Eastern District of Missouri
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Missouri Man Accused of $284,000 Pandemic Rental Assistance FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Moberly, Missouri was indicted Wednesday and accused of fraudulently obtaining $284,000 that was supposed to provide rental assistance to families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Steven W. Hendren, 32, of Moberly, was indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with three counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. The indictment accuses Hendren of submitting a series of fraudulent applications for rental assistance to the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) beginning in March 2021. The MHDC administered and distributed federal Emergency Rental Assistance.
The indictment says Hendren submitted a series of fraudulent applications falsely listing himself as a landlord, included fictitious lease agreements and financial statements and inflated rent amounts. The MHDC wired a total of $284,840.44 to Hendren’s account, the indictment says, much of which Hendren used for personal expenses, including the purchase of a 2020 GMC Yukon.
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 Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information about pandemic fraud is asked to call the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or report via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Armed Robbery of Three Postal Workers Leads to 21+ Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a man who robbed U.S. Postal Service letter carriers in St. Louis County as part of a conspiracy to steal checks from the mail to 21 years and three months in prison.
Xavier Sean Boyd, 20, of Jennings, was one of five people involved in a conspiracy in the summer of 2022 to rob postal workers of the arrow keys that unlock mail collection boxes, use those keys to steal checks and then use those checks to commit fraud.
Boyd robbed a postal carrier at gunpoint on June 1, 2022, on Chambers Road in St. Louis County. The conspirators used that key four days later to steal mail from collection boxes in Berkeley, West Florissant, Normandy, Overland and Ferguson.
Boyd and co-conspirator Roy Lee Jones deposited $19,199.60 in stolen checks into Jones' credit union account on June 7, 2022. They next day, they tried to withdraw the entire amount, but were only able to obtain $8,500. They also deposited checks into Xavier Boyd 's bank account but were not able to withdraw any of the stolen funds.
Jones robbed a second postal carrier of his arrow key on June 9, 2022. Boyd robbed a third carrier less than 20 minutes later. Both were in Boyd’s mother’s SUV at the time. The third postal carrier noted the license plate of the SUV and police spotted the vehicle within minutes. Boyd initially pulled over and then sped away, sparking a high-speed chase that ended when Boyd crashed. Both men fled, carrying pistols. Police tackled Boyd within feet of the SUV and arrested Jones on the front steps of a nearby day care center.
In a video call from jail after his arrest, Boyd warned one of his co-conspirators to try and thwart the investigation, according to court documents. Boyd had just graduated from a prestigious local high school and had at least one college acceptance at the time he was terrorizing postal workers.
“Postal Service employees play an integral role in our communities delivering mail to the American people. As public servants, postal employees must be allowed to do their job safely and securely. Postal Inspectors will aggressively investigate anyone who brings harm to these invaluable public servants,” said Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.
Boyd pleaded guilty in September to three counts of robbery and two counts of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a robbery.
Last month, Judge Schelp sentenced Jones, 22, to 84 months in prison. Jones pleaded guilty in August to one count of robbery, one count of theft of a mail key and one count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a robbery.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel 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.
25th Patient of Missouri Chiropractic Office that Aided Disability Fraud SentencedRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The 25th patient of a Jefferson County, Missouri chiropractic office involved in a multi-million dollar disability fraud conspiracy was sentenced Wednesday as part of an ongoing fraud investigation. Six more patients are set for sentencing next year.
U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark sentenced Donald Furrer, 67, to one year of probation. Prior to sentencing, Furrer repaid just under $462,000 that he received from the Social Security Administration’s Disability Trust Fund and private disability benefit insurance providers by falsely claiming to be disabled.
The two chiropractors who owned and operated PowerMed Inc., Thomas G. Hobbs and Vivian Carbone-Hobbs, are in federal prison, serving four-year prison terms. Hobbs was ordered to repay $4.3 million; Carbone-Hobbs was ordered to repay $16.4 million.
One employee, Christina Barrera, was sentenced to 14 months in prison. Another, Clarissa Pogue, was sentenced to five years of probation, including six months of house arrest.
Many patients worked at Anheuser-Busch. Some are spouses of other defendants. They have been sentenced in a range from one year of probation to the 15 month term of imprisonment imposed on patient Elizabeth Guetersloh. All were ordered to repay the money they reaped via fraud, ranging from $47,087 to more than $470,000.
James Ralston was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to repay more than $2.1 million. He was a former Anheuser-Busch union steward who referred his former co-workers and coached them as they falsified their disability applications.
Hobbs charged patients fees of thousands of dollars to prepare disability forms and coach them on how to lie about their ability to perform basic daily tasks such as lifting, standing, walking, sitting and taking care of their personal needs. According to evidence and testimony presented at the trials of Carbone-Hobbs, Barrera, Pogue, and Guetersloh, some patients were presented with a “Disability Package Pricing” sheet that listed the fees ranging as high as $8,600 for PowerMed to handle various disability claims options, including qualifying for Social Security disability, short-term disability, private insurance and insurance that would pay off auto or other loans. The total fees exceeded more than $13,000 for some patients.
Hobbs, who also falsely claimed to have a medical license, submitted fraudulent medical reports to support patient claims. He and Carbone-Hobbs also submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement to health care benefit programs for medical services that were used to bolster those claims.
Although PowerMed patients claimed to be disabled and unable to work or do many of the basic functions of life, they travelled nationally and internationally, danced, hiked or rode roller coasters. Some bought new homes or second homes with the money.
“This investigation is ongoing, but has already resulted in convictions of 31 people, as well as the recovery of more than $6 million that will go to the Social Security Administration and the private insurers who were defrauded,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “This outcome would not have been possible without the dogged work by investigators.”
“Social Security disability benefits are intended for persons who are unable to work because they have a medical condition. Donald Furrer made false statements and misrepresentations to SSA to fraudulently receive disability benefit payments from SSA totaling more than $317,000. This sentence holds him accountable for his criminal behavior,” said Jason Albers, Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector, Dallas Kansas City Field Division. “In this comprehensive investigation and complex prosecution of this case, involving multiple subjects and agencies, investigators and prosecutors have done exemplary work. I commend them all for their diligent efforts in this years-long process to bring forth justice.”
“When unscrupulous individuals lie to obtain disability benefits, they are taking away resources from those who truly need it,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Greg Heeb. “I commend our agents and the prosecutors who successfully unraveled such a large conspiracy to recover millions of dollars defrauded from taxpayers who fund this critical program.”
The cases were investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracy Berry, Dorothy McMurtry, Diane Klocke and Gwendolyn Carroll have prosecuted the cases.
Anyone who suspects fraud involving the Disability Insurance Benefit Program should contact the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General Hotline at: 1-800-269-0271 or https://oig.ssa.gov/report/.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Pandemic Loan FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Thursday sentenced a man who fraudulently obtained $41,484 in loans intended to help struggling businesses during the pandemic to 15 months in prison.
Judge Ross ordered Robert Baines, 44, to repay the amount of the loans, as well as $4,815 to the property management company where he once worked. After Baines pleaded guilty to two felony counts of wire fraud in August, allegations emerged that he told tenants to pay rent directly to him and moved two tenants into vacant apartments without leases and told them to pay him in cash, stealing a total of $7,315. Baines subsequently repaid $2,500 to his former employer.
In his guilty plea in August, Baines admitted fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans in 2021. He applied for a first draw PPP loan on March 31, 2021, and a second draw PPP loan on April 9, 2021. In the loan applications, Baines falsely claimed that he was self-employed, lied about his business income and submitted a forged IRS form to bolster his claims. Baines was not self-employed and did not earn any of the claimed self-employment income. In his application for the second-draw loan, Baines falsely claimed that he’d suffered at least a 25% reduction in gross income between 2019 and 2020.
The PPP loans were designed to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and, accordingly, were to be used for business-related purposes, such as to cover payroll, utilities, and rent or mortgage payments. Instead, Baines instead used the money for restaurants, travel, clothing and other retail items.
The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf prosecuted the case.
Poplar Bluff Man Convicted of Methamphetamine Distribution ChargeRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – Jurors in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau on Thursday found a Poplar Bluff man guilty of one felony count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Evidence and testimony presented at the trial of Deshante R. Nabors showed that on the evening of Aug. 6, 2020, a Poplar Bluff Police Department officer activated his lights and siren and tried to conduct a traffic stop of a Ford Fusion being driven by Nabors. Nabors continued to drive, tossing out a black sock containing meth. Nabors jumped out of the vehicle while it was moving and ran away. He was later found and arrested. He had $1,030 in cash and a clear bag containing more meth in his pocket. There was more methamphetamine and marijuana in the Ford.
Sentencing for Nabors, 33, is scheduled for March 18, 2025. The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Poplar Bluff Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Hahn and Christopher Shelton are prosecuting the case.
Fourteen North Korean Nationals Indicted for Carrying Out Multi-Year Fraudulent Information Technology Worker Scheme and Related ExtortionsRead the Press Release
Note: View the indictment here and FBI Wanted Posters here.
A federal court in St. Louis, Missouri, yesterday indicted 14 nationals of the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRK or North Korea) with long-running conspiracies to violate U.S. sanctions and to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. Specifically, the conspirators, who worked for DPRK-controlled companies Yanbian Silverstar and Volasys Silverstar, located in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Russian Federation (Russia), respectively, conspired to use false, stolen, and borrowed identities of U.S. and other persons to conceal their North Korean identities and foreign locations and obtain employment as remote information technology (IT) workers for U.S. companies and nonprofit organizations.
The conspirators, some of whom were ordered by their superiors to earn at least $10,000 per month, generated at least $88 million throughout the approximately six-year conspiracy. In multiple instances, the conspirators supplemented their employment earnings by stealing sensitive company information, such as proprietary source code, and then threatening to leak such information unless the employer made an extortion payment. Ultimately, the conspirators used the U.S. and PRC financial systems to remit the proceeds of their activity to accounts in the PRC for the ultimate benefit of the DPRK government.
“To prop up its brutal regime, the North Korean government directs IT workers to gain employment through fraud, steal sensitive information from U.S. companies, and siphon money back to the DPRK,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “This indictment of 14 North Korean nationals exposes their alleged sanctions evasion and should serve as a warning to companies around the globe — be on alert for this malicious activity by the DPRK regime.”
“Yesterday’s indictment is the latest in a series of actions under a National Security Division initiative launched earlier this year to disrupt North Korea’s efforts to generate revenue by duping American companies into hiring its citizens for remote work,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s for National Security Division. “This indictment and associated disruptions highlight the cybersecurity dangers associated with this threat, including theft of sensitive business information for the purposes of extortion.”
“The fourteen conspirators indicted yesterday victimized companies across the United States, as well as many Americans whose identities they stole, to generate revenue for the North Korean regime,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “The FBI will continue to work with our partners to expose and mitigate these fraudulent IT schemes and provide unwavering support to victims of North Korean cyber actors.”
“North Korean IT workers pose a sophisticated and persistent threat, especially to businesses seeking to employ large numbers of contract workers quickly,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “North Korean IT workers continue to find ways to evade detection, so businesses need to closely vet employees to avoid having their sensitive data stolen and unwittingly funding North Korea’s government.”
“While we have disrupted this group and identified its leadership, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The government of North Korea has trained and deployed thousands of IT workers to perpetrate this same scheme against U.S. companies every day,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Field Office. “Protect your business by thoroughly vetting fully remote IT workers. One of the ways to help minimize your risk is to insist current and future IT workers appear on camera as often as possible if they are fully remote.”
Today’s charges are the most recent step in an ongoing, two-year Department effort to disrupt this specific group of conspirators, one of multiple such DPRK groups attempting to generate revenue for the DPRK government through such schemes. Prior Department actions against this group include: (i) a January court authorized seizure of approximately $320,000 (unsealed today); (ii) a July court authorized seizure of approximately $444,800 (unsealed today); (iii) previously announced October 2022 and January 2023 court-authorized seizures of approximately $1.5 million; and (iv) previously announced October 2023 and May 2024 court-authorized seizures of 29 internet domains used by the same group to increase the bona fides and appeal of their assumed identities to prospective employers.
In addition to these actions, the State Department announced today a reward offer of up to $5 million for information on these companies, the individuals identified, their illicit activities, and/or those of associated individuals and entities. The identified individuals are: Jong Song Hwa (정성화), Ri Kyong Sik (리경식), Kim Ryu Song (김류성), Rim Un Chol (림은철), Kim Mu Rim (김무림), Cho Chung Pom (조충범), Hyon Chol Song (현철성), Son Un Chol (손은철), Sok Kwang Hyok (석광혁), Choe Jong Yong (최정용), Ko Chung Sok (고충석), Kim Ye Won (김예원), Jong Kyong Chol (정경철), and Jang Chol Myong (장철명). The State Department’s Rewards for Justice program has a standing rewards program for information that leads to the disruption of financial mechanisms of persons engaged in certain activities that support the North Korean government, including work by highly skilled North Korean nationals sent abroad whose income generates funds for the DPRK regime.
The DPRK has dispatched thousands of skilled IT workers around the world, earning revenue that contributes to the North Korean regime with the aim of deceiving U.S. and other businesses worldwide into hiring them as remote IT workers to generate revenue in violation of U.S. and U.N. sanctions. DPRK IT worker schemes involve the use of pseudonymous email, social media, payment platform and online job site accounts, as well as false websites, proxy computers, virtual private networks, virtual private servers and unwitting third parties located in the United States and elsewhere. As described in a May 2022 tri-seal public service advisory released by the FBI and its partners, which was updated in October 2023, such IT workers can individually earn up to $300,000 annually, generating hundreds of millions of dollars collectively each year, on behalf of designated entities, such as the North Korean Ministry of Defense and others directly involved in the DPRK’s UN-prohibited weapons of mass destruction programs.
The indictment alleges that the 14 conspirators worked for sanctioned North Korean-controlled companies Yanbian Silverstar and Volasys Silverstar in capacities ranging from senior company leaders to IT workers. These two organizations collectively employed at least 130 North Korean IT workers — referred to within these organizations as “IT Warriors.” As alleged in the indictment, Yanbian Silverstar and Volasys Silverstar organized periodic “socialism competitions” for their employees. During these competitions, IT workers would compete to generate money for the DPRK. Bonuses and other prizes were awarded to the top performers during these competitions. As part of their scheme, North Korean IT workers obtained salaried employment at numerous U.S.-based companies and nonprofit organizations. In some instances, U.S. employers unwittingly employed North Korean IT workers for years and paid them hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary.
The conspirators used many techniques to conceal their North Korean identities from employers. These included using stolen identities belonging to U.S. persons and others to apply for jobs; paying U.S. persons to attend job interviews and work meetings remotely under fake identities; and registering web domains and designing phony websites to convince prospective employers that the false identities were experienced, qualified, and previously employed by reputable contracting firms. As described in court documents, these websites contained indicia that should have aroused suspicion about their bona fides. For example, some of the physical addresses listed on the websites were home addresses, not office buildings; contact telephone numbers listed on the fake companies’ websites did not correspond to area codes of business locations; and the websites’ content included disjointed or nonsensical phrases, such as, “Nor, moreover, is there anyone who loves pain because it is pain, pursues it, wants to gain it, but.”
The conspirators also sought to avoid detection by paying U.S. persons to receive, set up, and host laptops sent from employers to the U.S. persons’ home addresses (often referred to as laptop farms). After these laptops were set up, the conspirators instructed the U.S. persons to install software that allowed them to access the laptops from overseas. By arranging to have laptops physically located in the United States, conspirators made it appear as if the fake U.S.-based employees were accessing laptops to do work, when in fact the IT workers were located outside the United States.
In some instances, the conspirators leveraged their access to proprietary corporate information to extort their U.S.-based employers for additional payments. These threats were not empty — IT workers would at times publish the business’s information online if they were not paid. One employer, for example, sustained hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages after it refused the extortion demand of a conspirator who then publicly released the employer’s proprietary information.
All 14 conspirators are charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to commit identity theft. Eight conspirators are charged with aggravated identity theft. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum statutory penalty of 27 years in prison.
The FBI St. Louis Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the FBI Cyber Division.
Trial Attorneys Jacques Singer-Emery and Alexandra Cooper-Ponte of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Drake for the Eastern District of Missouri are prosecuting the case. Substantial assistance was also provided Trial Attorney Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman for the Eastern District of Missouri.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Florida Man Admits Stealing Mail from Missouri and Illinois ChurchesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Florida on Tuesday admitted stealing checks from mailboxes churches in Missouri and Illinois.
Lourdes Mario Anton, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of mail. He admitted that on Oct. 3, 2024, he and a juvenile were caught on video stealing mail from a Missouri church’s mailbox. The next day, police spotted the white Toyota minivan Anton was driving and stopped it. Anton allowed officers to search the minivan, which contained a tool they used to steal mail and the receipt for a FedEx package that Anton addressed to himself in Hollywood, Florida. Investigators intercepted the package, which containing 27 checks with a total face value of $14,584 that had been sent to or from religious organizations in eastern Missouri and southern Illinois, including a church in St. Peters, Missouri.
Anton is scheduled to be sentenced March 21, 2025. The mail theft charge carries a potential penalty of up to 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the St. Charles County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Carjacker Sentenced to 19 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a man who carjacked and robbed two people in St. Louis to 19 years in prison.
Shortly after midnight on July 29, 2023, Bradley C. McKinney and an accomplice were both armed with handguns when they approached two people who had just gotten out of a 2015 Chevy Cruze near the intersection of 16th Street and Lucas Avenue. The robbers rummaged through the victims’ pockets and took the keys to the Cruze and other valuables. McKinney got into the Cruze with another accomplice and sped off, accompanied by some of McKinney’s associates in a white GMC Terrain.
After the victims called police, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) determined both vehicles had crossed into Illinois. Investigators identified the GMC Terrain and put out a “wanted” for both vehicles. The Cruze was found abandoned later that morning in East St. Louis with the key still in the ignition.
The next day, the RTCC received a license plate recognition hit for the GMC Terrain, and officers used a spike strip to deflate several tires. McKinney was the driver and sole occupant. Officers spotted a black Glock handgun with an extended magazine and an auto-sear, or “switch,” installed, making it a machinegun. McKinney admitted owning the firearm, knowing that he was a convicted felon and prohibited from doing so.
McKinney, 36, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty in August to carjacking, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and possession of a machine gun.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the East St. Louis Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. 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.
Illinois Man Sentenced to More Than 23 Years in Prison for Selling Fatal FentanylRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a man who sold the fake Percocet pills that killed a man in St. Louis County in 2022 to 23 years and eight months in prison.
“I’m going to send a message to other drug dealers,” said Judge Schelp, who also ordered Deontae’ Tre’Von Overall to pay $21,736 in restitution to his victim’s family.
Evidence and testimony at Overall’s trial in September showed that the victim contacted Overall’s cell phone on Dec. 3, 2022, seeking the prescription pain pill Percocet. The victim bought three pills that appeared to be Percocet from Overall at Overall’s St. Louis home. The victim died later that evening from fentanyl intoxication caused by ingesting the fake Percocet. He was discovered the following day by his parents and a sister.
To find out who sold the drugs, investigators with the St. Louis County Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration contacted Overall’s phone to arrange additional purchases of counterfeit Percocet. Overall sold fentanyl to an undercover task force officer on July 19, 2023, and fentanyl and methamphetamine to the officer on July 26. A court-approved search of Overall’s home in Belleville on August 3, 2023, found drug paraphernalia and dozens of pills resembling those sold to the victim and the undercover officer.
On September 6, the Friday before his trial began, Overall admitted the July 26 sale of drugs to the undercover task force officer and pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly and intentionally distributing one or more controlled substances to another person.
Jurors found Overall, 28, guilty of one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death.
In court Tuesday, Judge Schelp said Overall “glorified” the drug trade, referring to a music video in which he discusses selling drugs while on house arrest and displays his ankle monitor.
“The victim of this man’s illegal business was poisoned by a pill. No one could have known was in it,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, head of Drug Enforcement Administration operations in Eastern Missouri. "DEA works tirelessly to warn people of the danger of taking pills not prescribed by a doctor or a pharmacy, and we are being heard. Drug-induced deaths are down 14.5% nationwide as of June 2024, and pills tested by DEA labs with a lethal dose of fentanyl have decreased to five out of 10. DEA and our partners will keep working to make those numbers better.”
The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa Epplin and Jerome McDonald prosecuted the case.
Former Postal Worker Admits Stealing Gifts Cards from the MailRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A former U.S. Postal Service letter carrier on Tuesday admitted stealing gift cards from the mail.
Joseph S. Wilkins, 56, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of embezzlement of mail by a U.S. Postal Service employee. Wilkins admitted stealing approximately 10 to 12 gift cards from customers’ mail between December 2023 and April 2024. Wilkins made personal purchases with the cards, which had a total value of approximately $500.
The investigation began after someone in California mailed a Christmas card containing two Amazon gift cards to a home in Cape Girardeau. The card never arrived. An investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General revealed that Wilkins, a city carrier at the Cape Carrier Annex in Cape Girardeau, had used the gift cards.
In a later interview, Wilkins told investigators that he manipulated customer mail to identify any gift cards inside.
Wilkins is scheduled to be sentenced on March 11, 2025. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case.
Southeast Missouri Man Sentenced to 152 months in Prison for Selling MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a man to 152 months in prison for selling methamphetamine.
In February of 2023, Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force officers received information that Johnny O. Morrow was selling methamphetamine. Officers made two purchases of meth totaling 22 grams from Morrow at his home in Fisk, Missouri, in Butler County. When officers arrived to serve a court-approved search warrant for Morrow’s home, he tried to run away but was caught and detained while still on the premises. After being read the search warrant, an officer heard Morrow make multiple statements about killing whoever had told on him.
Officers found a pill bottle in a bedroom containing eight bags of meth packaged in a manner consistent with drugs intended for delivery, totaling approximately 31.6 grams, a separate pill bottle containing approximately 64.78 grams of meth and a bag of approximately 52.97 grams of meth concealed in a jacket. After being read his Miranda rights, Morrow said all the drugs belonged to him.
Morrow, now 54 and from Steele, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in June to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The case was investigated by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and the Butler County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Willis and Christopher Shelton prosecuted the case.
Michigan Men Sentenced for Smash-and-Grab at St. Louis County Jewelry StoreRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men from the Detroit, Michigan area have been sentenced to federal prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of Rolex watches from a jewelry store in Ellisville, Missouri.
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday sentenced Kordaryl Cross, 35, to 57 months in prison. Judge Autrey sentenced Dajuan Marcellus, 34, in October to 37 months in prison. Both were ordered to pay $344,300 to the jeweler.
On Jan. 10, 2023, Cross bought sledgehammers at a Missouri retailer. Marcellus, Cross and at least two others stole a Dodge Ram truck from Brentwood that they then drove to Ellisville the next day. Marcellus and one other person entered the store and used sledgehammers to smash glass cases containing the watches while Cross monitored the time. They then drove to a parking garage and abandoned the stolen truck. Cross and Marcellus took the watches to Illinois.
Cross and Marcellus each pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property.
Both Cross and Marcellus were on supervised release for separate robbery cases in the Eastern District of Michigan at the time of the crime. They were each sentenced in 2023 to 18 months in prison.
The Ellisville Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison After Girlfriend’s Violent AssaultRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Friday sentenced a man who was caught with a gun after a violent attack on his girlfriend to 12 years in prison.
On July 11, 2022, Justin L. Collins took his then-girlfriend’s phone and cash and refused to let her out of the car during an argument. When she tried to get out, Collins threatened her at gunpoint, his plea agreement says. He punched her in the face and pistol-whipped her before driving her to a park where his sister and another woman assaulted her.
During the resulting investigation, when St. Louis County Police Department officers found Collins and approached the car he was driving, Collins attempted to run away, but was caught and arrested. Police found a 9mm handgun in plain view between the driver's seat and center console in the vehicle. Collins is a felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.
Collins, now 31, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in January to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag 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.
Three Admit Selling Anabolic SteroidsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three men have pleaded guilty in federal court and admitted conducting thousands of sales of anabolic steroids.
David Underwood, 44, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute anabolic steroids. Andrew Moore, 39, pleaded guilty to that charge Monday. Jeffrey Swanson, 33, of Edwardsville, Ill., pleaded guilty in April to two counts of the same charge and was sentenced in July to 13 months in prison.
Their plea agreements say that in November 2018, Swanson and a partner were distributing anabolic steroids via Facebook. By mid-2019, Swanson and Moore formed a new partnership to sell anabolic steroids through a Facebook page called “SP Online,” also known as “SP Pharma.” Moore and Swanson obtained raw steroids, then processed and packaged them for retail distribution. Customers ordered from a “menu” posted on the SP Online page and typically paid by mailing cash. Moore and Swanson then mailed out the steroids.
An undercover officer made several purchases of anabolic steroids from Moore. During one buy, Moore told the undercover officer he purchased approximately one kilogram of raw product at a time.
In roughly May 2020, Underwood and Swanson established a Facebook page labeled “LLL Online” to sell steroid products under the “Lay Low Labs” banner in the same manner as SP Online. Underwood later took over LLL Online and continued to sell steroids through the page. Swanson continued to sell steroids on his own.
During the investigation, investigators recovered thousands of orders for steroids made from each page. Swanson admitted that more than 60,000 units of product were attributable to his actions or the conduct of other conspirators reasonably foreseeable to him. Underwood accepted responsibility for between 20,000 and 40,000 units and Moore for 40,000 to 60,000 units.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Casey is prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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 https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Multiple Restaurant RobberiesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a man who robbed three restaurants and tried to rob a fourth to 27 years in prison.
Evidence and testimony presented at the trial of Kammeron Davis in May showed that Davis robbed a Penn Station restaurant at gunpoint in St. Louis on Sept. 13, 2020, less than a month after he was released from parole for his 2009 robbery of a Penn Station. On Sept. 16, 2020, an armed Davis tried to rob a Subway restaurant in Maplewood but was chased off by a broom-wielding employee. About 15 minutes later, he robbed a Subway in St. Louis by leaping over the counter and stealing money from the cash register. On September 20, Davis and another person robbed a different Subway in St. Louis.
The robberies were captured on video, as was the car Davis used. Three people also identified Davis as the robber in court. Jurors found Davis, 33, guilty of three counts of robbery, one count of attempted robbery and three counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Judge Clark also ordered Davis to pay restitution of $4,788 to three of the restaurants and two employees.
The FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Maplewood Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce 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 County Woman Sentenced to 20 years in Prison for Prostituting MinorRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Thursday sentenced a woman who prostituted a minor to 20 years in prison.
Beginning as early as 2018, Carrie Little recruited women and had others recruit women to engage in prostitution. Among those recruited was a 17-year-old minor. Little provided the victim with a place to live and placed sexually suggestive and explicit photos of the minor in online ads for commercial sex. Little took calls to arrange sexual encounters and to arrange the price. After the encounters, men paid Little or the victim, who was required to give most of the money to Little.
“There was a very toxic combination of verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual exploitation, neglect, blaming and much more that all resulted in mental strain and the feeling of shame, which a child should never have to feel,” wrote the victim, who is now an adult, in a letter to the court. Little, she wrote, began by having her handle phone calls and post ads for others before bringing her on “dates,” “slowly preparing me for the worst.” “I was sold to many men to perform sexual acts to make money for you. You controlled my every move, money, and everything else. You allowed my innocence and the chance of a normal childhood to be completely taken away for your selfish intentions.”
Little, 44, pleaded guilty in August to one count of coercion or enticement of a minor.
The St. Louis County Police Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case as part of the FBI St. Louis Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The Hazelwood Police Department also investigated the case. Crisis Aid International and the International Institute of Saint Louis assisted victims associated with the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dianna Edwards and Nathan Chapman 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.
Sikeston Man Sentenced to Serve 10 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking FentanylRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU - U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Thursday sentenced Cameron L. Robinson, 31, of Sikeston, Missouri, to 10 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl.
Court documents reflect that in March 2023, law enforcement officers responded to Robinson’s residence in Sikeston to arrest him on an outstanding warrant. While on the premises, officers discovered a large bag containing over a half-pound of fentanyl concealed in a barbecue grill on the back porch.
At a guilty plea hearing in U.S. District Court in cape Girardeau earlier this year, Robinson pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and admitted that the fentanyl belonged to him and that he intended to distribute it. After serving the 10-year sentence, Robinson will be placed on supervised release for three years.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Sikeston Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the Government.Money Launderer Sentenced, Ordered to Repay $2.3 MillionRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced a man who helped launder millions of dollars obtained in fraud schemes to three years in prison and ordered him to repay $2.3 million.
Richard Charles Appelbaum III, 40, of Maryland Heights, pleaded guilty in August to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He admitted conspiring with at least six others to move millions of dollars obtained from fraud victims into cryptocurrency.
In 2022, Appelbaum was introduced to someone identified in his plea agreement as “E.S.,” who was described as a “big player” in cryptocurrency.
E.S. offered to hire Appelbaum as an "investment banker" at Coins2Trade, a cryptocurrency transaction processor. E.S. told Appelbaum he would receive a 3% commission for converting U.S. currency into cryptocurrency. Between August 2022 and October 2022, E.S. trained Appelbaum via WhatsApp messages and phone calls, typically between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. E.S. told Appelbaum to create businesses, open numerous business and personal bank accounts and open accounts at various cryptocurrency exchanges under his own name. Appelbaum was told to provide the information on the accounts to E.S. E.S. also told Appelbaum to never tell bank personnel that he was dealing with cryptocurrency and use the debit cards tied to the accounts at least once per day to make the accounts appear legitimate.
Told he could make money by recruiting others, Appelbaum recruited another person to process cryptocurrency transactions.
Appelbaum and other co-conspirators formed numerous business entities, falsely claiming on corporate organization documents that the businesses would be involved in auto purchasing consulting, boating supplies, real estate management and life skills consulting when their real purpose was demonstrating apparent legitimacy to financial institutions when the business accounts received large wire deposits. Between February 2022 and April 2023, Appelbaum and the other co-conspirators opened at least 24 business bank accounts at various financial institutions.
The accounts were used to receive the proceeds of Business Email Compromise (BEC) wire fraud schemes, where criminal actors infiltrated the victims’ email accounts to divert payments. Between February 2022 and February 2023, at least 36 individuals and entities were defrauded in this way. In one example, on Dec. 12, 2022, a title company in Florida received a fraudulent email with instructions to wire $2.2 million in escrowed funds to one of Appelbaum’s accounts. Appelbaum later lied to the title company’s lawyer and in a deposition in a civil suit, falsely claiming that he was owed the money for consulting services, his plea agreement says.
Appelbaum and other co-conspirators then moved the criminal proceeds from the business accounts to personal bank accounts, and then to accounts at cryptocurrency trading platforms, knowing that it was designed in whole or in part to conceal the nature, location, source or control of the proceeds.
Appelbaum knew that at least $3.5 million was laundered that way. During the conspiracy, Appelbaum and his co-conspirators received at least 34 wire transfers totaling $8.3 million from victims of the BEC fraud scheme or an online romance fraud scheme, Appelbaum’s plea says.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman is prosecuting the case.
Missouri Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for producing child pornography.
Steven Popple, now 39, of Park Hills, Missouri, met an underage girl in May of 2021, according to his plea agreement. He began a flirtatious relationship with her and exchanged text messages with sexual content. He began asking her for nude photos and videos and instructed her how to pose and what sexual acts to perform. At Popple’s request, the victim sent him about 300 photos and videos and the pair met and engaged in sex acts, his plea agreement says.
Popple pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in June to one count of production of child pornography.
“If it hadn’t been for the victim’s mother, this crime wouldn’t have come to light. After discovering concerning images on her daughter’s phone, the mother contacted the FBI,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. "Contacting law enforcement immediately reduces the risk of a perpetrator disposing of critical evidence."
The FBI and the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards 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.
Cape Girardeau Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU - A man from Cape Girardeau on Thursday and admitted recording his sexual abuse of a child.
Steven Lee Brown, 33, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of production of child pornography. According to court documents, last May, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office received a report that Brown had sexually abused a 10-year-old child. The child was interviewed and confirmed the abuse. Officers immediately responded to Brown’s residence. During an interview, Brown admitted that he engaged in various sexual acts with the child. Brown further admitted that he used his cell phone to record some of the sexual activity. Officers seized Brown’s phone and discovered several sexually explicit images of the minor child on the device. At his plea hearing, Brown admitted that he used his cell phone to produce the sexually explicit material.
Brown’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 6, 2025. He faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years.
This case was investigated by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Jack Koester is handling the prosecution for the Government.
Two Admit Promoting Prostitution of Women in St. LouisRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men from Tennessee have admitted this week promoting the prostitution of women in the St. Louis area.
Martavis Walker, 30, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of interstate transportation for the purpose of prostitution. Walker admitted meeting a woman in Tennessee in late December 2023. He created online ads, forced her to work well-known prostitution areas in Memphis and forced her into at least a dozen sex acts there, Walker’s plea says. On Jan. 12, 2024, Walker took the woman to St. Louis, where he forced her to engage in commercial sex acts at hotels and Airbnb rentals.
Walker is scheduled to be sentenced March 12. The charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.
Domaniko McCrary, 33, of Memphis, pleaded guilty Tuesday to the same charge in an unrelated case. McCrary admitted buying a bus ticket for himself and the victim and traveling to the Eastern District of Missouri on April 16, 2023. McCrary then rented two hotel rooms so that the victim could engage in commercial sex acts.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the Walker case. The Hazelwood Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the McCrary case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting both cases.
Man who Supplied Drugs that Killed Jail Inmate Sentenced to 16 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced the man who supplied the fentanyl that killed a St. Francois County jail inmate to 16 years in prison.
Garry W. Triplett, now 38, supplied drugs including fentanyl to jail inmate Timothy L. Noll, 35, of Park Hills, Missouri. Noll had arrived at the jail on July 27, 2021, and instructed an intermediary to get the drugs from Triplett and conceal them in a Bible. Triplett supplied at least three grams each of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Noll planned to sell the drugs inside the facility.
When on August 2, Noll discovered he was being sent to state prison and couldn’t bring the Bible, he had jail staff give it to his cellmate. His cellmate died two days later of mixed drug intoxication, including from a lethal dose of fentanyl.
Triplett pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances with death resulting and one count of distribution of a controlled substance. Noll pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances with death resulting and one count of distribution of a controlled substance with death resulting.
The case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone prosecuted the case.
Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison After Being Caught with Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a registered sex offender who was caught with child pornography while on supervised release from a prior child pornography offense to 10 years in prison.
Michael A. Kight pleaded guilty in 2015 to receipt of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography and was sentenced to six years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. On May 19, 2023, a U.S. probation officer learned that Kight had been communicating with other sex offenders whom he had met in prison, and that Kight had sent images on a digital SD card to one. A search of Kight’s computer found 27 images and one video containing child sex abuse material.
Kight, 31, pleaded guilty in August to one count of possession of child pornography as a prior offender.
The U.S. Probation Office and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang 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.
Missouri Man Accused of Child Sex CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to an indictment accusing him of illegal sexual activity with a minor.
Harold Paul White, 54, was indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis November 20 with one count of production of child pornography and one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The indictment accuses White of inducing or coercing a minor into sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct on Aug. 25, 2023, and of traveling from Michigan to Missouri on that date for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct.
During a detention hearing in court Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke said White met the 12-year-old victim online, traveled to Michigan to have sex with her and then returned with her to Missouri, where he produced recordings of her and shared them with other underage girls.
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 production of child pornography charge is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and maximum of 30 years in prison. The travel with intent charge carries a term of up to 30 years in prison.
The Detroit Police Department, the FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards 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.
Two Men Accused of Roles in Fatal KidnappingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men have been accused in charging documents of involvement in the fatal kidnapping of a woman in Clayton, Missouri last week.
Anjuan Q. Mosby, 43, of St. Louis, was charged by complaint November 23 with kidnapping resulting in death. Emmanuel Suarez, 36, of St. Louis, was arrested Monday and charged by complaint Tuesday with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Mosby is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday.
Affidavits filed in support of the complaints accuse Mosby of kidnapping a woman on November 20 from Clayton, Missouri, and then forcing her to withdraw cash from a bank before unsuccessfully attempting another withdrawal. Mosby fatally shot the victim in the 4700 block of Greer Avenue in St. Louis later that morning, the affidavit says.
The affidavit accuses Suarez of driving a stolen Ram pickup truck during the kidnapping, and being in possession of a .45-caliber Glock handgun just before he was arrested. The affidavit says Suarez is a felon and is thus barred from possessing firearms.
Charges set forth in a criminal complaint are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The kidnapping resulting in death charge is punishable by a term of life in prison or the death penalty, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. The felon in possession charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and the same fine.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI, the Clayton Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Walker 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 Man Admits Making, Selling Fraudulent IDRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri on Tuesday admitted producing and selling fraudulent identification documents.
David B. Crosby, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud with identification documents. Crosby admitted selling stolen and/or fraudulent identification documents and a Social Security number. He advertised fraudulent documents via social media. Crosby caused or intended to cause a total loss of at least $103,000.
Crosby admitted selling a fraudulent Missouri driver’s license in October 2023, bearing the name and information of a victim but the photograph of someone else. He also sold the victim’s Social Security number to the same buyer. That identification document and information was subsequently utilized to attempt to purchase a roughly $70,000 BMW in Texas through a fraudulent loan, Crosby’s plea agreement says. Crosby also produced a fraudulent identification document with his photo but the identifying information of another victim, and used that identification document to attempt to lease an apartment and obtain a $33,000 automobile loan.
Crosby is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 25, 2025. The charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000, or both prison and a fine.
The U.S. Secret Service, the St. Charles Police Department and the Wentzville Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cort VanOstran is prosecuting the case.
Six Accused of Bank Fraud Involving ATM Skimming DevicesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Six people have been accused in an indictment of installing skimming devices on St. Louis area ATMs to harvest bank account information from customers.
Laurentiu Miguel Ivan, 33, Venera Isabelle Dumitru, 28, Mihai Florin Marinescu, 37, Ianus Nita, 52, and Mihai Vlaicu, 47, were indicted August 7 on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Nelu Nae, 36, is facing one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Marinescu, Vlaicu and Nae appeared in court Monday and pleaded not guilty. Ivan and Dumitru pleaded not guilty on August 13. Nita has not yet been arrested.
The indictment accuses all six of a conspiracy to install skimming devices on bank ATMs to steal customer account data and PINs that they then used, or attempted to use, to defraud financial institutions. Vlaicu and Marinescu harvested information from numerous victims in January of 2024 by placing skimmers on a bank in Frontenac and a bank in Clayton, the indictment says.
In April, Dumitru, Vlaicu and Ivan used cloned cards to try and withdraw cash in various St. Louis-area locations, the indictment says. On May 2, Marinescu unsuccessfully tried to install a skimming device on an ATM in south St. Louis County and Nae retrieved it the next day, the indictment says. On May 9, Marinescu installed a skimming device on an ATM in Wildwood, the indictment says. On May 11, Nita withdrew and attempted to withdraw cash from a St. Louis County ATM using the account information of at least two victims.
On May 28, Marinescu and Nae installed a skimming device on an ATM in St. Louis, which was located and removed by law enforcement before Nita and Vlaicu could retrieve it, the indictment says.
“It’s not uncommon for some skimmers to be hidden inside an ATM or gas pump, so there’s no way for a victim to know. To help protect yourself, review your bank or credit card statements regularly for unauthorized transactions,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “You can also avoid a hidden skimmer by not inserting your card. Instead, go inside to pay or withdraw money with the merchant or teller.”
Ivan, Dumitru, Marinescu are not legally in the United States and Nita has overstayed his visa, motions seeking to have them held in jail until trial say.
The FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Webster Groves Police Department, the Clayton Police Department and the Frontenac Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cort VanOstran is prosecuting the case.
Registered Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU - A sex offender from southeast Missouri on Tuesday admitted being caught again with child sexual abuse material.
Thomas O. Stroud Jr., 43, of Wappapello, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to the possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, Stroud has a prior federal conviction for possessing child pornography in 2009. Following his release from federal prison, Stroud was required to register as a sex offender. He was also placed on a 40-year term of supervised release. Last March, while Stroud was serving his term of supervised release, Stroud’s probation officer discovered that he had been using a cell phone to communicate with someone in Indiana. During the communications, Stroud obtained several images of child pornography. At his plea hearing Tuesday, Stroud admitted that he used a cell phone to obtain images of child pornography from the subject in Indiana.
Stroud’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 25, 2025. He faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of 20 years for the new child pornography offense. Stroud also faces an additional sentence of up to 24 months for violating the terms of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the United States Probation Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jack Koester is handling the prosecution.
Missouri Felon Admits $830,000 Fraud, Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon has admitted illegally acquiring dozens of guns and bilking two investors out of a total of $830,000.
Dennis Latour, 41, pleaded guilty November 20 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. Jennifer Keegan, 50, pleaded guilty Monday, November 25, in U.S. District Court to one felony count of conspiracy to purchase one or more firearms for a convicted felon.
Keegan admitted that starting at least in February of 2023, she and Latour began purchasing multiple firearms. Keegan filled out the required paperwork, despite knowing that many of the guns would be possessed and/or used by Latour, a convicted felon who is barred from possessing firearms.
On Feb. 24, 2023, Latour tried to buy a Barrett .50-caliber rifle and ammunition from an online firearms retailer but was rejected because of concerns about his criminal history. On March 1, 2023, Keegan and Latour bought a Barrett rifle and another rifle from a retailer in St. Charles, Missouri.
Three days later, Keegan bought two rifles from a St. Charles, Missouri sporting goods store. On March 21, she bought five more guns from a Springfield, Missouri sporting goods store, and the next day she returned and bought a pistol.
On April 4, 2023, Keegan picked up a rifle and two pistols from a Pevely, Missouri gun store after buying them online. Latour was with her and had a pistol. Fifteen days later they returned and purchased a shotgun.
On Sept. 26, 2023, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) performed a court-approved search of the home the couple shared in Des Peres, Missouri. They found 27 firearms in a “vault” room, and two pistols in the couple’s bedroom, their plea agreements say.
Latour also admitted as part of his plea agreement than beginning in June 2022, be hatched a scheme to bilk investors. Latour falsely claimed to have made successful investments in the cannabis industry and told two victims that they could participate by “piggybacking” on his investment. Latour used the money to fund his personal lifestyle and to pay for items such as firearms, vehicles, and jet skis. One victim lost $718,271 and the other lost $112,340, Latour’s plea agreement says.
Latour is scheduled to be sentenced March 12, 2025. Keegan is scheduled to be sentenced March 11.
The felon in possession charge and conspiracy charge each carry a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The wire fraud charges carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
The ATF investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski 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.
Man Admits Possessing Child Pornography in Retirement HomeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Webster Groves, Missouri on Monday admitted possessing more than 170,000 images and 11,000 videos containing child sexual abuse material.
Joseph J. Fitzsimmons, 76, pleaded guilty to one felony count of possession of child pornography. In March of 2023, Fitzsimmons moved into an assisted living facility in Webster Groves and was getting help with his internet connection from an employee of the facility. That employee spotted two images containing child sexual abuse material and contacted the Webster Groves Police Department.
A court approved search of Fitzsimmons apartment recovered computers and other electronic devices that were then examined by the St. Louis County Police Department. A total of 170,310 images and 11,410 videos containing child sexual abuse material were found on the devices, as well as 16,780 computer-generated or animated images and 549 videos.
Fitzsimmons is scheduled to be sentenced March 4, 2025. The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine.
The Webster Groves Police Department, 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.
Illinois Man Accused of St. Louis CarjackingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Venice, Illinois appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Monday to answer an indictment accusing him of a September carjacking in the Tower Grove East neighborhood of St. Louis.
Harry Moore, 20, was indicted November 20 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on one felony count of carjacking and one felony count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. He pleaded not guilty Monday.
The indictment accuses Moore of stealing a 2022 Subaru Outback at gunpoint on Sept. 9, 2024. A motion seeking to have Moore held in jail until trial says he was in a stolen Cadillac CTS with two others at the time of the carjacking and ordered the victim to unlock his cellphone and provide the PIN number to his ATM card, which Moore used a short time later to withdraw cash at a gas station. The motion also says Moore was caught on camera later that morning along the western edge of Ballpark Village in downtown St. Louis, sitting on the window frame of the passenger door of the Subaru and firing shots at a man running away.
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 carjacking charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. The brandishing charge is punishable by seven years to life in prison.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI and the St. Clair County (Illinois) Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. 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.
Phelps County Felon Caught with Guns and Methamphetamine Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Friday sentenced a convicted felon caught with guns and methamphetamine to 15 years in prison.
Clifford Pankey, 42, pleaded guilty in July to being a felon in possession of a firearm and admitted distributing meth, making meth and possessing numerous firearms as a convicted felon, including stolen and defaced firearms.
Law enforcement officers conducting a court-approved search of Pankey’s home south of St. James on Jan. 26, 2023, encountered Pankey, who admitted possessing meth and guns. Officers found a .22 caliber revolver with a partially defaced serial number, a defaced Ruger.380 caliber semiautomatic pistol, three rifles, four pistols and a shotgun. They also found stolen property and about 230 grams of meth that Pankey said he intended to sell.
The case was investigated by the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker prosecuted the case.
Man Admits Selling Fatal Dose of FentanylRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man pleaded guilty Friday and admitted selling the fentanyl that killed a 52-year-old in 2023.
Sylvester Clay, 50, admitted that on Dec. 8, 2023, he sold fentanyl to the victim on the parking lot of a gas station on the St. Louis – St. Louis County line. The victim’s friend had picked him up from a hospital in Springfield, Missouri earlier that day, and the victim asked the friend to take him to St. Louis to get something for the pain he was having. The drug transaction was captured on video. After leaving the station, the victim consumed some of the fentanyl, said it was a hard hit and then passed out. His friend drove the victim to the hospital in Hermann, Missouri. The victim was found dead in the car. He was killed by a lethal dose of both fentanyl and oxycodone, but the fentanyl alone was enough to kill him, his plea agreement says.
On Jan. 19, 2024, investigators interviewed Clay, who admitted selling the victim drugs and identified himself in photos taken from the gas station surveillance video.
Clay pleaded guilty to one felony count of distribution of a controlled substance. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 20, 2025. Both sides have agreed to recommend 13 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerome McDonald is prosecuting the case.
Ex-employee Sentenced for Arson at St. Louis Airport HotelRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a St. Louis woman to two years in prison for igniting multiple fires in a hotel shortly after her employment there was terminated.
Ramona Cook, 26, was also placed on supervised release for three years and ordered to pay $119,067 in restitution.
Cook was a housekeeper at the Marriott St. Louis Airport until she was fired on Dec. 22, 2022. After being fired, she refused to leave until the police were called to escort her out. She later returned and set seven small fires in various locations within the hotel, beginning around 5 p.m. The hotel was evacuated, the sprinkler system was activated and the hotel suffered damages.
Cook pleaded guilty in August to a felony charge of use of a facility of interstate commerce with intent to commit a crime of violence.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen prosecuted the case.
Local Home Healthcare Company Owner Accused of $800,000 FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The owner of a home healthcare company was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday and accused of defrauding the Missouri Medicaid Program and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs out of more than $800,000.
Natavia Boyd-Wells, 40, is now facing four counts of wire fraud and two counts of making false statements related to a healthcare matter.
Boyd-Wells is the owner of Touch of the Heart Home Health Care LLC, enrolled the company with the Missouri Medicaid Program and the Department of Veterans Affairs Community Care Network in 2020 and submitted the reimbursement claims to both agencies, the indictment says. Missouri Medicaid and the Department of Veterans Affairs fund home healthcare services to enable patients to remain in their homes instead of long-term inpatient stays in hospitals and nursing homes.
Boyd-Wells submitted hundreds of fraudulent claims for services that she knew were never provided, in some cases because the veteran-patients were actually in the hospital, and could not possibly have received home healthcare services, the indictment says. Boyd-Wells submitted and caused to be submitted false and fraudulent electronic documentation of a patient visit to Missouri Medicaid in 2022 after officials conducting an audit requested documentation reflecting the services that Boyd-Wells claimed were provided to that patient, the indictment says. Boyd-Wells also submitted fraudulent Department of Veterans Affairs claims claiming that her patients received more than 24 hours of care in a single day, it says.
Missouri Medicaid paid at least $197,022 to a bank account controlled by Boyd-Wells and the Department of Veterans Affairs funded reimbursement payments of over $600,000
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.
“This indictment should send a clear message that the VA Office of Inspector General will vigorously investigate those who would seek to defraud VA healthcare programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Billingsley with the Department of Veterans Affairs OIG. “The VA OIG thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their efforts in this investigation.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General and the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Three Sentenced for Half-Million Dollar Health Care Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –The former owner, office manager, and business manager of a St. Louis County, Missouri-based home health care company were sentenced Tuesday to prison time for health care fraud.
U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Doriann Morgan, 59, of St. Louis County, to two years in prison. Judge Pitlyk sentenced Thalisa Walton, 47, of Hazelwood, and Barbara Jackson, 59, of St. Louis, to a year and a day in prison. They have already paid $790,000 of the $910,000 they agreed to repay as part of a civil settlement. The final payment of $120,000 is due in March.
All three pleaded guilty in May to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. They admitted that from roughly January 2018 to August 2021, they conspired to submit $552,659 in fraudulent reimbursement claims to Missouri’s Medicaid program for personal care services that were never provided.
The three submitted fraudulent claims for personal care services purportedly provided by Jackson for a woman who did not live in Missouri and received no services, their plea agreements say. They also submitted claims for providing services for clients at times when their own social media posts showed them doing something else.
Jackson was business manager of A Mother’s Touch In-Home Care LLC, responsible for recruiting clients and assigning employees to provide care. Morgan owned the company and submitted Medicaid claims. Walton was office manager.
Morgan, Walton and Jackson are no longer affiliated in any way with A Mother’s Touch In-Home Care LLC, which continues to do business under new ownership.
The civil settlement resolved allegations that Morgan, Walton and Jackson violated the False Claims Act by billing Missouri Medicaid using false timesheets and payroll records for in home services that were never provided. The civil settlement resolves claims brought under the “qui tam” or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Michele Bickley, who will receive $90,090. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery.
“Fraudulent claims submitted to the Missouri Medicaid program diverts scarce resources that should be used to provide legitimate services to those in need, including children and the disabled,” said Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Hanley with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to partner with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to fight such Medicaid fraud schemes and protect the integrity of this safety net program.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Suzanne Moore and Derek Wiseman handled the case.
Former St. Louis Circus Official Accused of EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former official with a St. Louis-based non-profit circus was indicted Wednesday and accused of embezzling over $120,000 in three ways from December 2022 through at least September 2023.
George S. Pace, 61, of Ladue, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on six felony counts of wire fraud. The indictment accuses Pace of using two credit cards that he’d surreptitiously obtained to charge thousands of dollars in unauthorized personal purchases, including in restaurants and for horseback riding-related expenses. Pace was not authorized to have a circus credit card. When asked about the charges, Pace falsely claimed that the card had been stolen and that he’d already contacted the bank about the issue, the indictment says. He forged account statements to falsely show that the fraudulent charges had been resolved, the indictment says.
Pace was the president of the circus’ board of directors at the time.
The indictment says Pace also diverted to himself over $50,000 in circus checks that were supposed to go to pay down a line of credit at a bank and deposited thousands of dollars’ worth of checks donors sent to the circus into his own account.
Finally, the indictment says Pace fraudulently applied for a $18,200 U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Assistance Loan on Aug. 9, 2022, misrepresenting his income and bank account balance. On Aug. 20, 2022, he fraudulently applied for a second loan for $11,200, the indictment says, concealing that he’d also received two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans through the Small Business Administration totaling $38,515.
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.
Each wire fraud charge carries a potential 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 Gwendolyn Carroll is prosecuting the case.
Chinese National Admits Taking $95,000 in Elder Fraud CaseRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from China on Tuesday admitted taking $95,000 from a 79-year-old Missouri fraud victim.
Dongyi Guo, 28, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He admitted that co-conspirators began contacting the victim in March of 2024 via telephone calls and electronic messages, claiming to represent her financial institutions and/or the Social Security Office. They falsely claimed that her financial accounts had been compromised, and that she need to pay to prevent her money from being stolen. They told her that an employee of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) 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, 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 during his attempt to take an additional $15,000.
Guo is scheduled to be sentenced March 6, 2025. The conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting 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 to receive consumer complaints.
Registered Sex Offender Admits Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender from Jefferson County, Missouri pleaded guilty Tuesday and admitted selling child pornography online.
Patrick Mayberry, 45, of High Ridge, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession of child pornography as a prior offender. Mayberry 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.
Authorities were alerted by a cyber tipline report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that Mayberry had uploaded 88 files containing child pornography to his Google account.
Mayberry was on probation at the time of the offense. In 2003, Mayberry was convicted of second-degree rape – victim under age 16 in Oklahoma. In 2008, he was convicted of one count of attempting to procure child pornography for seeking nude photographs of a nine-year-old. In 2021 in Jefferson County Circuit Court in Missouri, Mayberry was convicted of one count of failure to register as a sex offender.
Mayberry is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 13, 2025. The charge is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI 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.
Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Death Resulting from Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis County man to 15 years in prison after finding by a preponderance of the evidence that he used an illegally-acquired pistol to kill his pregnant girlfriend in 2017.
Darius Carter, 30, was found guilty after a three-day trial in May of two felony counts: aiding and abetting the making of false statements in the straw purchase of a firearm and conspiracy to make false statements in the straw purchase of firearm.
Witness testimony and evidence showed that Carter enlisted the help of his mother, Lynn Hooks, and his friend, Dakota Carr, to buy a gun for himself and one for his girlfriend from Piazza Jewelry and Pawn on July 14, 2017. Carter was on probation at the time and was forbidden from possessing a firearm. Carr was an employee at the pawn shop, and he, Hooks and Carter conspired to have Hooks buy the guns to get around a background check requirement and the fact that Mason was underage.
They purchased a Heckler & Koch model VP9 9mm for Carter and a .380 caliber Glock pistol for his girlfriend, Sarah Mason.
Mason, who was 20 years old and about eight months pregnant, was fatally shot in the back of the head on Oct. 31, 2017. Her daughter, Milanie, also died.
During Tuesday’s hearing, evidence and testimony showed that Carter and Mason had engaged in a series of arguments about Carter’s infidelity, and he was angry with her for going through his phone. She told her mother that she was moving out of the home she shared with Carter. After work that day, evidence showed Carter travelled to the area of their home in St. John, Missouri, then left. When he returned, he was missing his jacket. His prized pistol was also missing. That gun is consistent with the firearm used to murder Mason. A neighbor testified that Carter was howling and bellowing in distress when he discovered Mason’s body but showed no tears or other evidence that his emotion was real. Carter also has a history of abusive and controlling behavior toward women, according to court testimony.
Judge Autrey said in court that the evidence presented Tuesday was “analogous to first-degree murder.”
The 15-year sentence, consisting of 10 years for the false statement count and five years for the conspiracy count, is the maximum for each crime.
Hooks, 60, and Carr, 32, were sentenced to probation.
Both Hooks and Carr pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the making of false statements in the straw purchase of a firearm and conspiracy to make false statements in the straw purchase of firearm. They admitted that Hooks lied on a form and falsely claimed to be the guns’ buyer. Carr processed that form, knowing that it contained false statements and later bought an accessory for Carter’s gun using his employee discount.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. John Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Reilly and Nino Przulj prosecuted the case.
Felon Sentenced to 64 Months in Prison for Stealing from Gun StoreRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a convicted felon who stole a gun from a St. Louis County gun store to 64 months in prison.
On Oct. 17, 2023, Johnny Phillips stole a Smith & Wesson M&P 5.7 pistol from the display case of the store. His theft was captured on video. The next day, the Bridgeton Police Department arrested Phillips and recovered the gun. As a convicted felon, he is barred from possessing a firearm.
Phillips, now 33, of Bellefontaine Neighbors, pleaded guilty in July to one count of theft of a firearm from a federally licensed firearm dealer and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The Bridgeton Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke 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.
Postal Employee Admits Stealing Rebates from MailRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former U.S. Postal Service mail carrier on Monday admitted stealing rebates from mail intended for residents of north-central Missouri.
Dawn Dowling, 59, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of embezzlement of mail by a Postal Service employee. Dowling admitted that from July 2023 to August 2023, she took rebates issued by the home improvement store Menards from the mail. Dowling was a rural carrier associate assigned to routes in central Missouri including the areas of Moberly, Huntsville, Cairo, Higbee, Jacksonville and Excello.
In all, Dowling took a total of at least $1,131 in rebates from at least 20 customers. She then spent them or caused them to be spent in Menards stores in Missouri and Illinois.
Dowling is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2025. The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.
Three Admit Nearly $350,000 Auto Loan FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three people have pleaded guilty to federal charges and admitted fraudulently obtaining nine auto loans worth nearly $350,000.
Willie Roy Carter, 75, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday to one count of bank fraud and one count of mail fraud. Kizzie Davis, also known as Kizzie Lofton, 46, pleaded guilty October 31 to one count of mail fraud. Her husband, Charles Davis Jr., 57, pleaded guilty October 24 to one count of bank fraud and one count of mail fraud.
Carter, aided by Charles and Kizzie Davis, applied for auto loans between July 23, 2018, and Aug. 1, 2018, using fraudulent purchase and loan documents. Carter did not own or plan to buy the vehicles as represented in the loan applications, however. Carter claimed the cars were being sold by City Limits Auto Sales, a business name registered in Missouri in 2016 by Charles Davis. Carter gave the loan checks to Charles Davis to deposit. Money orders for monthly loan payments were purchased by Kizzie Davis and mailed via the United States Postal Service from Florida to lenders in Missouri to lull the financial institutions into believing the automobile purchases were legitimate and delay the reporting of the fraudulent activity.
The nine loans totaled about $345, 444.
Carter also admitted charging $10,396 on two credit cards that he never paid off.
Charles Davis is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 28, 2025. Kizzie Davis is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 13, 2025, and Carter five days later.
Each bank fraud and mail fraud charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane is prosecuting the case.
Former Florissant Police Officer Accused of Searching 20 Women’s PhonesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former Florissant, Missouri police officer was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday and accused of unlawfully searching 20 women’s cell phones to find nude pictures.
The grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis indicted Julian Alcala, 29, with one count of destroying records in a federal investigation and 20 counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.
The indictment accuses Alcala of searching the cell phones of the 20 women between Feb. 6, 2024, and May 18, 2024. Alcala took possession of their cell phones under the auspices of confirming their insurance coverage or vehicle registration, searched the phones for nude pictures and then took photos of the pictures with his personal cell phone, the indictment alleges. The indictment also says Alcala found a video on one victim’s phone and texted that video to his phone before attempting to delete evidence of the text.
Alcala is the second former law enforcement officer to be indicted on similar charges this week.
David McKnight, 39, was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau with one count of destroying records in a federal investigation and nine counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. The indictment accuses McKnight of searching the cell phones of nine women between Sept. 1, 2023, and August 19, 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.
“If you feel uncomfortable about your encounter with law enforcement, please don’t hesitate to go to that department after the fact to report what happened,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “If you feel your civil rights have been violated, contact the FBI. Investigating criminal conduct by a law enforcement officer is among our top priorities."
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or via tips.fbi.gov.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug is prosecuting the case.
Eight Plead Guilty, Admit Nationwide Rental Car Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The eighth and final defendant in a nationwide scheme that stole at least 19 rental cars worth about $1.1 million pleaded guilty Wednesday.
James E. McGhaney, 35, of New York, New York, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud. The scheme’s organizer, Tyrell A. Oliver, 40, pleaded guilty October 23 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft.
Oliver, of Atlanta, Georgia, admitted organizing a scheme in which the conspirators reserved high-end rental vehicles, typically SUVs, using stolen credit card information and stolen identities. In addition to stealing vehicles for Oliver, McGhaney recruited and supervised some of the other participants in the scheme, his plea agreement says. The conspirators stole rental cars across the United States, including in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Often, McGhaney and other conspirators flew together in a group from New York to these locations, on airline tickets purchased by Oliver and McGhaney, and stole multiple vehicles in a single trip, their plea agreements say. Oliver then paid McGhaney and the group of thieves for stealing the rental cars.
In all, Oliver and his co-conspirators used the stolen identities of at least 23 victims to steal 19 rental vehicles worth about $1.1 million, Oliver’s plea agreement says.
Steven B. Matthews, 40, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud. New York residents Shawnta B. Fonseca, 34, Reginald M. Glenn, 36, Marlique J. McGhaney, 34, and Daquasia M. Robinson, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Rashad Holder, 35, of New York, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
McGhaney is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 19, 2025. Oliver is to be sentenced Feb. 6, 2025. The others will be sentenced between Dec. 10, 2024 and early February.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 46 Months for Preparing false Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Wednesday sentenced a St. Louis, Missouri tax preparer to 46 months in prison for filing false tax returns that caused an estimated tax loss of $2.5 million.
Robert Droege, 59, pleaded guilty in June to four counts of aiding in the preparation of a fraudulent tax return and admitted preparing at least 34 false tax returns in his home office, Bob’s Tax Service, in the 6500 block of Morganford Road in St. Louis.
Droege prepared returns for clients that contained false or fraudulent information including medical expenses, charitable contributions, personal property rental expenses, non-business bad debt and other deductions. The government alleged that Droege caused a total loss to the Internal Revenue Service of an estimated $2.5 million.
“Return preparer fraud is such an egregious crime because of the trust taxpayers place in those they choose to prepare their tax returns,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge William Steenson, St. Louis Field Office. “We always hope that the possibility of prison time will be a deterrent to those thinking of playing games with the nation’s tax system.”
Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Felon Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Committing Two Arsons in 2022Read the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon who committed two arsons in St. Louis in 2022 and was caught with two firearms during the resulting investigation to five years in prison.
Vaely Berry, now 52, threw a gasoline-filled bottle on the roof of a supermarket and grill in the 8300 block of North Broadway in St. Louis on July 15, 2022, igniting a fire that damaged the roof. The market’s ceiling suffered water damage. On Dec. 8, 2022, Berry threw two gasoline-filled aluminum bottles on the roof of a liquor store in the 5900 block of Lillian Avenue in St. Louis, damaging the roof. Surveillance video captured Berry in the act.
During the investigation of the fires, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agent conducting a court-approved search of Berry’s home found a revolver and a shotgun. Berry is a convicted felon and is barred from possessing firearms.
Berry, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in August to two arson charges and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware prosecuted the case.
Missouri Man Sentenced to 75 Months in Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Wednesday sentenced a man who admitted possessing child pornography and participating in online discussions about the rape of children to 75 months in prison.
Stephen E.R. Marez, 32, of St. Francois County, was also ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution.
Marez pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in August to one count of receiving child pornography. He admitted exchanging child pornography and discussing the rape of children with two people online. The Indiana State Police were investigating one of the men participating in those discussions, who led them to Marez. On July 14, 2023, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper conducted a traffic stop and seized Marez’ cell phone, which contained child sexual abuse material. A July 19, 2023, court-approved search of his home recovered electronic devices that contained more than 2,000 files containing child pornography, including 249 images and 137 videos depicting minors who have been identified by law enforcement, his plea agreement says.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team, the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Office, the Farmington Police Department, the Park Hills Police Department and the Indiana State Police 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.
Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Fatal University City Drug DealRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Wednesday sentenced a man to 20 years in prison for his role in a fatal shooting sparked because he believed a man purchased marijuana with counterfeit money.
Nathaniel Anthony Brown-Shatto, 22, was one of three people involved in a conspiracy to sell marijuana and had told the others that the victim had previously purchased marijuana from him using counterfeit currency. On Feb. 19, 2022, the three were together in a vehicle, armed and selling marijuana. When the victim contacted Brown-Shatto to buy more marijuana, the three drove to his home in the 7800 block of Birchmont Drive. Carlos Albert Castellanos Jr. was driving, Brown-Shatto was in the passenger seat and the third man was in the rear of the vehicle.
When the victim stepped out of his home, Brown-Shatto shot him with a handgun while the third man began shooting him through the vehicle’s sunroof with an AK-style rifle, Brown-Shatto and Castellanos’ plea agreements say. Investigators found a total of 22 spent cartridge casings from both weapons.
Three days after the shooting, University City police stopped Castellanos and Brown-Shatto in a vehicle that matched the description of the one used by the shooters. They were both armed with handguns and had about one pound of marijuana in a backpack in the car.
Brown-Shatto pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly discharging a firearm in furtherance of the commission of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death. Castellanos, 22, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and awaits sentencing.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service mission is to protect the nation’s mail system. With the collaborative efforts of our federal law enforcement partners, Postal Inspectors investigate those utilizing the U.S. Mail for illicit activities, including distribution of narcotics. Postal Inspectors seek justice for victims, including the victim in this case who tragically lost his life.” Today’s sentencing reflects the diligent investigative work by Postal Inspectors and our law enforcement partners,” said Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.
Emanuel Benito Vasquez, 22, has not yet been arrested. He is facing a marijuana conspiracy charge as well as charges of discharging a firearm in furtherance of the commission of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death and conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Charges are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the University City Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Dunklin County Woman Admits Aiding $565,000 FraudRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A woman from Dunklin County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted acting as a money mule in the theft of $565,000 from a Bank of America account.
Sheri L. Reeves, 55, of Kennett, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of aiding and abetting bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. She admitted to acting as a money courier or “money mule,” transferring money obtained by fraud to co-conspirators. On June 9, 2020, Reeves opened an account at a Bank of America branch in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Sometime before Oct. 21, 2020, Reeves added the name of the fraud victim to the account. Reeves’ co-conspirators used fraudulently obtained account information to access the victim’s account and transfer a total of $565,000 to Reeves’ account in three separate electronic transfers.
Reeves then sent the fraud proceeds to others using cashier’s checks obtained in Tennessee and Arkansas and via a CoinFlip cryptocurrency ATM in Dunklin County. She also sent her account information to others and withdrew or attempted to withdraw the proceeds in cash or by check, her plea agreement says.
Reeves is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 13, 2025. The bank fraud charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. The conspiracy and wire fraud charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn is prosecuting the case.
If you believe you are participating in a money mule scheme or a victim of one, please contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaints Center at ic3.gov or contact your local FBI office.