Eastern District of Missouri
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Dunklin County Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison on Methamphetamine, Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Monday sentenced a man who was selling methamphetamine from his Dunklin County home to eight years in prison.
Anthony D. Emery, 48, of Kennett, pleaded guilty in December to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He admitted possessing methamphetamine that he intended to sell to others and a loaded firearm to protect the meth. Officers with the Kennett Police Department conducted a court-approved search of Emery’s home on May 3, 2022, after establishing probable cause that he was selling meth there. Officers found five bags of meth with a combined weight of nearly one kilogram, $4,398 in cash, digital scales for weighing drugs for sale and a loaded Smith & Wesson .38 Special Revolver.
The Kennett Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Man Who Killed a Woman During Two Carjackings Sentenced to 40 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Thursday sentenced a man from St. Louis, Missouri to 40 years in prison for killing a woman during one carjacking and shooting another woman during a carjacking a few weeks later.
Loyse Dozier, 21, fatally shot Laruth Jones on July 10, 2022, while stealing her Mercedes CLA 250. Jones had just parked at the Raqqa Mart at 352 Chambers Road, in Riverview, in St. Louis County. She was standing near the store’s entrance when she saw Dozier, who was wearing a full-face mask, get into her car. She confronted Dozier with her own pistol. During the resulting exchange of gunfire, Dozier fatally shot Jones. Before leaving in the stolen Mercedes, Dozier got out and stole Jones’ gun. He later set her car on fire in an alley in St. Louis.
On Aug. 1, 2022, Dozier shot another woman while trying to steal her car from a Walgreens at 1400 North Grand Boulevard in St. Louis. A masked Dozier walked onto the parking lot, opened the door of the victim’s Kia Optima and ordered her out. The victim got out and handed her keys to Dozier, who shot her twice with Jones’ stolen gun before getting in the Kia. An off-duty Florissant Police Department officer, who was working as a security guard inside the Walgreens, ran outside after the shooting and scared Dozier away. Dozier left his phone behind in the Kia.
Nine days later, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers spotted Dozier at a gas station at West Florissant and Adelaide Avenues. He ran, discarding the gun he’d stolen from Jones and a bag containing 5.76 grams of fentanyl. Dozier had cocaine base in 25 plastic baggies in his pocket when he was arrested. He is also a convicted felon and is barred from possessing a firearm.
At Thursday’s sentencing hearing, the surviving carjacking victim spoke of the impact of Dozier’s crimes, as did Jones’ sister.
Dozier pleaded guilty in December to four felonies: carjacking resulting in death, attempted carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury, being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin prosecuted the case.
Oklahoma Man Convicted of Murder-For-Hire of St. Louis SchoolteacherRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on March 19, 2024, found Phillip J. Cutler of Muskogee, Oklahoma guilty of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and the murder-for-hire of St. Louis Public School teacher Jocelyn Peters, and her unborn child, Micah Leigh, in 2016.
Prosecutors proved to jurors that Cutler was enlisted by his longtime friend, Cornelius M. Green, to commit the murders.
Green, 42, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty on Feb. 28, 2024 to the same charges. He admitted as part of his plea hiring his longtime friend, Cutler, to kill Peters. Peters was 31 weeks pregnant with Green’s child. Green was also involved in sexual relationships with several other women.
Green admitted during his plea that he used cash stolen from Carr Lane Middle School, where he was principal, to pay Cutler. On Feb. 28, 2016, Green texted Cutler and asked him to come to St. Louis during the week of March 20, 2016. Cutler asked if Green would be sending “the package,” and on March 7, Green sent Cutler a UPS package containing $2,500 cash.
On March 21, Cutler arrived in St. Louis via Greyhound bus, staying with Green’s sister. Green took a train trip to Chicago to establish his alibi for the murder, giving Cutler the keys to his Kia Optima and Peters’ apartment.
On March 24, Cutler drove Green’s car to Peters’ apartment in the 4200 block of West Pine in St. Louis, let himself in using Green’s keys, and shot Peters in the eye using a potato as a silencer. During his testimony, Cutler admitted seeing the 1992 film South Central, during which a character similarly used a potato as a silencer. Peters was working on baby shower invitations at the time she was killed.
At 6:14 a.m. the morning following the murder, Cutler confirmed to Green that Jocelyn and the baby had been killed. Following their conversation, Green bought his return train ticket, and Cutler then went to North Riverfront Park to dispose of evidence.
Upon arriving back in St. Louis, Green retrieved his car from Cutler and went directly to Peters’ apartment and called 911 to report her death. He repeatedly made false statements to law enforcement and others attempting to evade responsibility for his ordering of the murders and pretending he had no knowledge of the circumstances leading to the deaths. Cutler was detained for questioning that same night after attempting to retrieve the Kia Optima from the crime scene. When told he was being detained, Cutler ate two pieces of paper from a notebook in his pocket.
Green is scheduled to be sentenced June 5 and faces a sentence of life in prison. As part of the plea, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office has agreed to dismiss their case against Green for the murders if he is sentenced to life in federal prison.
Cutler is scheduled to be sentenced June 18. He faces life in prison on each charge.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) and the FBI investigated the case, which is being prosecuted in cooperation with the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Becker and Zachary Bluestone are prosecuting the case. Former SLMPD Detective Mark Biondolino was the case agent.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 65 Months in Prison for Drug, Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Thursday sentenced a man who was caught with fentanyl, methamphetamine and two fully automatic handguns to 65 months in prison.
Courtlend Green was spotted by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detectives with the Mobile Reserve Unit on Jan. 3, 2023, driving into the parking lot of a supermarket in the 8300 block of North Broadway where he was known to sell drugs. Because of his history of fleeing from police, officers deployed tire deflation devices in front of Green’s Honda Crosstour before activating their lights and trying to approach Green’s car. Green sped away before crashing into another vehicle at the intersection of North Broadway and Gimblin Road. Green got out and ran before officers caught and arrested him.
Green’s Honda contained two Glock handguns that were equipped with illegal “switches,” or auto sears, that converted them into fully automatic weapons. One was stolen and had a drum magazine. The other had an extended magazine. Green, who is a convicted felon and therefore barred from the possession of firearms, admitted both possessing the firearms and buying the Glock switches for them. Officers also found about 64 grams of meth and at least 18 grams of fentanyl.
Green, 27, pleaded guilty in December to being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
In June of 2022, Green pleaded guilty in St. Louis Circuit Court to involuntary manslaughter related to a shootout a short distance from the supermarket, according to a detention motion filed in the federal case.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Man Admits Home Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri on Thursday admitted using his brother’s identity to fraudulently obtain about $31,700 from the Missouri Medicaid Program.
Christopher J. Spencer, 46, waived indictment by a grand jury and pleaded guilty to five counts of making false statements relating to health care benefits. Spencer admitted making false statements from June 2018 to February 2022 in connection with claims for Medicaid-reimbursed personal care assistance services.
Spencer previously received those services, which can include housekeeping, meals, bathing, grooming and transportation, from his brother, who lived with Spencer. At that time, his brother was reimbursed for the services by the Missouri Medicaid Program and its vendors via a debit card. After his brother moved out in 2018, Spencer continued to submit, on a near daily basis, time sheets and Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) records falsely claiming that his brother was providing care for him. Spencer also submitted enrollment paperwork to the Medicaid vendor listing his brother as his personal care attendant and containing his brother’s forged signature. In reality, Spencer’s brother never provided services to Spencer after June 2018. Spencer retained the debit card used by the Missouri Medicaid Program and its vendors to reimburse his brother and spent the fraudulently-obtained payments deposited onto the card.
Between June 2018 and February 2022, Spencer fraudulently received about $31,700 on the debit card that he used for personal expenses such as bills, rent, groceries, shopping and hotels. He also used his brother’s name and personal information to obtain loans or advances on reimbursement payments from the Medicaid vendor.
“Through his scheme to defraud the Medicaid program, the defendant stole taxpayer funds meant to pay for legitimate services for eligible beneficiaries,” said Linda Hanley, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will hold accountable those who exploit federal health care system for personal gain.”
Spencer is scheduled to be sentenced August 4. Each false statement charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. Spencer will also be ordered to repay the money.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Area Pediatrician Indicted, Accused of Exchanging Prescriptions for Sex ActsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County, Missouri pediatrician was indicted Wednesday and accused of prescribing pain pills and other controlled substances in exchange for sex acts or cash.
The indictment charges Craig A. Spiegel, 67, with 17 counts of illegal distribution of controlled substances and six counts of making false statements related to health care matters. Dr. Spiegel and an acquaintance, April Bingham, 46, were also indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
The indictment says that since at least 2014, Dr. Spiegel repeatedly issued controlled substance prescriptions to numerous adult women – many of whom he met because he was their pediatrician when they were children – in exchange for sexual acts and sexual photographs, without regard for the patient’s medical condition or the medical necessity of the prescription. In many cases, Spiegel issued those controlled substance prescriptions even though he knew the recipients had a substance use disorder and he knew that issuing the prescription was illegal and could endanger the recipient’s mental health and physical safety, the indictment says. He also pressured reluctant women to engage in sex acts at his pediatrics office in Bridgeton, Missouri, the indictment says.
In a motion seeking to have Dr. Spiegel held in jail until trial, the government alleges that investigators are aware of at least 25 individuals with whom Spiegel exchanged controlled substance prescriptions for sexual acts or cash.
The indictment alleges that Dr. Spiegel ignored widely known “red flags” that can indicate prescription drugs are being abused or sold, endangering the well-being of the patients and the community. The indictment also lists a series of examples. One patient met Dr. Spiegel through a friend who told her that he would write any prescription she desired if she performed a sex act while topless. On numerous occasions she did so or provided nude photos in exchange for Adderall, Xanax and Percocet, the indictment alleges. Dr. Spiegel provided the same three drugs to another patient in exchange for sex acts, despite knowing that she had a severe substance use disorder and was at high risk of overdose, the indictment alleges. She died of a drug overdose in April of 2022 at the age of 40, it says.
The indictment also alleges that beginning in 2021, Bingham, who did not have any medical training or a Drug Enforcement Administration registration allowing her to prescribe controlled substances, agreed to distribute controlled substances under Dr. Spiegel’s DEA registration. Dr. Spiegel issued controlled substance prescriptions to Bingham for sexual favors Bingham provided, the indictment says. Dr. Spiegel knew that Bingham was selling some of the drugs he prescribed to her for cash, the indictment says. Dr. Spiegel used the identities of third-party individuals, including Bingham’s ex-husband, mother, and friends, to either take advantage of their prescription insurance benefits or conceal from pharmacies the frequency with which Bingham was receiving controlled substances prescribed by Dr. Spiegel, the indictment says. Bingham also introduced Dr. Spiegel to others who provided him with cash or sex acts in exchange for prescriptions, the indictment says.
“The conduct alleged in the indictment represents an exploitation of patients who were vulnerable because they had been treated by Dr. Spiegel since they were girls, because they were struggling with an addiction, or both, to satisfy a sexual desire,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “It is illegal and unethical for a doctor to prescribe controlled substances as payment for sexual favors or for cash, or to provide drugs to someone who is suspected of diverting or abusing those drugs.”
“Physicians who recklessly and illegitimately distribute controlled substances undermine critical efforts to battle the opioid crisis and betray their professional responsibility to serve the health and well-being of the public. As alleged, Dr. Spiegel took advantage of individuals struggling with addiction--some of them his former pediatric patients--all for his own personal gratification,” said Special Agent in Charge Linda Hanley of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to address such abuse to protect patients, communities, and taxpayers from such dangerous conduct.”
“Every day, prescription drugs are misused in the United States at an alarming rate because many people have a false sense of security regarding these potent, and sometimes dangerous, drugs,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis, leader of Drug Enforcement Administration operations in Missouri, Kansas and southern Illinois. “Reducing prescription drug misuse is vital to the health and welfare of the American people and is a priority we take seriously. When the medical practitioners Americans trust contribute to that misuse, DEA is obliged to investigate.”
"The allegations laid forth in the federal indictment describe a heinous abuse of trust,” said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Christopher Crocker. “The investigation was made possible through strong federal, state, and local partnerships."
Individuals with concerns about Dr. Spiegel should call HHS-OIG at 800-447-8477.
The charges of conspiracy and illegal distribution of controlled substances are each punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine. Each charge of making false statements is punishable by five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
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 Bridgeton Police Department, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 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.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced for Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS– U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a felon caught with a gun to 55 months in prison.
Police searched the St. Louis County, Missouri apartment of Martez D. Lindsey on April 25, 2023, while investigating a fatal hit-and-run. Detectives found a stolen Taurus G3 pistol, .53 grams of cocaine base, .33 grams of methamphetamine, 1.14 grams of marijuana, a digital scale and $1,370 in cash in Lindsey’s bedroom. Lindsey, 31, admitted as part of his plea agreement in December that he knew he’d been convicted of multiple felonies and could not possess a firearm.
After his arrest on the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, Lindsey contacted an ex-girlfriend who was a key witness in the hit-and-run investigation and pressured her to claim she was tricked or made up a story because she was mad at him. Lindsey believed her statement was the “only proof they got,” his plea agreement says. Lindsey previously had thrown a brick through the rear window of a vehicle she owned and tossed in a firework that destroyed the front window.
Judge Schelp ordered the federal prison sentence to run concurrent to any prison time Lindsey receives for a pending case in St. Louis Circuit Court, where he faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and unlawful 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 Zachary Bluestone prosecuted the case.
Man Accused of Defrauding Investors in Sports Betting FundRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Pennsylvania has been indicted in St. Louis and accused of defrauding investors in a sports betting fund for more than five years.
Elijah A. Goshert, 47, was indicted on Nov. 15, 2023, on three counts of wire fraud. Goshert was arrested in Pennsylvania on Feb. 28, 2024, and pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday.
The indictment says Goshert, who had a day job at a telecommunications company, told investors that he ran an investment fund called the Magellan Sports Fund. Goshert said the fund placed sports bets using a "sophisticated computer algorithm" that substantially reduced risks, the indictment says. Goshert told investors he would not make any money unless the bets turned a profit, but the indictment says Goshert actually used investors’ money for his personal expenses, including Disney vacations, private school tuition and mortgage payments.
Goshert sent fraudulent “updates” and account statements to investors and lied to investors when they tried to withdraw cash, the indictment says. At least 10 investors lost more than $500,000, the indictment says.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Each wire fraud charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Man Sentenced to 7+ Years in Prison After Domestic Assault, ShootingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Monday sentenced a St. Louis County man who assaulted his then-girlfriend in 2022 to seven years and five months in prison.
Joshua Lee, 37, pleaded guilty in October to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted being caught with a handgun on Aug. 6, 2022, by Saint Louis County Police Department officers who were responding to a report of a domestic incident involving an assault and shooting. The victim had been shot in the back. When Lee was arrested, he told officers that the victim shot herself.
Judge Fleissig on Monday found that evidence and testimony showed that Lee committed an aggravated assault by striking and choking his then-girlfriend before she was shot during a struggle over the gun Lee had in his waistband. Lee is a convicted felon and is barred from possessing a firearm. Judge Fleissig sentenced Lee to seven years in prison for that crime.
Lee was also on supervised release at the time of the assault after pleading guilty in 2016 to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Fleissig on Monday sentenced Lee to five more months in prison for violating his supervised release.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag is prosecuting the case.
Two Men Accused of Kidnapping St. Louis County ToddlerRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men were indicted by a grand jury Wednesday and accused of kidnapping a toddler in St. Louis County, Missouri last year.
Kendal “KD” White, 19, of St. Charles, and Cam’Ron Henderson, 19, of St. Louis, were each indicted on one felony count of kidnapping. The indictment accuses them of kidnapping the child on Aug. 10, 2023.
White and Henderson are in custody. A motion seeking to have them held in jail until trial says the incident occurred in north St. Louis County. White and Henderson were searching for someone they believed had stolen firearms from White, and the pair kicked in the door of the child’s mother’s home, the motion says. The target of their search was the child’s father, but he was not there. Rather than leave, White tried to take the child, and pistol-whipped the mother when she resisted, the motion says. They dropped off the child with strangers in St. Louis after seeing an Amber Alert about the incident, the motion says.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The kidnapping charge carries a potential penalty of at least 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski is prosecuting the case.
Cape Girardeau Man Sentenced to 14+ Years in Prison for Selling FentanylRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Thursday sentenced a Cape Girardeau, Missouri man to 175 months in prison for selling fentanyl.
Jimmy L. Hudson Jr., 47, pleaded guilty last year to distribution of fentanyl. He admitted selling fentanyl in April of 2023 to an informant working for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
This latest case represents Hudson’s third federal drug-trafficking conviction, according to court documents. At the time he sold the fentanyl, Hudson was on federal supervised release stemming from a 2015 conviction for distributing methamphetamine. After serving the nearly 15-year sentence, Hudson will once again be placed on supervised release.
The DEA investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the government.
Arkansas Man Admits Exchanging Nude Pictures with GirlRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Arkansas pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Friday and admitted exchanging nude pictures with a minor for five years, starting when she was 12.
Joseph D. Najera, 25, of Lincoln, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to one felony count of coercion and enticement of a minor.
Najera and the victim met in 2017 via Kik Messenger when Najera sent her a friend request. At that time, the victim told Najera her age. During their online communications, Najera sent the victim artwork depicting nudity, pornography and graphic violence. He then had her draw artwork as well. 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, his plea agreement says. He sent her pornographic videos via TextNow and Facebook Messenger. Najera also had parental controls set up on the victim’s phone to monitor her online actions and told 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. They discussed meeting in person but never did.
Najera is scheduled to be sentenced June 27. Both sides are recommending 10 years in prison.
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.Missouri Woman Admits $135,000 Pandemic Loan FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday and admitted fraudulently obtaining $135,622 in loans through a pandemic relief program.
Edna E. McGowan-Baker, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and two counts of bank fraud and admitted engaging in a scheme between May 2020 and September 2021 to fraudulently obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The loans were intended to aid small businesses in paying and retaining employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
McGowan-Baker applied for PPP loans for five different companies in her name. At the time, only two of the companies were actually in operation. On the loan applications, McGowan-Baker misrepresented the companies’ payroll, number of employees and annual income in order to inflate the amount of PPP loan money she could receive. She also submitted fraudulent tax forms to support these misrepresentations. Finally, she certified that she would use the loans for payroll and other authorized expenses but actually used the money for her own bills, personal purchases and in payments to others.
McGowan-Baker is scheduled to be sentenced June 5. The wire fraud charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. The bank fraud charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine, or both.
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.
Man Admits Armed Robbery of St. Louis 7-ElevenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – An Illinois man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday and admitted robbing a St. Louis, Missouri 7-Eleven last year.
Payton Robert Yates, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and one count of possession of and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Yates admitted robbing the 7-Eleven at 5350 Chippewa Street in St. Louis on June 30, 2023. Yates approached the cash register, placed a bag of Hot Fries on the counter and then pulled out a handgun before telling the cashier, “Empty the register.” Yates left with $134.77 and the Hot Fries.
Yates then got into a blue Toyota Tundra parked nearby. Yates’ father had reported the Tundra stolen a few days earlier. A handgun was inside. Yates pawned the gun two days later.
Yates, of Carterville, in Williamson County, Illinois, is scheduled to be sentenced June 4. Both sides are recommending nine years in prison.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie Schneider is prosecuting the case.
Two Admit Stealing Mail in ChesterfieldRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men have admitted stealing mail from mailboxes in Chesterfield, Missouri.
Christopher Ali Pate, 31, pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of mail theft. Eryk Campbell, 28, pleaded guilty to the same count on February 20. Both men admitted stealing mail from multiple mailboxes in Chesterfield on Aug. 28, 2023, at the direction of Pate. Pate and Campbell then drove 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. As they drove, they threw stolen mail out of the vehicle.
Pate is scheduled to be sentenced June 27. Campbell is scheduled to be sentenced May 21. The mail theft charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cort VanOstran is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Sex Offender Who Sought Pictures from Teens Sentenced to 17 ½ Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Court John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced a sex offender from St. Louis, Missouri who sought explicit images from teens online to 17 ½ years in prison.
In January of 2023, detectives from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in California were conducting an undercover investigation into online child exploitation when they received a message from James W. Rankin. Using the screen name “Lonely_Nerd,” Rankin began communicating with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl. On the social media application Whisper, Rankin sent her a picture of his genitals, discussed going to California to pick her up and asked for sexually explicit pictures of her.
Rankin also possessed child pornography on his cell phone and admitted that he’d sought sexually explicit pictures via Whisper from others who identified themselves as minors.
Rankin, 47, pleaded guilty in November to one count of solicitation of child pornography and one count of transfer of obscene material.
Rankin was on parole and residing in a residential re-entry center at the time of his crimes. He had served prison time on a charge of first-degree statutory rape of a minor under 14 in Greene County Circuit Court. Rankin was also convicted of endangering the welfare of a child and domestic assault in a 2017 Christian County, Missouri case after he engaged in sexual contact with a child under 17, court records show.
The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Missouri Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Recording Sexual Abuse of ToddlerRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Wednesday sentenced a man who recorded his sexual abuse of a toddler to 30 years in prison.
Judge White also ordered Kyle J. Gipson, 23, of Jefferson County, to pay a $5,000 assessment that will go into a fund for victims and prevention programs.
Gipson was the monitor and gatekeeper for a social media group focused on child sexual abuse material, bestiality and rape, according to his guilty plea. He possessed child sexual abuse material involving the 2-year-old victim and others. He also discussed his sexual abuse of the victim with others on social media.
In March of 2023, an undercover FBI agent in an online group dedicated to discussing and trading original images of child sexual abuse learned of Gipson. The agent and Gipson began communicating on the social media platform Wickr and later moved to Telegram. Gipson sent the agent a picture of the victim and said he had sexually abused her, his plea agreement says. He also sent a nude picture of her and offered to provide access so the girl could be sexually abused, his plea says.
Gipson was arrested after a court-approved search of his home on March 13.
Gipson pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in November to one felony count of production of child pornography.
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.
St. Charles County Man Sentenced for the Unlicensed Sales of FirearmsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles County, Missouri who illegally sold hundreds of guns was sentenced Monday to five years of probation and 200 hours of community service.
Harry Trueblood, 69, is also now a convicted felon and is barred from possessing, let alone selling, firearms.
Trueblood pleaded guilty in November to one count of being an unlicensed firearms dealer. He admitted selling firearms at not less than 15 gun shows from January of 2021 through May of 2023 despite never having been licensed to deal in firearms. He continued selling even after agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) warned him that he was committing a crime. Trueblood purposely avoided obtaining a Federal Firearms License (FFL), Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski said in court Monday.
“ATF is a leader in the nation’s fight to disrupt violent crime for safer communities,” said Bernard Hansen, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Kansas City Field Division. “Trueblood was linked to selling over 250 firearms without a Federal Firearms License and over 40 crime guns were traced back him. It is firearm traffickers like this defendant that fuel violence in our communities by putting deadly weapons in the hands of people who commit violent crimes in our communities. Our Crime Gun Intelligence Center was at the center of this investigation, utilizing intelligence to identify this defendant and disrupting the supply of illegally transferred firearms and making our neighborhoods safer.”
Guns sold illegally by Trueblood were recovered at the scene of a homicide, a suicide and other shootings and from felons and a juvenile, Szczucinski said. One person with mental health issues severe enough that he was turned away from two gun stores found Trueblood and bought a firearm from him, Szczucinski said in court.
The ATF began investigating Trueblood after multiple guns recovered in unrelated crimes were traced back to him as the original purchaser. Trueblood sold AR-15-type pistols and handguns to undercover ATF agents before the ATF on Feb. 1, 2023 sent him a cease and desist letter ordering him to stop dealing in firearms without a license. Trueblood continued to sell guns, his plea agreement says.
The ATF investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski is prosecuting the case.
Lake St. Louis Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Recording Sexual Abuse of Young GirlRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a Lake St. Louis, Missouri man to 25 years in prison for recording his sexual abuse of a young girl.
Steve G. Flores, now 52, produced hundreds of pictures and videos of the victim, and stored them on electronic devices and online. Authorities were initially alerted by a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children from a cloud storage company.
Flores pleaded guilty in December to one count of production of child pornography.
The FBI, the St. Charles County Police Department and St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Charles Man Admits Recording Sexual Abuse of 2 GirlsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles, Missouri on Friday admitted recording his sexual abuse of two young girls for years.
Ronald C. Lawrence, 25, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of production of child pornography, two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography.
Lawrence admitted sexually abusing two girls for years, starting when one was just 7 years old. He recorded that abuse and shared those images with others online. He also admitted downloading and possessing child sexual abuse material. A third girl told authorities that he touched her inappropriately in 2022. She said her abuse stopped when she punched Lawrence in the face.
The investigation began after multiple electronic service providers made cyber tip reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) stemming from the child pornography activity conducted by Lawrence, including Dropbox, Instagram and Google.
Lawrence is scheduled to be sentenced June 21. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson will ask for a sentence of 35 years in prison, the plea agreement says.
The FBI, the St. Charles County Police Department and the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
Four Missouri Men Accused of Stealing Mail and Committing Fraud with Stolen ChecksRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Four Franklin County, Missouri men have been indicted on charges accusing them of stealing mail and using stolen checks to commit bank fraud.
Matthew Cahill, 39, of Franklin County, Donald Anderson, 35, Harvey Hale, 47, and Joshua Hopkins, 34, Franklin County, were each indicted February 21 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, multiple counts of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Cahill was also indicted on one count of possession of stolen mail. He and Hopkins also face multiple counts of aggravated identity theft.
Hopkins was arrested Wednesday, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty. Cahill was arrested Feb. 23 and pleaded not guilty. Hale and Anderson are already in custody but have yet to appear in court.
The indictment alleges that beginning in at least February of 2020, the men obtained checks, bank account information and personal identifying information by stealing incoming or outgoing mail from mailboxes or from homes and vehicles. They would then use that information to alter the stolen checks or create counterfeit checks and use those checks to pay for merchandise at local retailers, the indictment says. They also cashed the checks and on at least one occasion opened a bank account, the indictment says.
Each conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine. The aggravated identity theft charges carry a penalty of two years in prison, consecutive to any other charge, a fine of up $250,000, or both. The stolen mail charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
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 U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the police departments in the cities of Washington, Union, Eureka, St. Clair and St. Charles investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.
East St. Louis Man Gets Life Plus 15 Years in Prison for Fentanyl Dealing, Drug-Linked Shooting Death in University CityRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Friday sentenced a man convicted of charges related to fentanyl dealing and a fatal shooting in University City to life in prison plus 15 years.
A jury in September found Deoman Reeves, 32, of East St. Louis, guilty of 11 felony charges: one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute in excess of 40 grams of fentanyl, four counts of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, three counts of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, resulting in death.
The death resulting charge stems from the Oct. 21, 2019, fatal shooting of David Anderson in the 1100 block of Kingsland Avenue. Evidence and testimony presented at trial showed that Reeves and others fired multiple shots at Anderson in retaliation for a shooting in St. Louis County the day before. Anderson was not involved in the St. Louis County shooting.
“This is a dangerous individual who has a callous disregard for human life,” said Special Agent in Charge Bernard G. Hansen of the Kansas City Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “There is no higher priority for ATF than keeping our communities safe and we will use all available resources to identify and investigate those who commit violent acts. This sentence should send a message to others that violent behavior in our communities will not be tolerated.”
Judge Schelp sentenced Reeves’ co-defendant, Franklin Bell, now 32, on February 12 to 20 years in prison. Bell pleaded guilty on the eve of his trial in September to a fentanyl distribution conspiracy charge, five counts of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and two counts of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Bell admitted in his plea that he, Reeves and Arrion Jones were involved in selling fentanyl in the St. Louis area. After a September 2019 non-fatal shooting, the University City Police Department requested the assistance of the ATF. An ATF confidential informant and undercover agents began buying fentanyl from Reeves and others, who were armed while selling the fentanyl. Reeves also sold firearms to a confidential informant.
Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced Deronte McDaniels, now 26, in October to 150 months in prison. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and admitted being the target of a shooting on Oct. 20, 2019, that wounded Jones. McDaniels took Jones’ firearm and returned fire and was one of the men who shot at Anderson the next day, his plea says.
Jones is serving a 40-month sentence.
The ATF and the University City Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul D’Agrosa and Erin Granger are prosecuting the case.
Two Men Accused of Fatal St. Louis RobberyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men are facing federal drug charges after a fatal shooting in St. Louis in January.
Derrick Darnell Clark, 19, and Jeremiah Martez Sutton, 22, were each indicted Wednesday on one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The indictment alleges that the shooting occurred on Jan. 28, 2024, during the drug conspiracy.
Both men were originally charged by complaint in U.S. District Court in St. Louis February 9. Charging documents accuse the men of fatally shooting one person and seriously wounding another during a robbery in an apartment in the 900 block of Goodfellow Boulevard in St. Louis.
Clark was arrested February 22. Sutton is still being sought by authorities.
The drug conspiracy charge carries a possible penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. The aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a penalty of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
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 St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case.
Poplar Bluff Man Sentenced to Serve 10 Years in Federal Prison on Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A Poplar Bluff, Missouri man on Wednesday was sentenced to serve 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug-trafficking and firearm related charges.
Samuel D. Moore, 27, appeared for his sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers were dispatched to Moore’s residence in Poplar Bluff last July in response to a reported domestic assault. Officers obtained a search warrant for the premises after observing multiple firearms and drug paraphernalia items inside the residence. Large quantities of various controlled substances were subsequently discovered inside Moore’s Chevy Tahoe, including a box containing 30 pounds of marijuana divided into one-pound bags. Inside that same box, officers found a 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an attached 50-round high-capacity drum magazine. At his guilty plea hearing last November, Moore admitted that he intended to sell the marijuana for profit and that he possessed the firearm in furtherance of his drug-trafficking activities.
After serving the 10-year sentence, Moore will be placed on supervised release for three years.
Felony state charges for domestic assault remain pending in the Circuit Court of Butler County, Missouri. As in all criminal cases, Moore is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Butler County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester prosecuted the case.
Missouri Man Admits Setting Fires that Burned 220 AcresRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Poplar Bluff, Missouri on Tuesday admitted setting fires that burned 220 acres of U.S. Forest Service and private land in 2022 and agreed to repay $66,000.
Adam D. Gambling, 44, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one felony count of setting fires on public land. He admitted setting a series of fires on Nov. 8, 2022, near Beaver Lake in the Mark Twain National Forest in Butler County. Those fires burned a total of 220.68 acres, of which 95.3 acres were privately owned.
After an investigation, the U.S. Forest Service developed Gambling as a suspect. During a voluntary interview at his home, Gambling admitted that he had started the fires.
He is scheduled to be sentenced May 24. The charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. Gambling also agreed to pay $66,094 in restitution to the U.S. Forest Service for the cost of fighting the fires.
The U.S. Forest Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case.
Former St. Charles County Youth Hockey Coach Admits Recording Sexual Abuse of Two MinorsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former youth hockey coach on Wednesday admitted sexually abusing two minors and recording that abuse.
James R. Lambert , 42, of Lake St. Louis, admitted sexually abusing one victim over 50 times between 2007 and 2018, when the victim was between the ages of 6 and 17 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.
When the first victim came forward and reported Lambert’s sexual abuse, he also reported his suspicions that Lambert was abusing the second victim. Investigators later found 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 U.S. District Court in St. Louis 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.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 18. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson will ask for 50 years in prison, the plea agreement says.
Anyone with information regarding possible additional victims is asked to contact the Lake St. Louis Police Department by calling 636-625-8018 or emailing [email protected].
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 is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Cape Girardeau Postal Worker Convicted of Stealing MailRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A jury on Wednesday found a former U.S. Postal Service letter carrier guilty of charges accusing him of stealing and failing to deliver customers’ mail.
After a trial lasting less than two days, Robert Gafford, 33, of Jackson, Missouri, was found guilty of one count of delaying or destroying mail and one count of embezzlement of mail.
Gafford worked out of the Cape Girardeau Post Office annex at the time and was responsible for delivering mail on a rural route in or near Scott City, Missouri. In late 2021, the postmaster received complaints from a couple on Gafford’s delivery route that they were not receiving their mail, including bills and some packages, according to evidence and testimony presented at the trial. The couple have Informed Delivery, a Postal Service program that provides pictures of the mail that is scheduled to be delivered that day. The couple sent postal officials images of mail that was not delivered. The postmaster had a supervisor check daily for mail addressed to the couple. There were days when their mail was not delivered and officials found it at the post office and days in which the mail could not be located, according to evidence and trial testimony. When confronted by supervisors and told he must deliver the mail, Gafford said did not like the location of the victims’ mailbox, according to court records. He was also issued a written warning.
Frustrated when their mail was still not being delivered, the couple mailed an Apple AirTag tracking device to themselves and traced it to Gafford’s home when it wasn't delivered to theirs, the trial showed. A special agent with the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General then sent a test piece of mail with a tracking device. Investigators watched as Gafford stopped at his personal vehicle before leaving post office property in his mail vehicle that day. They also independently tracked Gafford’s postal vehicle as he skipped the couple’s mailbox. They tracked the test piece to Gafford’s personal vehicle after he left for the day, then pulled him over and seized the test piece and the couple’s other undelivered mail from his SUV’s glove box, the trial showed.
Gafford is scheduled to be sentenced May 21. Each charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Hahn and Christopher Shelton are prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Admits Shooting at PoliceRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County, Missouri man on Tuesday admitted shooting at police and federal task force officers in 2021.
Derek D. Brown, 50, of Jennings, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of assault on a federal officer and two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Brown admitted that early on the morning of March 18, 2021, he went to his wife’s daughter’s house in St. Louis County to confront his wife. While there, Brown took his daughter’s .45-caliber pistol. Responding officers learned about the gun and that Brown had an outstanding warrant for a parole violation. Relatives told police that he would probably go to his sister’s house.
Police officers, including those who had been deputized as federal task force officers, went to the sister’s home. Brown came out of the house, and when officers told him that he was under arrest, he began shooting. He fired multiple times, including at the federal task force officers, and continued to fire through the home’s screen door and then through the closed front door. Brown eventually surrendered.
Brown is scheduled to be sentenced May 28. The assault charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Each discharge of a firearm charge carries a penalty of at least 10 years in prison, consecutive to any other charges.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Woman Admits Aiding $291,000 Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis, Missouri on Friday admitted conspiring to defraud a COVID-19 pandemic relief program.
Jeannine Buford, 45, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and admitted submitting a fraudulent loan application to the Paycheck Protection Program with Porshia L. Thomas.
In April of 2020, Buford changed the name of an existing company to Couture Trading Inc. with the Montana Secretary of State’s Office. She listed herself as the company president and Thomas as the director, vice president, secretary and treasurer, the indictment says. On July 15, 2020, Thomas, with Buford’s help, completed and submitted a fraudulent PPP loan application for Couture Trading.
Buford admitted that she 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.
The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
Thomas pleaded guilty to a bank fraud charge and is scheduled to be sentenced March 11.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek J. Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Wounded in Drug-Linked Shootout Sentenced to 7 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Friday sentenced a man who was shot while dealing drugs to seven years in prison.
Jeremiah Hill was selling drugs outside a market in the 12000 block of Bellefontaine Road in St. Louis County on Dec. 10, 2021. During a dispute with two men in a vehicle about the amount of marijuana he sold them Hill pulled out a 9mm pistol and pointed it at the driver. The passenger pulled his own gun and the driver tried to grab his. Hill and the driver were both hit in the exchange of gunfire. ShotSpotter indicated 30 shots had been fired.
When police arrived, Hill was lying on the ground, injured, and was taken to the hospital. Police found drugs including marijuana, fentanyl and oxycodone in Hill’s belongings at the scene.
Hill, 21, of Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri, pleaded guilty in November to one count of possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag prosecuted the case.
Missouri Woman Sentenced for $237,000 in Pandemic FraudsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a St. Peters, Missouri woman to a year and a day in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining $237,000 from pandemic assistance programs.
Regina Brand, 52, was also ordered to repay the money. Brand pleaded guilty in August to one felony count of wire fraud and admitted defrauding two pandemic relief programs. She submitted at least 12 fraudulent applications for rental assistance under the Missouri State Assistance for Housing Relief Program between Sept. 1, 2021 and at least June 30, 2022. The program was intended to provide emergency assistance to landlords and renters to prevent a wave of evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brand received $96,825 in assistance.
Brand also submitted four fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications between April 1, 2020 and August 25, 2021, in the name of Angels Voices or Brand Construction. Brand falsely listed the average monthly payroll and number of employees employed by the companies, resulting in loans totaling $140,261.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced for Trying to Bribe Postal WorkersRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Wednesday sentenced a man who tried to buy keys to mail collection boxes from postal workers to 20 months in prison.
Dwaundre K. Valley, 21, of Bridgeton, pleaded guilty in October to bribery of a public official. He admitted offering three different postal carriers a bribe in March and April of 2022 for the “arrow” keys that allow access to certain mail collection boxes. Valley offered one letter carrier $5,000 for the key, his plea agreement says.
In a sentencing memo, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow wrote that the bribery attempts come at a time when mail theft has been on the rise, as criminals steal mail to obtain checks and use those checks to commit fraud. Crimes like Valley’s undermine the public’s sense of security and confidence in a vital government service, Clow wrote.
“The Postal Inspection Service is committed to investigating those that attempt to compromise the integrity of the U.S. Mail and Postal Service employees. This sentencing is a clear indication that our investigative efforts will not cease until those responsible for such criminal acts are brought to justice,” said Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.
These cases were investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. A U.S. Marshals Service task force that includes the St. Louis County Police Department assisted in apprehending Valley. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case.
Carjacker of Pizza Delivery Driver in St. Louis Sentenced to 11 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Thursday sentenced a man who carjacked a pizza delivery driver and crashed the stolen vehicle after a police chase to 11 years in prison.
On July 29, 2022, Jacoby Watts and others carjacked a Domino's Pizza delivery driver in St. Louis, Missouri. A juvenile pointed a gun at the delivery driver and Watts drove the carjacked 2019 Dodge Charger away. Police later tracked the vehicle to East St. Louis. Watts fled, leading police on a chase that ended back in St. Louis when Watts crashed into other vehicles, injuring one of the other drivers. Police found two ski masks in the car, as well as the loaded.45-caliber Glock 21 that was used in the carjacking.
Watts, now 21, of Belleville, Illinois, pleaded guilty in November to one count of carjacking and one count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Illinois State Police, the East St. Louis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassandra Wiemken prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced for Trying to Bribe Postal WorkersRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Wednesday sentenced a man who tried to buy keys to mail collection boxes from postal workers to 20 months in prison.
Dwaundre K. Valley, 21, of Bridgeton, pleaded guilty in October to bribery of a public official. He admitted offering three different postal carriers a bribe in March and April of 2022 for the “arrow” keys that allow access to certain mail collection boxes. Valley offered one letter carrier $5,000 for the key, his plea agreement says.
In a sentencing memo, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow wrote that the bribery attempts come at a time when mail theft has been on the rise, as criminals steal mail to obtain checks and use those checks to commit fraud. Crimes like Valley’s undermine the public’s sense of security and confidence in a vital government service, Clow wrote.
These cases were investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. A U.S. Marshals Service task force that includes the St. Louis County Police Department assisted in apprehending Valley. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case.
St. Charles County Man Admits Collecting Child Pornography for YearsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted collecting child sexual abuse material for years.
Philip Daniel Shurtliff, 34, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of receipt of child pornography and admitted being caught with child sexual abuse material twice. In March of 2021, the St. Charles County Cyber Crimes Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that someone used Kik Messenger to send child pornography. Detectives traced a Kik account to Shurtliff and performed a court-approved search of his home in April of 2021. Shurtliff told them that he obtained child pornography and sent it to someone to gain access to a Kik group. Investigators found five videos on his cell phone.
In 2023, the task force received a second report from NCMEC about child sexual abuse material that led them to Shurtliff’s home again, where they arrested Shurtliff in relation to the 2021 report. Shurliff told detectives that he is a “monster” and has been trading child pornography for approximately 19 years. Detectives found 97 images and 27 videos containing child pornography on his cell phone.
Shurtliff is scheduled to be sentenced May 21. The receipt of child pornography charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of up to 20 years.
The St. Charles County Cyber Crimes Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Chapman is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Missouri Man Who Fled to Asia During Child Pornography Investigation Sentenced to 7 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Wednesday sentenced a man who fled to Asia after his arrest during a child pornography investigation to seven years in prison.
Dominic J. Pavia, now 42, pleaded guilty in November to one count of possession of child pornography. He admitted as part of his plea that on Dec. 10, 2010, an investigation by the Saint Louis County Police Department's Special Investigations Unit identified a computer being used to store child sexual abuse material. During an April 26, 2011, court-approved search, detectives seized computer equipment and Pavia, a law school student, was arrested. A scan revealed child pornography on the computer.
Pavia, who was living in University City at the time, left the country, knowing that criminal charges were a possibility, according to his plea agreement.
On March 4, 2014, detectives performed a full forensic analysis of the computer, finding 4,641 images and 1,719 videos containing child pornography. Pavia was indicted on Nov. 19, 2014.
After leaving the U.S., Pavia traveled to China, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines. He was unable to renew his visa in China in the summer of 2022 and his passport was set to expire in September 2023, according to court records. He returned to the United States in January 2023.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Collins prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Missouri Man Sentenced to 20 Years in prison for Recording Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a man who recorded his sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl and recorded other children in the shower to 20 years in prison.
Matthew A. Prewett, 43, of Kennett, in Dunklin County, engaged in sexual contact with a 13-year-old girl beginning in April of 2022, and recorded his crimes on video. He also placed hidden cameras in his home, including in the bathroom, and recorded children between ages 12 and 17 while they were nude and showering.
The investigation began after the victim’s mother found sexually suggestive text messages from Prewett on her daughter’s phone.
Prewett pleaded guilty in November to a felony charge of sexual exploitation of a minor.
The case was investigated by the Kennett Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Missouri Man Admits Selling Fentanyl to Drug Overdose VictimRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Jackson, Missouri on Wednesday admitted selling fentanyl to someone who later suffered a fatal overdose.
Dylan C. McMikle, 22, of Jackson, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one felony count of distribution of fentanyl. He admitted selling fentanyl to a 25-year-old Sikeston man early on the morning of Dec. 16, 2022. The victim snorted several lines of powdered fentanyl that McMikle provided and McMikle sold the victim an additional capsule containing fentanyl as he was leaving at approximately 6 a.m., McMikle’s plea agreement says The victim, who had been struggling with a serious addiction, died of a drug overdose that evening.
After the victim’s death, investigators found messages between the victim and McMikle about obtaining fentanyl. McMikle consented to a search of his home and officers found a small baggie of fentanyl powder and several fentanyl pills.
McMikle is scheduled to be sentenced May 21. The distribution of fentanyl charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and the Sikeston Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester is prosecuting the case.
Cape Girardeau Man Sentenced to Serve 10 Years in Federal Prison for Selling FentanylRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced Bernardo D. Pulido, 33, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to serve 120 months (10 years) in federal prison for the offense of distribution of fentanyl.
At his guilty plea hearing last year, Pulido admitted that he sold pills containing fentanyl to an individual in Cape Girardeau on two separate occasions in May 2023. Unbeknownst to Pulido at the time, the individual purchasing the pills was working as an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). According to court documents, Pulido has multiple felony drug convictions from state courts. At the time he sold fentanyl to the DEA informant, Pulido was under parole supervision through the State of Missouri for a methamphetamine-trafficking offense. After serving the 10-year sentence, Pulido will be placed on supervised release for six years.
This case was investigated by the DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the government.
Jefferson County Man Admits Recording Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Pevely, Missouri on Tuesday admitted recording his sexual abuse of a minor.
Matthew Gamel, 36, admitted that on at least four occasions, he recorded his sexual abuse of the victim. She was under 14 years of age at the time. He also acknowledged possessing more than 1,700 media files containing child sexual abuse material that he obtained online, in addition to the files documenting his abuse of the victim. Gamel pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of receipt of child pornography.
Gamel is scheduled to be sentenced May 22. As part of the plea, both sides have agreed to recommend a sentence of 25 years in prison.
The Pevely Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Three Accused of Nearly $350,000 Auto Loan FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three people have been indicted on charges accusing them of defrauding St. Louis area lenders and others out of $348,000 with a fraudulent vehicle loan scam.
Willie Roy Carter, 74, Kizzie Davis, also known as Kizzie Lofton, 45, and Charles Davis Jr., 56, were indicted Dec. 20, 2023, with nine counts of bank fraud and one count of mail fraud. Carter appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday and pleaded not guilty. The Davises, who are husband and wife, pleaded not guilty February 2.
The indictment accuses Carter of applying for nine auto loans between July 23, 2019, and Aug. 1, 2018, using fraudulent documents. In some cases, Carter allegedly used a fraudulent Illinois vehicle title. In all cases, Carter claimed the car was being sold by City Limits Auto Sales, a business name registered in Missouri in 2016 by Charles Davis, the indictment says. Carter then gave the loan checks to the Davises to deposit.
The loans totaled about $348,214, the indictment says.
Each bank fraud charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine. The mail fraud charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
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 U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Woman Admits Helping Her Son Fake a DisabilityRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis County, Missouri on Thursday admitted helping her son fake a mental disability for more than 13 years so he could receive government benefits.
Zella Rives, 57, of Edmundson, admitted in a plea agreement and in court that she submitted a report to the Social Security Administration in 2010 on behalf of her son, Gino Rives, that bolstered his false claims of disability. She was appointed representative payee for her son because the agency believed he was incapable of managing his money. Zella Rives fraudulently confirmed his 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.
Between May 11, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2023, the Social Security Administration electronically transmitted more than $91,000 in benefits to Rives on her son’s behalf.
Rives pleaded guilty to five counts of theft of government funds and one count of making a false statement. She is scheduled to be sentenced June 18. The charge of making a false statement is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, and the theft of government funds charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the same fine.
Gino Rives, 36, of Edmundson, has pleaded guilty in two separate cases, admitting both the disability fraud and his financial exploitation of two elderly women.
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.
Man Accused of Armed Robbery of Third Postal WorkerRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men already facing an indictment accusing them of robbing two mail carriers at gunpoint in 2022 have been accused of a third robbery.
A superseding indictment in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday added charges against Roy Lee Jones, 21, and Xavier Sean Boyd, 20, of Jennings. The pair had been facing six felony counts: two counts of robbery, two counts of theft of a mail key and two counts of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a robbery. Wednesday’s indictment adds one count of each crime.
The indictment accuses the men of robbing two U.S. Postal Service letter carriers of their “arrow keys,” which open certain U.S. Postal Service collection boxes, at gunpoint on June 9, 2022, and Boyd, acting with another, of a June 1 robbery.
“Those who commit violent crimes against postal employees who provide a critical service to the public must be held accountable,” said Inspector in Charge Ruth Mendonça who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office. “This superseding indictment is a critical step toward ensuring that accountability.”
Each robbery charge is punishable by up to 25 years in prison. The theft charges are punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The firearm charges carry a penalty of at least seven years, consecutive to all other charges.
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 U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the St. Louis County Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel is prosecuting the case.
Four Accused of Nationwide Financial Scam Targeting ElderlyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Four men from California have been indicted in connection with a nationwide tech support fraud scam targeting the elderly.
Liang Jin, 24, of Walnut, Tsz Yin Kan, 41, of Chino Hills, and Kaiyu Wen, 25, of Irvine, were added Wednesday to an existing indictment against Yu-Chieh Huang, 22, of Chino Hills, filed in U.S. District Court in St. Louis last year. Jin, Wen and Huang face one felony count of conspiracy to commit mail, bank and wire fraud and multiple counts of wire fraud. Kan faces one felony count of conspiracy to commit mail, bank and wire fraud.
Huang has been in custody since August, when he was arrested after arriving to pick up $88,000 from an elderly Missouri couple and was accused of being a courier for the scammers, charging documents say. After investigators began seizing funds from bank accounts associated with Jin, he purchased a one-way flight to China, charging documents say. He was arrested at the airport before his flight. Kan has also been arrested. Wen is still being sought by authorities. Anyone with information is asked to call Homeland Security Investigations at 866-347-2423 or report tips online at ice.gov/tips.
“We’ve recently seen more scams employ couriers to pick up money from victims,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “This is just one of the warning signs of a scam. I strongly encourage people to be cautious when approached online or in person with demands for money and spread to the word to your friends and family to be vigilant about online scams.”
The investigation began in August, after a 78-year-old Missouri man responded to a pop-up message claiming his computer was infected with a virus. The victim and his 76-year-old wife were falsely told that their banking information had been compromised because someone had been accessing child pornography through the computer. To escape criminal prosecution, they were told they had to pay $88,000.
Scammers often initiate contact with phone calls, emails or pop-up messages on the target’s computer. They pretend to be tech support workers who will troubleshoot problems if given access to that computer or if paid a fee. Other times they claim the computer contains evidence of a crime and the victims will have to pay a fee to avoid prosecution.
Following instructions in a series of text messages, the Missouri couple gathered the money, took photos of it and sealed it in a cardboard box. They were told to wait for a courier but began to be suspicious and balked when the courier arrived. They called police, and the courier was arrested.
The man accused of being that courier, Yu-Chieh Huang, 22, was charged by complaint August 11 and indicted September 6. Charging documents say that he was paid $500 to $1,000 to pick up cash from victims and use a counterfeit passport and fraudulently obtained debit card to deposit it into a bank. He then withdrew money in cashier’s checks to send to co-conspirators, the charging documents say. Huang picked up $40,000 in Colorado and $40,000 in Oregon before coming to Missouri, the documents allege.
Huang, a college student from Taiwan, has pleaded not guilty.
Investigators then learned of the role of Jin, Wen and Kan, according to the criminal complaint and Wednesday’s indictment. Jin and Wen provided couriers with assignments and instructions, charging documents say, with Jin paying the courier salaries. Kan recruited college students to fraudulently open financial accounts using the names and passports of citizens of Taiwan, the charging documents say.
About $7 million in cashier’s checks were deposited into one bank account between March 2020 and July 2023, charging documents say, including a $170,000 check Kan deposited into a Missouri bank on June 29, 2022, the documents say. Huang conducted approximately $4 million in currency transactions during 2021 and Jin conducted over $5.7 million in currency transactions between June 2021 and September 2023.
Jin was admitted to the United States as a nonimmigrant student visa holder from China on Feb. 2, 2020, but is considered to have overstayed his visa.
Wen was admitted to the United States as a nonimmigrant student visa holder from China on March 6, 2020. He was terminated from the educational program when he failed to enroll and has overstayed his visa.
The indictment seeks the forfeiture of $6.8 million investigators identified in a series of financial accounts.
The conspiracy charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine. Each wire fraud charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. If convicted, restitution would be mandatory.
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.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracy Berry and Kyle Bateman are prosecuting the case.
Report cybercrime online at the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 60 Years in Prison for Carjackings, Jail Escape and Fatal Shooting of De Smet High School Football CoachRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Wednesday sentenced a St. Louis, Missouri man involved in fatal and nonfatal carjackings and a jail escape to 60 years in prison.
Kurt Wallace, 31, shot the drivers during three separate carjackings in 2017 that were set up via a dating app and Wallace’s co-defendant, Jherrica Dixon. On Oct. 16, 2017, he fatally shot Jaz Granderson, a football coach at De Smet Jesuit High School, while stealing his Jeep Grand Cherokee in St. Louis.
Wallace shot the driver of a 2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the shoulder in the 300 block of Walsh Street in St. Louis on Sept. 16, 2017. On Oct. 15, 2017, while carjacking a Cadillac CTS in the 5800 block of Kennerly Avenue in St. Louis, Wallace shot that driver in the leg.
Wallace was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November 2017 and detained in jail pending trial. Wallace escaped from jail on July 15, 2019. He and fellow inmate James Flannel then carjacked a vehicle before leading police on a multi-jurisdiction pursuit that ended with Wallace crashing the vehicle.
Wallace pleaded guilty in September 2023 to four counts of carjacking, two counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of carjacking, one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of carjacking resulting in death and one count of escape.
Wallace is the seventh individual convicted in connection with a series of violent crimes.
Dixon, 30, pleaded guilty to four counts of carjacking, three counts of discharge and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death. She admitted setting up a series of meetings with men so that they could be carjacked by her then-boyfriend Wallace and others. Judge White sentenced her in December to 19 years in prison.
Flannel, 43, was sentenced in November 2021 to life in prison for the fatal carjacking of Boris Iouioukine, a Laclede Cab Company driver on June 25, 2018. He is scheduled to be sentenced February 20 for the escape and carjacking.
Floyd Barber, 28, was sentenced in December to 22 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to two counts of carjacking, one count of discharge and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death. He admitted the Sept. 9, 2017 carjacking of a Kia Optima in St. Louis and admitted participating in the carjacking of Granderson and the fatal drug robbery of Ladareace Pool, 26, in the 4700 block of Goodfellow Avenue on Oct. 3, 2017.
In 2022, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Jerell Henderson, 33, to 42 ½ years in prison for Pool’s robbery and murder. Larenta Jones, 30, was sentenced to 30 years in prison and Stephan Jones, 33, the driver the day of Pool’s murder, was sentenced to five years in prison on a drug charge.
“While this sentencing, as well the others, will not bring back Mr. Granderson, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will always work to bring trigger-pullers who terrorize our communities to justice” said Kansas City Field Division Special Agent in Charge Bernard Hansen.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, the Troy Police Department, the Saint Ann Police Department and the Saint Louis County Police Department.
St. Louis County Man Accused of Depositing Checks Stolen from the MailRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri has been accused in an indictment of depositing thousands of dollars’ worth of checks that had been stolen from the mail.
Malik Jones, 26, of Berkeley, Missouri, was indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Nov. 8, 2023, with three counts of bank fraud, one count of possession of stolen mail matter and two counts of aggravated identity theft. He was arrested January 31 in Florida and appeared in court in St. Louis Wednesday to plead not guilty.
The indictment alleges that Jones recruited other people to supply their debit cards and banking information to him, which he then used to deposit forged and fraudulent checks that Jones obtained from mail stolen out of collection boxes and mailboxes in the St. Louis area. Jones altered the amount payable on the checks and the payee’s name before depositing them, the indictment says. He then withdrew the money before the banks discovered that the checks, each written for thousands of dollars, were bogus, the indictment says. The indictment says Jones would pay kickbacks to the bank account holders and those who helped him deposit the fraudulent checks.
Each bank fraud charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine, or both prison and a fine. The possession of stolen mail is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. The aggravated identity theft carries a penalty of two years in prison, consecutive to all other charges, and a fine of up to $250,000.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Maryland Heights Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.
Jefferson County Carjacker Sentenced to 17 ½ Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a carjacker that permanently injured his victim in 2020 to 17 ½ years in prison.
Brandon Vandoren, 29, of St. Louis County, stole a Saturn Aura parked at a Jefferson County, Missouri MotoMart gas station and convenience store on May 20, 2020, and began driving away. Vandoren was armed at the time. The Aura’s driver, who was inside the store, ran outside and was struck by the stolen vehicle. The victim nearly died due to the carjacking and has been left with permanent injuries, including brain damage, but is now recovering.
Officers found the Aura the next day at a motel in St. Louis County. They arrested Vandoren and found a firearm in the room. Vandoren is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.
Vandoren pleaded guilty November 8 to one count of carjacking. Matthew Carver, 31, of St. Louis, who drove Vandoren to the Moto Mart in a stolen Dodge Dart, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Carver’s sentencing is pending. The felon in possession charge carries a potential penalty of up to ten years in prison.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassandra Wiemken is prosecuting the case.
Former Potosi Police Officer Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Child Sex Trafficking, Other ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a former Potosi, Missouri police officer to 25 years in prison for soliciting sexual acts and nude pictures in exchange for cash, vape cartridges and other items from three male minors.
In 2022, Matthew N. Skaggs, now 40, made contact with three minors via social media applications such as Snapchat and through his position as a police officer. Skaggs made the acquaintance of one victim by asking the minor if he wanted to participate in a police ride-along program in Skaggs’s patrol vehicle. Skaggs encountered another minor victim by offering to assist him to get out of some minor legal trouble. The minor victims reported being afraid to report or refuse Skaggs. Skaggs’s crimes came to light when one of the minor victims disclosed Skaggs’s actions to his mother.
At the time of his arrest, Skaggs was attending training to become a school resource officer.
In a letter to Judge Schelp, the mother of one of Skaggs’ victims said because her son’s abuser was a police officer, he did not feel like he could tell anyone what happened, “because he knew if he called for help that you would be the officer that was sent.” Skaggs, she wrote, began grooming her son when he was 12. Skaggs “played the part of a great police officer that would protect and guide these boys and then completely betrayed that trust.” She went on to add, “He was scared that you would come to our home or his father’s home and take him. He was scared that you would harm his family.”
Skaggs pleaded in November to three felony charges: sex trafficking, solicitation of child pornography and coercion and enticement of a minor.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol 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 County Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Fentanyl Dealing, Fatal Shooting of TeenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a man who was dealing fentanyl and fatally shot a 16-year-old with a fully automatic pistol in downtown St. Louis in 2022 to 15 years in prison.
Judge Schelp also ordered John M. Whitney Jr., 22, of Bridgeton, to pay $8,341 for his victim’s funeral expenses.
In March of 2022, Whitney was selling drugs outside a loft building on Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis. After entering the lobby and heading to the elevators, he used a Glock handgun equipped with an aftermarket “switch” to fatally shoot a 16-year-old. Whitney claimed he was acting in self-defense after the teen drew his weapon first, Whitney’s plea agreement says. Surveillance video shows Whitney and the teen simultaneously drawing firearms and Whitney opening fire with the Glock as the teen turned towards Whitney with his pistol raised. Whitney then exchanged fire with the teen’s associate before both fled the building.
The teen was socializing with others in the lobby. In a letter to Judge Schelp, the teen’s mother said it was his first time going out to have fun and that he was in the “wrong place at the wrong time.” “My heart is broken for the rest of my life,” she wrote.
Whitney continued selling drugs and possessing firearms after killing the victim.
In his plea agreement, he admitted selling fentanyl twice to someone working for the Drug Enforcement Administration. A court-approved search of his apartment on April 22, 2022, found a different Glock pistol with an aftermarket switch that converted it a fully automatic weapon, as well as three AR-15-style rifles, a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, raw fentanyl in a plastic bag and capsules containing fentanyl.
"Guns and drugs are often coupled when we encounter drug distributors," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, supervisor of DEA operations in Eastern Missouri. "These criminals are engaged in illegal activities and believe they must protect them through equally illegal means. It's our job to show them how wrong they are, and take the dealers off the streets to prevent more harm."
Whitney pleaded guilty in November to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoff Ogden is prosecuting the case.
Man Sentenced to Life Plus 10 Years in Prison for St. Louis Murder, Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A felon convicted of drug trafficking charges that included a 2019 St. Louis murder was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to life plus 10 years in prison.
Freeman Whitfield IV, 29, was an enforcer for a large drug conspiracy, evidence and testimony at Whitfield’s trial in October showed. The conspirators brought drugs from Houston and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to the St. Louis area. A Drug Enforcement Administration investigation that started in 2018 eventually resulted in the seizure of more than $1.5 million in drug proceeds, as well as 25 kilograms of cocaine, 3 kilograms of fentanyl, 10 kilograms of heroin, luxury vehicles, watches and guns.
Antonio Boyd, who distributed drugs for Whitfield’s supplier and co-conspirator, Guy R. Goolsby, was arrested on March 21, 2018. Whitfield decided to kill Boyd after hearing rumors that he might be cooperating with investigators, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mantovani told jurors during Whitfield’s trial. Boyd was fatally shot Dec. 9, 2019, outside a home in the 2500 block of West Palm Street in St. Louis. Another man was shot and wounded.
In a related DEA investigation, Whitfield sold fentanyl to an undercover officer in March and July of 2020, as well as others. During a court-approved search of Whitfield’s homes, investigators recovered an AK-style pistol, an AR-15-style pistol, thousands of rounds of ammunition, other firearms, body armor, a police scanner, cash, six cell phones, digital scales and 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl.
Drug Enforcement Administration. Drug Enforcement Administration“The Drug Enforcement Administration knows violence is a principal element of drug trafficking, as this case clearly demonstrates,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, supervisor of DEA operations in Eastern Missouri. "This enforcer protected the command and control of a drug trafficking organization dealing in the triple threat of fentanyl, cocaine and heroin. It’s particularly satisfying for us in law enforcement that he will no longer endanger the lives of our citizens with illegal drugs or the gun violence that takes so many St. Louis lives.”
Whitfield was found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in October of seven felonies: conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, heroin and cocaine; knowingly possessing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, causing the death of Antonio Boyd through premeditated murder; knowingly possessing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes; being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of ammunition.
Goolsby was sentenced in 2020 to 151 months in prison.
This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Charles County Police Department and the Bridgeton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Mantovani and Geoff Ogden prosecuted the case.