Eastern District of Missouri
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Three Romanians Sentenced in St. Louis for Nationwide FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three Romanian citizens have been sentenced in St. Louis for running a “short-change fraud” in stores across the country.
U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced Daniel Rostas, 30, to 15 months in prison and Loredana Angel, 35, to 10 months in prison. On May 31, Judge Pitlyk sentenced Legenda Rostas, 28, to two years in prison and ordered her to repay $224,666. Restitution amounts for Angel and Daniel Rostas have not yet been determined.
All three pleaded guilty earlier this year to felony charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and illegal reentry of an alien. All admitted engaging in sleight of hand to defraud Target stores for years while buying Visa gift cards. When purchasing the cards, they would display the full purchase price in cash, then fold over a portion and keep it while handing the rest of the money to store employees. They targeted younger or less experienced employees and wired the money they made to relatives in Romania.
Legenda Rostas was involved in $224,666 in fraud since 2017, her plea agreement says, with Angel admitting about $83,865 in fraud. Records show Daniel Rostas wired about $62,534 to Romania and elsewhere.
“Fraud is often mistaken for a victimless crime,” said acting Special Agent in Charge of the HSI Kansas City Area of Operations Taekuk Cho. “But when individuals commit these types of crimes, whether it be through heightened prices to recoup lost funds, employee layoffs, or a multitude of other possible losses to the economy, these criminals are most certainly victimizing consumers and businesses.”
Loredana Angel and Legenda Rostas told authorities that they are sisters and that the Rostas are married.
All three also admitted entering the country illegally after being removed from the United States before. Daniel Rostas has been removed twice.
The case was investigated by the Arnold Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Statutory Rape of Foster ChildRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Friday sentenced a man from St. Louis County, Missouri who impregnated a minor and sexually abused her when she was in foster care to 27 years in prison.
Edward L. Wiseman, 43, sexually abused a minor for multiple years and impregnated her when she was 14. After she was placed in foster care, Wiseman sent her naked pictures of himself and requested the same from her. He then arranged to meet her for sex when she was 16.That victim’s younger sister told authorities that Wiseman had also sexually abused her. Wiseman disputes those allegations.
Law enforcement officers later found child pornography on Wiseman’s phone.
Judge Ross told Wiseman in Friday’s hearing that his conduct was “horrendous” and that he represented a “continuing threat” to the community.
Wiseman, 43, pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two felonies: coercion and enticement of a minor and solicitation of child pornography.
“Today, Mr. Wiseman will begin to pay for his crimes against an innocent child,” said Special Agent in Charge Travis Gibson of the U.S. Secret Service’s St. Louis Field Office. “The Secret Service is proud to support Project Safe Childhood, and we commend our law enforcement partners for their tireless work to put an end to this devastating abuse.”
The U.S. Secret Service, the North County Police Cooperative and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Second Man Admits Drug Conspiracy that Killed Three in St. LouisRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A second man involved in a drug robbery conspiracy that resulted in the fatal shooting of three people in 2021 pleaded guilty Friday to federal drug and gun charges.
Demorion Little, 24, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk to one felony marijuana distribution conspiracy count and one count of aiding and abetting the discharge of one or more firearms in furtherance of the marijuana trafficking conspiracy. Those firearm discharges resulted in the death of Rocoby Rodgers on Feb. 25, 2021 and Kortlin Williams and Johnnie Jones on March 16, 2021, Little’s plea agreement says.
In his plea, Little admitted conspiring with his co-defendant, Antaveon Bernard Le'Vell Kent, to steal and sell marijuana. The pair used Facebook to communicate with each other, pick their targets and then arrange to buy marijuana from their victims.
On Feb. 25, 2021, Little contacted Rodgers via Facebook Messenger to ask about purchasing quarter-pound packages of marijuana. They arranged to meet in the 2300 block of Blair Avenue in St. Louis. Police later found Rodgers dead in his car. That night, Little used his Facebook account to advertise that he had marijuana for sale.
Kent and Little arranged to meet Williams and Jones on March 16, 2021 in the 1100 block of Montgomery Street. When the victims arrived, Kent and Little fired into their vehicle, killing Williams and Jones and injuring a third occupant, Little’s plea agreement says.
Kent pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to distribute marijuana, attempting to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana and two charges of possession and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime that resulted in the fatal shootings of Williams and Jones.
In February, Judge Pitlyk sentenced Kent, now 23, of Florissant, to 26 years in prison. Little is scheduled to be sentenced November 3, and both sides have agreed to recommend a 28-year prison sentence.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police.
Missouri Woman Admits Fraudulently Obtaining Pain Pills Meant for AnimalsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman who worked for a pet food company in Montgomery City, Missouri on Friday admitted fraudulently obtaining pain pills meant for animals.
Mackenzie Noel Deeker, 39, of Montgomery County, Missouri, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk to a felony count of acquiring a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge.
Deeker, who was animal health supervisor for the company, was responsible for ordering and maintaining records for controlled substances, including the pain medication tramadol. After the company stopped using tramadol because research in the veterinary field questioned its effectiveness, Deeker continued to order the drug by using the company’s Drug Enforcement Administration researcher registration and the DEA registration information belonging to an independent veterinarian working with the company.
In her plea, Deeker admitted diverting tramadol for her personal use. She continued ordering the drug to rectify shortages in the company’s records due to her personal use of the drug. In one example given in Deeker’s plea agreement, on April 30, 2021, she called in a prescription for 90 tablets to a local pharmacy, claiming that it was authorized by the veterinarian for a dog named “Dandee.” Dandee had been euthanized more than two months earlier, however.
At Deeker’s November 2 sentencing, both sides have agreed to recommend probation. She has agreed to pay $5,200 to the veterinarian, who was suspended by the company for eight weeks while they investigated the missing tramadol.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mohsen Pasha is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 71 Months for Making Rape Threats to Five WomenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Court Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a man from St. Louis, Missouri who repeatedly harassed and threatened to rape five women to 71 months in prison.
After his release from prison, Robert D. Merkle, 54, will be on supervised release for three years, during which he will be barred from using or possessing electronic devices and accessing the internet without permission.
“Robert Merkle has terrorized innocent women for years,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “This lengthy prison sentence and the term of supervised release will prevent him from harassing women for nearly nine years, and hopefully deter him from engaging in similar behavior ever again.”
At his guilty plea in March, Merkle admitted harassing women in the St. Louis area and across the country for months, while he was on parole for similar crimes with different victims. Merkle met several of the women on dating sites and worked with another woman. He used email, multiple cell phones and a service that can send texts anonymously to threaten the women.
Merkle contacted a St. Louis County woman who he’d met on a dating site more than seven years earlier, sending a series of text messages in which he said he’d made a copy of her house key and was planning on breaking into her home two days later and raping her. She then contacted the Town and Country police.
In a letter to Judge Clark, one of Merkle’s earlier victims wrote, “He has a deeply rooted problem, where he seemingly gets a thrill out of tormenting women online and via text.” She said dealing with Merkle has been “crippling” at times.
Another wrote that Merkle’s “actions have shown to be more aggressive and inherently dangerous over time.”
Yet another said Merkle called for two years at random times day and night, threatening her and her daughter when the girl was as young as five years old.
Judge Clark called Merkle “a danger to society” and his conduct “tremendously troubling.”
Merkle pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court to the five felony counts he was facing: two counts of interstate communication of threats and three counts of cyberstalking.
He still faces a pending felony charge of harassment in St. Louis County Circuit Court.
Merkle was charged with harassment in 2017 and 2018 in Jefferson County Circuit Court and St. Louis Circuit Court, resulting in a three-year prison sentence. He was living in a halfway house in St. Louis at the time he committed his new, federal crimes.
The FBI, the Town and Country Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Glen Ellyn (Illinois) Police Department and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department and the Gulfport Police Department in Mississippi investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang is prosecuting the case.
Resources and information for stalking victims is available at the Office for Victims of Crime via this link: https://ovc.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh226/files/pubs/helpseries/HelpBrochure_Stalking.html.
Dunklin County Man Sentenced to Serve 130 Months in Federal Prison for Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – The United States Attorney's Office announced that Jammie Renfro, 35, of Kennett, Missouri, was sentenced Thursday to 130 months in federal prison for the offenses of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine. Renfro appeared for his sentencing hearing today before United States District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
At a guilty plea hearing in April, Renfro admitted that beginning in May of 2022, and continuing through June 23, 2022, he and another were working with John Andrew Schoolcraft to distribute methamphetamine throughout Dunklin County, Missouri. The Missouri State Highway Patrol utilized confidential informants and audio and video recording devices to conduct controlled drug buys of methamphetamine from Renfro and the others involved. The case culminated in the execution of a search warrant at Schoolcraft’s residence in Kennett where officers seized over four pounds of methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, assisted by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter handled the prosecution for the government.
St. Louis County Man Admits $149,900 Pandemic Loan FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted fraudulently applying for and receiving a $149,900 pandemic loan.
Cecil Jones, 41, pleaded guilty to unlawful transfer of an identification document and admitted submitting a fraudulent application for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan from the Small Business Administration. The July 25, 2020 online application contained Jones’ name but a Social Security number that was not assigned to him. The application also included a photograph of Jones holding a counterfeit Missouri driver’s license that showed Jones’ picture and name, spelled as “Cecill.” Based upon this fraudulent application, the SBA deposited $149,900 into a Regions Bank account owned and controlled by Jones.
At his November 6 sentencing, Jones could face up to 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. He will also be ordered to repay the money.
The case was investigated by Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.
Missouri Man Sentenced for Setting Fire to Islamic CenterRead the Press Release
A Missouri man was sentenced today for the arson of the Cape Girardeau Islamic Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Nicholas John Proffitt, 44, was sentenced to 191 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $551,217.91 in restitution. He previously pleaded guilty on Dec. 12, 2022, to using fire to damage religious property and to using fire in the commission of a federal felony.
According to court documents and statements made during the plea and sentencing hearings, Proffitt intentionally set fire to the Cape Girardeau Islamic Center on April 24, 2020, which was the first morning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, because of the building’s religious character. The fire resulted in significant damage to the Islamic Center.
“This defendant has now been held accountable for setting fire to an Islamic center that served as a meeting place for Muslim community members in Cape Girardeau, Missouri,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Attacks on mosques in our country are attacks on people of faith that undermine the fundamental right to practice one’s religion free from fear or violence. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce federal laws that protect all houses of worship, regardless of denomination.”
“This is the third time Nicholas Proffitt has attacked Islamic institutions, in Missouri and elsewhere,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “He has now been sentenced to a significant prison term that will protect the community from further persecution for a long time.”
“The right to pray as you wish is at the core of our nation’s ideals,” said ATF Director Steven Dettelbach. “When someone attacks a house of worship, they attack that American right, and they need to be help accountable. I commend the work of the ATF and all our federal partners in bringing this defendant to Justice.”
“Nicholas Proffitt destroyed a religious building, but he couldn’t take away the constitutional right to religious freedom,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Field Office. “The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people and uphold the U.S. Constitution.”
The FBI St. Louis Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cape Girardeau Police Department, the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Perryville Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn for the Eastern District of Missouri prosecuted the case with assistance from Trial Attorney Daniel Grunert of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
For more information and resources on the department’s efforts to combat hate crimes, visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
Leader of St. Louis Fentanyl Ring Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced the leader of a large-scale, long-term St. Louis fentanyl trafficking ring to 15 years in prison.
Jamore Clark, 40, of unincorporated St. Louis County, admitted in a guilty plea in January that he had been caught with over 800 grams of fentanyl on March 6, 2020 after fleeing law enforcement. He also admitted possessing firearms while involved in fentanyl dealing.
"The fentanyl Drug Enforcement Administration investigators seized the day Jamore Clark was arrested would have been the equivalent of nearly 45,000 lethal doses," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, lead of DEA investigations in Eastern Missouri. "DEA investigators know the seriousness of fentanyl’s impact on the safety and health of St. Louis citizens, which is driving drug-induced deaths to new highs. That makes this sentence particularly satisfying.”
Clark pleaded guilty in January to possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl. All nine others indicted in the case have also pleaded guilty and received sentences of up to 10 years in prison. They include Jason Stanley Jones, 38, of Ballwin; Arie T. Graham, 34; Clarence Lee Totten, 33; Justin Lee Hughes, 36, of Florissant; Martez Lamar Murphy, 29, of Florissant; Keven Treyvon Huddlen, 30, of Florissant; Kevin Cunningham, 37, of St. Louis; Alaena C. Patrick, 37, of Flordell Hills; and Natalie J. Westerman, 46, of St. Peters.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
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.
Missouri Nurse Sentenced for Taking Leftover Fentanyl from HospitalRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a registered nurse who stole fentanyl from the hospital where she worked to three years of probation, 200 hours of public service work and a $5,000 fine.
Judge Limbaugh also ordered Lindsey M. Francis, 35, to undergo drug treatment. She will be subject to random drug screenings.
Francis was formerly a nurse at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. On Jan. 15, 2022, a colleague discovered a used syringe in a locker room in the hospital’s emergency department. A subsequent investigation revealed that a vial of fentanyl had been tampered with. Confronted by hospital staff, Francis said that since June or July of 2021, she had taken and injected leftover fentanyl due to work and personal stress, her plea agreement says. The total amount of fentanyl diverted was determined to be less than 4 grams.
Francis pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in May to one count of unlawfully acquiring a controlled substance.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis is prosecuting the case.
Member of St. Louis Drug Ring Sentenced to 18 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a member of a St. Louis drug conspiracy that killed two rivals to 18 years in prison.
Michael “Beezy” Johnson, 30, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in May to one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He admitted discharging a firearm in furtherance of the drug conspiracy, and admitted that Kevin Davis Jr., 24, was shot on June 30, 2017 in the 1900 block of Belt Avenue in St. Louis.
A witness told investigators that Johnson fired 25 shots at Davis Jr. after chasing him down the street. One of the leaders of the drug conspiracy, Maurice Herbert Lee II, had placed a bounty of between $5,000 and $15,000 on any rival gang members or drug dealers. Earlier on the day of the murder, another member of the conspiracy, Delvin Bost, called Lee to confirm that a bounty for Davis was still being offered. Bost later claimed credit, received $10,000 from Lee and then paid Johnson, plea agreements by Lee and Bost say.
Lee pleaded guilty May 2 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and two counts of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He admitted being responsible for between 4 and 12 kilograms of fentanyl and between 500 grams and 1.5 kilos of methamphetamine. He also admitted that another fatal shooting occurred in furtherance of the drug conspiracy, that of Alexander Noodel on May 8, 2017.
"If ever there was an example of how drug trafficking and violence go hand in hand, this is it," said Special Agent in Charge Michael A. Davis, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration division that leads DEA investigations in Missouri and Kansas, as well as southern Illinois. "Not surprising that individuals who are willing to sell illicit drugs that could kill someone are willing to engage in other criminal activities that result in death. We must hold them responsible for their actions.”
Lee is scheduled to be sentenced September 7. Bost is scheduled to be sentenced August 29. Three other members of the conspiracy are also scheduled to be sentenced that week. In all, 17 defendants were charged and all pleaded guilty.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul D’Agrosa and Mohsen Pasha are prosecuting the case.
Missouri Laboratory Owners Agree to Pay $1.9 Million and Relinquish $7 Million in Escrow in Settlement of Civil Fraud ClaimsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The owners of a Fenton, Missouri-based clinical testing laboratory have agreed to pay $1.9 million and relinquish another nearly $7 million being held in escrow to settle civil claims alleging that they submitted claims for lab tests that were not medically necessary.
The settlement agreement was signed by Thyroid Specialty Laboratory Inc., which does business as TEN Healthcare (TEN), their management company, 3890 Management LLC, and TEN Marketing, which employs the sales and marketing staff of TEN.
The settlement will resolve allegations that TEN billed for tests that were not medically necessary. The government alleges that from June 12, 2018 to July 3, 2023, TEN falsely represented to medical providers that TEN’s Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) and Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing panels were reasonable and medically necessary. The government alleges that until about Feb. 10, 2021, TEN used a requisition form that ensured that medical providers did not make an independent medical necessity decision about each laboratory test ordered by including PCR tests that were not medically necessary or reasonable when providers selected a URI or UTI PCR panel. The panel included over thirty pathogens that lacked a common symptomatology and, therefore, did not reasonably require PCR testing to rule out the included pathogens, the government alleges.
Even after Feb. 10, 2021, TEN continued to represent to those providers and to the public that the entire URI and UTI PCR panels were reasonable and superior to other forms of testing, the government alleges.
TEN allegedly falsely submitted claims for payment to Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE and the Railroad Retirement Board for their URI and UTI PCR panels of tests when they knew or should have known that the tests were not reasonable or medically necessary.
TEN continued to submit claims for payment to Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and the RRB for their URI and UTI PCR panels even after Medicare began rejecting certain billing codes. Rather than deciding to stop billing for those panels or re-evaluate the legitimacy of such panels, TEN selected other billing codes to circumvent the rejections it was receiving from Medicare, the government alleges.
From on Jan. 1, 2016, to March 1, 2021, TEN also allegedly submitted false claims for reimbursement for therapeutic drug assays and specimen validity testing using certain CPT codes at the same time as they submitted claims for reimbursement using a different code that incorporates some of the same tests, the government alleges. TEN was not entitled to the additional reimbursement, but continued to submit these claims even after Medicaid conducted an audit of the TEN Healthcare Entities in 2017 and collected an overpayment in 2019 due to these billing practices, the government alleges.
On May 19, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services suspended Medicare payments to TEN that now total more than $6.9 million.
“This Settlement Agreement is neither an admission of liability by the TEN Healthcare Entities nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded,” the agreement says.
"Laboratories have a responsibility to ensure that claims they submit to Medicare are for legitimate and medically necessary services," said Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). "HHS-OIG is committed to ensuring that providers fulfill that fundamental obligation, and to investigating those who, with reckless disregard for American taxpayers and patients, attempt to waste or defraud federal health care programs."
The case was investigated by HHS-OIG, the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric handled the case.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Assaulting Deputy U.S. Marshals, Selling MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Court Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Friday sentenced a man from St. Louis who injured two deputy U.S. marshals, one permanently, during his arrest to 27 years in prison.
Emilio Justin Sandoval, now 34, had been indicted on felony methamphetamine charges in 2021 and the U.S. Marshals were tasked with arresting him. On Nov. 10, 2021, they found him at his home. Sandoval and his significant other ran to a vehicle and tried to escape. He then rammed marshals’ vehicles multiple times. One deputy marshal suffered serious injuries to his left knee, left elbow and left hand. The other was struck by the open passenger door, knocked down and dragged by Sandoval’s vehicle. She suffered serious, permanent and life-threatening injuries to her head, neck and spine.
What began as a drug case “quickly transitioned into an attempted murder case as a result of Mr. Sandoval’s actions,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Rea said during Friday’s hearing, adding that “’attempted murder’ is not too strong a term.”
“But for the bravery, tenacity, and quick thinking” of the marshals, “there could have been very different, horrific outcomes for everyone involved,” Rea said.
Rea said the case was not about Sandoval. “It is about the courageous members of the United States Marshals Service who perform their jobs day-in and day-out with the utmost professionalism and commitment to serve with absolutely zero fanfare or need for recognition – all the while never knowing what threat awaits them at any given moment.”
Judge Schelp agreed, saying attacks on law enforcement “will not be something that will ever be taken lightly. They put their lives on the line for all of us.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating Sandoval’s drug sales in December 2019, learning that he was storing and selling methamphetamine out of his home in the 4400 block of Dewey Avenue in St. Louis. Sandoval sold two ounces of methamphetamine on Oct. 20, 2020 for $1,000, which led to a consensual search of his home and the discovery of a total of 545 more grams of methamphetamine, three guns and $11,234 in a safe.
Sandoval pleaded guilty in March to one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and two counts of assaulting an officer of the United States.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case.
St. Charles County Man Sentenced to 12 Years on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Friday sentenced a man from St. Charles County who possessed and shared child pornography over social media to 12 years in prison.
Judge Sippel also ordered James Schoggins, 42, to pay a total of $12,000 to four victims whose images he shared online.
Schoggins pleaded guilty in October to one felony count of possession of child pornography. He admitted possessing 421 videos and 148 images of child pornography. He had videos and images on his computer of a girl dating back to when she was 13 or 14. Schoggins told the minor what type of images and videos to send to him and engaged in sexual communications with her, his plea says.
Schoggins also sent child pornography via Kik Messenger and recommended a way to share child sexual abuse material. Claiming to be a 17-year-old male, Schoggins contacted a 16-year-old via WhatsApp and exchanged nude pictures with her.
After Schoggins accessed child pornography on his Snapchat account, the company reported him to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, triggering an investigation by law enforcement.
The case was investigated by the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is handling 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 Stopped in St. Louis County Accused of Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday on fentanyl distribution charges.
The indictment accuses Alejandro Chacon-Martinez, 20, of possession with the intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing fentanyl on July 17. A criminal complaint filed July 18 says Chacon-Martinez was stopped the day before at a gas station in Fenton, Missouri as he was traveling east on Interstate 44 in a car with a Mexican license plate. A K-9 detected the odor of drugs and investigators found ten individually wrapped kilograms of suspected fentanyl concealed in side panels in the trunk of the car Chacon-Martinez was driving, the complaint says.
The charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both.
Charges set forth in an indictment or 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 Drug Enforcement Administration and St. Louis County Police Department are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dane Rennier is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Who Scammed Home Store for the Second Time Sentenced to 175 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a man from St. Louis County, Missouri who committed a $1.6 million credit card fraud scheme to 14 years and seven months in prison.
Michael W. Burrus, 50, was also ordered to repay the money.
Burrus and others obtained stolen information for business customers of Lowe’s, including names, telephone numbers, addresses and credit card account numbers. Burrus used the information to gain access to the credit card accounts of the businesses, applied for additional credit cards and changed the mailing address on the accounts. Burrus then made purchases with the credit cards, all without the knowledge and consent of the 40 business victims. Burrus and others caused a total loss of more than $1.6 million.
Burrus pleaded guilty in March to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of bank fraud.
It was the second time that Burrus committed the same type of fraud. Burrus is still paying off a total of $335,152 in restitution ordered in a 2017 fraud case involving two other men. Burrus pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and three counts of bank fraud and was sentenced in 2018 to two years in prison. He was on supervised release at the time of his new crime.
“The United States Secret Service will continue to work with our private sector partners to aggressively target individuals and groups who attempt to take advantage of retail business financial systems,” said Special Agent in Charge Travis Gibson of the U.S. Secret Service St. Louis Field Office. “I commend the exceptional work of our partners with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and emphasize our agency’s ongoing commitment to combatting fraud at every level.”
“The defendant in this case operated a bank fraud conspiracy for 17 months, bilking 40 businesses out of $1.6 million,” said Inspector in Charge Ruth Mendonca who heads the Chicago Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office. “Today’s sentencing sends a message that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and its law enforcement partners will aggressively investigate such financial crimes in pursuit of justice for victims.”
The U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gwen Carroll, Kyle Bateman and Edward Dowd III prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Area Doctor, Office Manager Accused of Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A doctor who owns multiple urgent care centers in the St. Louis, Missouri area was arrested Thursday on an indictment accusing him and his office manager of committing health care fraud.
Dr. Sonny Saggar, 55, and Renita Barringer, 50, were each indicted Wednesday on one count of conspiracy and eight counts of making false statements related to a health care matter. They were arrested, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday.
The indictment says Dr. Saggar has owned and operated health care-related businesses, including Downtown Urgent Care LLC, Creve Coeur Urgent Care LLC, and, since about September 2017, St. Louis General Hospital (SLGH). SLGH is an urgent care and primary care clinic with two locations: 916 Olive Street in St. Louis and 13035 Olive Boulevard in unincorporated St. Louis County near Creve Coeur.
Barringer was the office manager of SLGH and was later added to the board of directors.
The indictment says Dr. Saggar, Barringer and others conspired to make false statements to Medicare and Medicaid by billing for services performed by multiple assistant physicians (APs) as if Dr. Saggar had provided those services, even if he was out of town or abroad.
In order to legally provide medical services in Missouri, assistant physicians must be supervised by a physician under a "collaborative practice arrangement" or "CPA" that restricts the AP's ability to provide medical services and limits their practice areas to medically underserved rural or urban areas.
Dr. Saggar promoted SLGH as a "stepping stone" for medical school graduates who had been unable to secure a residency and were ineligible to obtain a standard license to practice medicine. At least 39 APs have worked at SLGH since January 2018, the indictment says.
Dr. Saggar and Barringer recruited physicians to sign up to supervise the APs, falsely telling them that they merely needed to sign blank, undated CPA Verification Forms to fulfill their roles, the indictment says.
The APs often did not receive any training from their supervising physicians, who were not continuously present despite a requirement mandating 120 hours of clinic time together before the APs may practice without the presence of a physician, the indictment says. It also says Dr. Saggar and Barringer discouraged APs from seeking training and supervision from their purported assigned collaborating physicians. The Creve Coeur location was not a medically underserved rural or urban area, making it ineligible for a CPA, the indictment says.
In January of 2022, Dr. Saggar hired a co-conspirator who had been indicted in another case to be the sole collaborating physician at the Creve Coeur location but did not disclose to Medicaid that the co-conspirator was performing services there, the indictment says.
The conspiracy charge and the false statements charge are each 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. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FBI and the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit are investigating this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric is prosecuting the case.
Man Accused of Murder-For-Hire in 2011 St. Louis County DeathRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday in connection with a 2011 St. Louis County, Missouri homicide.
Michael Grady, 68, was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Wednesday’s superseding indictment adds Grady to a 2021 indictment against Victoria Rena Williams, 65, that is still pending. Williams has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire.
The indictment accuses Williams of enlisting Grady’s help to find someone to murder Charles Harris III, who was fatally shot on Oct. 5, 2011. Williams and Harris were in a romantic relationship.
On Aug. 27, 2010, Williams started the application process for a $250,000 life insurance police for Harris, specifically asking if the policy would provide coverage if Harris was robbed and killed, the indictment says. Before and after she contacted the insurance company, she regularly was in phone contact with Grady, the indictment says.
The indictment says Williams and Grady discussed how to introduce the killers to Harris, later arranging for potential clients to meet Harris at his home on Oct. 5, 2011. Harris sold suits out of his home to people he knew or through trusted referrals.
After Harris’ death, Williams contacted the life insurance company to collect the proceeds of the insurance policy with Grady’s help, the indictment says. After Williams received $224,444 on Feb. 28, 2014, she obtained a cashier’s check for $110,000 payable to Grady’s wife that was primarily used for Grady’s benefit, the indictment says.
Williams received $175,762 from another insurance policy on April 25, 2014.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI are investigating the case.
Former Missouri State Highway Patrol Inspector Sentenced to Prison for BriberyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a former supervisory motor vehicle inspector with the Missouri State Highway Patrol to 15 months in prison for taking thousands of dollars in cash bribes.
Judge Schelp also ordered Larry S. Conrad, 67, to perform 100 hours of community service and pay a $20,000 fine, part of which represented the bribe money that he’d already spent.
At his guilty plea in April, Conrad admitted accepting a total of about $14,020 in individual bribes of $40 to $160 to falsify forms and approve inspections of vehicles that had been damaged and had salvage titles or were listed as “abandoned,” even if he never saw the vehicle.
Conrad “bypassed the entire safety system that was put in place by the state of Missouri and the Missouri State Highway Patrol to ensure that vehicles were safe to operate on our roads,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said during Thursday’s hearing, “potentially placing unwitting drivers and other motorists in harm’s way.”
In a sentencing memorandum, Goldsmith wrote that Conrad accepted hundreds of bribes over at least six months before being caught.
After receiving a tip about Conrad’s conduct, investigators recorded Conrad taking cash bribes that had been placed in the driver’s side door pocket, the memo says. When he was approached by law enforcement on Sept. 29, 2022, Conrad lied and denied accepting any cash payments that day. After being told that there was audio and video evidence of the bribes, Conrad admitted accepting a small amount of cash, and took it out of his pocket. Pressed further, Conrad admitted accepting additional bribes that day, and took cash out of his pants pockets five different times, eventually admitting that he had taken $610 that day, the memo says. After falsely claiming that he kept money from other bribes in a safe, Conrad made a full confession and allowed the FBI to retrieve $6,565 in envelopes that he’d stashed underneath the rear seat of his personal truck.
Conrad issued passing motor vehicle inspections and certified motor vehicles which he had not even physically inspected, including at least one that was so “substantially damaged as not being in working and driving condition,” Goldsmith wrote. His actions “allowed for the sale of vehicles, some of which had latent and undisclosed damage, to unsuspecting individuals who unwittingly trusted that defendant and the Highway Patrol had conducted proper inspections,” Goldsmith wrote.
Conrad’s primary duty was to perform motor vehicle inspections at the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Troop C facility in south St. Louis County. There is no fee for the inspections. If the vehicle passes, an inspector signs and certifies forms required for motor vehicle owners to apply for original Missouri Certificates of Title.
Conrad pleaded guilty to one felony charge of using a facility in interstate commerce, a cellular telephone, to facilitate his bribery scheme.
The case was investigated by the FBI, with the cooperation of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith prosecuted the case.
St. Peters Woman Admits $100,000 Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Peters, Missouri on Wednesday admitted defrauding a pandemic-era loan program out of $100,927.
Francheska D. Reese, 36, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud. She admitted that between March 30, 2020, and at least Jan. 24, 2023, she devised a scheme to defraud a Paycheck Protection Program lender. Reese submitted a fraudulent PPP loan application for 1st Stop Child Development Center LLC on Jan. 21, 2021. 1st Stop had never filed federal income or employment tax returns since it was registered with the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office by Reese in September of 2018. But Reese falsely claimed her company employed seven full-time employees who were paid a total of $40,371 per month. She also falsely claimed that she would use the loan, which was intended to save businesses during the pandemic, on payroll, rent, mortgage interest and utilities.
She transferred the $100,927 loan into her personal account and spent the money on personal retail and car expenses, among other things, her plea agreement says.
At her sentencing October 25, Reese could face up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine. She will also be ordered to repay the money.
The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information about pandemic fraud should call the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or report via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
St. Clair County Felon Sentenced to 51 Months on Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon from Cahokia Heights, Illinois to 51 months in prison for possessing a pistol converted into a machine gun at a St. Louis, Missouri hotel.
On Dec. 9, 2021, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers caught Henry Miller with a 9mm Glock pistol that had been modified with a device, sometimes referred to as a Glock “switch,” that converted it into a fully automatic weapon. The Glock had a 29-round extended magazine. A 17-round magazine was also in the satchel.
Police had been summoned to the hotel after Miller rented a room using a stranger’s credit card information. Later in the day, police found him in the lobby with a blue satchel containing the Glock and a backpack that contained 300 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, $2,889 in cash and another conversion device. The Glock conversion device alone, even if not attached to a weapon, is a machine gun under federal law. There has been a dangerous increase in the devices being used and found in the St. Louis area and around the country.
Miller later admitted knowing that the Glock had been modified and admitted testing it to see if it worked.
Miller, 33, pleaded guilty in February to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of one or more machine guns.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski is prosecuting the case.
Eight Indicted, Accused of Stealing 19 Rental Cars in Nationwide SchemeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Eight people have been indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on charges alleging that they defrauded a national car rental company and stole at least 19 vehicles worth more than $1.1 million.
Tyrell A. Oliver, 38, and Steven B. Matthews, 39, both of Atlanta, and New York residents Shawnta B. Fonseca, 32, Reginald M. Glenn, 35, Rashad Holder, 33, James E. McGhaney, 34, Marlique J. McGhaney, 33, and Daquasia M. Robinson, 32, were each indicted on a wire fraud conspiracy charge July 19. Other charges include wire fraud or both aggravated identity theft and wire fraud. The indictment was unsealed Wednesday as arrests began.
The indictment accuses the conspirators of reserving rental cars using stolen credit card information and stolen identities and then picking up and never returning those vehicles. The indictment says Oliver and other co-conspirators obtained stolen credit card information and personally identifying information belonging to multiple identity theft victims in the United States. Oliver then made car rental reservations using the stolen personal information and paid co-conspirators to pick up the vehicles, which were primarily SUVs, the indictment says. The conspirators flew to airports in the eastern United States and Midwest and used fake driver’s licenses and counterfeit credit cards to pick up the vehicles, the indictment says.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how criminals use people’s stolen identities,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Perpetrators can easily and cheaply buy an endless supply of personal and credit card information. While the company in this case was the direct victim, innocent people were initially accused of theft because their stolen identities were used to commit the fraud.”
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 Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Admits Stealing Veterans' Disability BenefitsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted stealing $106,245 in Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits by fraudulently claiming various medical conditions.
Charles Adams, 50, of Berkeley, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to theft of government funds.
Adams underwent multiple medical evaluations after he applied for increased disability benefits due to service-connected degenerative disc disease with degenerative arthritis. In April 2017, he reported difficulty getting out of bed some mornings and an inability to stand for extended lengths of time. A Department of Veterans Affairs examiner noted that Adams walked slowly and with a marked limp. At a November 2017 back examination, Adams demonstrated severe limitations in his range of motion, rotation, and other use of his back. However, soon after the examination and again in March 2018, Adams performed various strenuous exercises with high levels of resistance, including deep squats, leg presses with over 800 pounds of resistance, rope pulldowns, and other high intensity exercises or movements that were inconsistent with the level of back limitations he demonstrated at his examinations, his plea agreement says.
Videos posted to Instagram, under the username @tlf_trainer, show Adams lifting heavy weights and squatting, in late 2017 and March 2018. The videos contradict Defendant’s claims that he was limited in his abilities to lift, squat, bend, stand, walk and sit, his plea agreement says.
Adams filed for Department of Veterans Affairs individual unemployability benefits in February 2018. Included in his application was a statement from a doctor stating that he was very limited in movements including bending, stooping, twisting, lifting more than 25 pounds above shoulder height, kneeling, running, jumping and standing.
Adams also applied for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits in August of 2019 after a January 2017 application was rejected. In his second application, Adams represented that his medical conditions affected his abilities to lift, squat, bend, stand, walk, and sit. He never reported going to Club Fitness for workouts, however. Adams checked into Club Fitness the day before a July 7, 2020 hearing for his second disability application, later on the same day as his hearing and the day after.
Adams continued to work out at Club Fitness in 2020 and 2021. In June 2021, Defendant attended a medical review for the VA. Investigators watched as Adams walked normally and lifted and carried bags of trash before going to his examination. When he arrived for the examination, he used a cane to walk and did so at a much slower pace.
Adams is scheduled to be sentenced October 25. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. He will also be ordered to repay the money.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.
Second Man Admits Armed Robbery of St. Louis 7-ElevenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon pleaded guilty Monday to three federal felonies and admitted robbing a St. Louis, Missouri 7-Eleven at gunpoint in 2020.
Harvey Cameron, 32, of Ferguson, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig to robbery, possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Cameron admitted that on June 21, 2020, he and Monte Kent drove to the 7-Eleven at 5350 Chippewa Street to rob it. One of the men entered the store and pointed a Zastava AK-47-style rifle at an employee, demanding cash from the register. The pair were caught shortly after the robbery, with the cash and the gun.
Cameron is scheduled to be sentenced October 30.
Judge Fleissig sentenced Kent, now 35, of Jennings, to 10 ½ years in prison in March of 2022 after he pleaded guilty to robbery and the firearm brandishing charge.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI.
Hannibal Man Admits Making Pipe BombsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Hannibal, Missouri on Monday admitted making a series of illegal pipe bombs in 2022.
Joshua Eugene Rickey, 34, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of manufacture of one or more unregistered destructive devices and one count of possession of one or more unregistered destructive devices. He admitted making a series of pipe bombs out of sparklers and plastic or metal pipes between July 4, 2022 and Aug. 13, 2022. Rickey admitted detonating one in a burned-out house across from his own home in late July 2022. He also lit one at his grandmother’s house, damaging a fence.
Rickey is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on October 30. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hannibal Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj is prosecuting the case.
Felon Accused of Robbing Pizza Delivery Driver in St. LouisRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon has been arrested on an indictment alleging he robbed a pizza delivery driver in St. Louis at gunpoint, U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming announced Monday.
Antione L. Shockley, 25, was indicted in U.S. District Court July 19 on three charges: brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, robbery and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. The indictment alleges that Shockley, a convicted felon, committed the robbery April 13 in St. Louis.
A motion seeking to have Shockley held in jail until trial says a Domino’s driver was sent to a vacant home in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis and was robbed at gunpoint of two pizzas, hot wings and the insulated bag containing them. Investigators traced the order to Shockley’s email address and traced the phone used to make the order to Shockley and his then-girlfriend.
The detention motion says St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested Shockley June 24 after he fired a handgun into the air in a school zone. After officers arrived and told Shockley to put up his hands, he passed the handgun he was holding to a woman and first pulled a stolen Ruger from his waistband before pulling a long gun from inside his pants. He was arrested after dropping both of the firearms, the motion says.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.
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.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced for Multiple FraudsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a man from St. Louis County, Missouri to 15 months in prison and ordered him to repay $47,397 he’d stolen via two fraud schemes.
Dominique Lowery, 32, is the third person involved in multiple, connected frauds to be sentenced in the case.
In April, Judge Clark sentenced Christopher Tatum, 37, of St. Louis County, to 51 months in prison and ordered him to repay $103,481. In January, Monique Howard, 39, of St. Louis, was sentenced to four years of probation and ordered to repay $115,267.
Each admitted participating in bank fraud, a scheme to defraud a pandemic loan program, or both.
In March of 2019, Tatum, through his business, Final Lap Auto Center LLC, claimed to be offering to sell a 2014 Audi Q7 to Lowery and Howard. Lowery and Howard knew that Tatum didn’t own the vehicle, but applied for and received motor vehicle loans from credit unions. Tatum provided lenders a counterfeit motor vehicle title, with a forged signature of the director of the Missouri Department of Revenue, and fraudulent buyer’s orders.
Howard received a $18,600 loan from St. Louis Community Credit Union and a $18,540 loan from First Financial Federal Credit Union. Lowery received a $26,500 loan from Scott Credit Union. Lowery and Howard knew that the loans would not be secured with the Audi and knew they would not be repaying the loan and interest as promised. In exchange for their participation, Tatum paid both Lowery and Howard kickbacks from the proceeds of the illegal loans.
Howard also received two fraudulent loans for a 2015 Maserati. She made no payments and the car was eventually repossessed, creating a total loss of $74,000.
On April 26, 2021, Lowery submitted a fraudulent application for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, a pandemic-era program intended to help save jobs. Lowery falsely claimed that he operated a sole proprietorship that generated gross income of $104,196 in 2019. Lowery received $20,833. The loan was forgiven after Lowery falsely claimed that he used $17,389 of the illegally obtained loan proceeds on payroll costs. He actually used it for personal expenses.
On March 30, 2021, Tatum submitted a PPP loan application falsely claiming to be an independent contractor and lying about his business income. He received a total of $39,778.
Lowery pleaded guilty in March to two felonies: conspiracy to commit bank fraud and access device fraud. Tatum pleaded guilty to four: conspiracy to commit bank fraud and three counts of bank fraud. Howard pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge, bank fraud and mail fraud.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Missouri Department of Revenue. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Man Admits Three Pandemic-Related FraudsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Friday pleaded guilty to federal charges and admitted fraudulently receiving more than $42,000 from two pandemic loans and unemployment compensation that included more pandemic funds.
Charles Carbon III, 37, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig to two felonies: bank fraud and wire fraud.
On June 26, 2020, Carbon applied for and received a $10,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan, which was supposed to help business owners struggling with pandemic-related business losses. In his plea agreement, he admitted lying about the existence and purpose of a business he claimed to own, as well as the payroll, revenue and number of employees.
On Aug. 6, 2020 Carbon fraudulently applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, again lying about the existence, purpose and finances of a business. Carbon received a $18,800 loan, which was supposed to be used for business owners to save jobs during the pandemic.
Carbon then falsely claimed to be a self-employed event planner who did not have any work between March and August of 2020, and received $14,174.80 in unemployment benefits. That included $300 per week in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation. In paperwork, Carbon lied about work he did in March and omitted the pandemic loans that he’d received, his plea says.
As part of his plea, Carbon also admitted using four forged checks totaling $12,322.
The bank fraud charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. The wire fraud charge carries a potential punishment of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll is prosecuting the case.
Major Southeast Missouri Drug Trafficking Organization IndictedRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – Nineteen members of a Charleston, Missouri-based drug trafficking organization accused of being the main supplier of methamphetamine and fentanyl to southeast Missouri have been indicted on a felony drug conspiracy charge, U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming announced Friday.
Arrests by federal, state and local law enforcement began Thursday, followed by arraignments in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau.
“As someone who grew up in Charleston, I can tell you that this case perfectly illustrates that drugs are not just a big city problem,” U.S. Attorney Fleming said. “Drugs, and the often-violent criminals who sell them, are a plague on otherwise law-abiding communities, big or small. This drug trafficking organization was the main supplier of methamphetamine and fentanyl in southeast Missouri, as you can see in the court records. I want to reassure the southeast Missouri community that this case is and will remain a priority for my office.”
All 19 defendants face a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, including Demarcus P. Turner and Jadarius A. McCain.
Motions seeking to have Turner, McCain and three other defendants jailed until trial say that Turner and McCain were leaders of the drug trafficking conspiracy and also led a Charleston gang, “Just Bout Money,” or JBM. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been seized during the investigation, as well as about 65 kilograms of methamphetamine, 3.55 kilograms of cocaine, 653.9 grams of fentanyl, 215 grams of MDMA and 5.85 kilograms of marijuana, the motion says.
The group received drugs in the mail and via couriers who flew or drove to their sources of supply, including Georgia-based co-defendant Damien Davenport, the motion says. Couriers were repeatedly intercepted with dozens of pounds of drugs in suitcases, it says.
The detention motion says JBM members have been linked to shootings in southeast Missouri and southern Illinois, including a Feb. 19, 2022 JBM-hosted party where two people were fatally shot and 14 others injured.
McCain pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday. Turner is currently in state custody facing one felony count of second-degree murder and 15 counts of first-degree assault related to a July 2022 shooting in Sikeston, the motions say.
“The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force are dedicated and committed to removing illicit drugs from our communities,” said Roger L. Phillips, director of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control. “The JBM drug trafficking organization has devastated our communities for years by flooding them with pounds and pounds of illicit drugs, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. In addition to the harmful effects these drugs cause to their users, violence is often associated with these drug sales. This investigation has led to indictments not only in Missouri, but in multiple other states. We are proud of the efforts put forth by all the participating agencies, stand committed to protecting our citizens, and will continue to combat drugs being sold in our communities.”
"Drug trafficking organizations like this one are spider webs of illegal activity with connections across the country," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, lead of Drug Enforcement Administration investigations in Eastern Missouri. "DEA takes particular interest in dismantling and destroying them – from street level dealers and up the chain. It takes the combined efforts of multiple DEA offices and our federal, state and local partners to do this, but the effort is worth it to ensure these illegal drug operations cannot harm communities any longer."
“In addition to Missouri, members of this drug trafficking organization were also arrested in Arkansas, Georgia, and North Carolina,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “The success of this case is a prime example of the effective partnerships between the local, state, and federal levels. Local and state agencies have the eyes and ears on the ground to develop information which often leads to an initial investigation. While at the federal level, we expand investigations nationwide or worldwide when needed to dismantle an entire enterprise.”
“The organized drug distribution ring, known as the JBM or Just Bout Money gang, has been a cause of concern for the safety and well-being of the good citizens in Charleston,” said Mississippi County Sheriff Britton H. Ferrell. “The collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies in this operation demonstrates a commitment to dismantling such networks that endanger lives and contribute to harming our community.”
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office, the Perry County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Department of Public Safety, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety and the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton 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.Wentzville Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for St. Louis County Armed Robberies, ShootingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced a man from Wentzville, Missouri who robbed a White Castle twice and shot an employee to 20 years in prison.
On June 22, 2022, Matthew Sabir, now 38, demanded “all the $20 and $50 bills” from an employee of the White Castle restaurant at 7380 Olive Boulevard in University City before placing a black semi-automatic pistol on the countertop, according to his plea agreement. Sabir left with about $180 in cash.
The next day, after a failed robbery of the BP gas station at 4403 North Hanley Road in Berkeley, Sabir returned to the White Castle, his plea says. He told store employees, “Give me money. Don’t move. Don’t run,” and pointed a pistol at them. The employees ran, and Sabir opened fire, hitting a 16-year-old female employee multiple times.
The shooting victim spoke at Sabir’s sentencing Thursday, saying that she is still suffering the aftereffects of her injuries.
Sabir pleaded guilty March 1 to three felonies: robbery, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The firearm charges carry a mandatory minimum prison term, consecutive to any other charge.
The case was investigated by the University City Police Department, the Berkeley Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane prosecuted the case.
Poplar Bluff Felon Caught with Two Guns Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a convicted felon from Poplar Bluff, Missouri who was caught with two guns to 40 months in prison.
Judge Limbaugh ordered the prison sentence for Tina Marie Litvinchyk, 31, to run consecutive to a 10-year prison sentence she is serving for two drug charges in Butler County Circuit Court.
Litvinchyk pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. She admitted that on June 8, 2022, Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force officers found two .380-caliber pistols in a locked safe, as well as two bags of marijuana and a digital scale. One of the pistols had been stolen less than three weeks earlier in Carter County, Missouri.
Litvinchyk has three prior felony drug convictions and is barred from possession of a firearm. She was on parole at the time of her arrest.
The case was investigated by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Butler County Sheriff’s Department and the Poplar Bluff Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case.
Man Who Robbed Armored Car in St. Louis County Sentenced to 121 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a man who stole a bag of cash at gunpoint from workers servicing an ATM in St. Louis County, Missouri to 121 months in prison.
Mark Anthony Diggs, now 21, robbed two employees of ATM Solutions on May 31, 2022 as they were servicing an ATM machine at a Vantage Credit Union. Diggs emerged from the back seat of a white Kia Optima, armed with a fully-automatic Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 firearm and demanded that an employee throw him a bag of cash. The robbery was captured on video.
Diggs, 21, pleaded guilty in April to one robbery charge and one count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Diggs’ driver, Gregreonia Hampton, pleaded guilty in May to one count of aiding and abetting a robbery. She is scheduled to be sentenced August 23.
The St. Louis County Police Department, the FBI, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years for New Child Pornography CaseRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man who used fake social media accounts to bait people into sending him sexual images to 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography.
Christopher D. Gruebbel, then 37, pleaded guilty in February to one count of possession of child pornography and admitted being caught with child pornography by probation officers.
Gruebbel was on supervised release at the time because in 2013, he was sentenced to four years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography. Part of his sentence included a provision that after his release from prison, he would be on supervised release for life.
On multiple occasions in 2021, Gruebbel’s probation officer was unable to find him at his approved residence, later learning that Gruebbel had been evicted and was living with his mother without permission.
Probation officers then discovered that Gruebbel was in possession of multiple electronic devices without permission, including a laptop, a cell phone, an iPad and an iPod.
A total of 50 images and 14 videos containing child pornography were found on the iPad, as well as 251 images and 117 videos that contained exploitative and/or suspected child pornography on Gruebbel’s electronic devices.
An analysis of the devices also showed that Gruebbel was using fake social media accounts and posing as a young female named “Hannah” to bait people into sending nude pictures and videos of themselves, his plea agreement says. Gruebbel also participated in chat rooms devoted to “baiting” others into providing sexual images.
After his release from the new prison term, Gruebbel will be on supervised release for life.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Probation Office and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow 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 Sentenced to 7+ Years in Prison on Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Friday sentenced a convicted felon from Jefferson County, Missouri who was caught twice with guns to seven years, four months in prison.
The charges against Kentrez Robinson, now 31, of Festus, stem from two incidents in 2020.
On Aug. 11, 2020, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department surveillance cameras alerted officers that a silver Pontiac Solstice was driving down Natural Bridge Avenue bearing a license plate belonging to a Chevy truck. Officers were also aware that a silver Pontiac Solstice had recently been reported stolen.
Detectives found the Solstice, parked and unoccupied, in the 1100 block of St. Louis Avenue, and then saw Robinson, who is a convicted felon, removing items from the car. Robinson had a loaded 9mm Beretta pistol in his pocket, along with fentanyl in two plastic bags.
On Oct. 5, 2020, a man reported being robbed of a gun and money on the parking lot of a market in the 3900 block of South Broadway. The vehicle driven by the robber was spotted by a license plate recognition camera near Page Boulevard and Walton Avenue and officers tried to pull it over. Robinson, who was driving, sped away, ignoring stop signs and traffic signals, and eventually reached speeds exceeding 100 m.p.h. on Interstate 70. After he left the interstate, Robinson’s vehicle hit a curb, flattening a front tire. But he kept going onto Interstate 55. Police were later able to disable the vehicle with a tire deflation device in the 5100 block of Vermont Avenue. Robinson got out and ran, climbing over at least two fences before he was arrested. He was caught with a satchel carrying the stolen gun and another pistol, as well as fentanyl.
Robinson pleaded guilty in December to two felony counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case.
Four Indicted in Connection with Fatal Robbery of St. Louis Restaurant OwnerRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Four people were indicted Wednesday in connection with the fatal robbery of a St. Louis, Missouri restaurant owner in May.
Ronnie Adam Foster, 23, of St. Louis, Mekayla Johann, 20, Larob Harris, 24, and Shonyea Jones, 24, were each indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on four felonies: conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, discharge of a firearm and discharge of a firearm resulting in death.
Jones is scheduled to appear in court Thursday. Foster is in jail facing unrelated pending charges. On July 3, Harris and Johann pleaded not guilty to charges filed in a June 30 criminal complaint.
The indictment says the robbery occurred on May 30 at the St. Louis Kitchen, 819 Kingshighway Boulevard. During the robbery, a gun was discharged, causing the death of “F.P.,” the indictment says.
The criminal complaint against Harris and Johann, an employee of the restaurant, says the restaurant owner was fatally shot and another employee was shot in the leg but survived. Both had just left the restaurant after locking up for the night. After the shooting, someone took a backpack containing cash proceeds from the restaurant, the complaint says.
The complaint says a June 30 search recovered a Glock 23 pistol used in the robbery and an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 firearm “consistent with” the murder weapon.
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 robbery conspiracy and robbery charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The discharge of a firearm charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The discharge of a firearm resulting in death charge carries a penalty of life in prison or the death sentence.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Walker is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison, Ordered to Pay $66,000 to Child Pornography VictimsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a man from St. Louis County, Missouri who possessed more than 63,000 images and videos containing child pornography to 10 years in federal prison.
Judge White also ordered Christopher D. Cotton, 33, to pay $66,000 in restitution to known victims who appeared in Cotton’s collection.
In letters to the court, victims wrote about the pain that defendants like Cotton continue to cause them and the fear that they will be recognized by someone who has seen the pictures.
One who uses the pseudonym Andy wrote, “My sexual abuse occurred from the ages of 6-12. During this time my victimization was documented and shared across the country, and is continuously being shared.”
“I feel that every single criminal that is found with mine or another child’s images should be held accountable for the highest amount possible to help us victims repair our lives,” Andy wrote.
The parents of another wrote, “Aside from the horrible truth that my daughter was horrifically abused from the ages of four to seven and her innocence was literally stolen, one of the ongoing concerns that plagues my child is that literally any person she meets on the street (or any teenage boy in her class) might have seen photos of her being cruelly debased and abused.”
The victims are notified when their photos are found in the possession of a defendant. One victim said 22,000 notifications had been received in her case. Another wrote, “Each victim notification envelope represents someone who sexually enjoys seeing me hurt…. When a market exists for child pornography, it will continue. I am constantly victimized, knowing the awful truth that I can never escape these photos.”
“I am so angry that the images are out there and can’t be taken down. I feel like the images will always be out there. I think I am too broken to be fixed,” another wrote.
Cotton pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in April to one count of receiving child pornography and admitted uploading files containing child pornography to Dropbox. That triggered a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and sparked an investigation.
On July 13, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a court-approved search warrant at Cotton’s home in St. Louis County near Florissant. Cotton admitted both viewing and collecting child pornography. He also told officers that he’d received child pornography from “maybe fifteen or more” minors with whom he had contact via social media, the youngest of which Cotton said was 13 years old.
Investigators would later find a total of at least 16,677 images and 46,414 videos of child pornography stored online and on Cotton’s electronic devices, including a laptop and three cell phones.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Special Investigations Unit, the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Man Admits Fleeing from St. Louis Police with Gun, DrugsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS– A man from St. Louis, Missouri who fled from police with drugs and a gun pleaded guilty Tuesday to three federal felonies.
Anthony B. Jones, 29, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
On July 18, 2021, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers on patrol in O’Fallon Park spotted Jones, who was wearing a mask and appeared to be carrying a gun. The officers made a U-turn, at which point Jones ran across the road and hid behind a car before running away. Police found a .223-caliber, CBC Industries AR-style pistol with a brass catcher and a large-capacity magazine in the car. Jones had left the car door open, his plea agreement says.
Jones then dropped a messenger-style bag that contained a baggie of fentanyl and 46 capsules containing fentanyl. Police ultimately had to use a Taser to take Jones into custody, his plea says.
On October 8, 2021, St. Louis police saw Jones accelerate and run a red light in the College Hill neighborhood. Jones, who was in a gray Pontiac Grand Prix, refused to stop and instead accelerated to a high speed after police activated their lights and siren. Officers used a spike strip to deflate Jones’ rear tires, but he drove another three miles before bailing out of the car on College Avenue and running into the backyard of a home.
Officers found Jones crouching in a small stairwell at the back of the house. He was holding a pistol with a large-capacity magazine raised in the direction from which he expected the police to approach, but dropped it when several officers simultaneously converged on the area, his plea agreement says. He also had a satchel containing methamphetamine and fentanyl. Jones told officers that he ran the red light because he saw the police and was concerned that the Grand Prix had been stolen.
At his sentencing in October, both prosecutors and Jones’ lawyer have agreed to recommend 15 years in prison. The gun charge carries a mandatory minimum term of five years consecutive to any other sentence.
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.
Man Accused of Fatal Hit and Run in St. Louis Charged with Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS– A man accused of a fatal hit and run in St. Louis appeared in court Monday after being arrested on a federal gun charge.
Martez D. Lindsey, 31, was indicted June 14 on one felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. A motion seeking to have him held in jail until trial says police found the gun in April while investigating a November 22, 2022 hit and run and while conducting a court-approved search of his home. It also says “Lindsey continued joyriding through downtown St. Louis in a reckless manner” after the November incident.
Lindsey pleaded not guilty to the charge in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Monday.
Lindsey is currently facing charges in St. Louis Circuit Court of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.
Ballwin Man Who Admitted Sex with Minors Sentenced to 9+ Years in Prison for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Friday sentenced a man from Ballwin, Missouri who engaged in sexual contact with underage girls he’d approached on Snapchat to nine years and two months in prison for distributing images of minors.
Luke Edward Nicozisin, 22, will also have to register as a sex offender and will be on supervised release for life after his release from prison. The terms of that supervised release will include severe restrictions on his use of computers and access to the internet.“The conduct in this case is abhorrent,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman during the hearing, describing Nicozisin as a “sexual predator.” Nicozisin reached out to underage girls on Snapchat, and then turned the conversations sexual with those who responded, Bateman said.
In his plea agreement, Nicozisin admitted sending nude images of himself to three 15-year-old girls and one 12-year-old girl, soliciting nude pictures of a 15-year-old and having sexual contact with two 15-year-old girls. He also recorded videos of the sex acts with one of the teens.
One of Nicozisin’s victims reported him to a school resource officer in July of 2021, triggering Nicozisin’s initial arrest and prompting others to come forward. Investigators would later find an iPhone with pictures and videos of Nicozisin with one of the victims as well as condoms that depicted Nicozisin’s Instagram account.
Nicozisin pleaded guilty in March to one count of distribution of child pornography.
The FBI, the Manchester Police Department and the Chesterfield Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Missouri Woman Admits Fraudulently Applying for $168,000 Pandemic LoanRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A woman pleaded guilty to federal charges Thursday and admitted fraudulently applying for a $167,999 Payroll Protection Program loan during the coronavirus pandemic for a Poplar Bluff, Missouri business that she did not run or own.
Maxine Michelle Burns, 44, of Willow Springs in Howell County, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.
Burns admitted applying for a PPP 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, as well as the owner’s signature stamp. The loan was granted, and Burns admitted using the money to buy vehicles for herself and pay for vacations.
On Sept. 16, 2021, Burns then applied to the SBA for forgiveness of the PPP loan, falsely claiming that the money had been used for payroll and other permissible purposes. Her application was granted and the loan was forgiven.
At her sentencing, set for September 28, Burns faces up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. She will also be ordered to repay the money and has already agreed to do so.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis is prosecuting the case.
Former St. Charles County Youth Hockey Coach Arrested on Federal Child Sex ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former youth hockey coach was arrested Thursday on federal charges that include accusations that he produced child pornography involving two juveniles and possessed child pornography of multiple other currently unidentified juveniles.
James R. Lambert , 41, of Lake St. Louis, was indicted June 28 on two counts of production of child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography and one count of transporting minors across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
The indictment accuses Lambert of inducing two minors into engaging in sexually explicit conduct and then filming it. It also says Lambert took a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual activity and that he received child pornography online.
Lambert is also facing charges in St. Charles County Circuit Court of statutory sodomy and child molestation and charges of statutory sodomy and sexual exploitation of a child in St. Louis County Circuit Court. He was in jail on those charges at the time of his arrest on the federal case.
Anyone with information regarding possible additional victims is asked to contact the Lake St. Louis Police Department by calling 636-625-8018 or emailing [email protected].
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lake St. Louis Police Department, the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force and the Maryland Heights Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Louis County Man Convicted of Armed Robbery of RestaurantRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Riverview, Missouri was convicted by a federal jury Wednesday of the armed robbery of the Steak ‘N Shake where he once worked.
Jonathan Davis, 24, was found guilty of two felonies at the end of the third day of his trial in U.S. District Court in St. Louis: robbery and possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
On Jan. 23, 2021, at about 12:30 a.m., a man walked directly to the back office of the Steak ‘N Shake restaurant at 9550 Natural Bridge Road in Berkeley and demanded cash from the owner at gunpoint. The owner identified Davis as the robber, according to court testimony. Davis had worked at the restaurant until about two months before the robbery.
Evidence and testimony showed that Davis had been evicted from his home and was living in an extended-stay hotel at the time of the robbery. Later on the day of the robbery, Davis began a five-day spending spree, paying his rent, buying an iPhone, buying a diamond ring for his girlfriend, paying her cell phone bill and giving her cash, according to testimony. He also lost $1,000 to a scammer while trying to buy a car online.
Davis will be sentenced later this year.
The Berkeley Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Szczucinski and Michael Hayes are prosecuting the case.
Missouri Man Sentenced on Machine Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Wednesday sentenced a Dunklin County, Missouri man to two years in federal prison for selling a device that can convert a Glock pistol into a machine gun.
On Oct. 12, 2022, Cole Johnathan Campbell, now 22, of Kennett, Missouri, sold an auto sear, also known as a “Glock switch,” to a confidential informant working for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The auto sear converts a semi-automatic Glock pistol into a fully automatic firearm. Glock switches alone, even if not attached to a firearm, are defined as a machine gun under federal law.
Campbell said he had removed the device from his own gun, knew it worked and had a video of it in operation. He also offered to sell more of the devices, his plea agreement says.
Campbell pleaded guilty in March to one felony count of unlawfully transferring a machine gun.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case.
Ex-employee Accused of Arson at St. Louis Airport MarriottRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis, Missouri has been indicted on an arson charge and accused of setting fires at a hotel after being fired.
Ramona Cook, 25, was indicted May 10 and arrested and pleaded not guilty Wednesday. She is due in court Friday for a hearing that will determine whether she is jailed until trial.
The indictment says that on Dec. 22, 2022, Cook maliciously damaged by means of fire the Marriott St. Louis Airport hotel at 10700 Pear Tree Drive.
A motion seeking to have Cook held in jail says that she was fired that day for being intoxicated at work. She returned shortly after being escorted out of the hotel by police and set multiple fires in the hotel, the motion says, displacing the occupants of more than 400 rooms.
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 arson charge carries a penalty of 5 years to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Woman Admits Defrauding Her 96-year-old Great-grandmotherRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis, Missouri on Wednesday admitted defrauding her 96-year-old great-grandmother.
Alexis Butler, 35, waived her right to indictment by a grand jury and pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark to one felony count of bank fraud. Butler admitted that sometime before Dec. 2, 2022, she obtained the personal identifying information of her great-grandmother, as well as her account information at St. Louis Community Credit Union. She then obtained online access to the account.
On Dec. 2, 2022, she transferred $2,000 to someone else. The next day, she opened an account for herself at the credit union and began transferring her great-grandmother’s money to her account. Butler admitted as part of her guilty plea that from Dec. 2, 2022 to Jan. 19, 2023, she fraudulently withdrew $26,700 from her great-grandmother’s account. Butler re-deposited $7,500 into the account on January 6, however.
Both sides have agreed to recommend a sentence of three years in prison for Butler, and she will be ordered to repay the money.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Pagedale Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case.
Missouri Man Sentenced to 12 ½ Years in Prison for National Forest Arsons, Assault of Forest Service EmployeeRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Wednesday sentenced a man who committed arsons in the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri and assaulted a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer to 12 and one-half years in prison.
Judge Limbaugh also ordered Lucas G. Henson, 37, of Iron County, Missouri, to pay the U.S. Forest Service about $7,200 for the cost of fighting the fires he set.
Henson was out on bond after being charged with stealing and drug offenses when he stole a Ford van on Oct. 22, 2022 near Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Henson abandoned the van when it ran out of gas. Later that day, he broke into a camper and stole items from it. The next day, he stole a Dodge pickup truck, then burglarized someone’s home and stole a Ruger LC9 9mm handgun. He stole a crossbow from a workshop near the home.
When the truck’s owner found Henson, Henson pointed the pistol at the truck’s owner and drove away. Law enforcement officers then joined the chase.
Henson crashed the truck in Mark Twain National Forest, then started a fire and burned the handgun and the items that he’d stolen from the camper before fleeing into the forest.
Officers began tracking Henson with dogs. When they got close, he started a fire to prevent being captured. He started a second fire when they approached him again. Later, he pointed the crossbow at a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer, as well as other officers, before fleeing again. Henson was eventually caught near the Black River.
The fires burned a total of 7.61 acres of land. Due to the dry and windy conditions at the time, Henson’s fires kept leaping over fire lines established by fire fighters. Crews eventually had to construct “dozer lines” to contain the fire.
Henson pleaded guilty in March to assaulting a law enforcement officer, arson and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Forest Service, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton prosecuted the case.
Farmington Man Admits Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Farmington, Missouri on Wednesday admitted possessing and selling methamphetamine.
Charles J. Crawford, 53, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
On Sept. 5, 2019, Crawford sold about an ounce of nearly pure methamphetamine to a confidential informant working with the Missouri State Highway Patrol for $250. Officers then observed multiple vehicles coming and going from Crawford’s home, indicating drug sales were occurring. A subsequent court-approved search of Crawford’s home early the next morning found nearly three more ounces of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and two firearms.
The possession with intent charge carries a mandatory minimum prison term of five years in light of the significant quantity of drugs involved. Both sides have agreed to recommend 100 months in prison when Crawford is sentenced.
The case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Mineral Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Man Accused of Firebombing HomeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri has been accused of using a Molotov cocktail to firebomb a St. Louis home last year.
Marcus Reece, 31, was indicted in April on one felony count of damaging or destroying a building by fire and one felony count of possession of an unregistered destructive device. He was arrested June 22 and on Tuesday ordered held in jail until trial.
The indictment accuses Reece of possession of a Molotov cocktail on March 19, 2022 and attempting to damage or destroy a home in the 3700 block of Minnesota Avenue on the same date. A motion seeking to detain Reece in jail says he threw Molotov cocktails at the victim’s home after a dispute over a parking space.
Reece pleaded not guilty June 22 to both charges. Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The damaging by fire charge is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or both, and the unregistered destructive device charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware is prosecuting the case.
Missouri Husband and Wife Admit Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A married couple from Jefferson County, Missouri on Tuesday pleaded guilty to federal charges and admitted possessing and sharing child pornography with each other.
David John Dohrman, 52, and Jacquelin Michelle Dohrman, 48, each pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry to a felony charge of possession of child pornography.
The investigation began when David Dohrman sent a video containing child sexual abuse material to his wife on Oct. 1, 2020, resulting in a tip from Facebook to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A St. Louis County Police Department detective followed up and obtained a court-approved search warrant for the Dohrman’s home. David Dohrman admitted sending the video to his wife and admitted searching for and downloading child pornography, his plea agreement says. Investigators uncovered child pornography on cell phones belonging to the couple, as well as chats containing more child pornography and a discussion of a young girl they’d seen in a restaurant.
The Dohrmans are scheduled to be sentenced October 5. The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or both.
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.
Indictment Accuses St. Louis Jail Employee of Assaulting Handcuffed DetaineeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A corrections officer at the St. Louis Justice Center has been indicted on a civil rights charge and accused of assaulting a handcuffed detainee in March.
Direll Alexander, 45, was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law. The indictment says Alexander violated the detainee’s Constitutional right to be free from unreasonable force. It says that on March 6, 2023, Alexander assaulted and injured the detainee while he was restrained in handcuffs and while he did not pose any threat to Alexander.
“Jail employees are required by the Constitution to protect the rights of people in their custody and are barred from using excessive force on detainees,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “We take allegations of civil rights violations very seriously.”
Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division said, “The FBI prioritizes investigations of civil rights violations, which include the use of excessive force by sworn law enforcement officers.”
Alexander made his first appearance in court Friday, pleading not guilty to the charge.
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 charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or both.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug is prosecuting the case.