Eastern District of Missouri

ST. LOUIS – A Crawford County, Missouri resident on Thursday admitted trying to persuade minors into engaging in sex acts online.

Jason Michael Enke, 45, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor.

Enke admitted that from August 2023 to October 2023, he sent a series of sexually explicit messages via social media and during online chat sessions to five people who identified themselves as minors. He also sent a video of himself and a 16-year-old engaging in sex acts and attempted to persuade the minors to engage in sexual conduct.

In November of 2023, the FBI’s St. Louis office received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that Enke had sent a video containing child pornography to an Instagram user who listed their age as 15. FBI agents performed a court-approved search of Enke’s home near Bourbon, Missouri and found videos containing child sexual abuse material on his electronic devices.

Enke is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 29, 2025. The receipt and distribution charges carry a potential penalty of five to 20 years in prison and the coercion charge carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison.

The FBI and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A former Phelps County Sheriff’s deputy on Thursday admitted engaging in sex acts with a minor, requesting and receiving child pornography and destroying evidence to impede the FBI.

Justin Bradley Durham, 43, of Rolla, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of production of child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography and three counts of destroying records in a federal investigation.

Durham admitted as part of his plea that he requested and received a sexually explicit video from a 16-year-old in 2013. He later provided $200 to the victim after she engaged in sex acts with him. He also admitted engaging in sex acts multiple times with a 17-year-old victim, including in his patrol vehicle. He exchanged sexually explicit images and videos with her. Durham met the second victim in 2016 when her friend contacted the police and he responded to the call.

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

Durham is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 5, 2025. The production of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, and the receipt of child pornography charge has a five-year mandatory minimum.

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

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a St. Louis County man who was caught arranging for his illegally-possessed guns to be sold to 63 months in prison.

The sentence for James C. Street, 47, will run consecutive to pending probation violation cases in St. Louis and Jefferson counties.

Street pleaded guilty in July to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that while a convicted felon and barred from possessing firearms, he possessed three pistols and an AR-style rifle.

The investigation began after the St. Louis County Police Department learned that Street, who was in jail at the time, was discussing the sale of his firearms. Police then contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Street sold a .357 magnum revolver through an intermediary, which was later recovered by law enforcement. Investigators learned Street was planning more sales. A court-approved search of the intermediary’s home recovered the remaining guns, as well as ammunition and large capacity magazines.

At the time, Street was on probation for multiple felony domestic offenses.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris 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.

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis, Missouri woman on Monday admitted misusing $55,000 of her father’s Social Security benefits after his death.

Carmen Needy, 65, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government money. She admitted that after her father’s death on Aug. 31, 2016, his Social Security retirement benefits continued to be deposited onto a debit card. Between 2016 and May of 2020, Needy used the debit card to access $55,381 in benefits to which she was not entitled.

Needy is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 30, 2025. Her crime is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. A defendant’s ultimate sentence is determined by the court and is based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
    
The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis County, Missouri on Thursday admitted producing child pornography involving a two-year-old.

Raven Ainesis Pointer, 26, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of production of child pornography. Pointer admitted using her phone to produce videos containing child sexual abuse material.

The investigation into Pointer began in August of 2023 in Montgomery, Alabama, where Homeland Security Investigations agents learned that a man who had been distributing child sexual abuse material had also been communicating with a woman from St. Louis who identified herself as “Raven P.” He said she sent him videos involving a two-year-old victim, information which was corroborated by his phone.

Investigators identified Pointer and matched details in the videos to her and the location where they had been filmed, Pointer’s plea agreement says. In an interview with investigators, she confirmed that she was in the videos and also identified the victim, the plea says.

Pointer is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2025. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years. 
    
Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Chapman is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a former St. Louis County, Missouri teacher to 20 years in prison for producing child pornography with hidden cameras.

Judge Autrey also ordered Joseph R. Gutowski to pay $86,500 in restitution to his victims, including those who appeared in the child sexual abuse material he collected.

Gutowski hid cameras in his office at Lafayette High School in Wildwood and in his home. He secretly filmed a minor and traded some of the images with others online. He was a member of an underground child pornography group on the cloud storage service Mega. He also traded videos he’d secretly recorded of an adult in the “Club Creep” group on Mega.

Gutowski, 42, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in July to one count of producing of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography.

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

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

ST. LOUIS – Former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner has admitted misusing public funds and entered a pretrial diversion program in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.

As part of the agreement, Gardner admitted directing her employees to issue a series of checks totaling $5,004.33 from the Contingent Fund Account in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office to reimburse her for paying the fees and costs assessed against her personally by the Missouri Supreme Court in its August 30, 2022, Disciplinary Order, Case Number SC99645. The Supreme Court reprimanded Gardner and found that she had violated ethical rules during her office’s prosecution of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens.  By Missouri statute, the Contingent Fund is only to be used to pay such expenses as necessary for the proper and vigorous prosecution of the duties of the Circuit Attorney’s Office.  The diverted funds “were deposited in her personal bank account and used for her personal expenses unrelated to her job duties and the operations of the Circuit Attorney’s Office. Kimberly Gardner was not entitled under the law to that additional compensation,” the diversion agreement says.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has jurisdiction in the case because the City of St. Louis receives federal program funds in excess of $10,000 annually and because Gardner admitted misusing more than $5,000 in public funds.

The agreement defers prosecution for a period of 18 months, during which time Gardner must avoid violating any laws, report to a pretrial services officer and follow the instructions of that pretrial services officer. She is also required to repay the diverted funds to the Circuit Attorney’s Office as restitution.

“The agreement follows a thorough investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI, during which investigators interviewed all pertinent witnesses and reviewed all available evidence and financial records,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “This is a just and fair outcome for a case involving a former official and the misuse of public funds that just met the minimum required under the pertinent federal criminal statute.”

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

ST. LOUIS – United States Attorney Sayler A. Fleming announced today that Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA) Hal Goldsmith and Jennifer Roy will lead the efforts of her office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the Nov. 5, 2024, general election.  AUSAs Goldsmith and Roy have been appointed to serve as the District Election Officers (DEO) for the Eastern District of Missouri, and are responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

United States Attorney Fleming said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election.  Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence.  The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud.  The Department will address these violations wherever they occur.  The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.  It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice.  The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).  

United States Attorney Fleming said, “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy.  We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.  In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, DEOs Goldsmith and Roy will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.  They can be reached by the public at 314-539-7733.”

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day.  You can reach the FBI online at tips.fbi.gov or by dialing 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.

United States Attorney Fleming said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate.  It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”

Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities.  State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A convicted felon on Tuesday admitted stealing a pistol from a Cape Girardeau County gun store and being caught days later with two machine guns.

Dayvion Jyraud Parker, 21, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to five felonies: stealing a firearm from a licensed dealer, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of possession of a machine gun.

Parker admitted that on June 17, 2024, he and another man stole a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol from a federally licensed firearm dealer in Cape Girardeau County. Parker first hid the pistol under his jacket before placing it between his back and the back of his wheelchair. On June 25, law enforcement officers performing a court-approved search of a home in Cape Girardeau found Parker lying on a bed with two pistols between the bed frame and the wall. Both pistols were equipped with auto sears, or “switches,” that rendered them fully automatic.

Parker is a felon and is barred from possession firearms. He was also wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant and was on probation in Illinois for aggravated discharge of a firearm.

Parker is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 28, 2025. The theft charge carries a potential penalty of up to 5 years in prison. The felon in possession charges each carry a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and the machine gun charge carries a potential 10-year prison term.

Parker’s co-defendant, Danaje Raymond Webster, 23, has not yet been arrested. 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis is prosecuting the case.

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Poplar Bluff, Missouri on Friday admitted recording his rape of a minor with an intellectual disability.

Jason R. Hicks-Simpson, 46, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.

The 17-year-old victim sought help from Hicks-Simpson’s girlfriend in getting the abuse to stop, according to the plea agreement. The girlfriend contacted the victim’s mother, who called the Poplar Bluff Police Department in March of 2024. The victim told investigators that Hicks-Simpson had been sexually abusing her since she was five, the plea says. She also said Hicks-Simpson threatened to kill her and her kittens if she did not keep it a secret.

After his arrest, Hicks-Simpson told police that it had only happened once several months earlier. Investigators found videos dating back to May of 2023 on his phone, the plea says.

Hicks-Simpson is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 31, 2025. As part of the plea agreement, both sides have agreed to recommend 20 years in prison.

The Poplar Bluff Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday ordered a woman who fraudulently obtained five pandemic relief loans to repay $113,223 to the U.S. Small Business Administration and placed her on probation for five years.

Camille N. Foster, now 32, of St. Louis County, Missouri, obtained five Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans between May 2020 and November 2021 by submitting fraudulent loan applications on behalf of three businesses: Humble Hearts Home Healthcare LLC, Embellished Jewels LLC and Muse Me Boutique LLC. On the applications, she knowingly misrepresented the payroll and annual income of the businesses, which were not in operation at the time. She also submitted fraudulent tax forms with the applications. In a loan application for Muse Me Boutique, Foster used someone else’s name and Social Security number on the application, and signed that person’s name on the application without the person’s knowledge.

PPP loans were intended to help struggling small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Foster did not use the money for that purpose. She spent it on retail purchases, dining, cosmetic surgery, bill payments, travel, taxes and payments to others. She then submitted fraudulent applications for PPP loan forgiveness for many of the loans she received, claiming that she had spent most or all the money on payroll costs.

Foster, also known as Foster-Nunley, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of wire fraud.

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

Anyone with information about pandemic fraud should 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.

ST. LOUIS – A Pennsylvania man on Thursday admitted stealing $650,000 from investors in a sports betting fund.

Elijah A. Goshert, 48, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to three counts of wire fraud. He admitted defrauding investors from at least Feb. 1, 2017, through Nov. 15, 2023, by falsely claiming the Magellan Sports Fund used a “sophisticated computer algorithm” that substantially reduced betting risks. Goshert sent emails to investors falsely claiming that he’d used their money to make sports bets and false “investors performance” updates claiming that their investments were making substantial profits.

Goshert spent the vast majority of the victims’ investments on unauthorized expenses. He admitted stealing about $654,861 from at least 12 victims.

Goshert is scheduled to be sentenced January 22, 2025. 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 Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Florida has been indicted and accused of stealing checks from churches in Missouri and Illinois.

Lourdes Mario Anton, 20, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday on two counts of theft of or receipt of stolen mail. The indictment accuses Anton of stealing an envelope containing a check from a church in O’Fallon, Missouri on October 2 and another check from a St. Peters church the same day.

A motion seeking to have Anton held in jail until trial alleges that he stole at least 28 checks from mailboxes at six different churches using a specialized tool. After police spotted Anton, they found a FedEx receipt that led to the interception of a package containing stolen checks that Anton tried to send to himself in Florida, the motion says. Anton, who told a U.S. Postal Inspection Service special agent that he is from Romania, had an expired employment authorization card listing his birthplace as France, the motion says. Anton claimed that he was being paid $3,000 per month to be an altar boy in Hollywood, Florida, the motion says.

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 mail theft charge Anton faces 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 – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a sex offender who sent child sexual abuse material to others to 190 months in prison.

Torrey Jaymes McAlpin, 37, of Rolla, will be on supervised release for life after his release from prison.

McAlpin was caught after the social media app Kik submitted a CyberTip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about someone who uploaded four videos and five images containing child sexual abuse material in chat messages. The messages were traced to McAlpin, who was convicted of first-degree sexual abuse involving a child in Kentucky in 2013. McAlpin was found guilty of failing to register as a sex offender in Tennessee in 2018.

Investigators found evidence that McAlpin had sent multiple images and videos containing child sexual abuse material to other Kik users in June of 2021.

McAlpin pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in July to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of failure to register as a sex offender.

The Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney 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.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Monday sentenced a man who sold methamphetamine to an undercover officer to 100 months in prison.

Rashad Marshall, 33, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, pleaded guilty in July to one count each of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine. He admitted conspiring with Joshua E. Forbes and two others to sell methamphetamine. A member of the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force purchased meth from the conspirators on six occasions between June and August of 2023.

In May, Judge Limbaugh sentenced Forbes to 12 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and three counts of distribution of methamphetamine.

The Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Poplar Bluff Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from O’Fallon, Missouri on Tuesday admitted engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old that he met online and discussing child sex with another 15-year-old victim.

Andrew Haller, 34, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to all of the charges he faced: two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography.

Haller admitted separately meeting two 15-year-old girls on Tumblr before moving their conversations to the encrypted app Telegram.

The 15-year-old California victim told the FBI that Haller introduced the topic of “daddy dom,” and told her he was also sexually abusing another teen. Haller listed rules for the victim, including that she would have to ask his permission once a day to urinate, wear a collar at all times, and refer to him only as “Sir,” Dad” or “Daddy.” He also asked her for nude photos and sent her photos and videos of the other victim.

After identifying Haller and performing a court-approved search of his home in November of 2023, the FBI identified the other victim. She told the FBI that she sent Haller sexually explicit photos at his direction. They met in person twice in 2023 and engaged in sexual activity. Haller struck her during the first visit and took pictures and videos of her, his plea says. He also discussed with her his desire to abuse children too young to talk or remember the abuse.

Haller possessed 195 images and 92 videos of known or suspected child sexual abuse material, and sent that material to others via Telegram and Signal, another encrypted app, his plea says.

Haller is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 28, 2025. The coercion charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and the child pornography charges each carry a five-year mandatory minimum sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes has agreed as part of the plea to ask for no more than 25 years in prison.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.

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

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

Joelle Fouse, 57, was indicted October 9 with three felony counts of wire fraud. She is surrendering Tuesday and will appear in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to plead not guilty.

The indictment says that Fouse was the manager / director of finance and human resources for the charity from October 2012 through December 2023, when she was terminated. Fouse was responsible for payroll, expense reimbursement and maintaining the charity’s books and records. She stole from the charity in three ways, the indictment says. Fouse provided false information to a third-party payroll processing company that caused the company to make 71 unauthorized payments totaling $139,810 to multiple bank accounts controlled by Fouse, the indictment says. The indictment also accuses Fouse of triggering 181 unauthorized expense payments into bank accounts she controlled, totaling $407,186. Finally, Fouse allegedly used her company credit card to make184 unauthorized purchases totaling $133,210. The charity also overpaid the employer portion of payroll taxes by about $10,694 due to the inflated payroll, the indictment says.

The indictment says Fouse took cash out of ATMs and used the charity’s funds for travel, clothing, entertainment, restaurant meals, rent payments and day-to-day expenses for herself and relatives. She tried to cover up her crimes by making false entries in financial and accounting records, it says.

The charity contacted the FBI and cooperated with their investigation.

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 penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.

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

ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis on Monday admitted stealing from government benefits intended for her grandmother, who had passed away.

Shamari Jackson, 32, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of theft of government money. She admitted as part of her guilty plea that the deaths of her grandmother and father were not properly reported to the Social Security Administration. Jackson used her grandmother’s debit card to access $13,047 in Social Security benefits that continued to be paid by direct deposit into her grandmother’s account after her death. She also used a $1,200 COVID-19-related stimulus payment intended for her grandmother, her plea says.

Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 21, 2025. The theft of government funds charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.

This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – Five people have been arrested on an indictment that accuses them of stealing at least $8 million from elderly victims in at least ten states via a tech support scam involving gold bars.

Dariona Lambert, 22, Zhamoniq Stevens, 23, Chintankumar Parekh, 51, Mehul Darji, 41, and Sital Singh, 42, were each charged in a October 4 superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Lambert, Stevens and Parekh were originally indicted on that charge in June.

Singh surrendered Monday in Newark, in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Parekh and Darji were both arrested last week in the Eastern District of Michigan. Lambert and Stevens were arrested on the initial indictment and have pleaded not guilty.

The indictment accuses the conspirators of contacting elderly victims via telephone calls and electronic messages, falsely claiming that the victims’ savings and retirement accounts had been compromised. They told their victims to transfer funds to the conspirators to keep their accounts secure, the indictment says. Sometimes, the transfers came via gold bars that had been bought by victims and then picked up by couriers working for the fraudsters, the indictment says. Couriers worked with a “handler,” who arranged transportation for the couriers and shipped the gold bars to others, the indictment says.

An 82-year-old St. Louis woman was one of the victims, having been told by scammers pretending to be from a computer software support team that her financial accounts had been compromised, the indictment says. They said she needed to pay money to prevent her funds from being stolen, the indictment says. The scammers had the victim open new bank accounts, transfer her money into those accounts and wire money overseas, in addition to buying about $250,000 worth of gold bars, the indictment says. On May 1, 2024, Lambert flew from Gainesville, Florida to St. Louis, the indictment says. Parekh rented a car and drove Lambert to a parking lot near the victim’s home, it says. Lambert then took an Uber to the victim’s home to retrieve the gold bars, but was intercepted by law enforcement agents, the indictment says. Lambert sent a warning message via WhatsApp to her conspirators, saying “police,” it says.

Lambert and Stevens were couriers, and were paid in cash, the indictment says. Parekh, Darji and Singh were handlers and travelled to victims’ residences in order to pick up gold bars, it says. Parekh worked as a handler in gold bar pickups from victims in Yuma and Scottsdale in Arizona; Placentia and La Jolla in California; Largo, Florida; Chapel Hill, N.C.; and Pittsburgh, Penn., the indictment says. Singh worked a handler in gold bar pickups from victims in Collierville, Tenn.; Universal City, Texas; and Greendale, Wisc., it says. Darji worked as a handler in gold bar pickups from the Scottsdale victims and received three separate FedEx packages containing gold bars obtained from the Largo victim, it says. Lambert worked as a courier in Scottsdale; Placentia; La Jolla; Largo; Universal City; Hanover, Mass.; and Erie, Penn., it says. Stevens worked as a courier in gold bar pickups from victims in Yuma; La Jolla; Collier; Largo; Greendale; Oxnard, Calif.; Long Island, N.Y.; and Cincinnati, Ohio, the indictment says.

“This case is another example of the FBI being able to stop the scam before a victim gets robbed out of his or her life savings,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “We’ve been successful in protecting victims when family members, friends or businesses become suspicious and immediately notify the FBI in time for us to intervene.”

A motion seeking to have Parekh and Darji held in jail until trial says both are in the United States unlawfully, Parekh having overstayed his work visa and Darji having been removed from the country in 2014. When Parekh was alerted by Lambert that she had been apprehended by the police, he fled Missouri for Pittsburgh, Penn., it says.

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 wire fraud conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa, Florida. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.

If someone you know is a victim of a cyber scam, report it to the FBI. You can file the complaint online with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or use 1-800-CALL-FBI.
 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Thursday sentenced a man from St. Louis, Missouri to a year and a day in prison and ordered him to repay $100,485 to his former employer and an insurance company.

While working as a sales engineer at a St. Louis County company, Stephen Patrick Higgins, now 32, misused his company credit card for personal purposes on multiple occasions.

Higgins pleaded guilty in July to one count of wire fraud.

The U.S. Secret Service and the Chesterfield police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Roy prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced a woman from St. Louis County to five years of probation and ordered her to pay $279,201 in restitution for fraudulently obtaining loans that were supposed to go to struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Melissa T. Stevenson, 42, of Jennings, pleaded guilty in May to one felony count of bank fraud. She admitted submitting three fraudulent applications for PPP loans from March 2021 through December 2021 that yielded a total of $263,284. The $279,201 Stevenson now owes to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) includes the amount of her Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans plus interest.

Stevenson submitted fraudulent applications for a PPP loan for a business named “Our Love CDS” on two occasions in 2021, she admitted in her plea. Both applications contained falsely inflated information about the number of employees and the monthly payroll and included a false IRS Form 940 (Employe's Annual Federal Unemployment Tax Return).

Stevenson fraudulently sought another loan for “Drinks By Melissa,” again falsely inflating income to maximize the loan she would receive, her plea says.

Stevenson said she would use the money to retain workers and for other business expenses that were permitted under the program but used the money for personal rent payments, credit card payments, a vehicle, retail purchases and payments to others. Stevenson also submitted applications for loan forgiveness for some of the PPP loans she received, falsely stating that she had spent all of the loan proceeds on payroll costs.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A former Cape Girardeau city councilman has been indicted on drug and gun charges.

Rhettney B. Pierce, 54, was indicted Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau on one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm. The indictment accuses Pierce of possessing more than 50 grams of meth between September 26 and 27, and possessing two 9mm handguns while a user of illegal drugs.

Pierce was arrested on the federal charges Thursday and pleaded not guilty.

A motion seeking to have him held in jail until trial says that a confidential source working with investigators said Pierce had purchased about four ounces of meth in the previous month and was scheduled to buy more. The confidential source contacted Pierce and the two arranged for the purchase of four more ounces at a Cape Girardeau hotel on September 26, the motion says. Pierce paid $300 and was arrested immediately after leaving the hotel room, the motion says.

Investigators found more meth and the two handguns in a court-approved search of Pierce’s home, the motion says.

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 case was investigated by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, the Cape Girardeau Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced the last of three men who robbed an armored car driver of cash and a firearm in Overland, Missouri in 2023.

Judge Pitlyk sentenced Phillip Keith Smith, 65, to 11 years in prison. Herman Leon Woods, 31, was sentenced last week to 42 months. David C. Greenwade, 62, received a 20-year sentence in July.

All three admitted participating in the robbery in the 9400 block of Midland Avenue in Overland, Missouri on April 14, 2023. The armored car driver was making a cash drop at a store when two men wearing black clothing, ski masks and body armor arrived in a black Jeep. One robber, who has not yet been identified, approached the driver and said, “Don’t die over this money.” The robber pointed his handgun at the driver when the driver didn’t immediately turn over his gun.

The driver handed over his firearm and then ran into the store for help. Smith, who was armed with a short-barreled rifle, and the other robber took a bag containing $2,000 and a duffel bag containing empty bank bags.

Greenwade was driving the Jeep and planned the robbery. Woods, Greenwade’s nephew, owned the Jeep and allowed it to be used for the robbery and for practice runs.

Woods and Greenwade each pleaded guilty to one count of robbery. Smith pleaded guilty to robbery and one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence.

In a separate case, Smith pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge and Greenwade pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy charge, a money laundering conspiracy charge and money laundering. Both men admitted helping to sell illegal drugs and launder the proceeds.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Overland Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie J. Schneider prosecuted the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis on Wednesday admitted being caught with three guns, cocaine base and methamphetamine after fleeing from police.

Perry A. McCoy, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base. He admitted that on Oct. 24, 2023, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers and detectives arrived in the 6100 block of Sherry Avenue to conduct a court-approved search. Prior to the search, McCoy arrived in a red Dodge Charger, entered the home and then left. Police followed the Charger and another vehicle parked at the home, and saw McCoy conduct a hand-to-hand transaction with someone at a nearby gas station. When officers tried to stop the Charger, McCoy drove away, rolling over spike strips that had been placed in front of the car. McCoy sped off before making a U-turn to avoid another set of spike strips and was “T-boned” by a Toyota Tacoma.

McCoy then fled on foot before being tackled by police. Officers found meth in a fanny pack McCoy discarded during the foot chase. They found three Glock pistols and drugs in the car. In all, McCoy was arrested with drugs including a plastic bag containing 16.10 grams of cocaine base, a plastic bag containing 2.33 grams of meth and a glass jar containing 47.53 grams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

McCoy is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 15, 2025. The gun charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and the drug charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Wednesday sentenced a man engaged in online sexual activity with three teens across the country to 15 years in prison, followed by a lifetime on supervised release.

Tristin M. Davis, 27, had been communicating with hundreds of people online, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson said in court Wednesday, many of whom appeared to be minors. Three victims have been identified fully by law enforcement. Davis used the screen name “muffinman130020” with the first two victims and “bacontaxi” with the third. They ranged in age from 14 to 16.

Davis initially lied about his age to fool victims in to thinking he was a peer, only later admitting his real age. Davis induced or persuaded victims into engaging in sexually explicit conduct with him online and received child sexual abuse material from all three. Davis engaged in “demeaning, derogatory and subjugating communications” with his victims, Anderson said, including discussions of rape, bondage and violence.

Davis pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in three counts of coercion and enticement of a minor and three counts of receipt of child pornography.

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

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from Linn County, Missouri on Monday admitted recording himself having sexual contact with a minor.

Russell Alan Pirkey, 54, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to a charge of sexual exploitation of a child.

Pirkey admitted using his cell phone to record himself having sexual contact with a 10-year-old girl. Pirkey’s crime was discovered on April 8, 2023, when the Brookfield Police Department was contacted with concerns about his contact with the victim.

Pirkey has also agreed to forfeit a cell phone, a tablet and various electronic storage devices that were seized by law enforcement during the investigation.

Pirkey is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 14, 2025. The sexual exploitation charge carries a mandatory minimum charge of 15 years in prison, and a maximum of 30 years.

The FBI, the Brookfield Police Department and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Chapman is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – Fifteen members or associates of a south St. Louis gang that sold fentanyl have been convicted and sentenced for drug, gun and other crimes.

Rapper Davante “Jizzlebuckz” Lindsey, 27, was sentenced September 9 to 12 years in prison. Andre “Luh Half” Pearson, 28, was sentenced to 11 years in prison on September 20. Lindsey and Pearson were leaders of the 55 Boyz, a gang and drug trafficking organization that at one time was responsible for a significant amount of the fentanyl being sold in south St. Louis. Lindsey and Pearson helped form the 55 Boyz out of other gangs, including YPG (Young Project Goons), TKO (Team Knockout), The Strip, Pressure Gang, and CAVE. Lindsey was the face of the gang, rapping about the gang, fentanyl distribution and other illegal activity, according to court documents.

The final two defendants in the initial phase of the case were sentenced Monday. Five others were indicted individually, and all five have pleaded guilty. Four have been sentenced.

"Working together, the United States Attorney’s Office, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, ATF and IRS – Criminal Investigation targeted and prosecuted a drug gang that was the main source of supply of fentanyl in the south St. Louis area," said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. "And as is often the case for drug trafficking organizations and gangs, they were both the targets of drug-linked shootings as well as the perpetrators of such violence.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department began investigating the fentanyl dealing in September of 2021. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had independently been investigating another matter and arrested someone with drugs and guns. Both agencies began working in concert, and IRS – Criminal Investigations later joined to target money laundering and trace the illegal proceeds of drug sales.

The co-conspirators used phones to arrange drug sales, even sending out text messages advertising their illegal product.

Investigators made a series of court-approved searches of various locations in the St. Louis area, eventually seizing about two dozen guns, more than $120,000 in cash, thousands of capsules containing fentanyl and two vehicles. Two homes purchased with rug proceeds were forfeited, as well as the cash value of a third home. Diamond jewelry was also seized, including a 55 Boyz chain necklace with roughly 2,500 tiny diamonds.

The others who have been convicted and sentenced along with Lindsey and Pearson are Edward “Edot” Hopkins, 22, Tony Evans, 35, Araven Johnson, 29, Douglas Simpson, 35, Jeffrey Moore, 26, Shawn Liggins, 22, Omar Lewis, 23, Willie Lindsey, 44, Jamond “Huncho” Dismukes, 24, Travon Weatherspoon, 34, Birtha Lindsey, 43, Erik Simmons, 30, and Armani Tatum, 33.

Separately, Martez Lindsey, 32, Jaheim “DaeDae” Young, 23, Jaron Tate, 24, and Jhonetta Phillips, 33, have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced on drug or gun charges. Ja’Vonne Lindsey, 20, awaits sentencing. 

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

ST. LOUIS – A U.S. Postal Service mail handler was indicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court and accused of pandemic fraud and stealing checks from the mail.

Anthony Virdure II, 29, was indicted on three counts of mail theft and one count of wire fraud. The indictment accuses Virdure of stealing checks with a face value of more than $1.5 million from the mail. Virdure worked at the Postal Service Processing and Distribution Center at 1720 Market Street in St. Louis and had access to all first-class mail routed through the center, the indictment says.

The indictment also accuses Virdure of fraudulently applying for and receiving a $20,832 Pandemic Protection Program (PPP) loan in 2021 for a tobacco store called Virdure Dynamics. The loan application contained false information about the business’ income and Virdure supplied a false IRS Schedule C in support of the application, the indictment says. The purported address of the store was actually his grandmother’s house, it says.

“This indictment proves the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s commitment to preserving the safety and security of the U.S. mail, and to stopping those who perpetrate mail theft and fraud schemes,” said Acting Inspector in Charge, John Jackman, who leads the United States Postal Inspection Service, St. Louis Field Office. “The Postal Inspection Service and its law enforcement partners will aggressively investigate those individuals who steal or defraud individuals or businesses of money and property.”

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 wire fraud charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The mail theft charges carry a penalty of up to five years in prison and the same fine.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.  

ST. LOUIS – The owner of a nonprofit was indicted Wednesday and accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $2 million in funds intended to feed low-income Missouri children, both before and during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cymone McClellan, 31, of St. Louis, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on four felony counts of wire fraud.

The indictment says McClellan owned and ran a non-profit organization called Sister of Lavender Rose (S.O.L.R.). From about January 2019 to June 2022, McClellan and her nonprofit submitted false and fraudulent meal reimbursement claims to Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).  S.O.L.R. submitted reimbursement claims to the Food and Nutrition Programs for Children claiming that she served 860,876 meals to children but only bought enough food and milk to serve fewer than one-quarter of those meals, the indictment says. According to the indictment, McClellan defrauded the State of Missouri out of more than $2 million through her fraudulent reimbursement claims.

The indictment says McClellan attempted to cover up her crime by providing bogus sign-in sheets to DHSS falsely claiming to have taken the attendance of meal recipients at certain food distribution locations. S.O.L.R. submitted management plans to DHSS falsely asserting that state meal reimbursement dollars were spent only in connection with the provision of meals to low-income children, and that the nonprofit did not use meal money to make purchases over $5,000. The indictment says McClellan spent $60,000 on a down payment on a house in Collinsville, Illinois and also bought five vehicles and a house in Florissant, Missouri.

One of the addresses where McClellan informed the State of Missouri that she was purportedly preparing food for low-income children belonged to an adults-only nightclub called Elmo’s Love Lounge, the indictment says.

The indictment seeks the forfeiture of the real estate, as well as a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse, a 2012 Chevrolet Express G3500 van, a 2020 Mercedes-Benz Metris van, a 2012 Ford E350 box truck and a 2018 Lexus RX SUV.

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 wire fraud charges carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.  

For information about how to report pandemic or disaster fraud, go to justice.gov/archives/disaster-fraud. 

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced a convicted felon who was caught twice with guns and drugs to 110 months in prison.

Joshua Allen Morris, 39, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in June to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted being caught with two handguns and methamphetamine on Feb. 20, 2023, during a traffic stop by the Dunklin County Sheriff’s Office. On June 11, 2023, the Kennett Police Department received a report that Morris pistol-whipped someone at a store. Officers found Morris and discovered a vacuum sealed bag of marijuana, 23 grams of meth, a digital scale and a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol under the hood of his car.

Morris has prior felony convictions and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.

The Dunklin County Sheriff’s Office and Kennett Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A Texas businessman has been indicted in St. Louis and accused of fraudulently seeking more than $4.5 million from Medicare for COVID test kits and obtaining more than $1.9 million.

Rashid Naqvi, 51, of the Houston area, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on September 4 on four counts of wire fraud conspiracy and one count each of obstruction of a federal audit and conspiracy.

He appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty.

The indictment accuses Naqvi of fraudulently obtaining $1,974,479 from Medicare from March 2023 through September 2024 by billing for numerous COVID-19 test kits that were sent to patients who had never requested them. Many of the patients were dead, the indictment says. Naqvi obtained victims’ Medicare Numbers and identifiers without their knowledge or consent by paying a total of $488,435 in illegal kickbacks to co-conspirators, the indictment says. It says Naqvi used two laboratories that he owned to submit the false claims to Medicare, Elite Diagnostics Inc. in Missouri and Astro Diagnostics Inc. in the Southern District of Texas.

The indictment says Naqvi attempted to conceal his scheme by disguising kickback payments as payments for COVID test kits, creating a sham contract with one of the companies supplying the information and submitting false documents to Medicare investigators during an audit. He continued submitting false claims to Medicare even after patients called to tell him that they did not request or want the test kits, the indictment says. Naqvi sought a total of $4,579,850 from Medicare.

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.

Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Obstruction of a federal audit and conspiracy are each punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

“Today’s indictment reflects our unwavering commitment to safeguarding Medicare and ensuring that its resources are used appropriately,” said Linda T. Hanley, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “There are serious consequences for individuals who seek to manipulate federal health care programs by exploiting enrollees’ personal information and participating in illegal kickbacks. HHS-OIG is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to hold those accountable who undermine the integrity of our health care system.”

The FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A former professional basketball player on Wednesday admitted committing $272,774 worth of fraud involving pandemic aid programs.

Lorenzo Gordon, 41, of Chesterfield, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of theft of government money.

As part of his plea agreement, Gordon admitted fraudulently applying for two loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and three from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program. Both programs were intended to help businesses and their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gordon’s applications for the loan programs contained false information about three companies that applied for loans: Logo Fitness LLC, Elite 50 Basketball Training LLC and Elite Health and Fitness Company LLC. Gordon fraudulently received a total of $107,074 in PPP loans and $165,700 in EIDL loans and advances, his plea says.

Gordon is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 9, 2025. The theft charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine.

The Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.

Anyone with information about pandemic fraud should 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.
 

ST. LOUIS – Two men from St. Louis have admitted participating in the armed robbery of a store in St. Louis last year.

Orlando Perez, 37, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday to accessory after the fact to a robbery. Jason Fox, 39, pleaded guilty on September 10 to one count of possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Both men admitted that Fox robbed the store in the 3700 block of South Kingshighway Boulevard on Jan. 20, 2023. Fox brought merchandise to the counter, then produced a handgun and demanded “all the money from the registers.” The robber also stole video games and two Xbox consoles. Police traced the robber to a nearby shopping center, where they caught Perez with the keys to the vehicle used for the robbery, as well as cash and ammunition. The stolen merchandise was in the backseat of the car, and Fox was arrested nearby. Perez had 3.54 grams of methamphetamine in his pocket and admitted owning the gun.

Fox is scheduled to be sentenced December 9 and Perez is scheduled to be sentenced January 6.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced a man who shot someone trying to collect a drug debt to 12 years in prison.

Terrell Donta McDaniel agreed to sell 10 grams of fentanyl to Andre Nash on Nov. 2, 2022, for $500. But McDaniel did not give Nash the full amount of fentanyl, and Nash began looking for McDaniel to collect the debt.

After learning that McDaniel was staying at a vacant house in the 4100 block of Clara Place, Nash went there and entered the house. McDaniel shot and killed Nash.

McDaniel and others then wrapped Nash’s body in tarps and plastic and placed him in the trunk of a stolen car, dumping the body in the 5900 block of St. Louis Avenue that night. The body was discovered the next morning.

In court Monday, McDaniel apologized to Nash’s family. He said he was afraid for his life and had been trying to dodge Nash for four to five months.

McDaniel, now 42, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of discharge of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI.

ST. LOUIS – Two operators of St. Louis area apartment complex construction and development companies, along with their companies’ chief accountant, have been indicted and accused of conspiring to defraud the City of St. Louis Minority Business Enterprise and Women Owned Business Enterprise program to gain millions of dollars’ worth of City tax incentives.

Sidarth “Sid” Chakraverty, Victor Alston and Shijing “Poppy” Cao were indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis September 18 on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 11 counts of wire fraud. The indictment was unsealed Friday morning.

Chakraverty and Alston operate Big Sur Construction LLC, a construction management and development company and LuxLiving LLC, which primarily handled the development, brokerage, daily management, marketing and leasing of apartment complexes built by Big Sur. They also operate the entities which developed the Chelsea multifamily apartment development in the Pershing-DeBaliviere neighborhood of St. Louis, and the SoHo multifamily apartment development* in the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis.

Cao was the chief in-house accountant for all the Big Sur-affiliated companies.

St. Louis’ Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) programs include participation goals that seek to address historical social and economic disadvantages experienced by women and members of minority groups, and to reduce barriers to participation by those groups in construction projects. Available tax incentives include sales tax exemption on the purchase of construction materials and property tax abatement once the projects are completed. The St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) reviews proposals for redevelopment projects in St. Louis and makes recommendations to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen regarding requests for tax incentives.  Once incentives are approved, the SLDC enforces compliance with the City’s MBE and WBE participation goals.

The Chelsea Project

For the Chelsea project, which began in 2019 and was completed in 2021, the participation goals set out in the City ordinance granting a 10-year tax abatement were 25% for MBEs and 5% for WBEs. Big Sur was itself certified as a Subcontinent Asian American MBE, so its own reported labor and material supplies made up the majority of MBE participation on Chelsea. A WBE subcontractor was paid about $21,504 for cleaning services it provided on the project, but the indictment says the defendants falsely claimed an additional approximately $272,393 in materials and labor had been supplied by that WBE company. To conceal and carry out the fraud, Big Sur Construction LLC issued sham “joint checks” that were written to the WBE subcontractor and the non-WBE companies which had actually purchased and supplied materials and labor for the project, the indictment says. In emails, Chakraverty, Alston and Cao discussed which non-WBE companies would be willing to accept a joint check to facilitate the scheme, the indictment says. Big Sur submitted false “Utilization Reports” about MBE and WBE participation, which were required by SLDC throughout the construction phase, and a false final lien waiver and other documents claiming that the WBE had been paid $298,897. Big Sur also submitted a false “Good Faith Narrative” claiming that the company had made a good faith effort to meet the WBE participation goal, the indictment says. They did not disclose that of their claimed WBE participation on the Chelsea project, 93% of the total came from falsely attributing $272,393 in materials and labor costs to the WBE subcontractor, the indictment says.

The SoHo Project

The City ordinance approving a 10-year tax abatement for the SoHo project set a 21% participation goal by African American MBEs, an 11% participation goal for WBEs and a 0.5% participation goal for Native American MBEs.  The same WBE cleaning company subcontractor that worked on Chelsea was paid approximately $60,780 for its actual labor and materials on SoHo, but defendants falsely attributed approximately $1.15 million in labor and materials supplied by non-WBE companies to that company in its reporting to SLDC, the indictment says. It also says Chakraverty met with the owner of an African American MBE and offered $10,000 to the owner to allow Big Sur to falsely represent that non-MBE work had been performed by that company. The owner refused. But the owner of another African American MBE company agreed to a 5% “markup” fee on an eventual total of $2.17 million in materials and labor supplied by non-MBE companies that were falsely attributed by defendants to that MBE company in reporting to SLDC, the indictment says. That included $1 million in appliances purchased from Home Depot by Big Sur, but falsely attributed to the African American MBE company, it says. Chakraverty met with the owner of a Native American MBE and struck a deal for the owner to receive a 6% markup fee for construction materials and labor supplied by another non-Native American MBE company, the indictment says.  False information as to the materials and labor supplied by the non-Native American company, but attributed to the Native American MBE, was submitted to SLDC, the indictment says.  The indictment says Big Sur also issued sham joint checks and sham purchase orders on the SoHo project and submitted false reports to the SLDC, similar to defendants’ conduct on the Chelsea project.

After SLDC officials and employees developed suspicions about false reporting by Big Sur, Chakraverty, Alston and Cao repeatedly tried to get the cleaning company WBE to falsely verify the inflated payments in reporting to SLDC, the indictment says. When they failed, they sought another WBE to act as a front company, it says.

The indictment alleges that the fraudulent conduct on the Chelsea project resulted in at least $551,022 in sales tax exemptions and a property tax abatement worth about $1.75 million. Big Sur received more than $1 million in sales tax exemptions for the SoHo project but did not receive the anticipated property tax abatement due to SLDC’s concerns about the legitimacy of their WBE claims, the indictment says.  The defendants originally anticipated a tax abatement on the SoHo valued at approximately $7 million.

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

The conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The wire fraud charges each carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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

*There are other developments with similar names in the St. Louis area.

ST. LOUIS – Schools in the St. Louis area and around the country have seen an alarming increase in threats in recent weeks, which are draining resources from those schools and the law enforcement agencies that respond.

Although those making the threats apparently think they are being funny, the threats are traumatizing students, parents and staff.

Contrary to popular belief, law enforcement can quickly identify the source of these threats. That information is then routed to the appropriate officials. In the case of minors, who are often making the threats, the information will be sent to school districts and the appropriate juvenile court system.

“Hoax threats are not a joke,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Don’t think you can hide. We will find you and hold you accountable.”

Juvenile and school authorities are also taking the threats seriously. Some jurisdictions are detaining juveniles accused of making school threats. If found guilty, a minor could be placed under supervision, which is similar to probation or parole and could include GPS monitoring. They could also be removed from their home and placed in the custody of the Missouri Division of Youth Services.

Many schools suspend minors while an investigation is being conducted. They could then face a suspension of up to 180 days or expulsion from the school system.

Adults can be charged in state or federal court with a variety of crimes.

At the federal level, you can be sentenced up to 5 years in prison for making a hoax threat. If someone is injured, that sentence goes up to 20 years. If death occurs, you could be facing a life sentence.

But we also need your help. If you hear or see a threat, please do not share or repost it on social media – that only delays the process of identifying the original source of the threat, sometimes by hours or more. Call 911 or contact Missouri’s school safety threat reporting system, Courage2Report, either online at https://p3campus.com/5250, by calling 866-748-7047 or texting C2R to 738477. You can file a report to prevent a shooting or other act of violence from happening, or report things that have happened, like bullying or harassment, that could get worse if people don’t get help. 

BENTON, Ill. – The former president of a bank in southern Illinois was sentenced Thursday for his role in falsifying bank records to facilitate real estate loans.

Steven Cook was fined $6,000 and sentenced to 50 hours of community service and two weekends in the Jackson County jail. 

He will also likely be banned from the banking industry for life.

Cook fraudulently facilitated three different sales of commercial real estate to Lawler and Maze Properties LLC in 2022. Cook was the president of SouthernTrust Bank at the time, and was also on the bank’s board of trustees and was a member of its loan committee. The bank has branches in Marion, Vienna and Goreville, Illinois.

Cook approved one loan that funded the sale of seven commercial rental properties in Williamson and Franklin counties from Results Home Buyers 2 to Lawler and Maze. The transaction was a new purchase of real estate, not a refinance, and the buyers were not using any cash to fund the purchase.  But during an April 6, 2022, meeting with the seller and buyer, Cook and the others agreed to fraudulently make it appear as if the loan was a refinancing. Cook also agreed that the bank would supply the cash for the purchase. They agreed to backdate documents to falsely indicate the buyer purchased the properties on Feb. 1, 2022, for a falsely inflated price of $545,152. The documents also falsely indicated that the bank was refinancing 80% of that loan, with the buyers bringing 20% in cash to the sale. The bank’s loan to the buyers was approved by the bank’s loan committee based upon the false information.

Results Home Buyers 2 is partially owned by former Williamson County State’s Attorney Brandon Zanotti.

In August of 2022, Cook facilitated a second real estate transaction for the purchase of four properties by Lawler and Maze. Cook, the seller and Lawler and Maze agreed that the real estate contract would falsely list a sales price of $413,000 instead of the actual price of $330,400, and falsely state that the buyer would supply $82,600 in cash.

In November of 2022, Cook facilitated an additional loan to Lawler and Maze for the purchase of a property in Marion. Bank documents falsely stated that the borrowers would supply $21,500 cash.

Cook pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Benton in June to three felony counts of aiding and abetting the making of a false bank entry. Zanotti pleaded guilty in March to one count of the same crime. He was sentenced in May to two years of probation, a $5,000 fine and 20 hours of community service.  His conduct we reported to the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.

Lawler and Maze, LLC is owned by Justin Maze and David Lawler, who each entered into a pretrial diversion program in which they acknowledged their involvement in the criminal conduct by aiding and abetting Zanotti and Cook. As a condition of pretrial diversion, Maze was required to resign from his position as Williamson County Circuit Clerk and agreed not to seek re-election to any public office. Lawler’s conduct was reported to the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.

“The FBI works daily to disrupt fraudulent activity and we recognize the impact it has on banking institutions,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson. “FBI Springfield will continue to dedicate investigative resources for targeting fraud in its many forms to protect the integrity of the banking process.”

“FHFA-OIG will continue to relentlessly investigate and pursue the prosecution of mortgage-related fraud, no matter who commits the crimes. Officers of financial institutions who have a duty to conduct honest business must be held accountable. We are proud to have partnered with our FBI colleagues and with Special Assistant United States Attorney Hal Goldsmith,” said Korey Brinkman, Special-Agent-in-Charge of FHFA OIG’s Midwest Regional Office.

The FBI Springfield Field Office and the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General investigated the case. The prosecution was handled by Special Attorney Hal Goldsmith from the Eastern District of Missouri. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois was recused from the case.

Anyone with information about mortgage-related fraud can report it by contacting the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General Hotline at 800-793-7724 or via the web at https://www.fhfaoig.gov/ReportFraud#hotlineform

ST. LOUIS –Two men have admitted the armed robbery of three U.S. Postal Service letter carriers in St. Louis County in 2022 as part of a conspiracy to steal checks from the mail. 

Xavier Sean Boyd, 20, of Jennings, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday to three counts of robbery and two counts of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a robbery. 

Roy Lee Jones, 22, pleaded guilty August 13 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.

Both men admitted being part of a group of five young adults who in the summer of 2022 engaged in a conspiracy to steal checks from the mail, illegally alter the checks and deposit them into the accounts of third parties. 

“This guilty plea is a testament to the hard work and dedication by Postal Inspectors and our local partners in bringing perpetrators of violent crimes to justice,” said Acting Inspector in Charge, John Jackman, who leads the St. Louis Field Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “The Postal Inspection Service will relentlessly pursue criminals who victimize the general public and postal customers.”

A masked Boyd robbed a U.S. Postal Carrier at gunpoint on June 1, 2022, on Chambers Road in St. Louis County, stealing the “arrow” key that opens collection boxes. 

The group then used that key four days later to steal mail from collection boxes in Berkeley, West Florissant, Normandy, Overland and Ferguson. They were unsuccessful in recruiting third parties to allow their bank accounts to be used, so Boyd and Jones used their own. On June 7, 2022, they deposited $19,199.60 in stolen checks into Jones' credit union account. They next day, they tried to withdraw $19,200, but only obtained a total of $8,500. The remainder was reclaimed when the fraudulent deposits were discovered. They deposited an unknown amount in Xavier Boyd 's bank account but were not able to withdraw any of the stolen funds.

On the afternoon of June 9, Boyd was driving his mother’s SUV when Jones robbed another postal carrier of his arrow key. Boyd robbed a third carrier less than 20 minutes later, but the carrier noted the license plate of Boyd’s mother’s car and police spotted the vehicle within minutes.

After a high-speed chase, Boyd crashed the SUV and 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.

Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on November 15. Boyd is scheduled to be sentenced December 18.

The robbery charge is punishable by up to 25 years in prison. The theft charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The firearm charges carry a penalty of at least seven years, consecutive to all other charges. 

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the St. Louis County Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel 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 – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a woman who obtained COVID-19 pandemic loans for a fake company called the “Barbie Factory” to a year and a day in prison.

Juashayla Jane Walls, 31, of Jennings, Missouri, was also ordered to repay $55,833 and will be placed on supervised release for five years after her release from prison.

Walls was originally scheduled to be sentenced in July, but after she claimed she used some of the money for another business, Judge Schelp ordered an accounting of where every dollar of the loan money went. In one example he gave in court Tuesday, he said she spent nearly $8,000 at a casino. Walls also spent loan money on shopping trips and other personal purchases, her plea agreement says

Judge Schelp called the crime “sickening” and “disheartening,” as it came during a worldwide crisis and took money from a program that was intended to help struggling American businesses and jobs during the pandemic. 

Walls submitted a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application on Aug. 25, 2020, seeking $20,000 for the “Barbie Factory.” Walls falsely claimed that the company was in operation, had four employees and a monthly payroll of $8,000. She also submitted a fraudulent Internal Revenue Service tax form that said employees had been paid a total of $96,000 in wages, tips and other compensation. 

On March 2, 2021, Walls submitted a loan forgiveness application, falsely claiming that she had used the loan for payroll. Her application was approved and the loan was forgiven.

Walls’ second loan application for $20,000 was not approved.

A third application, submitted April 16, 2021, and seeking $20,833, was approved. Walls falsely claimed she was self-employed and had a gross annual income of $151,104. She successfully submitted a fraudulent loan forgiveness application on Aug. 14, 2021. 

In September of 2021, Walls submitted fraudulent applications to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, a Small Business Administration program intended to help struggling business owners during the pandemic. Walls again falsely claimed the $15,000 she received would go to Barbie Factory payroll and other businesses expenses.

Walls pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of wire fraud.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman prosecuted the case.

Anyone with information about pandemic fraud should 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.

ST. LOUIS – A man from the Turks and Caicos has been arrested after being indicted and accused of the sextortion of a Missouri teen.

Alexander Gardiner, 23, of Providenciales, was indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on May 22 on one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. 

Gardiner was arrested in the Miami International Airport on August 8. He appeared in court in St. Louis Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. 

“Although many perpetrators who seek to exploit and blackmail minors do so from overseas, we will not let borders keep us from stopping sextortion and seeking justice,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming

“A large number of sextortion investigations have identified the perpetrators as living outside of the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Investigating sextortion is one of the top priorities in the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children program. In addition, the FBI provides support and resources to help victims and their families during their time of need.”

The indictment accuses Gardiner of attempting to coerce a minor into engaging in sexually explicit conduct between Sept. 24, 2018, and June 30, 2023.

An August 14 detention order says Gardiner is accused of making contact with a minor in Missouri via social media and enticing the minor to send him sexually explicit images. Gardiner then demanded money from the minor by threatening to send those images to others, and did post an explicit video on social media, the order says. A motion seeking Gardiner’s detention alleges that images of other teenage victims were discovered in Gardiner’s iCloud account. Gardiner used the screen name noahmonn on Snapchat, algardiner33 and algardiner22 on Google and @jewelsbaits on X, court records show. 

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 enticement charge is punishable by at least 10 years in prison, with a maximum term of life. 

Others who believe they may have been targets of a sextortion attempt should contact local law enforcement or the FBI by calling Call 1-800-CALL-FBI, contacting your local FBI office, or reporting it online at tips.fbi.gov or cybertipline.org.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has detailed information on resources for sextortion victims, including videos and discussion guides to help explain the problem to children and adults. They also have a step-by-step guide on how to report pictures or videos of children to social media companies and flag pictures so that the companies will seek out and remove the images.

The FBI investigated the case with the assistance of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. 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.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Tuesday sentenced a convicted felon caught buying and selling guns to 72 months in prison. 

Shawn Dennis Stockard’s sentence consists of 54 months on one count of unlawful interstate transportation of firearms and a consecutive 18 months on a charge of possession with intent to sell controlled substances. Judge Fleissig also fined Stockard $85,000. 

Stockard, 53, pleaded guilty to both charges, in separate cases, in June. As part of his plea, he agreed to forfeit 215 firearms, firearms accessories and a large amount of ammunition worth at least $230,000 that was seized during the investigation.

Stockard used the Federal Firearms License (FFL) belonging to William Henry Otto, owner of Bull Run Weaponry in Marble Hill, Missouri, to buy firearms at an auction house in Illinois. Stockard brought the guns to Missouri and transferred them to his wife via Otto.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents learned of gun sales by Stockard and of his connection to Otto in early 2022. During a court-approved search of Stockard’s home in Cape Girardeau County, they found the firearms and accessories and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

“This sentence acknowledges the defendant’s continued criminal conduct and sends a straightforward message that there are real and severe consequences for federal firearm and drug offenses,” said Bernard G. Hansen, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Kansas City Field Division. 

Otto, 46, and Stockard’s wife have pleaded guilty and await sentencing. A fourth person, Terry Lee Allen, also awaits sentencing. Allen, 38, repeatedly bought multiple firearms from licensed dealers. He was the last known purchaser of seven guns linked to crime scenes in several states, six of which originally came from Bull Run. Otto’s records show that he sold at least 199 guns to Allen, the vast majority of which Allen illegally sold to others. Allen pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of unlicensed firearms dealing.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – Two convicted felons who were caught with firearms and homemade silencers have been sentenced to prison.

U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Friday sentenced Steven Matthew Dinzebach, 35, of Franklin County, Missouri to 72 months in prison. He will be on supervised release for three years after his release from prison.

U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Wednesday sentenced Bryan Daniel Flynn, 44, of Ballwin, to 75 months in prison. He will be on supervised release for two years after his release from prison.

Flynn pleaded guilty in April to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted being caught with 30 firearms, despite being a convicted felon who is barred from possessing guns. He also had homemade silencers, ballistic vests, stolen property and drugs. 

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detectives conducted a court-approved search of Flynn’s home in Ballwin on July 25, 2023, after learning that he was participating in a stolen property ring, his plea agreement says. Detectives found 4.48 grams of cocaine, .44 grams of methamphetamine and cocaine, 10 Diazepam tablets, one Alprazolam tablet and 300 grams of psilocybin. Flynn admitted being in possession of a Ford F250 stolen from Ranken Technical College, which was stored on his property near Troy, Missouri. Detectives found 27 firearms there, as well as homemade silencers, three large containers of firearm accessories, two large containers of ammunition, five ballistic vests and stolen property.

Flynn’s cell phone led detectives to two storage units in Festus, Missouri that contained two more guns and ammunition. His boat, which was stored in a marina in St. Charles, contained another silencer, a drum magazine loaded with .22-caliber rounds and a large amount of ammunition. On Aug. 7, 2023, Flynn’s assistant turned a 7.65mm Walther firearm into law enforcement, saying Flynn had asked her to hide it at a “cabin” in Ballwin.

Dinzebach pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of one of more firearms in May. He admitted being caught by investigators with a .22-caliber handgun equipped with a homemade silencer, a .380-caliber handgun and a large amount of ammunition. He also admitted selling firearms to Flynn after first doubling their purchase price. Dinzebach told investigators that he purchased guns from a website where people conducted private firearms sales. Two of the firearms seized from Flynn were traced to Dinzebach’s wife as the purchaser.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie Schneider prosecuted the cases.

"Instead of learning from their past, they chose to continue a life of crime and put our community at risk of potential gun violence,” said Bernard G. Hansen, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Kansas City Field Division. "Today’s sentencing demonstrates the outstanding partnership between ATF and the St. Louis Police Department as well as the commitment we share to work together in keeping firearms out of the hands of felons so that our streets are safer for everyone.”

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Friday sentenced a man responsible for one fatal and one non-fatal shooting in Hayti, Missouri in 2023 to 25 years in prison. 

Eugene Winters, 44, of Hayti, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in November to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Winters admitted that just before 7:30 p.m. on April 19, 2023, he shot two people outside "The Store" at 301 Washington Street in Hayti. Winters told police that he argued with one man before going to his vehicle to retrieve his gun. The victim was sitting in his vehicle and Winters believed he had a gun, Winters’ plea says. Winters and the victim argued again, and Winters shot the victim from the driver’s side of the car before walking around to the passenger side of the vehicle and shooting the victim more times, his plea agreement says. The second victim came out of the store and approached Winters, who started shooting at that second victim. Winters followed that man into the store and fired two more shots while the victim was running away.

Hayti police arrived, and Winters threw down his gun and laid on the ground.

Both victims were taken to a local hospital, then by air ambulance to the Regional One Health Trauma Center in Memphis, Tenn. due to the seriousness of their injuries. One died.

Winters was a convicted felon and thus is barred from possession of a firearm. His prior convictions include aggravated robbery and aggravated assault. Due to those crimes, Winters qualified as an “armed career criminal,” triggering a possible sentence of 15 years to life in prison. 

The Hayti Police Department, Pemiscot County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn prosecuted the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Friday sentenced a man who was caught by police after a shipment of 15 pounds of methamphetamine and four and one-half pounds of cocaine was intercepted to 134 months in prison.

On March 24, 2022, Damon L. Pruitt was caught by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers in a home where the meth and cocaine had just been delivered. Earlier in the day, the parcel delivery company opened the package due to concerns about it, found the drugs and called police. A court-approved search of the delivery address, in the 6600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue home, also found two handguns. Pruitt is a convicted felon and told police that he knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms, his plea agreement says.

There was about 6.8 kilograms of meth in the package and more than two kilograms of cocaine.

Pruitt, 38, pleaded guilty in October in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A former employee of a Missouri state prison appeared in U.S. District Court Friday to answer drug charges.

Steven M. Reminger, 53, was indicted September 12 on three felony charges: conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, attempt to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and making a false statement.

He appeared in court Friday and pleaded not guilty.

The indictment alleges that the drug conspiracy began in November 2021. The indictment says Reminger made a false statement on Nov. 8, 2021, by providing a false name to employees of the U.S. Postal Service when applying for a Post Office Box in Farmington, Missouri. Reminger’s attempt to possess controlled substances occurred on May 24 and 25 of 2022, the indictment alleges. A forfeiture allegation says $19,000 in cash, knives and cellular phones were seized on May 25, 2022.

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 drug charges carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine. The false statements charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced a man caught with guns and fentanyl after throwing a French bulldog out of a window to 75 months in prison.

On Oct. 19, 2023, police investigating the theft of two French bulldogs set up a meeting to “buy” the dogs. Officers arrested the seller outside of her apartment in St. Louis. As police approached the apartment to try and recover the dogs, a window opened and one of the dogs was thrown out. Police entered that apartment and found Landon Allen hiding in a closet. He had a baggie with 105 capsules containing fentanyl in his pocket. Nearby were empty capsules, a press used to make pills, an AR pistol and a handgun with an extended magazine. Allen admitted as part of his plea possessing one or more of the firearms in furtherance of fentanyl distribution. 

Allen, 24, pleaded guilty in June in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. 

The North County Police Cooperative, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A jury Wednesday evening convicted a man from Belleville, Illinois of a charge related to his sale of fake Percocet pills that killed a man in St. Louis County in 2022. 

A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis found Deontae’ Tre’Von Overall, 28, guilty of one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death.

Evidence and testimony at trial showed that the victim contacted Overall’s cellular phone on Dec. 3, 2022, seeking the prescription pain pill Percocet. The victim bought three pills that mimicked the appearance of Percocet from Overall at Overall’s home in St. Louis. The victim died later that evening from fentanyl intoxication caused by ingesting the fake Percocet.

The death triggered an investigation by the St. Louis County Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Investigators contacted Overall’s cellular phone to arrange additional purchases of counterfeit Percocet, which contained fentanyl. Overall ultimately sold fentanyl to an undercover task force officer on July 19, 2023, and fentanyl and methamphetamine to an officer on July 26. A court-approved search of Overall’s home in Belleville on August 3, 2023, resulted in the seizure of drug paraphernalia and approximately 60 pills resembling those sold to the victim and the undercover officer.

On September 6, the Friday before the 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.

“This case involves a young adult who was lied to by a drug dealer and his life is now tragically over,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, head of Drug Enforcement Administration operations in Eastern Missouri. "DEA finds seven out of 10 of the pills being tested in our labs have a lethal dose of fentanyl. We’ve said it before, and we’ll keep saying it: if a pill did not come from a doctor or a pharmacy, don’t take it. Don’t be a statistic – one pill can kill.”

The distribution of fentanyl resulting in death charge is punishable by 20 years to life in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both prison and a fine. The charge of distribution of a controlled substances is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both.

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. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced the owner of a steel company that falsely claimed parts for a Mississippi River lock and dam had passed safety tests to a year and a day in prison. 

Theodore J. “Ted” Stegeman, 60, has already paid restitution of $238,059, representing the cost of removing, testing and re-installing cover plates, or flanges, that his company supplied to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractor.

Stegeman’s company, Industrial Steel Fabrication LLC (ISF), was a subcontractor on a project to repair Lock and Dam No. 25 on the Mississippi River near Winfield, in Lincoln County, Missouri. ISF was responsible for fabricating and welding cover plates for all 17 bridge spans. The flanges were supposed to undergo ultrasonic tests to identify any defects in the welded joints.

In October 2019, ISF delivered a flange that had failed an ultrasonic test. To conceal the failed test, Stegeman re-assigned ISF employees who knew about the failed test, his plea agreement says. He then altered the ultrasonic testing report to make it appear as if that flange had passed. Another flange had not been tested and Stegeman told others to falsify a test to make it appear as if the part had passed. 

Stegeman pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of wire fraud. 

On Thursday, Judge Clark called Stegeman’s conduct dangerous and said evidence suggested that he had knowledge of the risks that his conduct created.

The Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – One current and one former employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs have been indicted and accused of fraudulently obtaining pandemic loans.

Kahroun Armstrong, also known as Kahroun Leflore, 48, of Black Jack, Missouri, was indicted September 4 on two counts bank fraud, two counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement. Dortatius L. Hill, 41, of St. Louis, was indicted separately on the same day on the same charges.

Armstong and Hill appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Armstrong is no longer employed by the VA.

Hill's indictment accuses him of applying for two Paycheck Protection Program loans for a company called “Dortatius Hill,” once on April 2, 2021, and again on April 9, 2021. Hill falsely claimed the company had gross income of $120,000. He received one $20,833 loan on April 16, 2021, and another on May 5, 2021. Hill later fraudulently sought loan forgiveness. 

The PPP loans were supposed to be used to save jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The indictment accuses Armstrong of fraudulently seeking a PPP loan on behalf of Arm & Arm In Home Health Care Services LLC on March 29, 2021, and another on behalf of Arm & Arm Motors LLC the same day. Armstrong falsely claimed the health care company was founded in 2018 and had $145,655 in gross income and Arm & Arm Motors had gross income of $155,000, the indictment says. He falsely claimed that both loans would be used for payroll costs, rent, utilities and other expenses, it says. He received a loan for each business of $20,832, and later successfully sought forgiveness of the loans.

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.

Bank fraud is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine, or both prison and a fine. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Making a false statement is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Roy is prosecuting the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from the unincorporated community of Patterson, in Wayne County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted producing images and videos containing child sexual abuse material for years.

Kevin D. Carroll, 59, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. He admitted producing child sexual abuse material by taking pictures and videos of a child starting when the victim was 8 years old. Carroll said he took pictures and videos for about four years. An investigation began when deputies with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department were called to Carroll’s home for a domestic dispute and seized electronic devices containing the child sexual abuse material.

As part of the plea, both sides will recommend 25 years in prison at Carroll’s sentencing, which is scheduled for December 11.

The FBI and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter 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.