video of three girls when they were nude, including when one girl was 10 years old. He also admitted possessing images and videos in his Google account containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

The CSAM triggered an alert to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which notified law enforcement. A court-approved search of Wood’s Google accounts uncovered the CSAM as well as video files of adult women being recorded by Wood without their consent in the hospital where he worked. The women were filmed in a room and shower in a state of full or partial nudity.

“The actions of this individual are not only reprehensible, but they are also a grotesque violation of human dignity and trust. We will relentlessly pursue anyone who preys on the innocent,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Mark Zito. “This case reflects the firm commitment of HSI and our law enforcement partners to ensure that predators are identified, apprehended, and brought to justice. We will not tolerate exploitation in any form and will use every resource at our disposal to protect our communities.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department, the South-Central Missouri Computer Crimes Task Force and the Missouri Department of Social Services’ State Technical Assistance Team investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Friday sentenced a convicted felon who possessed dozens of guns and committed an $822,000 fraud to 84 months in prison.

Dennis Latour, now 41, hatched a scheme in June of 2022 to bilk aspiring investors in the cannabis industry. Latour falsely claimed to have made successful investments in the industry and invited two victims to piggyback on his investment. Latour used the fraudulently obtained money to fund his personal lifestyle and to pay for guns, vehicles, jet skis and other items. One victim lost about $713,000 and the other lost about $109,000. Latour was ordered Friday to repay the money.

Latour, along with his former paramour Jennifer Keegan, also admitted the purchase and possession of dozens of firearms. Latour is a convicted felon who is barred from possessing firearms.

They began in February of 2023, with Keegan filling out the required paperwork, despite knowing that many of the guns would be possessed and/or used by Latour. Their purchases included a Barrett .50-caliber rifle, other rifles, pistols and a shotgun. When the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) performed a court-approved search of the home the couple shared in Des Peres, Missouri on Sept. 26, 2023, they found 27 firearms in a “vault” room and two pistols in the couple’s bedroom.

Latour pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of conspiracy to purchase one or more firearms for a convicted felon and 13 counts of wire fraud. Keegan pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to purchase one or more firearms for a convicted felon.

Keegan, 51, was sentenced on April 16 to three years of probation.

The ATF investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Szczucinski and Justin Ladendorf prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Friday sentenced a registered sex offender from St. Francois County, Missouri to 293 months in prison after the man was caught again with child sexual abuse material.

Judge Autrey added three more years to David Russell Darr Jr.’s sentence because he violated his supervised release in a 2010 case in which he pleaded guilty to production of child pornography.

Darr, 35, of St. Francois County near Farmington, pleaded guilty in June to one count of receipt of child pornography. The investigation into Darr began in February of 2023, when the Missouri State Highway Patrol received four separate CyberTipline reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Three tips indicated that Darr had uploaded child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and the fourth showed that he sent an image containing CSAM to someone on Instagram, his plea agreement says. A search of his room located a microSD card taped under his bed that also contained CSAM, with more found later on a cell phone, the plea says.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
 

ST. LOUIS – A man from Washington, Missouri on Wednesday admitted recording his sexual activity with a 14-year-old.

Todd Kelly, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of producing child pornography. He admitted making the recordings on his cell phone in June and July of 2023. The victim’s father contacted authorities after learning about the relationship in August of 2023.

Kelly is scheduled to be sentenced July 28. The U.S. Attorney’s office will recommend a prison sentence of 25 years.

The Warren County Sheriff’s Department, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – Two men from Wisconsin have been accused of acting as couriers for an impostor scam that targeted a Missouri resident.

Srinivas Putta, 42, and Ankurkumar Patel, 43, were indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on February 26 on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud. Putta was arrested in Wisconsin on April 14. He appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Patel was arrested March 27 and has also pleaded not guilty.

The indictment accuses the men of involvement in a conspiracy that defrauded victims by pretending to contact them on behalf of financial institutions, law enforcement organizations and government agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Treasury and the Federal Trade Commission. One victim was told that his identity had been stolen and that he would be deported if he didn’t act, the indictment says. The indictment also alleges that the victim had been told that his money had been converted to “black money” through identity theft and that he needed to give cards or prepaid debit cards to couriers to transfer the money into an uncontaminated account that the government set up. On Sept. 25, 2023, Putta and Patel tried to collect $144,000 from the victim, who had been told to meet them in a Target parking lot in Missouri, the indictment says. The indictment also alleges that other couriers collected $125,000 from that victim.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The conspiracy and wire fraud charges each are punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the O’Fallon (Missouri) Police Department are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – Two men who robbed two dollar stores at gunpoint have both been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced Deon Walker, 27, to 11 years and nine months in prison. Samuel Nance, 33, of Black Jack, Missouri, was sentenced in July to 14 years in prison. Both men pleaded guilty to three felonies: two counts of robbery and one count of possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

On Oct. 9, 2022, just after 6 p.m., Walker and Nance robbed a dollar store in Berkeley, Missouri. Both men entered the store wearing clothing with hoods and black ski masks. When an employee asked them to remove their hoods, Walker pointed a black handgun at the employees and customers, demanded money and ordered everyone to get on the floor. One customer was able to escape out of the rear of the store with two children. An employee opened one cash register, which Nance emptied. Walker grabbed a customer and escorted her to the front of the store at gunpoint before forcing her to the floor. He and Nance then took money from another cash register and then stole about 18 packs of Newport cigarettes along with about $481 in cash.

About 90 minutes later, the two men robbed a dollar store in Ferguson, Missouri. Walker and Nance walked behind the checkout counter and Walker pointed a handgun at a cashier before demanding money. Nance jumped over the checkout counter to stop a customer who was trying to leave the store. Walker then took the entire cash drawer and both Nance and Walker ran out of the store. Walker and Nance stole about $486.

The FBI and the Berkeley Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane prosecuted the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A man from Jefferson County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted possessing a pipe bomb.

Robert Hiler, 38, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of an unregistered destructive device.

Hiler admitted that on Sept. 11, 2023, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies were seeking another man who had several active felony warrants. They had a court-approved search warrant for Hiler’s house, and arrested their target in the woods behind the home. Deputies then obtained Hiler’s consent to search the home and found a pipe bomb on a grey bucket in a room adjacent to Hiler’s garage. Hiler admitted building the bomb and said he had planned to ignite it with a car battery.

Hiler is scheduled to be sentenced in July. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Ware and Mohsen Pasha are prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A woman from Franklin County, Missouri has been indicted and accused of committing $174,000 in disability fraud over more than 14 years.

Starr Lumos, also known as Starr Rodrigue, 54, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on April 16 with one count of theft of government money and one count of concealing information from the Social Security Administration, namely her right to a benefit payment.

She turned herself in Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The indictment says that from Oct. 1, 2009, to March 1, 2024, Lumos concealed and failed to disclose her full physical abilities and ownership, work and income at multiple businesses, reaping $174,391 in disability payments.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely an accusation and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The theft of government money charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the concealment charge is punishable by up to five years in prison. Both also carry a potential fine of up to $250,000.

The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, Cooperative Disability Investigations Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A former employee of a Missouri state prison on Wednesday admitted smuggling drugs and knives into prison.

Steven M. Reminger, 53, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances.

Reminger was an electronics technician at the Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri at the time of his crimes. After a number of inmate drug overdoses, inmates told officials that Reminger was smuggling drugs into the prison. One told a Missouri Department of Corrections investigator that Reminger had drugs mailed to a Post Office box in Farmington, Missouri under a fake name.

A U.S. Postal Inspection Service inspector learned that Reminger had obtained the Post Office box on Nov. 8, 2021, and received about 12 packages between Nov. 13, 2021, and May 24, 2022. After Reminger picked up the final parcel on May 25, 2022, Postal Inspectors took him to a police station and interviewed him. They also opened the package, discovering $4,000 in cash as well as fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, K2, THC edibles, marijuana, knives and cell phones that were contained in four vacuum-sealed packages. Reminger said the $4,000 was his pay for bringing the packages into the prison. He acknowledged that it was “possible” the packages he brought in contained something that contributed to the inmate overdoses, but said “ignorance is bliss” and added that he never opened the packages within the parcels or asked what was inside of them. Reminger admitted being “deliberately ignorant” to the contents of the packages. 

Reminger said he made no more than $50,000 from the smuggling scheme. He turned over $15,000 in cash that he had at home to investigators. He used some of the rest of the money to buy a dune buggy and two trailers.

Reminger is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24. Each charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine.

The Missouri Department of Corrections Office of Professional Standards, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Missouri State Highway Patrol are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Rebar is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis, Missouri rapper on Tuesday pleaded guilty to drug and gun charges.

Antonio Harris, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of possession a firearm as a convicted felon. Harris, who performs as “LA4ss,” admitted being caught by police with fentanyl and a firearm.

On Feb. 16, 2022, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers tried to make a traffic stop on North Broadway in the Baden neighborhood, but Harris sped off in a Toyota Corolla. Officers used spike strips, but Harris continued at a high rate of speed north on Riverview Drive. He passed vehicles on the shoulder and swerved into oncoming traffic before colliding with a retaining wall while attempting to turn into Spring Garden Drive.

Harris got out and ran, leaving a loaded Glock 9mm pistol in the car, he admitted as part of his plea agreement. While running, he dropped a bag containing 394 capsules of fentanyl and plastic baggies containing more fentanyl, for a total weight of nearly 40 grams of the drug. Harris is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.

Harris is scheduled to be sentenced in August. Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime is punishable by at least five years in prison. The felon in possession charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin is prosecuting the case.  

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man admitted robbing a St. Louis bank in 2024 and trying to rob the same bank three months later.

Isaac Perry, 39, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of bank robbery and one count of attempted bank robbery. He admitted entering a bank on Loughborough Avenue in south St. Louis on June 25, 2024, and handing a note to a bank employee. The note read, “I nee[d] you to hand over 10,000 in cash if not it aint gone end good please.” Perry drew a red heart around the word “please.” He left the bank with about $340.

On Oct. 3, 2024, Perry returned, and again handed a note to a bank employee. The note said, “This is a stick up I need you to give me 6,000 dollars in all hundreds in make it quick.” The note had another heart. The bank employee told Perry that she had activated an alarm and police were on the way.  Perry fled the bank but was identified in photos of the robbery that were released to the public.

Perry is scheduled to be sentenced on July 29. Each charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.

The FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nichole Frankenberg is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Audrey G. Fleissig on Tuesday sentenced a man whose trial for recording a girl in the bathroom revealed allegations that he had sexually abused at least three other children to 21 years in prison.

Rayford Evans, 52, of Doniphan, in Ripley County, was convicted of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor after a one-day bench trial in January. Evidence and testimony showed that Evans used his cell phone to record a 15-year-old girl while she was bathing and using the bathroom by holding it up to a window above the bathroom door. The victim saw the phone and told a friend, the friend’s father and then her own father, who contacted the Doniphan City Police Department. An officer found three videos of the girl that Evans tried to delete.

During Evans trial, another victim testified about her sexual abuse at the hands of Evans, and there was testimony that Evans had recorded videos of a different girl. Three others testified at Evans’ sentencing hearing Tuesday about his sexual abuse of them.

“Evans has sexually exploited children for decades,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter wrote in a sentencing memo, and “used bribery in the form of electronics, toys, and candy to violate the trust of innocent children to sexually abuse them.”

One victim described Evans in a letter as a predator who has “hunted children, for his depraved sexual appetite, for at least 26 years.”

Evans has disputed the allegations involving other victims.

The FBI and the Doniphan City Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a bounty hunter from Louisiana to the three years he’s spent behind bars for removing a woman from a St. Peters, Missouri home and taking her across state lines against her will.

Wayne D. Lozier Jr., 46, of the New Orleans area, has been in custody since March 31, 2022.

Lozier was originally convicted by a jury in 2023 of one count of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Lozier’s conviction was overturned by the 8th U.S. Court of Appeals because of an issue with a jury instruction. Lozier then pleaded guilty in March, prior to a re-trial, to the same charges. He admitted entering a private residence without first notifying local law enforcement, transporting the victim without her consent and refusing the instructions of a St. Peters Police Department officer to either return the victim or transport her to the nearest law enforcement agency. He also admitted that neither he nor his partner, Jody L. Sullivan, were licensed by the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance to operate as surety recovery agents within Missouri.

Lozier and Sullivan had driven from Louisiana to where the victim was staying at the home of a friend in St. Peters, Missouri. They were attempting to return with the victim to St. Tammany Parish, where she had an arrest warrant for four misdemeanor offenses.

On May 9, 2019, Lozier handcuffed the victim and he and Sullivan took her away in their SUV. The homeowner contacted police. St. Peters Police Officer Jeffrey Atkins told Lozier on the phone that he was breaking the law and needed to return the victim, but Lozier refused to do so.

When the victim sought help from clerks at a gas station in Sullivan, Missouri, Lozier shocked the victim multiple times with a Taser and pulled her hair. He and Sullivan then dragged the victim out of the store by the chain that connected her handcuffs and leg. Lozier continued to refuse Officer Atkins’ instructions to return the victim to Missouri. But he did not bring her to Louisiana, instead dropping her off at a detention facility in Mississippi.

Sullivan, 57, of the New Orleans area, pleaded guilty Sept. 18, 2023, to the conspiracy and kidnapping charges and admitted unlawfully seizing the woman and transporting her across state lines. She was sentenced to five years of probation.

The FBI and the St. Peters Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Martin and Donald Boyce prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a former school bus driver who recorded his sexual abuse of two young children to 30 years in prison.

Robert W. Stillwell, 67, of St. Peters, Missouri, sexually abused one girl, born in 2016, and another, born in 2022, when they were both asleep and awake. He abused the older victim for at least two years, coercing her into complying with his demands by promising toys and money as well as by threatening her. She said Stillwell would become angry and scream when she did not cooperate. He also modified his voice to resemble that of two elementary school-aged girls and recorded messages to the older victim in which the “girls” encourage her to comply with his demands. 

The parents of the older victim contacted the St. Peters Police Department in December 2023 after their daughter said Stillwell was drinking her urine, claiming it was medicinal. Investigators then found recordings of his abuse of the victims.

During the hearing, Judge Autrey called the case one of the “most vile and most despicable” that he has ever seen.

Stillwell pleaded guilty in January to two counts of production of child pornography.

The FBI, the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force and the St. Peters Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County tax preparer on Thursday admitted falsifying 42 federal income tax returns for clients.

Elisa Y. Brown, 60, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. She admitted preparing false tax returns from 2016-2020. Brown prepared the returns with commercial tax preparation software from her home in exchange for between $150 and $250 per return. She did not have a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN), which is issued by the IRS and required on returns prepared for compensation. Brown digitally signed each tax return in the name of the taxpayer, making it appear to the IRS that the taxpayer had prepared the return. Brown claimed false medical and dental expenses and cash donations as deductibles and included false schedule C forms reflecting tens of thousands of dollars of false business expenses.

Brown admitted filing false tax returns for 11 clients from 2016-2020, resulting in a tax loss to the IRS of $171,866. During the same time, she prepared and submitted a total of 560 tax returns, many of which contained similar false deductible expenses.

Brown is scheduled to be sentenced July 22. Each charge carries a penalty of up to three years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

The case was investigated by IRS - Criminal Investigations.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Thursday sentenced a man from China who took $95,000 in cash from a 79-year-old Missouri fraud victim to 21 months in prison.

Judge Ross also ordered Dongyi Guo, 28, to repay the money.

Guo was part of a conspiracy that targeted elderly victims. Members of the conspiracy began contacting the victim in March of 2024. In phone calls and electronic messages, they claimed to represent her financial institutions and/or the Social Security Office and falsely claimed that her financial accounts had been compromised. They told her that she needed to pay to prevent her money from being stolen, and that a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) employee would pick up the money.

Guo flew from New York City to Chicago and then rented a car to drive to the woman’s home. On March 4, 2024, he picked up $40,000 in cash. He took another $35,000 in cash the next day, and $20,000 on March 6. Guo’s co-conspirators continued to pressure the victim into providing more money. Guo was arrested on March 7 while trying to pick up $15,000 more.

In a letter to the court, a daughter of the victim said her mother died seven months after Guo took her money, and that the crime “unquestionably contributed” to her death. After clicking on a link that said, “You’ve been hacked. Call (this number) for assistance,” her mother was tricked and shamed into withdrawing cash and placing it in shoeboxes that she them turned over to Guo. The scammers claimed Guo would “keep her money secure while this matter was resolved.” She responded by to the crime by refusing medication, food and exercise and declining to attend church. She was left “mentally and physically broken, alone, and wanting to die.”

Guo pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting and provide resources and referrals. Reporting frauds can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish, and other languages are available. The Federal Trade Commission also provides a hotline at 877-FTC-HELP and a website at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov for consumer complaints.

ST. LOUIS – A felon caught in the act of assaulting a woman by St. Louis police pleaded guilty to a gun charge Wednesday.

Lee M. Shields, 46, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that on Sept. 17, 2023, Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department Officers were on patrol when they saw him striking a woman over the head. She fell to the ground and was bleeding heavily from her mouth and nose. Shields got into a Jeep before being approached by officers, who found the magazine for a pistol in his pocket and a Glock 23 handgun in the Jeep. The victim told police that she didn’t know if Shields hit her with his fist or an object. One of the officers saw Shields holding an object in the hand he used to strike the victim. The 6-year-old son of Shields and the victim said Shields hit his mother with the gun.

Shields is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 9. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Shields’ lawyer have agreed to recommend 50 months in prison.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. on Wednesday sentenced a man who was caught in a stolen car with methamphetamine and marijuana to 87 months in prison.

On August 17, 2024, Darryl Duane Jackson, now 23, of Cairo, Illinois, was stopped by a Charleston Police Department officer on Interstate 57 in Mississippi County, Missouri. The vehicle’s license plate matched that of a stolen vehicle. Jackson, the driver and sole occupant, had $1,670 in cash. He also had 78 grams of marijuana and 752 grams of meth, or more than 1.6 pounds, in a backpack.

Jackson pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in January to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. This is his third felony conviction involving drug sale offenses.

The Charleston Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – Four people, including a former U.S. Postal Service employee, have pleaded guilty to federal charges and admitted to involvement in a conspiracy that stole checks from the mail to commit bank fraud.

Johnathan Barnett, 29, of University City, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to 80 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp, who also ordered him to pay restitution of $44,135.

Barnett pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of possession of stolen mail and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted participating in a conspiracy from January of 2022 to September of 2023 to steal checks from the mail and alter the checks to defraud banks.

Barnett bought a key to U.S. Postal Service collection boxes from a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier, Wynter Hinton, and then he and others, including Ryan McKinney and Jayden Burklow, used that key to open collections boxes in St. Louis County and steal mail. Hinton also stole checks from the mail while on her postal route.

Barnett, Burklow and McKinney altered personal and business checks they found in the mail to create counterfeit checks. They recruited others to allow their bank accounts to be used to deposit the fraudulent checks. The conspirators then withdrew the money before the banks realized the checks were fraudulent. Barnett, Burklow and McKinney admitted trying to commit at least $800,000 worth of fraud this way.

On Sept. 15, 2023, when investigators were conducting a court-approved search of Barnett’s home, he tried to flee through a window with an AR-15-style rifle with a high-capacity drum magazine loaded with 76 rounds. Four other firearms were found in his home, as well as check-making equipment. Barnett was convicted of a 2014 drug charge and charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in 2020.

Hinton, 29, of St. Ann, and McKinney, 24, of St. Louis, both pleaded guilty Wednesday. Hinton pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a mail key and McKinney pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of possession of stolen mail. They are scheduled to be sentenced in July.

Burklow, 21, of O’Fallon, Illinois, pleaded guilty in March to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of possession of stolen mail. He is scheduled to be sentenced in June.

“The sentencing in this case illustrates that individuals who engage in mail theft will be held accountable for their actions,” stated Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.  “The Inspection Service is proud to work with our local, state and federal partners to bring Mail Theft perpetrators to justice and prevent financial crimes targeting local citizens, postal customers, and financial institutions.”

"This sentencing and guilty pleas represent the hard work and dedication by USPS OIG Special Agents working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring charges on this significant mail theft investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennus Bishop, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Central Area Field Office. “The USPS OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.”

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Creve Coeur Police Department and the University City Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender from Florissant, Missouri on Wednesday admitted possessing child sexual abuse material.

Christopher A. Wheetley, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography. He admitted that 470 images and one video containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were found on his computer, as well as internet searches consistent with an interest in CSAM. The computer also contained 1,081 images and four videos in which children appeared to be depicted but their ages could not be determined.

The CSAM was found on the computer after a St. Louis County Police Department detective conducting an online “peer-to-peer” investigation discovered CSAM on Sept. 12, 2023, that was linked to an IP address that traced back to Wheetley’s home. That home was the subject of an earlier investigation after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Nov. 10, 2020, received a cyber-tip that 40 files containing CSAM had been uploaded to Kik in October from an IP address matching Wheetley.

The day before the tip was received, Wheetley pleaded no contest to one count of possession of child pornography in California Superior Court in Pomona. When detectives arrived at his Florissant address to investigate the tip, he was in California to complete his term of probation for the child pornography conviction.

Because Wheetley was previously convicted of distribution of child pornography, he faces at least 15 years in prison for the crime. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Wheetley’s lawyer will recommend 15 years at the time of his sentencing, which is set for July 17.

The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender caught with a pistol after a road rage shooting pleaded guilty to a firearm charge Tuesday.

Leroy Richard Walker Jr., 54, also admitted approaching and speaking with two children who were waiting for the school bus on Nov. 28, 2023, in Franklin County. The children told a parent, who called police. As a registered sex offender, Walker knew he was not allowed to be near a school bus stop.

On May 14, 2024, Walker pulled up in front of a high school in Franklin County, Missouri and began speaking with a 16-year-old girl who was also waiting for the school bus. He offered her a ride home and dropped her at a commercial business. On the way, he put his arm around the victim. The victim told authorities that she got into Walker’s car because she felt pressured by him and believed he could grab or hurt her. Walker admitted as part of his plea agreement that knew he was not allowed to be near a school.

The firearm incident occurred on Nov. 25, 2022, when a driver passed Walker and then pulled in front of him. Walker pulled in front of the other vehicle, began hitting his brakes and then slowed down, pulled alongside the other driver and waved a Taurus pistol. Walker pulled to the road’s shoulder and the victim drove past as Walker fired a shot from the pistol. Walker was then pulled over by Pacific Police Department officers and admitted being both a felon and a registered sex offender and knowing that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Walker has prior felony convictions for first-degree assault, attempted forcible rape, armed criminal action, burglary, tampering, stealing a motor vehicle and escape.

Walker, of Franklin County, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16. The crime is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Pacific Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday sentenced a man who defrauded insurance companies by staging vehicle accidents and injuries to 18 months in prison and ordered him to pay $107,951 in restitution.

From September 2021 to January 2023, Adrian Peebles staged auto accidents, usually at night and in remote areas to minimize his chances of getting caught. Peebles nearly always claimed to have been injured and went to the emergency room complaining of “pain that required expensive tests that never identified any particular injury,” according to his plea agreement. Peebles insisted that the resulting payments from the vehicle insurance companies be made to him rather than the hospital and then did not pay his medical bills. His scheme cost two insurance companies $107,951.

Peebles, now 32, pleaded guilty in January to one count of mail fraud.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware prosecuted the case.

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Missouri returned an indictment on Wednesday charging Travis Santel Jones, 21, of St. Louis, Missouri, with one count of murder in aid of racketeering, RICO conspiracy, using a firearm during a crime of violence, and causing death with a firearm, all related to Jones’s alleged part in the Cochran Crips, a violent street gang based in St. Louis. Two victims were gunned down in the street and one victim was killed at his own home.

“There is no place in our communities for groups that terrorize their neighbors,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This indictment alleges violent criminal acts and the tragic loss of three lives, all at the hands of a dangerous gang member. The Department of Justice’s Criminal Division will continue to pursue justice for these victims and for the people of St. Louis.”

“The alleged activity here is exactly the type of case that the Violent Crime Initiative was designed to tackle — complex criminal conspiracies involving drugs and years of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “There are severe federal consequences for anyone who is tempted to kill and maim to peddle poison.”

“For years, FBI St. Louis has been investigating violent crimes and drug trafficking by Cochran Crips gang members. In 2020, our office surged resources to assist the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department after two innocent Saint Louis University students were gunned down simply because their vehicle was misidentified by the gang,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Field Office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will not stop until we bring all those involved in the murders to justice.”

“Violence has no place in our community, and this indictment sends a clear message: we will always be a voice for victims, and we will not stop pursuing justice until there is accountability,” said St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert J. Tracy. “I am proud of the dedication by our investigators on this case, and we will continue to work with our federal law enforcement partners to keep our neighborhoods safe and take dangerous criminals off our streets.”

According to court documents, Jones conspired with other Cochran Crips members to commit multiple acts of murder and multiple drug trafficking offenses. Specifically, it is alleged in July 2020, Jones and other members were driving the streets of St. Louis, armed with multiple firearms, looking for “get backs” (retaliation) against a rival gang. While searching for rival gang members, Jones and others allegedly killed two innocent people whom they mistakenly believed to be rivals. After allegedly shooting and killing the victims, Jones and other Cochran Crips allegedly sped away, fleeing the scene and endangering other motorists on the road. Just a day after the murders, it is alleged that Cochran Crips gang members glorified the murders in a rap song.

In 2022, Jones allegedly murdered another Cochran Crips member when the gang believed that the victim had disrespected a fellow gang member. The gang members are alleged to have obtained a car, armed themselves with multiple firearms, drove to the victim’s home, and murdered him.

If convicted of murder in aid of racketeering, Jones faces a mandatory minimum penalty of life in prison or the death penalty. All other charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.  

The FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Jared A. Hernandez and Matthew Mattis of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj for the Eastern District of Missouri are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative in St. Louis conducted in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Missouri and local, state, and federal law enforcement. The joint effort addresses violent crime by employing, where appropriate, federal laws to prosecute gang members and their associates in St. Louis.

This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted fraudulently obtaining a student visa and admission to the University of Missouri and admitted using the visa to obtain a Social Security card, a driver license, a bank account and an apartment.

Mercy Ojedeji, 24, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of unlawful use of fraudulent immigration documents and one count of wire fraud.

Ojedeji admitted using counterfeit academic transcripts, recommendations, a resume and a report about his English language proficiency to obtain a student visa from the University of Missouri and admission to the chemistry PhD program in the fall of 2023. Ojedeji also obtained a stipend and a tuition waiver worth more than $49,000. Ojedeji presented his student visa and other documents to the Social Security Administration to obtain a Social Security card and used the fraudulently-issued Social Security number and other documents to open a bank account. He also used the Social Security number and documents produced by his paramour to rent an apartment. After Ojedeji failed to attend classes, his assistantship or join a research group, the university terminated him from the graduate program in January 2024. This also resulted in the termination of his student visa. On Feb. 26, 2024, Ojedeji used his fraudulently-obtained and now invalid visa and other documents to obtain a Missouri driver license.

The investigation into Ojedeji began when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service received complaints that romance fraud victims were mailing packages containing cash and gift cards to the home of Ojedeji’s paramour. Between Dec. 19, 2023, and Jan. 4, 2024, 35 Express Mail packages that had been tracked by Nigerian internet protocol addresses were delivered to the paramour’s address. A court-approved search of the home resulted in the discovery of packages sent pursuant to a Nigerian romance fraud scheme. A total of 193 packages were sent to the home through the Postal Services Express Mail, Federal Express, and United Parcel Service during Ojedeji’s relationship with the woman. At sentencing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will argue that the total intended loss is more than $1 million, based on the $94,150 contained in the 17 packages seized by law enforcement. Ojedeji continues to deny any involvement in romance fraud.

A judge will ultimately determine the loss amount at Ojedeji’s sentencing hearing, scheduled for July 10. Wire fraud carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The immigration charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the same fine.

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to defending the nation’s mail system from criminal activity, preserving the integrity of the U.S. Mail, and protecting United States Postal Service employees. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service values our law enforcement partners for supporting our mission to protect the integrity of the U.S. Mail,” said Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, with the assistance of the FBI and the Town and Country Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A man was indicted Wednesday and accused of setting fires at a hotel near Ferguson, Missouri last month.

Brandon Dallas Smith, 40, is now facing an arson charge. The indictment accuses Smith of setting a fire at a hotel in the 2700 block of Target Drive on March 26, 2025. A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in St. Louis the day after the fire says patrons were awakened by a fire alarm at 2:48 a.m. to find two fires in front of hotel rooms and a third on the second-floor stairwell. The complaint alleges that Smith purchased gasoline a nearby gas station and convenience store shortly before going to the hotel and setting the fires.
 

A charge set forth in an indictment or a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and does not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The charge is punishable by at least five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis County Bomb and Arson Squad investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri on Tuesday admitted fraudulently obtaining home mortgages totaling more than $1.2 million.

Edward James Mitchell Jr., also known as Musa Muhammad, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of bank fraud. He admitted participating in four fraudulent home mortgages from October 2021 through November 2023 totaling $1,225,550. Three of the homes are in St. Louis and one is in Florissant. Mitchell’s company, Home Team Solutions LLC, originally purchased the homes. Mitchell pretended to be one of his relatives to purchase two of the homes from his own company, submitting fraudulent mortgage loan applications and false employment and financial information and using his relative’s Social Security number and birthdate, Mitchell’s plea agreement says. He bought another home himself and sold another to his paramour, again submitting false or fraudulent documentation. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office believes lending institutions lost $490,946 when Fannie Mae purchased the four home loans. Mitchell’s position is that only two of the loans incurred losses, with a loss amount of $226,950.

Mitchell, 37, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8. Each bank fraud charge carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine.

In October 2023, Mitchell legally changed his name to Musa Muhammad.

The FBI and the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – Victim advocates will be available by phone Wednesday to help St. Louis area crime victims and survivors seek justice and obtain assistance.

This is the third year of the hotline, which connects victims and survivors of crimes and online harassment to information about their rights and services. Those services include treatment, counseling, compensation and other support. Each year, dozens of people have called the hotline.

The phone bank, at 314-539-6855, will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office will also have 100 gun locks available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. all week. Anyone interested should come to the reception area on the 20th floor of the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse, at 111 South 10th Street in downtown St. Louis.

The initiative comes during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This year’s theme is KINSHIP, a call-to-action to recognize that shared humanity should be at the center of supporting all survivors and victims of crime. Kinship is a state of being with survivors that drives vital connections to services, rights, and healing. Kinship is where victim advocacy begins.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Monday sentenced a former Phelps County Sheriff’s deputy to 65 years in prison for soliciting and/or receiving sex acts and child sexual abuse material from multiple minors and destroying evidence to impede the FBI.

Judge Schelp also ordered Justin Bradley Durham, of Rolla, to pay $79,160 in restitution to victims. Durham pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in October to one count of production of child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography and three counts of destroying records in a federal investigation.

Durham admitted requesting and receiving a sexually explicit video from a 15-year-old in 2013. He later provided $200 to the victim after she engaged in sex acts with him. He also admitted engaging in sex acts multiple times with a 17-year-old victim, including in his patrol vehicle. He exchanged sexually explicit images and videos with her. Durham met the second victim in 2016 when her friend contacted the police and he responded to the call.

The FBI interviewed Durham in 2023 after learning that his PayPal account had been used to send money to another account associated with the sale of child pornography. Durham denied purchasing child pornography and claimed that he hadn’t accessed his Dropbox account for years. He refused agents’ request to search his cell phone. Two days later, Durham bought a new phone, destroyed his old phone and deleted about 37 gigabytes of data in his Dropbox account before deactivating it. Among those files were hundreds of sexually explicit images and videos, including files containing child sexual abuse material. Durham was terminated by the Sheriff’s Department on Aug. 9, 2023, and arrested by them. In jail, he told FBI agents that he also destroyed a laptop computer, threw away his phone and conducted a “digital footprint scrub” of his online accounts, his plea agreement says.

Durham also sent sexual letters to inmates at the Phelps County Jail, solicited sexually explicit images from other women, including a woman who was on parole, according to a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman.

"Justin Durham avoided detection by exploiting what he knew about law enforcement. He often targeted vulnerable victims, some of whom suffered from mental health issues, poverty, or sexual abuse,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “We applaud the bravery of the two victims who came forward to help end Durham’s disgraceful abuse.”

Sheriff Michael P. Kirn expressed his firm belief that accountability and transparency are essential in maintaining public trust. “The actions of individuals like Justin Durham are not representative of our dedicated law enforcement community. We will continue to ensure that justice is served and that ethical standards are upheld,” he asserted.

“This case serves as a reminder that the law applies equally to all, and the commitment to justice remains paramount. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to advocate for integrity and accountability within the law enforcement community and beyond,” Sheriff Kirk said.

The FBI and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – A man from O’Fallon, Missouri, on Friday admitted possessing child sexual abuse material on multiple electronic devices and in a cloud account.

Davie John Metzger, 55, of O’Fallon, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of receipt of child pornography. He admitted possessing 369 images of child sexual abuse material on a flash drive, 24 images on a hard drive, 211 in an online cloud storage account and 343 on a cell phone. Metzger’s conduct had triggered three CyberTipline reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The June 30, 2023, tip was triggered when he uploaded an image depicting a girl between the ages of 3 and 7. A subsequent court-approved search of his online account revealed photos that he’d surreptitiously taken of women and girls in public places.

Metzger is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8. The crime carries a mandatory minimum prison term of five years and a maximum of 20 years.

The FBI and the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – A medical doctor from the Kansas City, Kansas area on Friday admitted accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks to order medically unnecessary health care for thousands of patients.

Dr. Scott Taggart Roethle, 47, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of health care fraud. He admitted that from 2017 until 2020, he conspired with health care companies and others to order medically unnecessary durable medical equipment, pain creams and genetic tests for thousands of patients in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks.

Dr. Roethle contracted with multiple health care companies as a telemedicine doctor. Using electronic portals to review patient information and documents, Dr. Roethle ordered health care services for patients without evaluating them or their actual medical needs. He did not have a prior doctor-patient relationship with the telemedicine patients and admitted providing no follow-up care after ordering the health care services.

Dr. Roethle was typically paid about $30 for each of his fraudulent orders. He admitted receiving payments of $674,000 from five companies. He also admitted that Medicare paid out at least $1.5 million while relying on his fraudulent orders. At the time of Dr. Roethle’s sentencing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will argue that the total loss due to the health care fraud is between $7 million and $9.5 million.

Dr. Roethle was licensed to practice in 22 states during the time of his crime and worked primarily as an anesthesiologist.

The trial of Dr. Roethle, of Leawood, was scheduled to begin Monday. His sentencing is set for July 17.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman and Justin Ladendorf are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Thursday found a St. Louis County man guilty of all nine charges related to five armed robberies in Missouri and Illinois in 2023.

Ronald O. Perkins, 29, of Black Jack, Missouri, was found guilty of four counts of robbery, one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, three counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony.

According to evidence and testimony at trial, Perkins was armed with a handgun during each of the robberies, and often banged the gun on the counter while demanding money or pointed it at victims, who were left shaken and afraid.

Perkins robbed a gas station and convenience store on Riverview Drive in St. Louis on Sept. 8, 2023. He entered the store, banged a pistol on the countertop and demanded money. He then grabbed money out of the register and fired several shots.

On Nov. 8, 2023, Perkins robbed a gas station on Clayton Road in Richmond Heights, stealing cash and a pack of cigarettes. Less than two hours later, he robbed a 7-Eleven on Hoffmeister Avenue in St. Louis County, stealing cash.
 

Four days later, he robbed a gas station on Fee Fee Road in St. Louis County of cash.

Five days after that, he robbed a liquor store on St. Louis Road in Collinsville, Illinois, again stealing money from the register.

Investigators obtained surveillance video showing each robbery, and later found clothes matching those worn by the robber in Perkins’ home and in one of the vehicles used by him to commit the robberies, evidence and testimony at trial showed. A distinctive scar on his hand matched the robber’s scar. The vehicles he drove matched those spotted in surveillance video from all five robberies. Officers recovered the gun that was a ballistic match to the firearm used in the first robbery from Perkins’ pants. Finally, Perkins’ left an electronic trail from his home to each robbery.

“Taken together, it is a staggering amount of evidence,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone told jurors during a closing statement Thursday. The trial began Monday.

Perkins is scheduled to be sentenced on July 3. Each robbery charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The discharge of a firearm charge carries a penalty of at least 10 years consecutive to the other charges. The brandishing charge carries a penalty of at least seven years consecutive to any other charge. The transporting charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Altogether, Perkins is facing at least 31 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of life.

The St. Louis County Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Collinsville Police Department, the Richmond Heights Police Department, the Columbia (Illinois) Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Bluestone and Tiffany Becker are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry on Thursday sentenced a registered sex offender who sold child pornography online to 17 years in prison.

Patrick Mayberry, now 46, of High Ridge, told investigators that he’d received over $2,000 by selling child pornography that he’d obtained on the dark web. Mayberry had multiple videos containing child sexual abuse material in his MEGA cloud-storage account.

The investigation began with a CyberTipline report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that Mayberry had uploaded child sexual abuse material to his Google account.

Mayberry pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November to one count of possession of child pornography as a prior offender.

Mayberry is a registered sex offender and was on probation at the time of the offense. He was convicted of one count of failure to register as a sex offender in 2021 in Jefferson County Circuit Court in Missouri. In 2008, he was convicted of one count of attempting to procure child pornography for seeking nude photographs of a nine-year-old. In 2003, he was convicted of second-degree rape of a victim under age 16 in Oklahoma.

The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – A former high school custodian on Wednesday admitted possessing child sexual abuse material.

Bernard Ray Mennemeier, 58, of O’Fallon, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of child pornography. Mennemeier admitted possessing both child pornography and child erotica.

The investigation began on Jan. 2, 2024, after Mennemeier uploaded five videos containing child sexual abuse material to Dropbox. An FBI agent traced the Dropbox account to Mennemeier, and then conducted a court-approved search of the Dropbox account, and then Mennemeier’s home. In an interview at the O’Fallon Police Department, Mennemeier admitted messaging someone on Twitter who would sell him child sexual abuse material. Mennemeier said he purchased those materials “numerous” times, his plea agreement says.

Mennemeier is scheduled to be sentenced July 9. The charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

“This crime came to light thanks to a CyberTip reported to our partners at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Bernard Mennemeier thought he could anonymously obtain and possess child sexual abuse material,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division.  “When it comes to protecting children, the FBI is even more diligent in identifying, locating and arresting such perpetrators.”

The FBI investigated the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri on Tuesday admitted being caught with a fully automatic pistol, fentanyl and cocaine base after a police chase.

Mario Mitchell, 22, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base.

On Oct. 16, 2023, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers spotted a silver Nissan Sentra violate the stop sign at Euclid Avenue and East Lee Avenue in the Penrose neighborhood of St. Louis. Mitchell sped off when officers activated their lights and siren. After officers used spike strips to disable the Sentra, Mitchell got out and ran, discarding a Glock 10mm fully automatic pistol with an extended magazine. When officers caught and arrested Mitchell, he had a bag holding 40 multi-colored capsules containing fentanyl and a bag with several off-white chunks of cocaine base totaling 2.97 grams, he admitted as part of his plea agreement. The pistol was equipped with a conversion device, or “switch,” making it a machine gun under federal law.

Mitchell is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10. Each charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lake is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from St. Louis on Tuesday admitted robbing a store with a shotgun in 2023.

Divontay Scott, 34, pleaded guilty to three felony counts: robbery, possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Scott admitted entering the Family Dollar store on South Grand Boulevard in St. Louis on Oct. 17, 2023, armed with a shotgun. Scott ordered an employee to open the cash register and stole about $114. Although Scott’s face was partially covered, witnesses recognized him as a regular customer. He was also caught on video during a visit to the store earlier that day. A witness spotted him that evening at a nearby business and called police. Scott had texted his paramour his plans to rob the store, as well as a picture of the money that he took, his plea agreement says.

Scott is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8. Both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Scott’s lawyer have agreed to recommend a sentence of 11 years in prison.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lake is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – A former official of a charity that houses adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities on Tuesday admitted embezzling about $690,000 over more than a decade.

Joelle Fouse, 57, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Fouse was the manager / director of finance and human resources for the charity and was responsible for payroll, expense reimbursement and maintaining the charity’s books and records. She admitted stealing from the charity in multiple ways.

Fouse caused 181 unauthorized expense payments totaling $407,186 to be transferred into bank accounts she controlled by providing false expense reimbursement information to a third-party payroll processing company. She provided false payroll information that triggered 71 other unauthorized payments totaling $139,810. Her theft, and the unauthorized payments, caused the charity to overpay payroll taxes by approximately $10,694. Fouse also used her company credit card to make 184 unauthorized purchases totaling $133,210. She attempted to cover up her crimes by falsifying financial and accounting records.

Fouse admitted using the money to pay for personal expenses for herself and relatives including travel, clothing, entertainment, restaurants and rent payments. Fouse’s fraud limited the charity’s ability to provide services to the disabled adults it served.

Fouse worked for the charity from October 2012 through December 2023, when she was terminated and her employer contacted federal authorities.

Fouse is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10. Each wire fraud charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a man from Ferguson, Missouri who sold fentanyl and methamphetamine to undercover St. Louis County police officers to 93 months in prison.

Theodise Reece, 37, has been in custody since his arrest on Aug. 30, 2023, bringing the total he will likely serve for the crime to about nine years.

After receiving several tips in June of 2023 that Reece was selling illegal drugs, the St. Louis County Police Department set up a series of undercover purchases, Reece’s plea agreement says. Reece sold $100 worth of fentanyl on June 14, 2023, then $150 worth of methamphetamine six days later, Reece admitted in his guilty plea.

After making four more undercover purchases and witnessing Reece make another sale, investigators sought a search warrant for Reece’s home. They arrested him during an undercover buy on Aug. 30, 2023, and found a semiautomatic pistol in his car loaded with one chambered round and 18 more in an extended magazine. Inside a satchel slung across his chest, police found nearly 40 grams of fentanyl and 225 grams of meth as well as ecstasy, cocaine base and marijuana. Reece admitted that he sold drugs for a living. Investigators found an AR-style rifle in Reece’s home.

Reece pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November to three felonies: distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Drug Enforcement investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – A Missouri woman on Monday admitted lying in U.S. District Court and in court filings about the purported death of “Tonka,” a chimpanzee that was one of the subjects of a long running federal civil suit.

Tonia Haddix waived her right to indictment by a grand jury and pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to three felony charges: two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. She admitted that her false statements influenced and obstructed the administration of justice in the pending civil suit.

That suit, originally filed in 2016, involved allegations by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) over the care of primates, including Tonka, at a facility near Festus, Missouri.  

On October 2, 2020, the District Court entered its consent decree requiring that Haddix, who was then operating the Festus facility, take certain steps relative to Tonka.  What followed, based upon Haddix’s failure to comply with the provisions of the District Court’s consent decree, were a series of motions seeking civil contempt against Haddix filed by PETA.  The District Court entered a number of orders granting temporary restraining orders against Haddix, finding Haddix in civil contempt relative to the District Court’s consent decree.  On March 26, 2021, the District Court issued a temporary restraining order against Haddix requiring that Haddix not transfer Tonka and continue to provide appropriate caregiving to him.  On July 14, 2021, the District Court found Haddix in violation of that order and entered an additional order requiring that Tonka and six other chimpanzees be transferred from Haddix’s possession to the Center for Great Apes.  During that July 14, 2021 hearing, Haddix falsely claimed that Tonka had died, but failed to provide the Court with proof of death.  The District Court’s July 14, 2021 order provided that the transfer of Tonka and the six other chimpanzees to the Center for Great Apes be carried out by representatives of PETA, representatives of the Center for Great Apes, and Deputy U.S. Marshals.  On July 28, 2021, access was only provided to the six chimpanzees which were duly transferred to the Center for Great Apes, but no information was provided by Haddix as to the whereabouts of Tonka.  

On August 2, 2021, PETA filed its fourth motion seeking civil contempt against Haddix for failing to transfer Tonka as ordered by the District Court.  On August 16, 2021, Haddix filed her declaration with the District Court, under penalty of perjury, which contained the materially false statement that, “On May 30, 2021, Tonka died.  On that same date, [my husband] cremated Tonka’s body.  After the cremation, he gave me Tonka’s cremated remains.  Since then, I have retained—and continue to retain—Tonka’s remains.”  Haddix well knew at that time that Tonka was not dead, but alive and living in a known location.  On December 27, 2021, Haddix filed in the District Court her pro se motion to dismiss with prejudice PETA’s fourth motion seeking civil contempt.  In that motion, Haddix again made numerous materially false representations that Tonka was dead.  Her materially false statements influenced, obstructed and impeded the due administration of justice in that pending civil case.  

On January 5, 2022, the District Court convened a hearing during which Haddix gave sworn testimony and again made materially false statements, including that on May 30, 2021, “…and then I went in and I opened the cage door and [Tonka] was dead.  He was dead.”  “…we took him around and let the chimps say good-bye.  Then we put him in the Gator and we backed the Gator up against the truck, the bed of the truck, the tailgate, and then we put his body over into the truck and then he left.”  “…and I waited for [my husband] to call me, to let me know [that he had completed his cremation.]”  “…I wanted to keep trying to save Tonka if I could.  But then he just died on his own, so there was no saving him.”  Based upon her false testimony, the District Court denied PETA’s motion for civil contempt.  

On June 2, 2022, based upon newly discovered evidence presented to the District Court that Tonka was alive, the District Court entered its temporary restraining order requiring Haddix to cooperate in the transfer of Tonka from her possession to a facility designated by PETA.  On June 8, 2022, representatives of PETA and representatives of the Save the Chimps Foundation, with the assistance of Deputy U.S. Marshals, were finally able to transfer Tonka from where he was being held in a cage in Haddix’s basement to a Save the Chimps sanctuary, where Tonka continues to live to this date.

“Despite repeatedly being warned by the District Court about the consequences of flouting the consent decree and court orders and being given ample opportunity to come into compliance, Haddix continued to defy the Court,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “She then repeatedly lied about Tonka’s death while she was under oath.”

"Tania Haddix swore to tell the truth under oath and then proceeded to blatantly lie to a federal judge," said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “There is no excuse."

Haddix is scheduled to be sentenced July 16. Each perjury charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The obstruction charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the same fine range.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Monday sentenced a man who participated in a nationwide scheme that stole $1.17 million worth of luxury rental cars to 75 months in prison.

James E. McGhaney, 36, of New York City, was also ordered to repay $938,963.

McGhaney recruited and supervised others who picked up the rental cars by using false driver’s licenses and counterfeit credit cards. The vehicles had been reserved using stolen identities. In all, the conspirators used the identities of at least 23 victims to steal 19 rental vehicles. McGhaney was one of eight defendants who have pleaded guilty in the case.

Tyrell A. Oliver, 40, of Atlanta, Georgia, was the scheme’s organizer. He was sentenced in February to 90 months in prison after pleading guilty in October to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft. McGhaney pleaded guilty to one conspiracy count and three counts of wire fraud.

Rashad Holder, 35, of New York, was sentenced to 65 months in prison and ordered to repay $581,711. Steven B. Matthews, 40, of Atlanta, was sentenced to 24 months in prison and ordered to repay $107,072. Reginald M. Glenn, 36, was sentenced to 13 months in prison. Marlique J. McGhaney, 35, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and ordered to repay $237,447. Daquasia M. Robinson, 33, was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to repay $119,805. Shawnta B. Fonseca, 34, is scheduled to be sentenced in April. Glenn, Marlique McGhaney, Fonseca and Robinson are all New York residents.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Thursday admitted committing five bank robberies and one attempted robbery.

Derrick Snulligan, now 62, of Velda Village Hills, admitted handing a note demanding money to the teller of a bank in Northwoods, Missouri on April 18, 2023. He did the same thing at the same bank on Aug. 28, 2023. On Oct. 13, 2023, he tried a third time, but a teller activated an alarm and told Snulligan to leave.

In each robbery, Snulligan was wearing a mask.

After being thwarted in that robbery, Snulligan decided to make his notes more threatening. On June 24, 2024, he handed a note to an employee of a Hazelwood credit union that read, “I[f] you don’t want to get hurt, go in your drawer and give me 6-one hundred dollar bills, 4-fifty dollar bills, 10-ten dollar bills, and 20-5 dollar bills as quickly as possible,” his plea agreement says. The teller handed cash to Snulligan, who fled.

Three days later, Snulligan handed a note to the teller of a St. Louis credit union demanding money. After taking cash, he fled in a blue vehicle. That same day, he committed a similar robbery at a Florissant credit union. His note read, “If you don’t want to get shot I suggest you go in your drawer and give me 30 one hundred dollar bill[s], 20 fifty dollar bills, 30, 20 dollar bills and 40, 10 dollar bills as quickly as possible.” Snulligan again fled in a blue vehicle, which was identified as a Buick Encore.

Investigators traced the vehicle to Snulligan, who admitted committing the robberies and returned some of the money. Snulligan is also known as Derrick Jackson.

Snulligan, of Velda Village Hills, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday to five counts of bank robbery. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 1. Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The FBI, the Florissant Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Northwoods Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – An underage Missouri girl has been rescued from a Georgia man accused of child sex crimes.

Carlan Travis Penney Jr., 46, was charged by complaint on March 7 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with coercion and enticement or a minor and transportation of a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity. He was arrested the next day in Georgia and indicted on those same charges by a grand jury Wednesday.

Charging documents say the teen’s family alerted the local sheriff’s office when she went missing, and the sheriff’s office contacted the FBI. FBI special agents learned that the teen had been in contact with Penney, who had rented a car to drive to the teen’s home to pick her up and bring her to Georgia, charging documents say. When Penney arrived in Missouri to pick up the teen, he was masked and told the victim he had a firearm in case she turned out to be a law enforcement officer, charging documents say. After her phone and another mobile device were smashed, he took her to Georgia, the documents say. Penney always used cash and always wore gloves during stops on the trip, the documents say. Penney also made threatening statements about “snitches getting snitches” and frequently raised the topic of murder, the documents say.

Investigators found her at a home belonging to Penney’s family, the documents say. The victim told the FBI that after she’d met Penney via a “chat site,” he turned their conversation toward sex and sent her pictures of his genitals, the documents say.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

“The victim was rescued quickly because of partnerships. After the FBI became aware, the minor was found in 24 hours hundreds of miles from her home,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “We thank all the various agencies that immediately helped at all hours of the night. Special thanks to the Worth County and Crisp County Sheriff’s Offices that recovered the girl safely after an hour-long standoff with the subject."

The FBI’s St. Louis Division, FBI Atlanta’s Albany Resident Agency, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Worth County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office and the Crisp County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.