Eastern District of Missouri
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
St. Louis Man Admits Committing Pandemic Loan FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man on Wednesday admitted fraudulently obtaining $41,484 in loans intended to help struggling businesses during the pandemic.
Robert Baines, 44, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two felony counts of wire fraud. He admitted fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans in 2021. He also agreed to pay full restitution.
Baines applied for a first draw PPP loan on March 31, 2021, and a second draw PPP loan on April 9, 2021. In the loan applications, Baines falsely claimed that he was self-employed and had earned gross income of $99,563 in 2019. He submitted a forged IRS form with his applications to bolster his claims. Baines was not self-employed and did not earn any of the claimed self-employment income. In his application for the second-draw loan, Baines falsely claimed that he’d suffered at least a 25% reduction in gross income between 2019 and 2020.
The PPP loans were designed to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and, accordingly, were to be used for business-related purposes, such as to cover payroll, utilities, and rent or mortgage payments. Instead, Baines instead used the money for restaurants, travel, clothing and other retail items.
Baines is scheduled to be sentenced November 12. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.
The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.
Franklin County Man Admits Child Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Franklin County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted exchanging cash and other items of value for sex with a 14-year-old girl.
Theodore “Ted” John Sartori Sr., 63, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to a felony charge of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He admitted that from the winter of 2013 to the summer of 2016, he provided cash, a car, a motorcycle, Christmas presents and vacations to a friend in exchange for access to the victim, a 14-year-old girl.
As part of his plea, Sartori has also agreed to pay more than $25,000 in restitution to his victim.
Sartori is scheduled to be sentenced November 6. The charge carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison.
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 case was investigated jointly by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, with assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting the case.This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Missouri Sex Offender Admits Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender from Chesterfield on Tuesday pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession of child pornography.
Charles R. Hamilton, 65, of Chesterfield, admitted possessing 1,288 image files and 185 video files containing child sexual abuse material on his phone.
The investigation began in May of 2023, when law enforcement officers in Alabama identified a Kik social media account that was being used to distribute child sexual abuse material. They traced the account to Hamilton, a convicted sex offender with an active sex offender registration requirement. When investigators interviewed Hamilton on his front porch on May 25, 2023, he denied possessing any unregistered social media accounts but consented to a search of his phone. That search revealed an email account appearing to match the account associated with the Kik user. Hamilton then admitted using the Kik account but denied using it to distribute child pornography. Investigators later found images of child pornography matching those distributed via the Kik account. A forensic examination found that Defendant had used Kik, Instagram and Telegram accounts to receive and transmit child pornography, Hamilton’s plea agreement says.
Hamilton is scheduled to be sentenced February 13, 2025.
The FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation 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.
Mexican National Admits Being Caught with Gun, Fake IDRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Mexico on Tuesday admitted being caught with a firearm and fraudulent identification documents after a road rage incident in St. Charles, Missouri.
Donnovan Mallen, 21, of Berkeley, Missouri, pleaded guilty to illegal entry and unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. He admitted that on Feb. 26, 2021, the St. Charles Police Department was called to the 1500 block of Beale Street for a “shots fired” call. They found Mallen and a Dodge Charger with a shattered rear window. Mallen, who had a fraudulent Permanent Resident Card and Social Security card, denied any involvement in the incident. After further investigation by officers, Mallen admitted that while he was driving to work, a vehicle followed him and fired four shots at him. Mallen said he fired once into the air. Police found a loaded 10mm semi-automatic pistol under the front passenger seat.
At the police station, Mallen admitted buying the pistol for protection from an acquaintance for $750 and the fraudulent identification for $150 to obtain employment, his plea agreement says. There is no record of Mallen lawfully entering the United States, the plea says.
Mallen is scheduled to be sentenced November 5.
Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Charles Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Man Admits Stealing Guns, Other Items from Farm and Home Store in PotosiRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A Missouri man on Monday admitted stealing firearms and other items from a farm and home store in Potosi, Missouri in 2021.
Gregory Snyder, 45, of Bismarck, in St. Francois County, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to theft of firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer and possession of body armor by a violent felon.
He admitted in his guilty plea that he hid in the store on Sept. 19, 2021. He emerged after closing time to steal power tools, camping gear and 13 guns, including eight rifles and five shotguns. Snyder loaded the guns and some of the other stolen goods in his car, and then took them to a river in eastern Washington County. He returned early the next morning for more, but by then, Potosi Police Department officers had spotted evidence of the burglary. They stopped and questioned Snyder, who no longer had the stolen goods in his car. They arrested Snyder later that day. He denied being involved in the burglary but was drinking a Mountain Dew that had been stolen from the store. He was also wearing clothing matching that worn by the burglar and had stolen Kevlar vests in his car.
Two of the shotguns have been recovered. The other guns are among more than $12,000 in stolen goods that remain missing.
Snyder is scheduled to be sentenced November 6.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Potosi Police Department are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Nino Przulj is prosecuting the case. Anyone with information about the stolen firearms is asked to contact the ATF at 314-768-3120 or online at https://www.atf.gov/contact/atf-tips or the Potosi Police at 573-438-5468.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Man Admits St. Louis CarjackingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Monday admitted carjacking and robbing two people in St. Louis, Missouri in 2023.
Bradley C. McKinney, 35, pleaded guilty to carjacking, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and possession of a machine gun. McKinney admitted as part of his plea agreement that shortly after midnight on July 29, 2023, he and an accomplice were both armed with handguns when they approached two people who had just exited a 2015 Chevy Cruze near the intersection of 16th Street and Lucas Avenue. The robbers rummaged through the victims’ pockets and took the keys to the Cruze and other valuables. McKinney’s associates pulled up in a white GMC Terrain and McKinney got into the Cruze with another accomplice. Both vehicles then sped off.
After the victims called police, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) found footage of the vehicles crossing into Illinois. Investigators identified the GMC Terrain and put out a “wanted” for both vehicles. Later that morning, the Cruze was found abandoned in East St. Louis with the key still in the ignition.
About 25 hours after the carjacking, the RTCC received a license plate recognition hit for the GMC Terrain, and officers used a spike strip to deflate several tires. McKinney was the driver and sole occupant. In plain view beneath the driver seat, officers noticed a black Glock 17 handgun with an extended magazine and an auto-sear, or “switch,” installed, making it a machinegun. McKinney admitted owning the fully automatic Glock, knowing that he was a convicted felon and prohibited from doing so.
McKinney is scheduled to be sentenced November 6. Both sides have agreed to recommend a sentence of 19 years in prison.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the East St. Louis Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Zachary Bluestone 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.
Missouri Woman Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Pandemic Loan FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a woman who fraudulently obtained $135,622 in pandemic loans for herself and helped others get hundreds of thousands more to 41 months in prison and ordered her to repay the money.
Edna E. McGowan-Baker engaged in a scheme between May 2020 and September 2021 to fraudulently obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, which were intended to aid small businesses in paying and retaining employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
McGowan-Baker applied for seven PPP loans for five different companies in her name, only two of which were in operation. On the loan applications, McGowan-Baker falsified the companies’ payroll, number of employees and annual income to inflate the amount of PPP loan money she could receive. She also submitted fraudulent tax forms with the applications. McGowan-Baker certified on the applications that she would use the loans for payroll and other authorized expenses but used the money for her own bills and to make personal purchases and payments to others. She also submitted fraudulent applications for PPP loan forgiveness, falsely stating that she used the loans for authorized expenses.
During Thursday’s sentencing hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow an an FBI special agent said McGowan-Baker also prepared and submitted fraudulent PPP loan applications for others in exchange for a cut of the loans that they received, taking “advantage of this once-in-a-generation crisis,” Clow said in a sentencing memo.
McGowan-Baker, 48, pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud and two counts of bank fraud. She was ordered Thursday to repay $149,194, representing the fraudulent loans she received, interest and loan processing fees.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow 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.
Former Des Peres Alderman Sentenced to 5 Years of Probation, Ordered to Repay $292,000 for EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former alderman in Des Peres, Missouri was sentenced on Thursday to five years of probation and ordered to repay $292,305 that he embezzled from clients.
John Pound, 81, pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to three counts of wire fraud. Pound admitted that from 2010 through June 30, 2020, he embezzled from two clients of his real estate management company, Commercial Realty Management Inc.
Pound’s company provided real estate management services to the owners of a commercial property on North Euclid Avenue in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Pound maintained bank accounts and paid bills on behalf of the owners. But he took significantly larger management fees, kept larger commissions and charged higher hourly rates than he was authorized to take. Pound prepared annual budgets which misrepresented the monthly management fee and concealed the inflated fees he was collecting. From 2006 through June 30, 2020, Pound paid himself $220,000 in commission payments that he had not legitimately earned. From Jan. 1, 2015, through Dec. 31, 2019, Pound made about 132 entries in QuickBooks falsely identifying a third-party payee when the money went to Pound.
Pound resigned from his elected position as an alderman in Des Peres, Missouri after his guilty plea.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll prosecuted the case.
Man who Set Fire to St. Louis Apartment Sentenced to 66 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Tuesday sentenced a man who set fire to his girlfriend’s apartment after threatening her with a gun to 66 months in prison.
Willie Latimore, 27, of St. Louis, was also ordered to pay $7,087 to the owners of the apartment building. Latimore pleaded guilty to one count of arson and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted setting fire to his then-girlfriend’s apartment in St. Louis on May 11, 2023.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers were called to the woman’s apartment on Washington Avenue downtown after he began attempting to kick her apartment door down. They arrived to find smoke coming from her apartment. Latimore had piled clothing on her stove and set it on fire. She was hiding at a neighbor’s apartment because he had threatened her earlier in the day with a gun.
St. Louis’ Real Time Crime Center tracked Latimore’s car, and police arrested him later that day after a brief vehicle and foot chase. Latimore dropped a handgun as he ran.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen 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.
Felon Who Robbed St. Louis Pizza Delivery Driver Sentenced to 9 1/2 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon who robbed a pizza delivery driver at gunpoint to nine and one-half years in prison.
Antione L. Shockley ordered wings and two pizzas and had them delivered to a vacant home in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis on April 13, 2023. When the driver arrived, Shockley stepped out of a gangway and demanded the food at gunpoint.
On June 24, 2023, Shockley fired a handgun into the air in a school zone. After St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived, Shockley gave the gun to a woman, then pulled a stolen Ruger from his waistband and a rifle from inside his pants and dropped them on the ground. After he was arrested and while he was being booked by police, Shockley struck an officer, injuring the officer’s head.
Shockley is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing firearms.
As part of his agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office to resolve all charges, Shockley has pleaded guilty to firearm and resisting arrest charges in St. Louis Circuit Court, where he was sentenced in January to seven years in prison.
Shockley, 26, pleaded guilty in January in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one robbery charge and one count of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone prosecuted the case.
Teen Admits Two St. Louis Area CarjackingsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man on Monday admitted committing two carjackings in the St. Louis area a year apart.
Ramon D. Davis, 19, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of carjacking and two counts of brandishing and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Davis admitted stealing a Mazda 3 at gunpoint in 2021 and a little over a year later, a Mercedes SUV.
On Nov. 7, 2021, Davis, Montrell Jackson and a juvenile male were walking past an alley when they saw an older man unloading his 2006 Mazda 3 and decided to carjack the man. Davis was armed with a stolen handgun. Jackson was also armed with a handgun. They demanded the victim’s keys, then sped off down the alley.
Hours later, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center cameras spotted the stolen Mazda. After a chase involving both St. Louis police and officers from the Hazelwood Police Department, Davis crashed and was arrested after hiding under a semitrailer nearby. Officers recovered two handguns from the stolen car.
On Nov. 11, 2022, Davis and others were in a stolen BMW when they saw a 2017 Mercedes GLS550 SUV parked in front of a CVS on Watson Road in Webster Groves. Davis had a red/burgundy AR-style pistol and confronted an occupant of the Mercedes with it before pushing her to the ground. Davis and one of the others, Tristan T. Davis, then drove off in the stolen SUV. They were arrested four days later.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 7. The carjacking charges carry a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and the brandishing charges carry a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of seven years consecutive to any other sentence.
Jackson, 20, and Tristan Davis, 20, have pleaded guilty to carjacking and brandishing charges.
The St. Louis County Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI, the Webster Groves Police Department and the Hazelwood Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone 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.
Missouri Man Admits Being Caught on Interstate 44 with Nearly 3 Pounds of MethRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A western Missouri man on Monday admitted being caught with nearly three pounds of methamphetamine after a high-speed police chase that started and ended on Interstate 44 in Franklin County.
Antonio D. Braxton, 49, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He admitted intending to distribute the drug.
On July 2, 2022, a Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy pulled over a dark blue Pontiac Trans Am for improperly passing a tractor-trailer. The Trans Am also bore a license plate that was “not on file.” Braxton initially refused to provide his registration and argued with the deputy. When that deputy called for backup, Braxton sped off. He led law enforcement officers on a 23-mile pursuit that involved several major roads and speeds exceeding 100 mph. He eventually stopped on Interstate 44 and was arrested by officers from the Eureka Police Department. When officers approached the car, they saw three cellophane-wrapped packages on the passenger side floorboard. After obtaining a search warrant, investigators recovered the packages, which contained 1.339 kilograms of nearly pure meth.
Braxton is scheduled to be sentenced October 30. The meth distribution charge carries a penalty of ten years to life in prison, a $10 million fine or both prison and a fine.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Eureka Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the St. Louis County Police Department and the Pacific Police Department investigated or assisted with the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Voss is prosecuting the case.
Missouri Church Officials, Others Accused of $1.2 Million Pandemic Loan FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A Monroe County, Missouri church official was arrested Friday after having been indicted and accused of participating in a more than $1.2 million pandemic loan fraud scheme.
Kenneth C. Sparks III, 54, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Florida. A grand jury indicted Sparks on July 17 with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, eight counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
The indictment says at the time of the allegations, Sparks worked as a visiting minister at Faith Walk Ministry, a church in Paris, Missouri. Harold G. Long was the lead minister and chief executive officer of the church, Mya M. McClain was administrative assistant and Javonte D. Long was a member. Jeffrey C. Oboite lived in Maryland, and operated businesses called Angel's Management Group LLC, Emerald Score LLC and O&S Construction LLC.
Oboite and McClain were indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and seven counts of wire fraud. Harold Long faces one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud. Javonte Long faces one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud.
The indictment says Oboite taught Sparks and McClain how to submit fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Oboite and Sparks both submitted or caused to be submitted fraudulent loan applications in their own names, and received at least $200,000, the indictment says. Included among those fraudulently-obtained loans was $147,900 from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, the indictment says. The EIDL program was another Small Business Administration program intended to help struggling business owners during the pandemic.
The conspirators also obtained more than $1 million in PPP loans in the names of others, the indictment says. Sparks abused his position of authority as a minister by obtaining the trust of church members, and then obtained their personal and financial information so he could seek loans in their name, the indictment says. Harold Long assured church members that Sparks could be trusted with that information, the indictment says. Sparks also claimed that he was an "Apostle" of God, whose decisions and decrees could not be questioned, it says. Sparks sometimes told church members that they needed to provide their personal and financial information so he and others could fix their credit scores, the indictment says, or that their information would be used to secure funding for the church. Sparks told McClain to create email addresses in the name of church members and told parishioners to open new accounts at a credit union, it says. Sparks also commissioned the creation of false and fraudulent tax documents, the indictment says.
Sparks and Oboite also told McClain and Harold Long to submit fraudulent PPP loan applications for businesses purportedly owned by Long, the indictment says.
When suspicious credit union officials froze some of the parishioners’ accounts, Sparks and Oboite coached church members on the lies they should tell bank officials to free the funds, the indictment says.
Sparks reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars from the scheme, the indictment says, and used the money for luxury vehicles, clothing and merchandise.
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. Each aggravated identity theft count carries a mandatory, consecutive two-year prison sentence.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
“This arrest proves the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s commitment to stopping those who perpetrate mail 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 continue to aggressively pursue fraudsters who are driven by greed.”
“We all know the pandemic relief loan programs were created for those whose businesses were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The American public is tired of hearing about fraudsters using the programs to enrich themselves and they want to know that those responsible are being investigated and held accountable,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Murdock, St. Louis Field Office. “IRS CI is committed to investigating these crimes and doing our part to achieve justice for all victims and taxpayers.”
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.
Store Gift Card Fraud Leads to 3 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man who victimized a nationwide retailer by stealing tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of gift cards was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp also ordered Rashad Niles Shahid, 27, to repay $88,269 to the store.
Shahid pleaded guilty in April to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. He admitted using the employee identification number of various store employees in a scheme to add value to store gift cards. He traveled to the area with others from his home in Michigan to execute the scheme. He targeted stores in Maplewood, Manchester, Florissant, and Shrewsbury, Missouri before he was arrested by the Manchester Police Department.
The U.S. Secret Service, the Manchester Police Department, the Maplewood Police Department, the Shrewsbury Police Department and the Florissant Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Roy prosecuted the case.
Missouri Man Caught with Methamphetamine and Child Pornography Sentenced to 140 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a St. Charles County man caught with child pornography and methamphetamine to 140 months in prison.
The case began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip that someone had been sharing child sex abuse material via a Kik Messenger account. A detective with the St. Charles County Cyber Crimes Task Force traced the account to Roman Van Stone’s home in O’Fallon, Missouri. A court approved search of the home revealed two handguns and an AR-15 rifle and bags containing a total of 68.5 grams of meth. He also had child pornography on his iPhone.
Van Stone, now 52, pleaded guilty in April to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department Special Investigations Unit 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.
University City Felon Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a felon who fled from police and was caught with a gun after a shooting to nine years in prison.
On June 25, 2022, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers heard gun shots coming from the area of North Garrison Avenue and Magazine Street, in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood. Officers also saw a maroon Chevrolet Traverse, which was being driven by Sheltkeem Brown, speed away. Brown ignored officers’ lights and sirens and continued to drive recklessly until crashing into a parked vehicle at North Sarah Street and Cottage Avenue. He then fled on foot before being caught and arrested. Brown had fentanyl capsules in a plastic baggie in his pocket. Inside the Traverse, which had been stolen, was a loaded.40-caliber semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number. Brown is a convicted felon and is barred from possessing a firearm.
Brown, 31, of University City, Missouri, pleaded guilty in April to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Goeke 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.
Armed Felon who Fled Police Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a felon who fled from police while armed to 10 years in prison.
Antonio Lenarr Williams, 33, of Ferguson, Missouri, pleaded guilty in April to two felony counts of conspiring to possess a weapon by a felon.
He admitted that on May 5, 2021, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers spotted a vehicle in which Williams was driving heading south on Kingshighway Boulevard. Williams was being sought by police in connection with an investigation. After police deployed spike strips, Williams continued driving on deflated tires in midday traffic. He drove erratically, crossing into oncoming traffic and through red lights while trying to escape from officers. After going through the intersection of Kingshighway and Lindell boulevards, Williams jumped out of the vehicle and ran with a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his hand. He threw the gun in a dumpster shortly before his arrest by police, his plea agreement says.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
St. Louis County Woman Sentenced for Helping Her Son Fake a DisabilityRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri woman to five years of probation and 18 months of house arrest and ordered her to repay $131,155 for helping her son fake a mental disability for more than 13 years as well as defrauding the Social Security Administration to obtain benefits for herself.
Zella Rives, 57, of Edmundson, bolstered her son’s false claims of disability from 2010 to 2013 by concealing his lies and acting as representative payee for him. Zella Rives fraudulently confirmed Gino Rives’ eligibility in 2019, concealing his ownership of multiple houses and vehicles, his ability to earn income and his relationship with his girlfriend, her plea agreement says.
Zella Rives pleaded guilty in February to five counts of theft of government funds and one count of making a false statement.
“Zella Rives held a position of trust for 13 years as a representative payee, which she misused in fraudulently obtaining Supplemental Security Income benefits for her son. She concealed that he was not disabled, and falsely reported about his employment and resources so his benefits would continue,” said Elena Torres Burfield, Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Midwestern Cooperative Disability Investigations Division. “This sentence demonstrates that her criminal actions are punishable under the law and my office will continue to protect SSA’s disability programs for those who are truly eligible to receive them. I thank the U.S. Secret Service for their work in this investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this case.”
In June, Judge Clark sentenced Gino Rives, 36, of Edmundson, to 87 months in prison for the disability fraud case and a separate case involving his financial exploitation of two elderly women. Gino Rives obtained four vehicles and checks totaling more than $855,000 from one woman and used her debit card for personal purchases for himself and his family. He executed a quit claim deed and transferred a house belonging to the other victim into his name before.
The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted the case.
Missouri-Based Defense Department Contractor Sentenced for FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a former Defense Department contractor from St. Charles County, Missouri to five years of probation and fined him $50,000 for illegally obtaining parts for the military overseas.
David Murar, 73, has already repaid $166,710.
Murar undercut domestic suppliers by obtaining parts from China and other foreign countries. He violated the law by providing diagrams of necessary parts and other “military critical technical data,” which was restricted and protected information, to foreign individuals and/or entities to obtain those parts. He did so despite signing agreements not to provide access to that data to anyone other than his employees or other eligible persons and comply with U.S. export control laws and regulations. He also agreed to comply with laws and other restrictions requiring certain items purchased by the Defense Department to be domestically sourced.
The parts were sent to his home. Murar then discarded their original packaging and repackaged them to conceal their origin overseas, his plea says.
Murar also fraudulently used his wife’s name to gain a competitive advantage for one of his companies by claiming it was a woman-owned small business, when he was really the actual owner and operator.
From roughly April through October of 2022, Murar bid on and received at least nine U.S. government contracts by way of fraudulent misrepresentations. Murar fraudulently obtained contracts worth at least $333,465 for parts including nuts, bolts, washers, sleeves, and tools. Murar owned three businesses: Midwest Metals, St. Louis Loft Metals, and Florence Metals.
In a statement read to the court, the Defense Logistics Agency said it must now obtain replacements from responsible contractors while the military services wait for parts to support their weapon systems. “It is, of course, always possible that the non-conforming parts make their way into weapon systems before DLA can identify them, which may affect safety and military readiness,” the statement said. The agency said it does “not believe there is a way to quantify the harm, but the impacts to national security are nonetheless tangible and real.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cort VanOstran said in court that Murar’s crime “risked potential for danger to the United States Armed Forces.”
Murar pleaded guilty in February in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He had already been suspended from government contracting.
“Today’s outcome demonstrates the commitment of the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and our partners, to safeguard the DoD supply chain and ensure the safety of the warfighter,” stated Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Settle, DCIS Southwest Field Office. “DCIS will continue to pursue companies who supply substandard products, circumvent export control laws, and fraudulently represent products as U.S. made. These violations put the warfighter at risk and seriously undermine military readiness and security.”
The General Services Administration Office of Inspector General, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General's Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, Fraud Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Drake and Cort VanOstran prosecuted the case.
Disposal of Evidence in Fatal Shooting Leads to 87-Month Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a woman who disposed of evidence in a drug-linked fatal shooting in 2023 to 87 months in prison.
On Aug. 2, 2023, Nichole Cheri Birr was riding in a 2012 Ford Fusion with a man, identified in court documents as “T.W.,” who had a large quantity of drugs. A buyer contacted her via Instagram and arranged to make a drug purchase in the 3100 block of Brantner Place in St. Louis. T.W. and the customer, who were both armed, suddenly began exchanging gunfire. Birr fled with the drugs and T.W.’s phone in the Ford. T.W. was able to tell police before he died that Birr and another man had fled in the car.
Birr tried to clean out the Ford and dispose of it to impede the investigation into T.W.’s murder. On August 4 she traded it in for a Nissan Altima. The dealer noticed and mentioned damage from shots that had been fired within the vehicle, to which Birr replied with words to the effect of, “You have no idea,” her plea agreement says.
Birr then fled to Florida, where she was arrested 10 days after the shooting.
Birr, 31, pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to a felony charge of disposal of evidence.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case.
Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for St. Louis County Cab Driver’s Fatal RobberyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday sentenced a man who instigated the fatal robbery of a cab driver in Hazelwood, Missouri in 2022 to 30 years in prison.
Tywon Harris, now 21, was one of four teens involved in the robbery of Dewight Price, 54, on April 24, 2022. All four have pleaded guilty and been sentenced.
On April 24, 2022, after leaving a party in downtown St. Louis, Harris called for a cab. He and the three other teens had walked to a gas station in the 700 block of North Tucker Boulevard. Harris and Trishawn Jones were each armed with a semiautomatic handgun, but Harris gave his to Coron Dees to carry in a cross-body bag.
The four planned to take the taxi to a fake address near Jeremiah Allen’s home, then run away without paying. After learning that they would have to prepay for the ride, they began discussing plans to rob Price.
In court Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel said Harris “took the lead in planning” the robbery, which led to everything that followed.
The teens told Price to drive to Hazelwood Central High School, thinking there would be no witnesses there at that time. Dees and Jones then robbed Price at gunpoint. After Price handed cash to Jones, Price grabbed a firearm he kept in his door. Allen warned the others that Price had a gun.
Price began to get out, but Harris opened his door, knocking Price to the ground. Jones saw Price’s gun and fired once, striking Price in the torso. The teens then ran away without aiding Price or calling for help.
Dees, now 21, and Allen, 20, pleaded guilty to a robbery charge. Jones, 20, and Harris pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting in the commission of a murder.
Dees is serving a 17-year prison sentence. Jones was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Allen was sentenced to 12 ½ years in prison.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel prosecuted the case.
Former Teacher Admits Producing Child Pornography with Hidden CamerasRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former St. Louis County, Missouri teacher on Monday admitted possessing child pornography and producing child pornography with hidden cameras.
Joseph R. Gutowski, 42, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of producing of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography.
Gutowski admitted hiding cameras in his office at Lafayette High School in Wildwood and in his home. He secretly filmed minors and traded some of those images with others online, his plea agreement says. He was also a member of an underground child pornography group on Mega, a cloud storage service, and traded videos he’d secretly recorded of an adult in the “Club Creep” group on Mega.
Gutowski tried to delete child sexual abuse material from nearly all of his electronic devices before they were seized by law enforcement, his plea says. He deleted 25,377 files from his Dropbox account alone.
Gutowski is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 23, 2024. The production charge carries a potential penalty of 15 to 30 years in prison and the receiving charge carries a potential penalty of five to 20 years in prison.
The FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department Special Investigations Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Missouri Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a Warren County, Missouri man who possessed child sexual abuse material on phones and a laptop to 96 months in prison.
Judge Autrey also ordered Jacob D. Beauchamp, 46, to pay $51,000 in restitution to victims who appeared in the images and videos he collected.
Beauchamp admitted possessing 146 images containing child sexual abuse material on his Apple iPhone, about 1,800 on his Samsung phone and numerous images that were running as a screensaver on his laptop.
Beauchamp, of Wright City, pleaded guilty in April to one count of possession of child pornography.
The Wright City Police Department and the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force 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.
Illinois Carjacker Sentenced to 96 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Wednesday sentenced a man who helped carjack a woman in St. Louis to 96 months in prison.
Brandon Best, of Cahokia, Illinois, and at least two others drove from East St. Louis to the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis on the evening of July 11, 2022, to steal cars. Shortly after midnight, a woman walked from a residence to her 2011 Kia Optima. A sedan pulled up, Best got out and ran toward the victim and her car. The victim was able to get in her car and close the door, but Best re-opened the door and either pulled her out or ordered her out as a second carjacker got into the driver’s seat. The second carjacker was armed with a pistol and Best admitted that he knew that fact.
The victim told investigators that the second carjacker pointed the gun at her and that someone told her not to move and demanded her keys.
About 15 minutes later at a gas station roughly one mile away, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers spotted the stolen Kia. Best and the other carjacker fled in the car to Illinois. The chase ended back in St. Louis, where Best got out near Interstate 44 and Jefferson Avenue and ran across the interstate to try and elude officers. He was arrested behind a home with his 9mm pistol nearby.
Best, 21, pleaded guilty in April to a carjacking charge and a charge of possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
These cases were investigated by the FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Felon Caught with Silenced Pistol Sentenced to 70 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon who was caught in someone’s back yard with a silenced pistol to 70 months in prison.
On Oct. 13, 2022, the St. Charles Police Department responded to a call about a man in the 200 block of Blanche Drive. A witness told police that the man was in the rear yard of a home and had been waving a firearm in a threatening manner. The officer discovered Christopher Leach in the gated back yard. When the officer drew his gun and identified himself as a police officer, Leach ran away, tossing the gun into a bush. The officer used a Taser on Leach, who initially refused to put his hands behind his back. The officer found the gun, a loaded .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol with a firearm silencer attached to the barrel. Leach is a felon, having been convicted of offenses including stealing, drug possession, unlawful possession of an illegal weapon and distribution of a controlled substance. He was on parole when he was arrested.
Leach’s sentence will run consecutive to any sentence he receives for pending parole revocation matters in Phelps County Circuit Court.
Leach, 28, of Rolla, Missouri, pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The St. Charles Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Youth Sports Coach Sentenced to 140 Months for Seeking Sex with TeenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a former youth sports coach to 140 months in prison for trying to have sex with a 13-year-old girl.
On Sept. 24, 2023, Trevor White sent a text to a 13-year-old girl that he knew. White was 41 at the time. He asked for her photo, and in a series of messages about her clothing and their past interactions, probed for a “positive response” from the victim, his plea agreement says. He ended the conversation by sending her a photo of himself shirtless.
The teen reported the suspicious conversation to her parents, who contacted St. Louis County police. The teen’s parents allowed a detective to use her phone, assume her identity and continue the conversation. Over several days, White became increasingly sexually explicit and sought to arrange a meeting so they could engage in sex. He also requested sexually explicit photos of the “teen” and sent two explicit images to her.
On September 29, St. Louis County detectives arrived at White’s home to interview him. White admitted participating in the text conversations, admitted asking the teen for a photo of herself engaging in sexually explicit conduct and admitted arranging to pick her up and take her to a park to have sex with her.
White, of Fenton, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in April to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.
In a letter to the court, the teens’ parents said White obtained the teen’s contact information when he bought items for a fundraiser. “Within hours of that exchange, he had already begun to contact her via text message in ways that were inappropriate, predatory, and grotesque,” they wrote. “As you might imagine, she was very shaken and deeply troubled by this, and continues to be.”
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes 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.
Jefferson County Sex Offender Accused of New Child Sex CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender living in Park Hills, Missouri has been arrested after having been indicted and accused of child enticement and child pornography offenses.
Reginald M. Miller, 56, of Park Hills, Missouri, appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. Miller was indicted by a grand jury on July 10 with six felonies: enticement and coercion of a minor as a repeat offender, attempted travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct as a repeat offender, solicitation of child pornography as a prior offender, receiving child pornography as a prior offender, transfer of obscene material to a minor and commission of a felony involving a minor as a prior offender.
The indictment accuses Miller of attempting to coerce a minor under the age of 15 into engaging in sexual activity, crossing state lines to engage in a sex act with someone younger than 15, soliciting images containing child pornography, receiving images containing child pornography and sending picture of his genitals, all between Dec. 1, 2023, and April 29, 2024.
The LaSalle Police Department, LaSalle County Sheriff's Office, Park Hills Police Department and FBI’s St. Louis Division investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
The enticement charge is punishable by at least 10 years in prison and not more than three life sentences. The attempted travel charge is punishable by up to 90 years in prison. The solicitation of child pornography as a prior offender is punishable by between 15 and 40 years in prison.
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 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.
Ohio Man Sentenced to 65 Months in Prison for Swapping Fentanyl, Cash for Counterfeit PillsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Thursday sentenced an Ohio man who arranged to buy 200,000 counterfeit pills to 65 months in prison.
On June 27, 2021, Matthew Prunty, 31, of the Dayton area, sent another man to exchange $46,000 and 2,000 pills containing fentanyl for 200,000 counterfeit prescription pills at a state park in Franklin County, Missouri. The exchange had been arranged via an encrypted messaging app with an account that had been taken over by the FBI. Prunty’s courier and co-defendant, De Vonte Cole, was arrested after the exchange by the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Interstate 44. The pills Cole delivered contained a total of more than 240 grams of fentanyl.
Prunty pleaded guilty in January in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Cole is serving a 30-month sentence after also pleading guilty.
The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Man Who Orchestrated St. Louis Area Mail Theft Conspiracy Sentenced to 27 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –A man who orchestrated a conspiracy that stole checks from the U.S. mail and then committed bank fraud was sentenced Thursday to 27 months in prison.
U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp also ordered Dareon Graham to repay $46,434 to victims.
In 2022, Graham obtained a stolen key that opened mail collection boxes and gave that key to his codefendant Tyrell Hardin. Graham agreed to pay Hardin to steal mail and told him to target specific collection boxes in and around St. Louis County. Hardin gave the stolen mail to Graham, who opened the mail and removed checks. Graham then recruited bank and credit union account holders to allow their accounts to be used to deposit checks after Graham had altered them.
During the scheme, Graham deposited or caused the deposit of fraudulent checks totaling at least $103,457 and obtained $46,434 in proceeds.
“This sentencing is a statement that mail theft will not be tolerated, and the perpetrators will be brought 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 continue to partner with other law enforcement agencies to collectively pursue criminals who victimize postal customers.”
Graham’s case came at a time of rising incidents of mail theft and robberies of and attacks on U.S. Postal Service employees. The Postal Service has responded by, among other things, enhancing the security of mail collection boxes and enhancing investigations of crimes associated with the mail. There were 1,025 arrests associated with mail theft cases and 213 associated with robberies from May 12, 2023 through March 2024, the Postal Inspection Service says.
Graham, 23, of Ferguson, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit mail theft, bank fraud and possession of stolen mail matter. Hardin, 22, of Hanley Hills, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail theft and two counts of mail theft.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Maryland Heights Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department, the Chesterfield Police Department, the Frontenac Police Department, the St. Peters Police Department and the Town and Country Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case.
St. Charles County Man Caught with Child Pornography Sentenced to 97 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a man who was caught with child sexual abuse material to 97 months in prison.
Philip Daniel Shurtliff, 34, will also have to register as a sex offender.
Shurtliff pleaded guilty in February to two counts of receipt of child pornography. He admitted that after a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led the St. Charles County Cyber Crimes Task Force to his home, he told detectives that he had been trading child pornography for approximately 19 years. Shurtliff acknowledged that 42 files containing child sexual abuse material were in his Kik Messenger account and that investigators found 97 images and 27 videos containing child pornography on his phone.
The FBI and the St. Charles County Cyber Crimes Task Force 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.
Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Sex with TeenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Wednesday sentenced a registered sex offender to a decade in prison for crossing state lines to engage in sex with a minor.
Joshua T. Wilson, 23, of Monroe County, Missouri, met the 16-year-old victim in the spring of 2022. Wilson, a registered sex offender, and the teen then began interacting almost daily via online apps. They engaged in sexual conversations and exchanged sexual images. Wilson also met up with the teen and took her to Kansas. He engaged in unlawful sexual activity with her during the trip.
Wilson pleaded guilty in April to a charge of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in sexual activity.
The FBI and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Man Caught with Child Pornography After Approaching Children Sentenced to 11 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Wednesday sentenced a man caught with child pornography after approaching children in Kirkwood to 11 years in prison.
On April 12, 2022, Kirkwood Police Department officers were investigating allegations that Darrell Ray Sanders had approached children on the street. They identified Sanders as a person of interest and arrested him. At the police station, he admitted having child pornography on his cell phone. Investigators found images and videos containing child sexual abuse material on two cell phones belonging to Sanders.
Sanders, 29, of Jefferson County, Missouri, pleaded guilty in February in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.
The Kirkwood Police 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.
Armed Missouri Man Who Triggered Standoff Convicted of Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –A Missouri man who triggered a 19-hour standoff with law enforcement in 2022 was convicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis of a gun charge.
The jury found Stephen J. Thorp, 62, of Moberly, guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, members of a U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force were attempting to arrest Thorp on a warrant issued by the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole. Thorp was on parole after having been convicted of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in Marion County Circuit Court. The warrant was triggered by new charges of resisting arrest in Callaway County, Missouri.
After a member of the Fugitive task force learned that Thorp was at another man’s home in Randolph County, near Moberly, members of the task force and the Northern Missouri Drug Task Force went to that home on April 11, 2022. Two occupants exited the house and told officers that Thorp was inside. Thorp ignored loudspeaker announcements to leave. A robot and a K-9 were both unsuccessful in getting him out. After a search warrant was obtained, the Moberly SWAT team sent a drone into the home. Thorp fired three shots while the drone was in the house. The drone later captured video of Thorp with a gun in his hand before he used that gun to disable the drone, evidence and testimony showed. The Moberly SWAT later deployed a chemical agent which forced Thorp out of the house.
Court exhibit 7E.The U.S. Marshals Service, the Moberly Police Department, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office aided in the arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Finlen and Paul Rebar are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Two Former Missouri Police Officers Indicted for Federal Civil Rights ViolationsRead the Press Release
Two former Northwoods, Missouri, police officers were indicted last week for violating a man’s civil rights in 2023. One officer turned himself in yesterday, and the other turned himself in today.
Samuel Davis and Michael Hill were each indicted in relation to a July 4, 2023, encounter with a man, identified in the indictment as “C.G.,” after they were called to a Walgreens in Northwoods. Each were indicted on one count of conspiracy to intimidate C.G. in the free exercise and enjoyment of his right to be free from unreasonable seizure and deprivation of rights under color of law. Davis was also indicted on one count of engaging in misleading conduct with the intent to hinder, delay and prevent the communication of information relating to the possible commission of a federal offense and one count of altering records in a federal investigation. Hill was also indicted on one count of lying to the FBI.
According to the indictment, Hill, who was Davis’ supervisor, told Davis to take C.G. to Kinloch, Missouri. Davis then took C.G. to a field in Kinloch, where he struck the handcuffed man with his police baton. To cover up the incident, Davis told a dispatcher that C.G. was gone before Davis arrived at the Walgreens. Davis also allegedly turned off his body camera. The indictment also alleges Hill lied to FBI agents investigating the incident when he falsely stated that C.G. asked to go to Kinloch because he “had people” there.
If convicted, Davis and Hill each face a maximum penalty of life in prison for the charges of conspiracy to violate civil rights and deprivation of rights under color of law. Davis also faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for witness tampering and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for destruction of records. Hill faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for lying to the FBI. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Saylor A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri and Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI St. Louis Field Office and St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug for the Eastern District of Missouri and Trial Attorney Taylor Payne of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Man Involved in St. Louis Gas Station Shooting Sentenced to 11 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Monday sentenced a man involved in a shooting at a St. Louis gas station to 11 years in prison.
On August 8, 2022, Santino Taylor, 20, of University City, Missouri, was stopped by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers who were investigating a shooting at the Shell Gas Station at 2800 North Florissant Avenue two days earlier. In the car, they found a black 9mm pistol that was used in the shooting. They found a magazine that fit the gun and 70 capsules containing fentanyl on Taylor.
The police investigation revealed the victim of the shooting had exchanged words with a man and was advised by the man to leave the gas station parking lot. The victim did but returned a short time later. At that point, two men began shooting at the victim's vehicle. Police identified one of those shooters as Taylor. Taylor returned to the Shell two days later with a pistol tucked into his waistband.
Taylor pleaded guilty in March to three felonies: possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski 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.
Felon Caught Twice with Guns Sentenced to 78 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry on Tuesday sentenced a man who was caught with guns twice while on supervised release to 78 months in prison.
On May 28, 2022, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers tried to pull over a Nissan Maxima with no front license plate and a rear license plate belonging to a truck when the driver sped away. The vehicle traveled at a high rate of speed in an erratic manner violating traffic signs and causing other vehicles to take evasive action. The driver struck another vehicle before getting on Interstate 70. After exiting at Adelaide Avenue and stopping, Edward A. Crawford got out and ran away. When detectives arrested Crawford, they found a loaded .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol. Crawford said he tried to discard the gun on the interstate but only succeeded in throwing the magazine out.
After he was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, deputy U.S. Marshals arrested him on August 17, 2023, at a home in the 3400 block of Montana Street in St. Louis. They found a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol and four individually wrapped baggies containing cocaine base weighing a total of 25.95 grams. Crawford was on supervised release after pleading guilty in 2018 to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Crawford, 43, pleaded guilty in March.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Jefferson County Doctor, Staffers Accused of Conspiracy, Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A doctor with an office in St. Louis and two employees have been indicted in U.S. District Court and accused of illegally prescribing controlled substances and health care fraud.
Dr. David A. Parks, 66, James M. Bilderback, 58, both of Jefferson County, Missouri, and Michelle J. Scheer, 43, of St. Louis, were each indicted on a charge of conspiracy to illegally prescribe controlled substances and five counts of illegal prescribing of a controlled substance. Parks and Bilderback were also indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, eight additional counts of illegal prescribing of a controlled substance and 15 counts of making false statements related to health care matters.
The indictment alleges that from at least July 6, 2016, through Dec. 31, 2021, the three conspired to knowingly and intentionally prescribe controlled substances outside of the usual course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose. The conspiracy’s goal was to maximize their patient population and, in turn, their profit, the indictment says. Parks and Bilderback, the indictment alleges, also conspired to defraud Medicare, Missouri Medicaid and private health insurers by billing them for claims for services that falsely and fraudulently identified Parks as the provider, including at times when Parks was out of the country.
Parks ran David A. Parks, M.D., P.C., at 3960 Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis, and Bilderback was the clinical manager and clinical research coordinator and later married Parks, the indictment says. Scheer worked at the front desk.
Many patients regularly received Schedule II controlled substance prescriptions, including hydrocodone, oxycodone, and dextroamphetamine-amphetamine salts, the indictment says.
Parks was rarely present at the clinic, typically coming in one or two days per week for a few hours at a time, the indictment says. The staff used pre-signed prescriptions so patients could obtain controlled substances without being evaluated or having their medical records reviewed and while Parks was out of the office or on domestic or international trips, the indictment says. Bilderback or another staffer would sometimes forge Parks’ signature, it says.
After prescriptions began being processed electronically in the spring of 2019, Parks and Bilderback gave the cell phone used to approve prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances to staffers with no prescribing authority, the indictment says. Scheer used the cell phone and made unilateral prescribing decisions about prescriptions, including by changing the dosages, quantities, and types of controlled substances, it says.
All three authorized prescriptions for controlled substances that, in combination, increased the addictive, euphoric effects of the drugs, as well as the potential for overdoses and other adverse events, the indictment says. Parks and Bilderback instructed staff to not drug-test patients, thereby intentionally avoiding the detection of signs of drug abuse and diversion and all three gave “special treatment” to friends and family of Parks and Bilderback by issuing prescriptions for controlled substances whenever desired and without any requirement to see a provider, the indictment says.
Parks and Bilderback billed for services at a higher rate - as if Parks had performed them - even though a nurse practitioner or sometimes Bilderback performed them, the indictment alleges. Parks also failed to properly supervise nurse practitioners; he failed to review a minimum of 10% of the charts documenting the nurse practitioner’s activities and failed to stay within 75 miles by road of them while they were seeing patients, the indictment alleges.
“As we continue to combat the opioid crisis, our agency remains committed to investigating those involved in fraudulent schemes exploiting controlled substances for profit,” said Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Hanley of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This indictment demonstrates HHS-OIG’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to protect vulnerable individuals from harm and uphold the integrity of healthcare providers.”
“Medical professionals have a duty to ensure that their patients’ health and safety are their primary concern,” said Diversion Program Manager Kim Daniels, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s lead for the Diversion Program in Missouri, Kansas and southern Illinois. “When they abdicate this responsibility, they put lives at stake. Diverting medications for illegitimate purposes will get DEA’s attention and we’ll be relentless in pursuing medical staff to ensure the practice ends.”
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric is prosecuting the case.
Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to 188 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Wednesday sentenced a methamphetamine dealer to 188 months in prison.
Marcus M. Nelson, 42, of Cairo, Illinois pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to two counts of distributing methamphetamine. He admitted selling meth on two occasions to a confidential informant who told Drug Enforcement Administration agents about past purchases of multiple ounces of meth from Nelson. On July 10, 2023, Nelson sold 157 grams of meth for $1,600 to the informant at a Cape Girardeau home. On July 16, 2023, he sold 446 grams, or nearly one pound, of meth for a downpayment of $2,500 and a later payment of $700 more.
Nelson’s sentence will run consecutive to any prison sentence he receives for violating his parole on a robbery conviction. Nelson was sentenced to 140 months in prison after a 2001 conviction for conspiracy to distribute and distribution of cocaine base in the Southern District of Illinois.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case.
Former St. Charles County Youth Hockey Coach Sentenced to 75 Years in Prison for Recording His Sexual Abuse of Two MinorsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a former youth hockey coach who sexually abused two boys and recorded the abuse to 75 years in prison.
James R. Lambert, 42, of Lake St. Louis, sexually abused one victim over 50 times between 2007 and 2018, starting when the victim was 6 years old. The sexual abuse occurred in St. Charles County, Missouri and in other states and foreign countries where the victim was taken by Lambert. Lambert also recorded his sexual abuse of the victim on numerous occasions.
Lambert also admitted sexually abusing a second victim in St. Charles and St. Louis counties when that victim was between 6 and 9 years old.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson said Lambert displayed a “psychopathic level” of manipulation of his victims to keep them from disclosing the abuse and “true sadism” towards the children.
After the first victim came forward, an investigation discovered hundreds of files on Lambert’s electronic devices documenting his abuse of the second victim. They also found at least 1,185 files containing child sexual abuse material that Lambert obtained online.
Lambert pleaded guilty in February to two counts of production of child pornography, one count of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity, one count of receiving child pornography and one count of aggravated sexual abuse.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lake St. Louis Police Department, the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force and the Maryland Heights Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
"On behalf of the Lake Saint Louis Police Department we want to recognize all the hard work and effort put forth by our officers and staff, specifically Detective Sergeant Rick Frauenfelder and Detective Rebecca Hurwitz,” said Lake St. Louis Police Chief Chris DiGiuseppi. “We also appreciate our federal partners and the U.S. Attorney's Office who helped us seek justice for this horrific crime. Protecting children from those who would commit such heinous acts is one of the fundamental principles of why we, in law enforcement, serve in the criminal justice system."
“This sentencing shows the magnitude of what can happen when predators commit these types of heinous crimes that exploits the most vulnerable among us,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Kansas City, Mark Zito. “HSI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to eradicate child exploitation and protect our children from harm.”
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.
Felon Caught with Fentanyl, Cocaine Base Sentenced to 150 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon caught with guns, fentanyl and crack cocaine to 150 months in prison.
After an investigation by the FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department led to a May 2023 court-approved search of Devion X. Gordon’s home in Wellston, Missouri, investigators found a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol. They found 803 grams of fentanyl and 507 grams of cocaine base, $18,000 cash, four digital scales, two blenders with purple and white residue, boxes of plastic bags, empty blue and red capsules and two notebooks containing names, numbers, emails and dollar amounts owed and paid.
Gordon, 29, of Wellston, Missouri, pleaded guilty in March to charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Gordon is a convicted felon and is barred from possession of firearms.
The FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Goeke prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Missouri Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Child Pornography PossessionRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU –U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a man caught with over 3,000 images containing child sexual abuse material to five years in prison.
Jason M. Miller, 45, of Perryville, in Perry County, Missouri, was identified by a Missouri State Highway Patrol investigation as someone who was sharing child sexual abuse online. On Sept. 3, 2022, two files were identified, which led to the discovery of more child sexual abuse material. Investigators traced the computer to Millers’ address, and after a court-approved search of his home, Miller confessed to downloading and viewing child pornography. He said he had been doing so since he was a teenager and was addicted to it. More than 3,000 images containing child sexual abuse material were eventually found on his electronic devices.
Miller pleaded guilty in April to one count of possession of child pornography.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.Drug Dealer Sentenced to a Decade in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man who sold fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine base to a decade in prison.
Byron Green, 29, pleaded guilty in March to eight felony counts: a fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine distribution charge, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute a fentanyl analogue, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of distribution of fentanyl.
Green admitted that he was once part of the Guy Goolsby drug trafficking organization, which brought large quantities of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl to the St. Louis and Kansas City areas from Mexico via Texas and Florida. Green was a lower-level distributor within the organization. After Goolsby and his associates were charged and arrested, Green continued to obtain drugs from other members of the conspiracy and distributed fentanyl and meth from 2019 to 2023.
In 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration identified homes in St. Louis and St. Charles counties that Green was using. During a May 11, 2023, court-approved search of the St. Louis County home, investigators recovered plastic bags containing more than 1,200 fentanyl capsules, two ounces of cocaine base, two pounds of meth, five ounces of pure fentanyl, $33,255 cash, four pistols and diamond-encrusted jewelry bought with drug proceeds: a “Big B” necklace, a bracelet and a Rolex watch. In the St. Charles County home, they found more fentanyl in powder and capsule form, pill presses used to make pills and 12 blenders used to mix drugs.
Green is one of more than three dozen people who were convicted based on investigations associated with the Goolsby drug trafficking organization. Over 120 pounds of cocaine, fentanyl, and meth, $2 million in drug proceeds and payments and dozens of firearms were seized by law enforcement during the broader investigation.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the United States Marshals Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Mantovani and Geoffrey S. Ogden prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
St. Louis Man Admits Receiving Drugs in Mail, Shipping Drug CashRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –A St. Louis, Missouri man on Monday admitted receiving drugs shipped to St. Louis and mailing out the resulting drug proceeds.
Timothy Carter, 35, pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl. His co-defendant, A.D. Harris, 31, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty to the same charge in December.
Both men admitted receiving drugs in the mail and mailing the proceeds of the drug sales. On Aug. 23, 2021, investigators spotted a suspicious package being mailed to an address in the 4800 block of Allemania Street in St. Louis. The package was shipped in a retail box for a microwave. Harris then took the package to Carter’s home in the 7300 block of Hampshire Drive.
On Sept. 8, 2021, investigators spotted a microwave box being mailed from St. Louis to Texas. A court-approve search uncovered $28,500 in drug proceeds heavily wrapped inside the shell of a microwave, Carter’s plea agreement says. Fingerprints of Harris and Carter were on the microwave, the wrappings that concealed the currency, or both.
Investigators later identified another microwave box that was being shipped to an address associated with a Harris relative. On October 4, Harris picked up the package. When law enforcement tried to stop Harris, he fled at high speed to Carter’s house. Agents followed Harris into the garage and arrested both Harris and Carter.Investigators seized Harris’ vehicle, along with $11,000, several mobile devices, and a notebook with a drug ledger and receipts, including a receipt for the purchase of a microwave on Sept. 7, 2021. Agents recovered $4,000 in drug proceeds from a Harris relative and a package containing $7,000 in drug proceeds. A package in Harris’ vehicle contained 406.92 grams of fentanyl.
Carter is scheduled to be sentenced September 30. Harris was sentenced in March to 87 months in prison.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Casey is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Felon Caught Twice with Guns Sentenced to 100 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Monday sentenced a convicted felon from St. Louis, Missouri who was caught twice with a firearm and drugs to 100 months in prison.
Dawon Hennings, 40, pleaded guilty in March to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted being caught with a 9mm handgun and methamphetamine on April 12, 2022 by Saint Louis County Police Department officers engaged in a special enforcement detail within the North County Precinct. Officers had spotted a Kia Optima without a front license plate and pulled the vehicle over.
After Hennings was indicted and a warrant was issued for his arrest, detectives with the St. Louis County Police Department saw him walking on Lookaway Drive in St. Louis County on Dec. 26, 2022. Detectives arrested Hennings and found a stolen Glock .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol in his pocket, as well as a baggie containing meth and another containing a small amount of a mixture of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
St. Louis County Man Admits Fatally Shooting Acquaintance Before Stealing DrugsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –A man pleaded guilty Monday to three felony charges and admitted shooting a sleeping acquaintance in the head in a St. Louis County, Missouri home before stealing his jewelry and drugs.
Terry W. Winebarger, 52, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime resulting in death and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Winebarger admitted fatally shooting an acquaintance, referred to in the indictment as “J.S.,” in the head with J.S.’s 10mm Glock handgun on Feb. 18, 2023, in a home in Hanley Hills. Winebarger then stole the victim’s gun, jewelry and some methamphetamine that J.S. had bought earlier. J.S. was asleep when he was shot.
Winebarger had been picked up in Overland, Missouri, by the victim and his roommate earlier in the evening. Investigators later apprehended Winebarger leaving a bar.
Winebarger is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 30, 2024.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the St. Louis County Police Department, the Major Case Squad and the North County Police Cooperative investigated the case, with assistance from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Charles County Police Department.
St. Louis County Man Accused of Robbing Three BanksRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri who has been accused of robbing at least three banks appeared in court Monday.
Derrick Snulligan, 61, of Velda Village Hills, was charged by complaint in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on June 28 with bank robbery. Charging documents accuse Snulligan, also known as Derrick Jackson, of robbing a credit union in Florissant, Missouri and another in St. Louis, Missouri on June 27, as well as a credit union in Hazelwood on June 24.
In each robbery, Snulligan handed a threatening note to a teller demanding cash, the charging documents say.
Charges set forth in a criminal complaint are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI, the Florissant Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Northwoods Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison, Ordered to Pay More Than $1 Million for Elder Fraud and Disability FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man who financially exploited two elderly women while committing disability fraud to 87 months in prison and ordered him to repay more than $1.1 million.
Gino Rives, 36, of Edmundson, also agreed to return a house he obtained from one of the victims and will be ordered to return a total of six vehicles that he obtained from his two elderly victims. Judge Clark fined him $100,000.
Rives pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in January to five counts of theft of government funds in the disability fraud case. He pleaded guilty in October in the elder fraud case to one count of access device fraud and one count of fraudulently effecting transactions.
Rives admitted fraudulently receiving payments from the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Supplemental Security Income Program. Rives applied in 2010, claiming to have a mental health disorder. He repeatedly pretended to be incapable of answering basic questions during interviews and evaluations. He falsely claimed to have memory problems and difficulty concentrating, following instructions and completing tasks. He claimed he had never been employed, could not drive, was unable to handle his financial affairs and had no assets.
Rives concealed his employment in the construction and tree trimming industries, his participation in competitive mixed martial arts, his ownership of houses and vehicles, and his receipt of more than $721,692 since 2021. He now must pay the SSA $120,260.
Rives has also admitted financially exploiting two elderly women. He obtained four vehicles and checks totaling more than $855,000 from one woman for construction work on her house, most of which was never done. He also used her debit card for personal purchases for himself and his family. He executed a quit claim deed and transferred a house belonging to the other victim into his name. He moved her from her home and into a nursing home and permitted his mother to move into the home.
A nursing home administrator testified during the sentencing hearing that the victim was left at the facility with two sets of pajamas, two dresses, a pair of slippers, and a couple of sets of underwear. The victim received additional clothing purchased by the administrator and through donations obtained at the nursing home. The victim was left without “a single memento from her childhood or the international trips she made with her late husband,” a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry says. The memo says Rives was convicted in 2009 of another case involving the financial exploitation of the elderly and accused in a similar case in 2014.
Judge Clark ordered Rives to pay restitution of $1,042,848 in the elder fraud case.
Zella Rives, 57, admitted helping her son with the disability fraud. Austin James, a Jefferson County contractor, has also pleaded guilty and admitted aiding Rives with defrauding one of the victims. They have not yet been sentenced.
The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information about disability fraud is asked to contact the SSA Office of Inspector General fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271 or submit a report online at oig.ssa.gov/report. Concerns about suspected abuse or neglect of the elderly or disabled should be directed to Missouri’s Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 800-392-0210 or online at health.mo.gov/safety/abuse/.
Man Sentenced to 19 Months in Prison for Stealing Mail in ChesterfieldRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced Christopher Ali Pate, a man who stole mail from mailboxes in Chesterfield, Missouri, to 19 months in prison.
Pate, 32, pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of mail theft. His co-defendant, Eryk Campbell, 28, pleaded guilty to the same charge in February.
Both men stole mail from multiple mailboxes in Chesterfield on Aug. 28, 2023, at the direction of Pate, before driving to a gas station in St. Louis. When a police vehicle drove onto the gas station lot, Pate and Campbell fled and refused to stop for police, throwing stolen mail out of the vehicle as they drove away.
Campbell was sentenced to six months behind bars and 16 months of supervised release.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cort VanOstran prosecuted the case.
Arkansas Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Exchanging Nude Pictures with GirlRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced an Arkansas man who exchanged nude pictures with a minor for five years to 10 years in prison.
Joseph D. Najera, now 26, and the victim met in 2017 via Kik Messenger when Najera sent her a friend request. The victim was 12 and told Najera her age. Najera sent the victim artwork depicting nudity, pornography and graphic violence. He had her create drawings, and his instructions about what to draw became increasingly complex and sexual. On numerous occasions, Najera told the victim to perform sex acts during video chats, and to create pornographic images and pictures. He also sent her pornographic videos. Najera exerted control over the victim, telling her she was not allowed to talk with boys at school. He had to approve her makeup, her clothes and whether she cut her hair. He also had parental controls set up on her phone to monitor her actions. They discussed meeting in person but never did.
Najera, 25, of Lincoln, Arkansas, pleaded guilty in March to one felony count of coercion and enticement of a minor.
The FBI, the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force, the St. Charles County Police Department and the Montgomery City Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Louis Woman Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Aiding $291,000 Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced a St. Louis woman to 24 months in prison for conspiring to defraud a COVID-19 pandemic relief program.
Jeannine Buford, 46, changed the name of an existing company to Couture Trading Inc. with the Montana Secretary of State’s Office in April of 2020. She listed herself as the company president and Porshia L. Thomas as the director, vice president, secretary and treasurer. On July 15, 2020, Thomas, with Buford’s help, completed and submitted a fraudulent PPP loan application for Couture Trading.
Buford and Thomas falsely claimed the company was an operating business located in California, had 15 employees and an average monthly payroll of $120,000. They claimed the loan would be used for salaries and business expenses and submitted fake company bank records.
The bank issued a $291,000 PPP loan on Sept. 8, 2020. Thomas then wired $10,000 to Buford and wrote her a $65,000 check. Buford spent the money on personal expenses, including food, clothes, the $14,000 deposit on a 2017 BMW X6, a $5,000 couch and other furniture and $1,855 to rent a luxury apartment in downtown St. Louis.
Photo from a sentencing memo.The bank, realizing that something was amiss, recovered $206,000 of the loan money.
“For too many Americans, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unprecedented time of financial hardship, turmoil, and suffering. But for the defendant, it constituted a lucrative opportunity to line her pockets with relief payments earmarked for struggling Americans,” a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek J. Wiseman says. Buford’s crime was “motivated purely by greed,” the memo says.
Buford has been engaging in persistent fraud since 1999, including six felony fraud convictions for crimes including forging checks and selling counterfeit handbags, the memo says.
Buford pleaded guilty in February to wire fraud conspiracy. Thomas, now 33, pleaded guilty to a bank fraud charge. She has been sentenced to five years of probation. Both were ordered to repay the money.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek J. Wiseman is prosecuting the case.