Eastern District of Missouri
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
St. Charles Felon Caught with Ammunition Sentenced to 57 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon accused of a 2021 shooting in St. Louis, Missouri to 57 months in prison.
After watching video of the shooting and its aftermath and hearing from a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detective and a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Judge Schelp said it had been proven that Deantre Brown, 34, had fired into a crowd outside the Reign nightclub on Aug. 18, 2021.
Video showed the shooter leaving the scene and returning to a nearby parking garage with what appeared to be a gun. Evidence and testimony showed that the suspect used a key card belonging to the mother of Brown’s then-girlfriend to enter the garage and then leave in Brown’s Dodge Charger.
Brown, of St. Charles, pleaded guilty in October to two felony counts of being a felon in possession of ammunition. He admitted in his plea agreement that he was present at the shooting but disputed that he fired a gun. He did admit “both the power and the intention to exercise dominion or control over the ballistic cartridge casings” found at the shooting scene. He also admitted possessing ammunition in his vehicle when he was arrested on Sept. 22, 2021, at his parole officer’s office.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case.
United States Reaches $9.1 Million Civil Settlement with Total Access Urgent Care over False Claims AllegationsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced today that Total Access Urgent Care (TAUC) has agreed to pay $9,150,794 to settle allegations that TAUC submitted false claims for medical services, including COVID-19 testing.
“This settlement will fully repay three federal health care programs for TAUC’s overbilling for COVID tests and office visits,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming.
According to the United States’ allegations, from April of 2017 through November of 2021, TAUC submitted claims for payment to Medicare and TRICARE indicating that a physician performed office visits when a non-physician practitioner had actually done so, thereby receiving reimbursement at a higher rate. From November of 2015 through November of 2021, TAUC submitted claims to Medicare and TRICARE for office visits that were upcoded. During the latter portion of that period, it also submitted upcoded office visit claims to a program that reimbursed for the testing or treatment of, and vaccination against, COVID-19 for people who were uninsured, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement to Health Care Providers and Facilities for Testing, Treatment, and Vaccine Administration for the Uninsured Program (UIP), the government alleges. TAUC voluntarily disclosed during the investigation that from April 1, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2021, it submitted false claims to Medicare, TRICARE and the UIP for COVID testing using improper billing codes, again receiving reimbursements at a higher rate.
All of these false claims resulted in TAUC receiving reimbursement from federal health care programs to which it was not entitled, the government alleges.
TAUC fully cooperated in the investigation. The company did not admit liability in the settlement agreement.
The settlement also resolved TAUC’s self-disclosure made in March of 2021 to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in which TAUC reported that bonuses paid to certain physicians it employed were in part based on the volume or value of their referrals for designated health services, a prohibited practice.
“Today’s outcome illustrates HHS-OIG’s unwavering commitment to detecting, investigating, and shutting down fraud against Medicare, the HRSA Uninsured Program and protecting federal health care programs under any circumstance — especially during a public health emergency,” said Acting Special Agent Curt L. Muller from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “Our agency, working with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate health care fraud schemes, including those involving providers submitting fraudulent claims in violation of the False Claims Act.”
“When actors within our healthcare system are focused on profit rather than patient care, it undermines the integrity of the medical decision-making process,” said Gregory P. Shilling, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DOD-OIG-DCIS), Southwest Field Office. “DCIS remains steadfastly committed to rooting out fraud and safeguarding the funds entrusted to the Defense Health Agency, which serves our military members and their families.”
This civil settlement is part of ongoing efforts by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to recover funds diverted from the Medicare Trust Account and is the result of the combined work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, HHS-OIG, DOD-OIG-DCIS, and the FBI.
Slovakian Man Accused of Running Darknet Market Selling Drugs and Personal InformationRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A Slovakian man was indicted this week on charges that accuse him of running a darknet market that sold drugs and stolen personal information. Investigators have shut down the market.
Alan Bill, 30, of Bratislava, was charged by complaint in U.S. District Court in St. Louis December 14. Bill was arrested December 15 at the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey by agents with the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. In an indictment Wednesday, a grand jury charged Bill with ten felonies: conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, four counts of distribution of a controlled substance, conspiracy to commit identity theft and fraud related to identification documents, identity theft, aggravated identity theft, misuse of a passport and money laundering conspiracy.
The complaint and the indictment accuse Bill, also known as “Vend0r” and “KingdomOfficial,” of helping to set up and run Kingdom Market, which had over 25,000 active listings as of late last month. The market opened in March of 2021 and sold illegal drugs and unlicensed pharmaceuticals, stolen identities, credit card information, counterfeit money, computer malware and fraudulent identity documents including passports and drivers licenses from Missouri and other states, the charging documents say.
“The use of darknet marketplaces and cryptocurrency will not protect dangerous criminals from law enforcement efforts to combat the flow of narcotics and other illegal activities,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “This case is a result of diligent efforts by a team of U.S. and international investigators to target one of the largest darknet marketplaces in the world.”
“The Kingdom Market darknet site allowed criminals to move dangerous drugs in and out of our communities and use the digital world to hide their illegal activities,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Melissa McFadden of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (CI) St. Louis Field Office. “Collaboration with our global law enforcement partners is the key to disrupting drug trafficking, money laundering and the other illicit activities that occur on the darknet.”
“These darknet marketplaces present a significant danger to our communities here in the U.S. as well as those of our international partners.” said HSI Kansas City acting Special Agent in Charge Taekuk Cho. “Our HSI special agents will continue to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations wherever we find them. I would like to commend the efforts of our law enforcement partners for their work on this case, and especially thank the HSI Newark team for their assistance in arresting Bill.”
Kingdom Market charged vendors 500 Euros to start selling, then charged fees on sales. Transactions were conducted in cryptocurrency and Kingdom advised users in methods to conceal their transactions, the documents say.
Investigators used the market to purchase methamphetamine, pills containing fentanyl, the personally identifiable information belonging to numerous people and a United States passport, the charging documents say.
Websites associated with Kingdom Market have also been seized by law enforcement.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The drug trafficking conspiracy charge carries a penalty of at least five years in prison, with a maximum of 40, a fine of up to $5 million, or both. The identity theft conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. The misuse of a passport charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. The money laundering conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000, or twice the value of the property involved.
IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the Missouri Department of Revenue investigated the case. The investigation also involved numerous foreign law enforcement agencies, including the German Federal Criminal Police, or Bundeskriminalamt, the Frankfurt am Main Public Prosecutor's Office - Central Office for Combating Internet Crime (ZIT) as well as law enforcement agencies from Switzerland, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman is prosecuting the case.
Man Indicted on Charges Connected to Five St. Louis Area RobberiesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday on charges connected to five armed robberies in the St. Louis area since September.
Ronald O. Perkins, 28, of Black Jack, Missouri, was indicted on four counts of robbery, one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, three counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony. The indictment accuses Perkins of robbing a Mobil Gas Mart in St. Louis on September 8, Wheeler’s Service Station and a 7-Eleven in St. Louis County on November 8 and a BP Gas Mart in St. Louis County on November 12. He is also accused of transporting a firearm across state lines on November 17 with the intent to commit an armed robbery.
The Gas Mart robber was captured on surveillance video, according to an affidavit filed in support of a November 21 criminal complaint against Perkins.
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 robbery charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine. The discharge of a firearm charge carries a penalty of at least 10 years consecutive to the other charges, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. The brandishing charge carries a penalty of at least seven years consecutive to any other charge and the same fine. The transporting charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and the same fine.
The St. Louis County Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Collinsville Police Department, the Richmond Heights Police Department, the Columbia (Illinois) Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Carjacking Leads to 9 1/2 Years in Prison for St. Louis ManRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Catherine E. Perry on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis, Missouri man who stole a car at gunpoint in 2022 to nine and one-half years in prison.
Demetrius Nettles, 49, pleaded guilty in September to one count of carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Nettles admitted approaching a woman in the 4600 block of Dewey Avenue, in the Dutchtown neighborhood, on May 15, 2022. Nettles demanded the victim’s keys before pointing a revolver at her stomach. Nettles then drove off in the woman’s 2020 Hyundai Elantra. Officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department spotted the car on Kingshighway Boulevard at Natural Bridge Avenue and conducted a traffic stop. They then arrested Nettles, who had a loaded Taurus .38 Special revolver in his waistband.
In a letter to Judge Perry, the victim said she was packing her car to go to a picnic and planned to offer Nettles a sandwich, a bottle of water and a job before noticing the gun pointed at her stomach.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane prosecuted the case.
Missouri Husband and Wife Sentenced for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry on Wednesday sentenced a man from Jefferson County, Missouri to nine years in prison for possessing and sharing child pornography with his wife.
Judge Perry also ordered David John Dohrman to pay $6,000 in restitution to victims who appeared in the images. Judge Perry sentenced Dohrman’s wife, Jacquelin Michelle Dohrman, to seven years in prison last month.
David Dohrman, 52, and Jacquelin Dohrman, now 49, pleaded guilty in June to one count of possession of child pornography.
David Dohrman admitted searching for and downloading child pornography and sending a video containing child sexual abuse material to his wife on Oct. 1, 2020. The couple shared child pornography in chats and discussed a young girl they’d seen in a restaurant. The video they shared resulted in a tip from Facebook to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A St. Louis County Police Department detective then obtained a court-approved search warrant for the Dohrman’s home.
The St. Louis County Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Man Sentenced to 90 Months in Prison for Selling Fentanyl that Killed St. Charles Mother of ThreeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man who supplied the fentanyl that killed a St. Charles, Missouri mother, leaving her three young children alone for over 15 hours, was sentenced Wednesday to 90 months in prison.
U.S. District Judge Audrey E. Fleissig also ordered Valentino Terez Carpenter, 39, of Maryland Heights, to pay $8,665 in funeral expenses for the victim.
The victim was found dead on the couch in her home on June 21, 2022, with a capsule containing fentanyl nearby, after the cries of her children alerted a neighbor. The woman’s children, ages 2, 4 and one month, had been alone for at least 15 hours after their mother’s death.
Carpenter pleaded guilty in September to one count of distribution of fentanyl and admitted selling two capsules containing drugs to the victim for $10. He also admitted that the victim was killed by a fentanyl overdose.
On Wednesday, Judge Fleissig said it was “beyond dispute” that Carpenter sold fentanyl to the victim, and that the sale resulted in her death. Judge Fleissig also said that Carpenter knew that fentanyl was “extremely dangerous,” as is the sale of the drug. He knew people who had died and warned the victim not to split a pill that he sold her because it was so potent.
Judge Fleissig said Carpenter left the victim alone after knowing that she was nodding off due to the effects of the drug and knowing there was no one else to care for the children. She called it an “extremely, extremely tragic case.”
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the St. Charles Police Department and the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force.
Man Accused of Phelps County Carjacking and Gun Store BurglaryRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A Missouri man appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to charges related to a carjacking and a gun store burglary in Phelps County, Missouri.
Martavious Jones, 19, of Phelps County, was indicted September 27 on one carjacking charge and a charge of stealing a firearm from a federally licensed dealer. Jones pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
The indictment accuses Jones of stealing a 2013 Nissan Altima on March 1, 2023, in Phelps County, Missouri. It also accuses him of stealing firearms from a Rolla gun store on Sept. 11, 2022.
A motion seeking to have Jones held in jail until trial says two men took four guns, including an AR-style pistol, as well as a large quantity of ammunition and firearm accessories from the store.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The carjacking charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine. The stealing charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The Rolla Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski is prosecuting the case.
Romance Scammer who Helped Steal Nearly $1.2 Million from Missouri Woman Sentenced to 3 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Tuesday sentenced a man who helped scam nearly $1.2 million out of a St. Louis area woman to three years in prison and ordered him to repay the money.
Rotimi Oladimeji, 38, of Texas, assisted other scammers in Nigeria and the United States prey on the victim, who thought she was in an online romance with a veterinarian and animal behaviorist living in St. Louis.
After a scammer spotted the victim on an online dating site, Oladimeji and his co-conspirators began an online relationship with her. They made plans to meet with her but never followed through, once leaving her waiting at the Missouri Botanical Garden. In October of 2019, Oladimeji claimed the veterinarian was going to Dubai, then said he wouldn’t be allowed to leave unless she sent money. They continued to make request after request of the victim for four and five-figure sums, court records show.
Oladimeji had the victim send cash and cashier’s checks via FedEx to the Texas home of his co-defendant, Olumide Akrinmade, now 38, of Richardson, Texas. Oladimeji had recruited Akrinmade and Adewale Adesanya, another Texas resident, to receive the funds.
In all, the victim lost nearly $1.17 million. Oladimeji received 20% of the funds he generated. As money mules who transmitted the fraudulent proceeds to people like Oladimeji, Akinrinmade and Adesanya received 20% of the funds they forwarded. The remaining amount went to scammers in Nigeria.
Oladimeji was born in Lagos, Nigeria and could be deported after his release from prison.
Oladimeji pleaded guilty in December of 2022 to two counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud.
Akrinmade, now 38, pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to repay $46,500.
Adesanya pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Dallas and was sentenced to four years in prison. He was also ordered to repay $1.5 million that resulted from the romance fraud as well as a business email compromise scheme.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted the case.
For information about how to spot and guard against romance scams, go to ice.gov/features/romance-scams.
Jefferson County Woman Who Falsely Claimed to be Disabled Sentenced to 15 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a Jefferson County, Missouri woman who was part of a wide-ranging scheme that fraudulently obtained millions of dollars in disability payments to 15 months in prison.
Elizabeth Guetersloh, 67, was also ordered to repay $423,513.
A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in May found Guetersloh guilty of two counts of mail fraud, 16 counts of wire fraud and eight counts of theft of government funds.
Guetersloh was among a group of now former Anheuser-Busch employees who went to a Jefferson County chiropractic clinic as part of a scheme to falsely claim disability payments from the Social Security Administration’s Disability Trust Fund and through private disability benefit insurance providers. In all, 17 defendants have pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial of charges connected to the investigation.
“These defendants schemed to take advantage of a system intended to support those who become too disabled to work. The chiropractors took thousands of dollars in fees to teach the other defendants how to fake medical conditions and pretend they were unable to perform some of the basic necessities of life, like walking, standing, sitting and lifting objects. Evidence at her trial showed that this defendant, Elizabeth Guetersloh, fraudulently filed for disability payments and then danced, hiked through waterfalls, rode roller coasters, went to wineries, and traveled to Europe, Hawaii and the Caribbean. Each defendant has been ordered to repay all of the money that was lost, which should serve as an important message that you will never come out ahead if you attempt to commit fraud.”
Chiropractors Thomas G. Hobbs and Vivian Carbone-Hobbs, co-owners of Power-Med Inc., a chiropractic clinic in Arnold, Missouri, were each sentenced to four years in prison earlier this year. Hobbs was ordered to repay $4.3 million and Carbone-Hobbs was ordered to repay $16.4 million.
Hobbs, now 66, pleaded guilty in January to a conspiracy charge and admitted conspiring to commit the crimes of health care fraud, making false statements, theft of government funds and Social Security fraud. Carbone-Hobbs, now 61, was convicted by a jury in February of conspiracy to defraud the Social Security Administration, 10 counts of health care fraud and two counts of theft of money from the United States.
“This sentence holds Ms. Elizabeth Guetersloh accountable for her criminal actions and concludes a major case that involved several medical professionals and many other defendants, who conspired to defraud SSA’s disability program and private insurers,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “I applaud the efforts of those who uncovered this fraud and the investigators who tirelessly unraveled this scheme. I also commend Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracy Berry, Dorothy McMurtry, Gwendolyn Carroll, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke who worked diligently to bring these cases to conclusion.”
The cases were investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracy Berry, Dorothy McMurtry, Diane Klocke and Gwendolyn Carroll prosecuted the case.
Anyone who suspects fraud involving the Disability Insurance Benefit Program should contact the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General Hotline at: 1-800-269-0271 or https://oig.ssa.gov/report/.
Cape Girardeau Man Sentenced to Serve 7 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of a Firearm Later Used in Bar ShootoutRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that Jeremiah R. Twiggs, age 40, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, was sentenced Friday to 7 years in federal prison following his guilty plea to the offense of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Twiggs appeared for his sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
According to court documents, officers were dispatched to a bar known as “Hot Shots” in Cape Girardeau last March in response to a report of multiple shots being fired inside the establishment. Upon arrival, officers discovered a male subject identified as Larry McIntyre lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. McIntyre was rushed to the emergency room for treatment of serious injuries. Officers processed the scene and discovered a .40 caliber pistol on the floor, along with a total of sixteen spent shell casings.
Officers subsequently reviewed video surveillance footage, which depicted McIntyre getting into an altercation with two male subjects around a pool table. Moments before shots were fired, the footage depicted McIntyre reach into another subject’s sweatshirt to retrieve a firearm. McIntyre then discharged the firearm as he was simultaneously shot by the other two assailants multiple times.
Through their investigation, the Cape Girardeau Police Department identified Twiggs as the person from whom McIntyre obtained the firearm. During an interview with detectives, Twiggs confirmed that he accompanied McIntyre to the bar on the night in question. Twiggs told detectives that the .40 caliber pistol belonged to McIntyre. According to Twiggs, he concealed the pistol inside his sweatshirt at McIntyre’s request before entering the bar. Twiggs further stated that, during the altercation around the pool table, McIntyre took the pistol from him right before he was shot. Twiggs is prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law due to numerous felony convictions.
After serving his prison sentence, Twiggs will be placed on supervised release for a period of three years. The Cape Girardeau Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the government.
Missouri Woman Sentenced for Fraudulently Applying for $168,000 Pandemic LoanRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A woman who fraudulently applied for a $167,997 pandemic loan for a Poplar Bluff, Missouri business that she did not run or own was sentenced Thursday to six months in prison.
U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. also ordered Maxine Michelle Burns, 44, of Willow Springs in Howell County, Missouri, to repay the money. Burns will be on supervised release for five years after she gets out of prison.
Burns applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan from the Small Business Administration on Jan. 20, 2021, using the name of the owner of a residential treatment facility in Poplar Bluff without authorization. She also used the owner’s signature stamp, her plea says. After the loan was granted, Burns used the money to buy vehicles for herself and pay for vacations. The loan was forgiven after Burns falsely claimed that she’d used the money for payroll and other permissible purposes.
“This case highlights a partnership between the United States Secret Service and the Butler County Sheriff’s Department to aggressively target individuals who have taken advantage of federal pandemic programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Travis Gibson of the U.S. Secret Service - St. Louis Field Office.
Burns pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in July to bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case.
Anyone with information about pandemic fraud should call the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or report via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
St. Louis Felon Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison After Being Caught with a GunRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon from St. Louis, Missouri to 15 years in prison after he was caught with a handgun.
Doctavious Pegues, 39, pleaded guilty in September to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that on Oct. 7, 2021, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to reports of a domestic disturbance in the 3700 block of Phillips Place. They were speaking with Pegues’ girlfriend when multiple gunshots were fired in a nearby gangway.
Police found Pegues hiding in a bedroom closet at his aunt’s house in the 3600 block of Winnebago, one block away. Officers found a Canik 9mm semiautomatic pistol on the landing of the home’s rear stairwell and multiple spent 9mm cartridge casings in the gangway. Pegues’ fingerprint was found on the pistol.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin is prosecuting the case.
Man Who Sparked Police Standoff in Shrewsbury Sentenced to 13+ Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon caught repeatedly with a firearm, including after a standoff with police, to 13 years and nine months in prison.
Stephen Joseph Diani, 49, of St. Louis, Missouri, pleaded guilty in June to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and admitted being caught with a gun three times.
On Sept. 8, 2021, St. Louis County Police Department officers were investigating whether the car Diani was driving was stolen because the license plate wasn’t registered to the vehicle. When Diani opened the driver’s door, they spotted a 9mm handgun between the door and the seat and what turned out to be cocaine base and heroin in plastic bags in the car.
On Sept. 23, 2021, Diani was arrested after St. Louis County police responded to calls about someone walking through a neighborhood checking car door handles. After police spotted Diani inside someone else’s SUV, he ran but was caught. In his car, officers found a .223 caliber rifle and tools that had been stolen from a nearby resident’s truck that evening.
In December of 2021 and January of 2022, police in Shrewsbury and St. Louis were investigating a series of burglaries in St. Louis near the Shrewsbury border and were monitoring Diani’s use of a storage unit in Shrewsbury. They also received a tip that Diani threatened to kill officers or himself rather than going back to jail.
On Jan. 12, 2022, Shrewsbury police spotted Diani’s car at the storage unit, called for backup and attempted to detain him. Diani tried to close the door of the storage unit but was prevented from doing so by an officer, sparking a 38-minute standoff with police. Diani placed his hand on a handgun if police approached, constructed a makeshift barricade and repeatedly told police to kill him. Officers successfully negotiated with Diani to allow a man who had responded to an internet ad about tools for sale to leave the unit. As he left, officers leaped the barricade and tackled Diani, who continued to resist officers’ attempts to arrest him.
At least one officer was injured when he jumped the barricade and landed among the stolen tools and equipment in the storage unit.
The Shrewsbury Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel prosecuted the case.
Registered Sex Offender Charged with New Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender from Jefferson County, Missouri appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Monday to face a new child pornography charge.
Patrick Mayberry, 44, of High Ridge, was charged by complaint on Dec. 8, 2023, with receipt and distribution of child pornography as a prior offender. A criminal complaint says that after receiving information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about a Google user who had allegedly uploaded child sexual abuse material, the St. Louis County Police Department learned Mayberry may be selling child pornography that he obtained on the dark web to others.
The charge is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years, a $250,000 fine, or both.
Charges set forth in a criminal complaint are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Cape Girardeau Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Gun, Methamphetamine CrimesRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Monday sentenced a previously-convicted felon who was caught with two stolen guns, two other guns and methamphetamine to 12 years in prison.
Daniel T. Aguilar, 39, of Cape Girardeau, pleaded guilty in September to four felonies: possession of stolen firearms, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms.
Aguilar admitted to breaking into a storage unit in Jackson, Missouri on Sept. 30, 2022, and stealing a Maverick 12-gauge shotgun and an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 pistol. The Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force learned on Jan. 10, 2023, that Aguilar had meth, a pistol and stolen property in his home. Detectives watched as Aguilar took license plates off his Toyota Scion and placed them on an SUV with expired plates. Aguilar then drove off in the SUV. The Missouri State Highway Patrol stopped the SUV and found 42 grams of meth inside. A court-approved search of Aguilar’s home and vehicle found 14 grams of meth hidden in a couch cushion, stolen property and bolt cutters in his bedroom and two handguns hidden in a speaker box in the trunk of his vehicle. The two stolen guns were recovered from his girlfriend’s house.
Aguilar has five prior felony convictions, including carjacking. He was on probation for state charges at the time of his federal offenses.
The Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Man Accused of Nearly $600,000 Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri has been accused in an indictment of fraudulently obtaining nearly $600,000 in pandemic relief loans.
Shahron Vaulx, 39, was indicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on six counts of bank fraud and two counts of wire fraud. He appeared in court Thursday and pleaded not guilty.
The indictment accuses Vaulx of submitting nine fraudulent applications seeking a total of $649,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and receiving about $595,000.
Vaulx made the applications on behalf of Fortunnett Financial LLC, SD Incorporation LLC, SV Collections LLC and SD Marketing LLC, the indictment alleges. The applications contained false information about monthly payroll and the number of company employees and was sometimes supported by fraudulent or misleading tax forms, the indictment says. Vaulx made bulk cash withdrawals and sent money to others and used other funds on unapproved personal expenses including personal credit card bills, clothing, advertisements and payments to OnlyFans, the indictment says.
The PPP loans were intended to help small businesses and their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bank fraud and wire fraud charges are each punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million 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. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Casey is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Admits Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS– A man who admitted tampering with a witness with information about a fatal hit-and-run in St. Louis pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal gun charge.
Martez D. Lindsey, 31, of St. Louis County, Missouri, pleaded guilty Thursday to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Lindsey admitted as part of his plea that while investigating a fatal hit-and-run, detectives performed a court-approved search of Lindsey’s apartment on April 25, 2023. In Lindsey’s bedroom, they 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. Lindsey admitted knowing that, as someone convicted of multiple felonies, he was barred from possessing a firearm.
In an attempt to avoid detention in jail after his arrest on the federal charge, Lindsey contacted a key witness in the hit-and-run investigation and pressured her to recant her original report to police. He wanted her to claim she was tricked or made up a story because she was mad at him, the plea agreement says. Lindsey believed her statement was the “only proof they got,” the plea says. The witness was an ex-girlfriend and 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, the plea says.
Lindsey is scheduled to be sentenced March 13, 2024. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.
Two Accused of Stealing Mail in ChesterfieldRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men have been indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis and accused of stealing mail from residential and businesses mailboxes in Chesterfield, Missouri.
Christopher Ali Pate, 31, and Eryk Campbell, 28, were each indicted on one count of theft of mail. The indictment accuses them of stealing mail from mailboxes on or around Chesterfield Industrial Boulevard.
Campbell was arrested Wednesday and appeared in court, where he pleaded not guilty. Pate was arrested in Georgia on November 13. He pleaded not guilty in court November 30.
The 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 investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cort VanOstran is prosecuting the case.
St. Charles County Man Who Obtained Child Pornography with a Hidden Camera Sentenced to 17 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Court Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a man who captured images and videos of underage girls with hidden cameras to 17 years in prison.
Dennis J. Naumann, 56, of St. Charles County, Missouri, will be on supervised release for life after his release from prison.
Naumann produced videos and still images of underage girls by concealing video cameras in a bathroom and other places. Naumann admitted uploading at least 50 videos containing child sexual abuse material to Dropbox. He also traded the images and videos he produced with two others so he could get more child sexual abuse material.
One victim wrote in a letter to Judge Schelp that Naumann “stole my girlhood and traded it on the internet.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson said during Wednesday’s sentencing hearing that Naumann began deleting files when he learned he was being investigated, but dozens of videos and pictures were recovered, as were multiple online conversations in which he asked for images or videos containing child sexual abuse material or offered to share what he had. Naumann also searched for that material online, part of what Anderson called a “rapacious appetite for child sexual abuse material.”
Naumann pleaded guilty in June to one count each of attempted production of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography.
The case was investigated by the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force, the St. Charles County Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jillian Anderson and Nathan Chapman prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Missouri Man Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Wednesday sentenced a man who produced and received child pornography involving three victims to 50 years in prison.
After a bench trial in May, Judge Ross found William Dahl, 39, of Audrain County, Missouri, guilty of one count of producing child pornography and two counts of receiving child pornography. Judge Ross’ findings of fact said Dahl photographed himself having sex with a 14-year-old girl. He later emailed those images to others. Dahl also received a video of a 16-year-old and a pornographic image of a 7-year-old, the ruling says.
On Wednesday, Judge Ross told Dahl the evidence was “clear, convincing and overwhelming about your guilt.”
The investigation began one of the victims and her family contacted authorities. A subsequent investigation by the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team uncovered more victims.
Dahl met the first victim when she was 13 and he was nearly 23. A second victim met Dahl when he was 36 and she was 16. He bought her a cell phone, alcohol and vaping pods and they exchanged nude pictures. The third victim was 7 at the time of the offense. Dahl’s co-defendant, Jennifer Huddleston, admitted taking photographs of herself sexually abusing the sleeping girl and sending them to Dahl. Huddleston and Dahl were in an on-and-off relationship since 2008.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang said during the hearing that 18 years have passed since Dahl began to prey on female children, and he has been “consistent in trying to seek out and sexually exploit children” during that time.
Judge Ross ordered Dahl’s prison sentence to run consecutive to any sentence he receives for six pending cases in Audrain County Circuit Court and Randolph County Circuit Court.
Judge Ross sentenced Huddleston, 35, in October to 179 months in prison. Huddleston pleaded guilty in May to one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
The cases were investigated by the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team and Donya Jackson, an investigator with the U.S. Attorney’s office at the time. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colleen Lang and Amy Sestric 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.
Tech Company’s Tip Leads to Guilty Plea of Lake St. Louis ManRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A Lake St. Louis, Missouri man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday and admitted taking pictures of his sexual abuse of a young girl.
Steve G. Flores, 51, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to one count of production of child pornography.
Authorities were initially alerted by a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by a cloud storage company about two files that appeared to contain child sexual abuse material. Court approved searches of Flores’ Google and cloud storage accounts revealed hundreds of pictures and videos he’d produced of the victim. A search of his home on Nov. 8, 2022, found electronic devices that contained similar images, as well as other images containing child pornography.
Flores is scheduled to be sentenced March 5, 2024. The charge carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 15 years, with a maximum of 30. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson will ask for 25 years, the plea agreement says.
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.
Missouri Postal Employee Accused of Stealing from MailRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A U.S. Postal Service mail carrier in Moberly, Missouri has been federally indicted and accused of stealing from the mail.
Dawn Dowling, 58, was indicted November 29 on one felony count of embezzlement of mail by a Postal Service employee. The indictment accuses Dowling of taking mail from about July 2023 to August 2023, including rebates from the home improvement store Menards that she was supposed to deliver.
Dowling appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday and pleaded not guilty.
The 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 Service – Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.
Missouri Man Sentenced to 88 Months in Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced an Iron County, Missouri man to 88 months in prison for the possession of over 900 images containing child pornography.
Judge Limbaugh also ordered Timon Odell Mouser, 54, to be placed on supervised release for life after his release from prison.
In July of 2022, the FBI was assisting the Phelps County Sheriff's Department with a cyber tip received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an IP address used to trade child sexual abuse material. They traced it to Mouser’s home, and a search of his computer found over 900 images containing child pornography, including images of infants and toddlers and other prepubescent minor children.
Mouser pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in August to one count of possession of child pornography.
The FBI and the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Missouri Man Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for Sexually Exploiting BoyRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a man from Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri to 210 months in prison for producing photos of the sexual abuse of a young boy.
Noah Church, 22, pleaded guilty in September to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. Church admitted sending images containing child sexual abuse material to an undercover FBI agent.
In April of 2022, the FBI began investigating the use by Church of an online chat forum on Kik Messenger. Church, who used the username “LittleBois123,” shared pictures of a child and discussed sexually abusing the child. The FBI traced LittleBois123 to a home in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri and conducted a court-approved search of the home on June 8, 2022. They found photos of the child on Church’s phone, which contained hundreds of images containing child pornography, his plea agreement says.
After his release from prison, Church will be on supervised release for 20 years.
The FBI and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Jefferson County Man Accused of Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Pevely, Missouri accused of recording his sexual abuse of a minor was arrested and appeared in federal court in St. Louis Tuesday.
Matthew Gamel, 36, was indicted November 8 on one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of receipt of child pornography. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
The indictment accuses Gamel of coercing a minor into producing child pornography between Jan. 1, 2021 and Feb. 22, 2023, and receiving child pornography between Jan. 1, 2021 and Aug. 1, 2023. A motion seeking to have Gamel held in jail until trial says he recorded his sexual abuse of the minor when she was under the age of 14.
The sexual exploitation of a minor charge is punishable by 15 to 30 years in prison. The receipt of child pornography charge is punishable by five to 20 years in prison.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The 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.
St. Louis Man Admits Shooting Two Women, One Fatally, During CarjackingsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis, Missouri man on Monday admitted killing a woman while stealing her car in 2022 and shooting another woman during a carjacking a few weeks later.
Loyse Dozier, 21, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis 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.
Dozier admitted fatally shooting Laruth Jones while he was stealing her Mercedes CLA 250 on July 10, 2022. Jones had parked in the lot of the Raqqa Mart at 352 Chambers Road, in Riverview, in St. Louis County, and was standing near the entrance to the store when she saw Dozier, who was wearing a full-face mask, get into her car. She confronted Dozer with her gun, the two exchanged fire, and Jones was killed. Before leaving in the stolen car, Dozier got out and picked up Jones’ gun, he admitted in his plea. He later set the car on fire in a St. Louis alley.
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. Dozier, who was again masked, walked onto the parking lot and opened the door of the victim’s Kia Optima. He ordered the driver out. She complied and handed her keys to Dozier. He shot her twice before getting into her car. An off-duty Florissant Police Department officer, who was working as a security guard inside the Walgreens, ran outside after the shooting, scaring Dozier away. Dozier left his phone behind in the Kia, however.
Nine days later, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers spotted Dozier at a gas station at West Florissant and Adelaide Avenues. He ran, discarding a handgun and a bag before officers caught and arrested him, inside the bag was 5.76 grams of fentanyl. The gun was a .45-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun that he’d stolen from Jones after shooting her. He later used it to shoot the second victim. Dozier is a convicted felon and is barred from possessing a firearm. Dozier had cocaine base in 25 plastic baggies in his pocket when he was arrested, as well as a magazine for the handgun.
Dozier is scheduled to be sentenced March 11, 2024. As part of the plea agreement, both sides have agreed to recommend a sentence of 32 years in prison.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for ID Theft and Stealing Rental CarRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Monday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man who used counterfeit identification and a fake credit card to steal a rental car to three years in prison.
Kelvin N. Ford, 32, of Dellwood, pleaded guilty in September to aggravated identity theft and access device fraud. He admitted stealing an Audi Q3 SUV worth about $37,000 from Alamo Car Rental in Woodson Terrace, Missouri by using a stolen credit card number and fake identification in the name of a Connecticut resident. The driver’s license had the victim’s name, birth date and address but Ford’s picture. Ford was also using a credit card that had been encoded with the stolen credit card number.
Ford admitted that he did not plan to return the SUV to Alamo. At the end of the rental period, Alamo discovered the fraud and reported the Audi stolen. Bridgeton police found it in their city, with Ford sitting in the driver’s seat. Officers found multiple counterfeit debit cards using other people’s names, $736 in cash, gift cards and multiple fake IDs.
Ford also opened an account at Scott Credit Union in someone else’s name, his plea agreement says.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Woodson Terrace Police Department and the Bridgeton Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case.
Man Admits Laundering Money for Drug Dealers in St. LouisRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Lake St. Louis, Missouri on Monday admitted laundering money for methamphetamine dealers operating in the St. Louis area.
Melvin Hayes, 66, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to misprision of a felony.
Hayes admitted working on behalf of Demond Bernard McDaniels Jr., Dawaune Lamont Rhodes Jr. and others who were distributing methamphetamine. He also admitted being caught on Oct. 8, 2020, in Kansas with 45 bundles of meth weighing about 100 pounds. Hayes had picked the meth up in Colorado and was bringing it to McDaniels. He told investigators that he would be paid for the trip but didn’t tell them he shared the profits from drug sales.
Hayes made three to four additional trips bringing cash from drug sales to Los Angeles and picking up meth, his plea says.
A subsequent investigation recovered a total of $115,755 in cash associated with Rhodes and McDaniels.
Hayes also admitted amassing assets worth about $2.6 million by using drug profits to buy real estate, vehicles and other assets and using his limousine business to hide the source of cash.
Hayes is scheduled to be sentenced March 26, 2024. The misprision charge is punishable by up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Hayes has already agreed to forfeit $250,000, which represents the approximate value of properties he bought via his money laundering activities.
Rhodes, of St. Louis, and McDaniels, of St. Charles, were each sentenced this year to 10 years in prison.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
St. Louis Man Caught with Machine Guns Admits Drug, Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man who was caught with fentanyl, methamphetamine and two fully automatic handguns pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to three felonies Friday.
Courtlend Green, 26, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Green admitted that St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detectives with the Mobile Reserve Unit learned that he was known to sell drugs at a supermarket in the 8300 block of North Broadway. On Jan. 3, 2023, they spotted him driving into the supermarket parking lot. 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 Broadway and Gimblin Road. Green then got out and ran. Officers caught and arrested him.
Inside Green’s Honda, officers found two Glock handguns that were equipped with illegal “switches,” or auto sears, that converted them into fully automatic weapons. One Glock, which had been stolen, had a drum magazine and 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 is scheduled to be sentenced March 8, 2024
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag is prosecuting the case.
Canadian Man Admits Cross-Country Crime SpreeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Canada pleaded guilty Friday and admitted using sleight-of-hand and other ruses to steal more than $109,000 from retailers in at least 11 states during a nearly six-month crime spree.
As part of his guilty plea to wire fraud and interstate transportation of stolen property, Mohsen Akbari, 38, admitted entering the U.S. on March 1, 2023 from South Korea on a visitor visa. He then traveled to Missouri, Illinois and at least 11 other states, where he would target Walmart stores and other retailers. After making a small purchase, Akbari would use a ruse to trick store employees into handing over cash. Akbari sometimes claimed that he and his family collected $100 bills and would ask the cashier to show him those from the cash register so he could examine them. Akbari would then surreptitiously place some of the bills into his sleeve or pocket.
Locally, Akbari stole a total of $2,420 from a Walmart in St. Peters, Missouri on June 12, 2023, $6,900 from a Granite City, Illinois store on June 13, $420 from an O’Fallon, Missouri store on June 14 and $900 from a store in Warrenton, Missouri the same day. He stole $580 from a Walmart in Eureka, Missouri and $5,100 from an Arnold, Missouri Walmart on June 15.
Akbari was arrested Aug. 22, 2023 in Connecticut with $5,388 in U.S. currency and 150 Australian dollars derived from the scheme. Akbari admitted stealing a total of $109,452. Authorities seized $69,864 from two of Akbari’s bank accounts. Akbari also wired some money to Canada.
Akbari is scheduled to be sentenced March 1, 2024. The wire fraud charge carries a potential penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. The interstate transportation of stolen property charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the same fine.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Eureka Police Department and the Arnold Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Sex Offender Admits Seeking Child Pornography OnlineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A sex offender from St. Louis, Missouri on Thursday admitted seeking explicit images from teens online.
James W. Rankin, 47, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of solicitation of child pornography and one count of transfer of obscene material. Rankin admitted communicating on an anonymous chat site with multiple individuals he believed to be underage and seeking explicit pictures from them.
In January of 2023, detectives from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in California were conducting an undercover investigation into internet-facilitated child exploitation when they received a message from Rankin. Using the screen name “Lonely_Nerd,” Rankin began communicating with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl. After moving the conversation to 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 admitted in his plea agreement that he possessed child pornography on his cell phone and that he’d engaged in conversations via Whisper with individuals who identified themselves as minors. In those conversations, Rankin sought more sexually explicit pictures.
Rankin was convicted of first-degree statutory rape of a minor under 14 in Greene County Circuit Court in 2021 and sentenced to five years in prison. He had been released on parole and was residing in a residential re-entry center at the time of his federal crimes. He 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.
The solicitation of child pornography charge carries a penalty of at least 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years because Rankin is a prior offender. The transfer of obscene material charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The U.S. Attorney’s office will ask for 20 years at Rankin’s sentencing, scheduled for March 5, 2024.
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.
St. Louis Man Who Struck Officer While Fleeing Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri, who struck a St. Charles police officer while trying to flee was sentenced Thursday to 63 months in prison.
On July 11, 2022, officers from the St. Charles Police Department were called to a Waffle House and found Ameer Raff-Covington, now 32, passed out behind the wheel of a Mazda SUV. Officers had also been told that Raff-Covington had been involved in a dispute with a waitress earlier. Once awakened, Raff-Covington refused to get out of the SUV and provided a false date of birth and Social Security number to police. After being told he was under arrest, Raff-Covington put the SUV in reverse, striking an officer in the knee and pinning him between his car and another vehicle, according to Raff-Covington’s plea agreement. Raff-Covington also struck two vehicles and two Ameren electrical boxes. He stopped when officers held him at gunpoint. After Raff-Covington was removed from the vehicle, officers found a stolen Glock handgun between the driver’s seat and the center console.
Raff-Covington pleaded guilty in August to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The St. Charles County Police Department and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassandra Wiemken is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Who Altered and Deposited Stolen Checks Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced a man who fraudulently deposited checks stolen from St. Louis area businesses to two years in prison.
Jacob Wolf, 35, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty in August to a felony bank fraud charge and admitted hatching a scheme to defraud banks by acquiring and depositing checks stolen from the mailboxes of St. Louis area businesses. The names of the intended recipients on the stolen checks were removed and replaced. Wolf also obtained identification documents belonging to others and posed as those other people when trying to deposit checks. Wolf tried to fraudulently deposit checks totaling $84,557, but only successfully received $11,163.76, his plea agreement says.
The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.
St. Charles County Man Admits Unlicensed Sales of FirearmsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles County, Missouri on Thursday admitted selling firearms without a license, including over 30 that were recovered at or after crimes.
Harry Trueblood, 69, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of being an unlicensed firearms dealer.
As part of his plea, Trueblood admitted selling firearms to multiple customers of at least 15 gun shows from January of 2021 through May of 2023 despite never having been licensed to deal in firearms and even after being warned that he was committing a crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives 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.
Agents found at least 250 bills of sale reflecting firearms sales and have traced at least 30 guns recovered in connection with crimes to Trueblood.
Trueblood is scheduled to be sentenced March 4, 2024.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski is prosecuting the case.
Missouri Man Indicted, Accused of Seeking Child Pornography OnlineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from O’Fallon, Missouri was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday and accused of coercing two underage girls to send him images containing child pornography and the statutory rape of one of the girls.
Andrew Haller, 33, was indicted on two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography.
Haller was initially charged by complaint November 14. Charging documents say the FBI received a tip about Haller in October alleging that a 15-year-old girl had met Haller online, communicated with him via Tumblr and Telegram and sent him nude pictures at his request.
A motion seeking Haller’s detention until trial and a subsequent detention order say the second alleged victim is also 15, and that Haller traveled out of state to meet her. The indictment accuses Haller of the statutory rape of that girl.
“It is common for child predators to lurk and prey where children spend time interacting with others on the internet. It is no different in the physical world,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “When it comes to online child exploitation, we need our children to know they are the victims and are not in trouble with the law so they feel comfortable telling a trusted adult.”
The FBI is asking for information relevant to the investigation of Andrew Haller or any potential victims to contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney 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.
Missouri Man Admits Recording Sexual Abuse of ToddlerRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Jefferson County, Missouri has admitted recording the sexual abuse of a toddler.
Kyle J. Gipson, 22, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday to one felony count of production of child pornography.
In March of 2023, an undercover FBI agent in an online group on the social media platform Wickr that was dedicated to discussing and trading original images of child sexual abuse learned of Gipson. The agent and Gipson began communicating on Wickr and later moved to the social media platform Telegram. Gipson sent the agent a picture of a 2-year-old girl and said he had sexually abused her, his plea agreement says. He also sent a nude picture and offered to provide access so the girl could be sexually abused, his plea says.
After a court-approved search of Gipson’s home on March 13, investigators found child sexual abuse material involving that toddler and others. They also found communications in which Gipson discussed his sexual abuse of the victim with six others on social media. Gipson was also monitor and gatekeeper for a social media group focused on child sexual abuse material, bestiality and rape.
The production of child pornography charge carries a penalty of at least 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years. The U.S. Attorney’s office will ask for the maximum penalty at Gipson’s sentencing, scheduled for March 6, 2024.
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.
Man Who Pointed Gun at Sikeston Officer Sentenced to 168 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Thursday sentenced a convicted felon from Sikeston, Missouri who pointed a gun at a police officer to 168 months in prison.
Ruben R. Ramirez, 27, pleaded guilty in August to one felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Ramirez admitted as part of his plea that an officer with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety was responding to a reported burglary on March 8, 2023, when he spotted Ramirez walking away. Ramirez raised a silver-colored .22-caliber pistol and pointed it at the officer before dropping the gun when the officer drew his own firearm.
In a later interview, Ramirez said he tried to fire the pistol because he wanted the officer to kill him, but his gun jammed.
Ramirez has a prior conviction for unlawful use of a weapon in a 2021 case in New Madrid County Circuit Court.
The Sikeston Department of Public Safety investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.
Man Gets 11+ Years in Prison for Aiding St. Louis County Armed Robbery, Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a man to 11 years and five months in prison for helping rob a St. Louis County Boost Mobile store in 2021.
Damonta Bridges, who is a convicted felon, also admitted possessing a firearm in a carjacked vehicle.
Bridges was present at a Boost Mobile store at 12135 Bellefontaine Road on Aug. 9, 2021 when his co-defendant, Kadijah McFadden, pointed a firearm at a store employee and demanded cash. McFadden stole about $630. She and Bridges also stole mobile phones.
On Sept. 5, 2021, Bridges was a passenger in a 2017 Jeep Cherokee that McFadden had carjacked at gunpoint earlier that day. McFadden was driving. After police spotted the stolen vehicle, Bridges threw a Stoeger 9m pistol out of the window. Both McFadden and Bridges were caught by police after McFadden crashed.
Bridges, 31, pleaded guilty in August to a robbery charge and a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
McFadden was sentenced in September to 15 years in prison. She pleaded guilty in December to carjacking, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, robbery, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Walker prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Man Found Guilty of Carjacking, Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri, who was caught on camera carjacking a truck in 2020, was found guilty by a jury Wednesday of all of the charges he faced.
Jurors in U.S. District Court in St. Louis found James Blakemore, 36, guilty of three felonies: carjacking, possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Evidence and testimony at the trial this week showed that on Sept. 16, 2020, the victim was napping in his work truck at the Convention Center MetroLink Station in downtown St. Louis when someone opened his door and demanded his cash and phone at gunpoint. The robber also stole the victim’s company’s 2016 Dodge Ram.
The truck was equipped with a GPS tracking device and “in-car cameras,” and both the victim’s boss and the company’s owner were able to provide police with its location. When police arrived, a man jumped out and ran away, but left a backpack behind with a pistol and both a debit card and EBT card in Blakemore’s name.
Blakemore’s picture was captured by the in-car camera video recording and his DNA was found in the truck and on the gun. The victim also identified Blakemore as the carjacker.
At Blakemore’s sentencing in March, he faces up to 15 years in prison on the carjacking charge, up to 10 years in prison on the felon in possession charge and seven years to life in prison on the brandishing charge, consecutive to all other counts.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Torrie Schneider and Donald Boyce are prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Accused of Selling Fentanyl that Killed TwinsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri, was arrested Wednesday on an indictment that accuses him of selling the fentanyl that killed the buyer in May.
Jesse Charleston, 33, of Florissant, was indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on November 15 with three felonies: distribution of fentanyl with death resulting, distribution of fentanyl and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. He pleaded not guilty Wednesday.
The indictment accuses Charleston of selling fentanyl on March 21 that proved fatal to the buyer. It also says Charleston sold fentanyl on March 27 in St. Charles County and possessed it that same day in St. Louis.
In court Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerome McDonald said the victim who bought fentanyl from Charleston brought it home and fatally overdosed, along with his twin brother.
The distribution of fentanyl with death resulting charge carries a penalty of at least 20 years in prison, with a maximum term of life. The fentanyl distribution and possession with intent to distribute charges each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the St. Charles County Police and St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerome McDonald is prosecuting the case.
Man Admits Armed Robbery of Jennings Convenience StoreRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted the armed robbery of a convenience store in Jennings in February.
Richard E. Barber, 51, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of robbery and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Barber admitted that on Feb. 11, 2023, he entered the Gas Mart at 9301 Lewis and Clark Boulevard wearing a face mask and a camouflage St. Louis Blues cap. After selecting a beer from the refrigerated section of the store, Barber took it to the register, pulled a pistol and pointed it at the clerk. Barber then demanded and took cash from the cash registers and left in a Chrysler Sebring.
Early on the morning of Feb. 13, 2023, Barber wrecked the Sebring in the 800 block of North Florissant Road in Ferguson, suffering injuries that required hospitalization. A paramedic noticed a .40-caliber pistol on the car’s floorboard that resembled the one used in the robbery. Investigators later found the hat and face mask Barber wore during the robbery in his car.
At the time of the robbery, Barber was on supervised release after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in 2014 to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to 100 months in prison in that case.
Barber is scheduled to be sentenced in April. The robbery charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The felon in possession charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and the same fine. As part of the plea agreement, both sides have agreed to recommend a total of 20 years in prison.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the Ferguson Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.
Lake St. Louis Woman Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Ailing UncleRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a woman from Lake St. Louis, Missouri to 15 months in prison for stealing from her elderly, ailing uncle.
Judge Autrey also ordered Jessica Medrano, 42, to repay $79,827. Medrano pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in May to five felony counts of wire fraud and one felony count of access device fraud and admitted defrauding her uncle in two ways.
Medrano’s uncle, who is now 73 and suffers multiple health issues, entrusted Medrano with his debit card so she could make purchases on his behalf. Medrano instead used the card to make online and in-store purchases totaling more than $12,000 at Walmart for herself and other relatives between Jan. 21, 2022 and May 16, 2022, her plea agreement says.
Between Jan. 24, 2022 and June 6, 2022, Medrano also transferred a total of $57,950 from her uncle’s bank account to her own account via Cash App and her uncle’s debit card.
An investigation began when the victim’s bank alerted the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, according to testimony during the sentencing hearing.
In a sentencing memorandum, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry said Medrano’s “financial exploitation of vulnerable individuals and her family members has escalated” since she stole and forged two checks from her stepfather’s relative while he was hospitalized in 2009.
Medrano’s used her uncle’s debit card to buy clothing and food at Walmart, but also jewelry, electronics, candy, beer, furniture, art supplies, home décor, phone cards, cat food, cat treats, fashion accessories, dishes, warranty protection plans and party supplies, the memo says. Medrano also nearly drained her uncle’s bank account with Cash App, with her final transfer leaving $88 in an account that once exceeded $71,000.
The Warren County Sheriff’s Department and Homeland Security Investigations handled the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted the case.
Dunklin County, Missouri Man Admits Recording Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Dunklin County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted recording his sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl and recording other children in the shower.
Matthew A. Prewett, 43, of Kennett, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to a felony charge of sexual exploitation of a minor. He admitted engaging in sexual contact with a 13-year-old girl beginning in April of 2022. The Kennett Police Department received notification on May 3, 2002, that the victim was at a hospital in St. Louis for a sexual assault examination after the victim’s mother found sexually suggestive text messages from Prewett on her daughter’s phone. Prewett had recorded his crimes on video.
The next day, law enforcement arrested Prewett following a traffic stop in Dunklin County. An investigation revealed that Prewett had placed hidden cameras in his home, including one in the bathroom. Prewett recorded children between ages 12 and 17 in the bathroom, while they were nude and showering.
Prewett is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 21, 2024. The sexual exploitation of a minor charge is punishable by a prison sentence ranging from the mandatory minimum of 15 years up to life in prison. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend 20 years.
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.
Two St. Louis Area Men Sentenced to Prison for Methamphetamine, Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men caught with 1.3 kilograms of methamphetamine, four guns and more than $7,500 in cash were each sentenced in U.S. District Court this week to more than 10 years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Thursday sentenced Deandre Q. Brett, 26, of St. Louis, to 138 months in prison.
Judge White sentenced Robert K. Kinney, 24, of Berkeley, in St. Louis County, on Wednesday to 130 months.
Kinney originally attracted the attention of St. Louis County Police officers when he sped away from a police vehicle on July 28, 2021, passing other vehicles in the center turn lane, according to plea agreements by Kinney and Brett and court documents. After officers used a spike strip on the white Kia Forte Kinney was driving, he kept driving until the car began to slide off the road on four flat tires.
Kinney got out holding a Glock pistol with an extended capacity magazine and ran away from officers. He was arrested and police found $3,792 in cash, drugs and ammunition in a bag he carried. Brett was arrested at the Kia. Officers found a stolen Glock pistol in the car, as well as a SKS Interarms Hellpup semi-automatic rifle, an Arsenal SAM7K semi-automatic rifle and three packages containing a total of 1.3 kilograms of meth. Brett’s bag held two Glock magazines, $3,796 in cash and marijuana.
Kinney and Brett both pleaded guilty in August to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
Former Potosi Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Trafficking, Other ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former Potosi, Missouri police officer on Thursday admitted providing cash, vape cartridges and other items to three male minors for nude pictures or after performing sex acts on the victims.
Matthew N. Skaggs, 40, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to three felony charges: sex trafficking, solicitation of child pornography and coercion and enticement of a minor.
In Thursday’s plea hearing, Skaggs admitted that between Jan. 1, 2022 and Aug. 10, 2022, he provided vape cartridges, alcohol, CBD and THC to a 13-year-old boy in exchange for nude pictures of the boy. Skaggs also gave the victim vape cartridges after groping him in a police vehicle at a kindergarten center while Skaggs was wearing his police uniform. Skaggs also gave the boy vape cartridges in a middle school boys’ bathroom.
Skaggs repeatedly offered money to another boy when he was between the ages of 14 and 16 for sex, and asked for a received a picture of the boys’ genitals, his plea agreement says.
Skaggs also admitted performing a sex act on a third victim, aged 17, twice, and then providing money and alcohol to the minor. Between June 13, 202 and July 14, 2022, Skaggs paid the boy amounts ranging from $5 to $75 via Cash App. Skaggs also gave the boy cigarettes and vape pods.
At the time of his arrest, Skaggs was attending training to become a school resource officer.
Skaggs is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 14, 2024.
As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors have agreed to recommend a sentence of no more than 300 months in prison. The sex trafficking and coercion charges are each punishable by a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life. The solicitation of child pornography charge carries a minimum five-year term and a maximum of life in prison. All also are punishable by a fine of up to $250,000.
Skaggs has also agreed to forfeit electronic devices including an iPad, two cell phones and storage devices.
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.
Florida Man Sentenced to Prison for Embezzling from Missouri CompanyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Thursday sentenced a man who embezzled about $280,000 from his employer to buy a boat and make other personal purchases to a year and a day in prison.
Matthew Olinger, 40, of Florida, pleaded guilty to a felony wire fraud charge in July and admitted embezzling from his employer in two ways. Olinger worked for a seed company as an area business manager, managing field sales representatives and occasionally purchasing agricultural equipment for the seedsmen, employees who sold seeds to regional customers.
Olinger fraudulently misused his company credit card to make at least $180,000 worth of personal purchases on hundreds of occasions, including family meals, vacations, clothing, boating expenses and personal entertainment, his plea agreement says. Olinger covered up the personal purchases by submitting fake or altered receipts to the company.
Olinger also stole company funds to help a seedman buy a 2022 Cobalt R35 boat and a trailer. Olinger authorized an employee to sign a contract with a seedman that would have misappropriated $75,000 in company funds each year for a decade, or a total of $750,000, to buy the Cobalt boat and the trailer and pay associated boating expenses. Olinger stole $100,000 in company funds by submitting three fraudulent funding requests to his employer for a “seed tender” and “seed equipment” before his scheme was discovered by the company.
The money has been repaid to the company.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 11 Years for Fentanyl, Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County, Missouri man who admitted selling fentanyl and methamphetamine, fleeing from police and possessing machine guns was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk also ordered Marvel Sherell, 23, to be placed on supervised release for four years after his eventual release from prison.
Sherell was the final defendant to be sentenced of five charged in the drug conspiracy. He pleaded guilty in July to three felony counts: conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, possessing one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a machine gun.
The investigation began after the Drug Enforcement Administration learned that Sherrell was selling meth and fentanyl and used a confidential source to make drugs buys from him.
“Like many business owners, drug trafficking organizations want to protect their business and assets,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, lead of DEA investigations in eastern Missouri. “However, there is no similarity to legitimate businesses when dealing in illicit drugs and protecting the business includes illegal weapons. DEA is pleased this criminal enterprise is permanently closed for business."
In his plea agreement, Sherrell admitted engaging in a drug conspiracy with others including Nicholas L. Nixon, 24; Jacquez T. Love, 25; Turhan Robinson Jr., 23; and Arion D. Strickland, 29.
Sherrell admitted selling methamphetamine and fentanyl to the DEA. He also admitted fleeing from St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers on May 5, 2022. After officers spotted Sherrell driving recklessly, they tried to stop his car. Sherrell sped off, even after police spike strips deflated the tires on the driver’s side of the vehicle. He ran a red light, hit another vehicle and continued to flee from police, who again used spike strips. Sherrell kept going, violating more traffic signals. During the chase, Strickland tossed a KelTec rifle out of the vehicle and Nixon discarded a Micro Draco AK-47-style pistol and 1,181 pills containing fentanyl. A fully automatic AR-15-style weapon was found after the case where Robinson had been sitting.
When deputy U.S. Marshals arrested Love at the apartment Sherrell, Nixon and Love shared in St. Louis County on May 12, 2022, they found methamphetamine and a fully automatic .40-caliber Glock handgun in Sherrell’s bedroom, along with two “switches” that convert a Glock into a machine gun. They found a pistol in both Nixon’s and Love’s bedroom and in the kitchen. They also found fentanyl and meth in the kitchen.
Nicholas L. Nixon, now 24, pleaded guilty in April to one felony count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Judge Pitlyk sentenced him in August to five years in prison.
Strickland and Love pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Strickland was sentenced to six years in prison and Love to 37 months.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
Former St. Louis Postal Worker Admits Depositing Checks Stolen from MailRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former employee of the U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday admitted stealing checks from the mail and depositing them in her own account.
Porcia Denise Rhodes, 27, of St. Louis, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of bank fraud and one count of theft of mail by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service.
Rhodes, who was a mail processing clerk at the time, admitted stealing about 21 checks. Rhodes then scratched out the payee’s name and wrote in her own before depositing the checks into her personal bank account. The checks were valued at $5,035. In one example listed in Rhodes’ plea agreement, she intercepted a birthday card containing a $500 check that a Troy, Illinois woman was trying to mail to her grandson in Florida.
Rhodes is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 12, 2024, by U.S. District Court Sarah E. Pitlyk. The bank fraud charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. The theft charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane is prosecuting the case.
Two Admit 2020 Jefferson County CarjackingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men have admitted their involvement in a 2020 carjacking in Jefferson County, Missouri that permanently injured the victim.
Matthew Carver, 31, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Monday to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Brandon Vandoren, 29, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty November 8 to one count of carjacking.
Both men admitted that on May 20, 2020, they arrived at a Jefferson County, Missouri MotoMart gas station and convenience store in a stolen Dodge Dart, intending to steal a vehicle. Carver was driving, and dropped off Vandoren, who got into a Saturn Aura and began driving away. The Aura’s driver, who was inside the store, ran outside and threw a Coke can at the Aura. Vandoren hit the victim with the Aura and fled. The victim nearly died due to the carjacking and has been left with permanent injuries.
Both vehicles then fled from law enforcement. Carver ultimately crashed, fled on foot and was captured after resisting arrest, his plea says.
The next day, officers found the Aura at America’s Best Value Inn in St. Louis County. They arrested Vandoren when he answered their knock on his motel room door, and found a firearm in the room, his plea says. Vandoren is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.
Carver and Vandoren are scheduled to be sentenced in February. The carjacking charge carries a potential penalty of up to 25 years in prison. Carver’s 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.