Eastern District of Missouri
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Second Man Charged in Connection with Cool Valley MurderRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Hazelwood, Missouri was indicted Wednesday on charges connected to the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old at a Cool Valley gas station in January.
Christopher “Face” Hall, 22, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, joining Bryant “BJ” Pirtle, who was indicted in March. Each now faces four felonies: possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death, conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The indictment accuses them of aiding and abetting one another in discharging a firearm while involved in a drug conspiracy, causing the Jan. 29, 2023 death of Devon Williams.A detention motion says Hall and Pirtle shot the 18-year-old at about 3:15 a.m. after he tried to buy marijuana from them at the BP gas station at 1790 South Florissant Road. They then ran Williams over while driving away, the motion says. The shooting was caught on video.
Hall is currently in jail on pending charges in St. Louis County Circuit Court involving a March 2023 shooting.
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 FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department, and the Normandy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nino Przulj and Jen Szczucinski are prosecuting the case.
Illinois Man Caught in St. Louis with AR-15 After Police Shooting Sentenced to 8 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced a convicted felon who was caught with an AR-15-style rifle in St. Louis, Missouri after someone shot at a police officer in Illinois to eight years in prison.
Ryan Fleming, 31, of Belleville, Illinois, was first spotted early in the morning of Sept. 24, 2021 by a Washington Park police officer responding to a call for shots fired. During the resulting pursuit, someone in Fleming’s car fired repeatedly at the officer’s car, court filings say. Less than 90 minutes later, the Hyundai Sonata involved in the shooting was spotted and pursued by Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers. Fleming, who was driving at speeds reaching 100 m.p.h. on Interstate 70, crashed into a concrete barrier while trying to exit in downtown St. Louis. He got out with a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 semi-automatic rifle but dropped it and ran. He was arrested nearby after a foot chase.
Fleming was found guilty by a federal jury in February of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Fleming has prior convictions in Illinois including drug possession and two charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
The case was investigated by the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Illinois State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
University City Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Missouri Medicaid, Pandemic Loan FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah. E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a University City, Missouri man to five years in prison for fraudulently obtaining a $135,000 pandemic loan and defrauding the Missouri Medicaid program out of $1.2 million.
Judge Pitlyk also ordered Deandre D. Horne to repay $1,474,338, representing the Medicaid losses as well as repayment to the Small Business Administration for multiple Paycheck Protection Program loans.
In July of 2020, Horne falsely claimed to be the sole owner of Budget Towing & Recovery LLC to apply for a PPP loan, which was intended to help small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Horne also inflated the number of employees and falsely claimed a monthly payroll of $40,000. He received a $135,707 loan.
Horne did own Serenity Home Health Care CDS, and between July 6, 2017 and March 18, 2021, he fraudulently billed Missouri Medicaid for services that were not supported by valid timesheets or electronic visit verification (EVV) documents. Horne created false EVV documentation to support the bills. Horne also admitted falsely claiming to be the personal care attendant for multiple Missouri Medicaid beneficiaries, billing for times when he was traveling elsewhere in the country or to foreign locations.
“DeAndre Horne was actually vacationing in Paris, Chile, Japan, Brussels, Punta Cana, Portugal and Jamaica on the days he claimed to be physically providing home health services in St. Louis,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI’s St. Louis Division. “Medicaid, which is funded by taxpayers, paid him $1.2 million for services his company claimed, but never rendered.”
"By falsely claiming funds from federal health care programs and pandemic relief measures, this individual took valuable resources away from their intended recipients during a time when many Americans were hurting and needed that support," said Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). "As this case demonstrates, HHS-OIG will not hesitate to hold accountable those who attempt to illicitly profit off of public health programs."
Horne pleaded guilty in February to one count of health care fraud and one count of wire fraud.
The case was investigated by the Missouri Attorney General’s office, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Reiter is prosecuting the case.
Memphis Man Sentenced to Serve 100 Months in Prison for Unlawfully Possessing Gun in Cape GirardeauRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – The United States Attorney's Office announced Wednesday that Deon R. Crittenden, 32, of Memphis, Tennessee, has been sentenced to serve 100 months in federal prison following his guilty plea to unlawfully possessing a firearm.
Crittenden appeared for his sentencing hearing Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau.
The charges arose after an officer with the Cape Girardeau Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle near a Cape Girardeau hospital in April 2022. Crittenden, who was a passenger in the vehicle, jumped out and ran inside the hospital with a red backpack, according to court documents. Officers found him hiding in a restroom a short time later. The red backpack was in a trashcan in that same restroom, and contained a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol and marijuana, court documents say. Crittenden had previously been convicted of several felony offenses in the State of Tennessee, including aggravated assault and robbery.
After serving his 100-month sentence, Crittenden will be placed on supervised release for a period of four years. This case was investigated by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the government.
St. Charles County Man Accused of Online Coercion of MinorsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles County, Missouri accused of coercing minors into sending him nude pictures has been ordered held in jail until trial.
Tristin M. Davis, 26, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis May 24 on three counts of coercion and enticement of a minor and three counts of receiving child pornography. The indictment accuses him of coercing three minors, in New York, Tennessee and Connecticut, into engaging in sexually explicit conduct to produce images. Davis pleaded not guilty to the charges June 8.
On Friday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Shirley Padmore Mensah ordered Davis detained until trial. In addition to the federal charges, Judge Mensah cited pending statutory sodomy charges in Lincoln County Circuit Court and St. Charles County Circuit Court and accusations that Davis has sexually abused four minors.
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. Charles County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Man Accused of Pointing Laser at St. Louis Metro Air Support HelicopterRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Indiana appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday on a federal charge accusing him of temporarily blinding pilots of a Metro Air Support Unit helicopter in February.
Jason Foster, 47, was indicted March 8 on one count of aiming a laser at an aircraft, and arrested May 31 in Indiana. He pleaded not guilty to the charge Tuesday.
Foster’s indictment says the incident occurred on February 21. A court filing says the pilots were actively involved in an investigation at the time, and the laser temporarily blinded them.
David Gammil, 44, was also indicted in March, and accused of pointing a laser at the helicopter on February 23. He has also pleaded not guilty.
The charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
Lasers can blind pilots, and aviation authorities say the incidents are on the rise, with almost 9,500 reported to the Federal Aviation Administration in 2022.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the St. Charles County Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang is prosecuting the case.
Seattle Man Admits Buying 630,000 Counterfeit Pills on the Dark WebRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Seattle, Washington on Thursday admitted buying 630,000 counterfeit Xanax and other pills on the dark web.
Maximillian Gregory Verbowski, 28, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Court Judge Stephen R. Clark to one count each of conspiracy to sell counterfeit drugs, selling counterfeit drugs and using a fictitious name on mail to commit a crime.
Verbowski admitted using cryptocurrency and cash from October 2019 to August 30, 2021 to buy bulk quantities of counterfeit generic alprazolam, an anti-anxiety drug, and other prescription pills and resell them. Verbowski’s source bought drug ingredients from China and used a pill press and stamps to mimic the pill markings used by manufacturers licensed and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The supplier then shipped the pills to post office boxes Verbowski opened using aliases.
The transactions were conducted using the dark web.
The conspiracy charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, the counterfeit drugs charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the mail charge carries a maximum 20-year term. All are also subject to a fine of up to $250,000, or both prison and a fine.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman is prosecuting the case.
Former Missouri Construction Company Owner Sentenced to 18 Months, Fined $100,000 for Minority Business Enterprise Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced a former construction company owner to 18 months in prison and a $100,000 fine for committing fraud to qualify for tax abatements designed to encourage minority-owned businesses in St. Louis.
Brian Kowert Sr. “engaged in an elaborate ‘pass through’ fraud scheme where he used an elderly Black contractor solely to pass company checks through to the non-minority subcontractors who Kowert hired to do the actual work and supply the actual materials on the project,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith wrote in a sentencing memorandum. Kowert also knew what he was doing was wrong, as he committed a similar Minority Business Enterprise fraud 17 years ago, Goldsmith wrote.
Kowert was co-owner and chief operating officer of Clayton, Missouri-based HBD Construction Inc. at the time, and was acting as the project manager for the renovation and redevelopment of a building for Greater Goods LLC on Chouteau Avenue in St. Louis. Kowert and Charles Kirkwood, the owner of Midwestern Construction, a company that was a Minority Business Enterprise, agreed to falsely list Kirkwood’s company as providing materials and performing work on the project. Kirkwood’s participation allowed the project to satisfy St. Louis requirements for 25% participation by MBEs to qualify for a 10-year tax abatement.
The MBE participation requirements seek to address historical social and economic disadvantages experienced by minority group members and to reduce minority-based barriers to and foster participation by minority-owned businesses in city contract opportunities.
Kowert issued duplicate subcontracts to Kirkwood’s company for work that was performed and materials that were supplied by two other non-MBE companies. Kowert also issued a duplicate HBD purchase order to Kirkwood’s company for materials provided by a third non-MBE company. Kowert submitted a false chart of projected costs for the redevelopment project to the St. Louis Development Corporation, the city agency charged with reviewing, approving and recommending tax abatements. The chart falsely listed Kirkwood’s MBE company as providing labor and materials valued at approximately $198,000 on the Greater Goods redevelopment project and concealed the involvement of the three non-MBE companies.
Beginning on August 4, 2020, Kowert caused 14 HBD checks worth a total of about $220,000 to be issued to Kirkwood’s company for the work performed and materials provided by the three non-MBE companies. Kirkwood deposited those checks into his company bank account and then issued checks to the three non-MBE companies, at Kowert’s direction.
Kirkwood was paid approximately $2,000 by Kowert for his role in the criminal scheme.
Kowert and HBD then caused a false application for tax abatement on behalf of the Greater Goods redevelopment project to be submitted to the St. Louis Development Corporation. The application falsely represented that Kirkwood’s MBE company had performed about $224,361 in project costs, comprising about 6 ½ % of the required 25% MBE participation in the project.
Greater Goods and its employees had no knowledge of Kowert’s scheme. His actions cost the company, which donates a significant share of its sales revenues to charities, a tax abatement of approximately $400,000 over ten years. As a result, the company was not able to carry out various projects and meet certain charitable goals, Goldsmith wrote in the memo.
The scheme also had consequences for the MBE program.
“Mr. Kowert’s actions have harmed SLDC, undermined the City of St. Louis’ MBE Program, and caused substantial injury to the duly certified and struggling minority-owned firms in the St. Louis region,” Neal Richardson, president and CEO of SLDC, wrote in a letter to Judge Autrey.
Kowert pleaded guilty in January to two counts of wire fraud.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.
St. Charles County Man Admits Child Pornography Charge, Hiding Camera in BathroomRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles County, Missouri admitted hiding a camera in a bathroom that captured images and videos of girls.
Dennis J. Naumann, 55, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Court Judge Matthew T. Schelp to one count each of attempted production of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography.
Naumann admitted uploading at least 50 videos containing child sexual abuse material to Dropbox. He also admitted possessing videos and still images of underage girls that he had produced by hiding a video camera in a bathroom. Naumann shared images or videos he produced with the camera with two others, his plea agreement says.At his sentencing, Naumann faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for the attempted production charge and at least five years in prison for the receipt charge.
The case was investigated by the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force, the St. Charles County Police Department and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Louis Woman Repeatedly Caught with Stolen Vehicles Admits Running Chop ShopRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis, Missouri who was repeatedly caught with stolen vehicles pleaded guilty to federal charges Monday.
As part of her guilty plea, Heather Marty, 28, admitted that she was living in a warehouse in the 2900 block of North Jefferson Avenue that was being used to house, store and disassemble stolen vehicles. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers and detectives found a total of 12 stolen vehicles over a seven-month period in or near the building, including three motorcycles, five pickup trucks, three cars and one SUV, Marty’s plea agreement says.
On Oct. 30, 2021, police found a stolen 2007 Yamaha motorcycle in front of the warehouse. Marty refused to allow police inside the building.
On Nov. 18, 2021, officers noticed a stolen 2009 Ford Ranger parked in front of the warehouse, with a 2004 Ford F-450 nearby that had been stolen that morning. Inside the building, they found more stolen vehicles in various stages of disassembly: a 2009 Pontiac G6, a 2006 Ford F-350, a 2000 Ford Excursion, a 2011 Dodge Ram and a 2016 Honda motorcycle, the plea says.
On Jan. 29, 2022, Marty was spotted at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis in a 2014 Dodge Ram that had been stolen 23 days earlier. She was arrested. Inside the truck, a detective found nine license plates, two of which belonged to stolen vehicles.
An investigation revealed that in the week before her arrest, Marty had been in the area of four thefts and one attempted theft of catalytic converters, as well as four burglaries and an auto theft.
On June 20, 2022, Marty was caught at the warehouse in a pickup that had a stolen 2022 KTM Duke motorcycle in the truck bed.
On July 13, 2022, a detective found one stolen truck and two stolen cars in the warehouse that were being disassembled.
Marty pleaded guilty Monday in front of U.S. District Judge John A. Ross to one count of transportation of a stolen vehicle and one count of operating a chop shop.
At her September 19 sentencing, Marty faces up to 10 years in prison for the stolen vehicle charge and up to 15 years in prison on the chop shop charge, a $250,000 fine for each count, or both prison and a fine. She will also be ordered to pay restitution to victims.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware is prosecuting the case.
Longtime Missouri Juvenile Officer Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Sex with 15-Year-OldRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Court Judge Audrey G. Fleissig sentenced a former longtime deputy state juvenile officer to seven years in prison for engaging in illegal sex acts with a 15-year-old who was living in an Illinois group home.
Judge Fleissig also ordered Scott F. Burow, 63, to pay $7,500 in restitution to his victim and $5,000 to a fund that helps victims of child pornography and child trafficking.
Burow met the juvenile on an online dating site on which the victim held herself out to be a young adult. Burow agreed to pay her $100 for sex, his plea agreement says. Burow also demanded that she send him a nude image to ensure that she was not an undercover law enforcement officer or working with police.
Burow picked up the girl on April 2, 2020 from a public park near her group home, took her to his home and secretly recording the sex acts. He then dropped her off at a motel in Palmyra, Missouri. She flagged down a passing police officer for help.
The girl was a ward of the state at the time, living in a facility supporting children struggling with issues related to attachment and developmental trauma.
Burow pleaded guilty in October to a felony charge of transportation of a minor across state lines to engage in prohibited sexual conduct.
The case was investigated by the Palmyra police Department, the Hannibal Police Department and the FBI. Assistant United States 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 Lawyer Sentenced for Faking Legal Documents for at Least 30 ClientsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced a St. Louis, Missouri lawyer to 31 months in prison for faking legal documents and forging judges’ signatures in cases involving at least 30 clients.
Judge Pitlyk also ordered Andrew Gavin Wynne to pay $351,000 in restitution for losses suffered by his former law firm. Wynne created fictitious documents with forged signatures in cases in St. Louis as well as St. Louis and St. Charles counties. Wynne created bogus court orders, judgments and emails authored by at least ten separate judges, some of which falsely claimed to award money to his clients.
In one example, Wynne sent an email to a client on Feb. 28, 2020 that included a fictitious judgment and decree of dissolution with a forged judge’s signature. That divorce decree said Wynne’s client's marriage was dissolved and the parties would have joint legal and physical custody of the minor children. The decree also said the client was owed $900 per month child support, $5,000, a vehicle and other assets.
On July 21, 2020, Wynne emailed another client an order with a forged judge’s signature that claimed $20,200 in payments were owed to that client.
Wynne’s series of deceptions and lies began unraveling when a client complained to Wynne’s boss.
One victim told Judge Pitlyk during Monday’s sentencing hearing that his divorce was still not finalized, and that Wynne’s actions had cost him his relationship with his two daughters.
Wynne’s former boss said Wynne’s actions and deceptions were unprecedented in Missouri, had “stunned” clients and caused him “abject humiliation, utter despair and fear for the future.” The firm is still unwinding and trying to repair Wynne’s misdeeds, which the boss said victimized both clients and the judicial system.
Wynne, 35, pleaded guilty in March to five felony counts of identity theft.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Wiseman and Kyle Bateman are prosecuting the case.
Former St. Louis Alderman Indicted, Accused of Insurance FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A grand jury has indicted former St. Louis Alderman Brandon Bosley on charges accusing him of committing insurance fraud while in office.
Bosley was indicted on three felony wire fraud charges Wednesday. The indictment was sealed until his appearance in court Monday, when he pleaded not guilty.
The indictment accuses Bosley of orchestrating a scheme to obtain money from his insurance company by falsely inflating the cost of repairs to a Prius that he was driving. The car had been obtained by Bosley from a businessman who owned a convenience store in Bosley’s ward as well as a used car lot and an auto repair business elsewhere.
Bosley paid $500 cash for the Prius, which had an approximate value of nearly $10,000, but he did not register or title the car in his name, the indictment says. The Certificate of Title listed the purchase price as $3,000.
On Sept. 16, 2021, another driver struck the Prius while it was parked in front of Bosley’s office. After the other driver’s insurance company contacted Bosley about the damages, Bosley offered a bribe to the businessman to prepare an inflated estimate of the repair costs so the insurance company would total the car, the indictment says.
He also asked the businessman to prepare a second, legitimate repair estimate in case he wanted to buy the car back from the insurance company, the indictment says. Based upon the falsely inflated repair estimate which Bosley submitted to the insurance company, the insurance company paid Bosley $7,978.90 for the vehicle, and Bosley then asked the businessman to offer the insurance company $2,000 to buy the car back, the indictment says.
Each wire fraud charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and 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 FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.
Grand Jury Issues Superseding Indictment in $2.9 million dollar Paycheck Protection Program Fraud and Clean Air Act ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A federal grand jury has issued a superseding indictment charging Christopher Lee Carroll with multiple counts of bank fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a financial institution, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act, violations of the Clean Air Act, and witness tampering. The federal grand jury also indicted the company run by Carroll, Whiskey Dix Big Truck Repair, with twenty-one counts of violating the Clean Air Act.
The superseding indictment charges Carroll with three counts of bank fraud, six counts of money laundering, and three counts of making false statements of a financial institution in connection with Carroll’s company, Square One Group’s, receipt of two fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, one in the amount of more than $1.2 million, and the second loan in the amount of more than $1.6 million.
The superseding indictment alleges that Carroll and his business partner, George Reed, submitted PPP loan applications in their spouses’ names, rather than their own names, to misrepresent and conceal Carroll’s status as a paroled felon, which would have precluded his company from receiving PPP funds. It is further alleged, that Carroll and Reed did not use the funds to compensate their employees, but instead, used the funds to start a trucking company called Whiskey Dix Big Truck Repair, and to fund $660,000 in payments to themselves. The superseding indictment further alleges that the company suspended their employees’ pay and health insurance coverage after applying for PPP funds.
The superseding indictment further alleges that Carroll and his company, Whiskey Dix Big Truck Repair, violated the Clean Air Act by unlawfully removing the emissions control systems from more than 30 diesel-fueled trucks, which caused the trucks to release between 30 and 300 more pollutants into the atmosphere. The superseding indictment also alleges that Carroll asked his employees to take the fall for the Clean Air Act violations, and when one of the employees indicated that he was going to talk to federal investigators, Carroll threatened not to pay for the employee’s attorney.
"Square One Group received nearly $3,000,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds intended to sustain their workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis" said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker. "Instead, company owners Chris Carroll and George Reed allegedly used those funds to start new businesses and compensate themselves all while laying off the very staff for whom those funds were intended.”
“The defendants violated the Clean Air Act by removing devices designed specifically to reduce pollution on more than 20 heavy-duty diesel trucks,” said Special Agent in Charge Lance Ehrig of EPA’s criminal investigation program in Missouri. “Diesel exhaust not only worsens air quality, but harms people’s health, in particular people with respiratory conditions like asthma and COPD, so when these illegal trucks travel through neighborhoods they are creating serious health problems for residents.”
Charges set forth in the superseding 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gwendolyn Carroll and Matthew Drake are handling the case.
Illinois Woman Sentenced for Stealing $439,000 from BankRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a former bank branch manager who embezzled about $439,000 from her employer to a term of imprisonment of 27 months.
Samantha J. Cherry, 35, from Morrisonville, Illinois was a manager at a UMB Bank branch in St. Louis at the time. Between January 2021 and March 2022, Cherry took cash directly from the vault and moved currency from other cash supplies into her cash drawer totals. Cherry admitted to the theft after being questioned by bank personnel.
Cherry pleaded guilty in March 2023 to one felony count of theft or embezzlement by a bank officer.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Roy is prosecuting the case.
Two Men Sentenced for 21-Carjacking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy believed responsible for 21 carjackings or attempted carjackings in the St. Louis area.
U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced Detrich Lamon Williams Jr., 21, to 19 years in prison.
Judge Pitlyk sentenced Aaron L. Morris, 22, on May 31 to 14 years in prison.
Both men pleaded guilty to all five counts that they faced: carjacking conspiracy, two counts of carjacking, brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
They admitted as part of their guilty pleas that they were among a group of teenagers from the Castle Point neighborhood in St. Louis County that committed carjackings and attempted carjackings in St. Louis and St. Louis County between July and October of 2020. Police believe the group committed a total of 21 carjackings.
In most of the incidents, Morris drove a relative’s SUV or a stolen car and Williams or another person stole the victims’ vehicles at gunpoint. Williams used Morris’ pistol, which had a distinctive green laser sight that had been described by several victims and helped lead investigators to the carjacking ring.
In his plea, Williams admitted stealing a Toyota Camry at gunpoint on Aug. 17, 2020, and then leading police on a high-speed chase that began in St. Louis and ended near Castle Point only after police used spike strips to disable the Camry.
Both men also admitted the following incidents:
- On Sept. 26, 2020, Williams and another person, who was armed with a pistol, stole a 2017 Volvo S60 sedan from a pizza delivery driver in St. Louis. Morris was driving.
- On Oct. 11, 2020, Morris drove Williams and others to the South County Mall. Williams approached a woman who had just parked and exited her 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee, fired a shot in the air and stole the woman’s purse and 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
- Later that same day, Williams was with Morris and two others in St. Louis when they spotted a Jeep Cherokee in an alley. Williams and Morris stayed in the vehicle while the others confronted the owner of the Jeep. One of the others shot the Jeep’s owner before the group fled, Williams’ plea says.
The case was investigated by the Webster Groves Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce is prosecuting the case.
St. Charles County Man Accused of Being Unlicensed Firearm DealerRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles County, Missouri has been indicted and accused of selling firearms without a license.
Harry Trueblood, 68, was indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis May 10. He pleaded not guilty to the unlicensed dealer charge on May 12.
The indictment alleges that Trueblood was an unlicensed firearms dealer from Jan. 1, 2021 through May 10, 2023
A court affidavit says that after learning that an AR-15-style pistol recovered in a criminal investigation had originally been purchased by Trueblood, an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was able to document that 15 firearms originally purchased by Trueblood had been recovered in criminal investigations. Between January 4, 2021 and March 31, 2022, Trueblood bought at least seventy firearms, the affidavit says. On many occasions, Trueblood purchased the same make model and caliber of firearm, including 15 of the same 9mm pistols.
Agents repeatedly saw Trueblood selling firearms at gun shows, where background checks are not required for sales from private sellers. Trueblood sold a firearm to a convicted felon working with the ATF at one show, even after the felon told Trueblood that he’d done time in prison, the affidavit says. Trueblood mentioned that police had called him about two guns used in crimes, and offered armor-piercing ammunition to shoppers, it says.
Trueblood continued to sell firearms at gun shows after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the ATF warning that the ATF believed he was illegally dealing in firearms without a license and an application so that he could become licensed, the affidavit says.
The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski is prosecuting the case.
Illinois Man Admits Robbing Ferguson Bank with NoteRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Illinois on Thursday admitted robbing a bank in Ferguson, Missouri in 2019.
Milton Randol, 35, of Alton, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to a felony bank robbery charge. Randol admitted handing a note to a teller at Great Southern Bank in Ferguson on Dec. 13, 2019 that read, “Give me all the money[.] Don’t pull the silent alarm or I will shoot,” his plea agreement says. Randol then handed the teller a bag for the money. He told her not to set off the silent alarm, had her fill the bag then began stuffing money into his pockets before fleeing the bank.
Randol’s picture was captured on camera, and friends identified him when the picture was circulated in the St. Louis media. But Randol had fled to Texas, where he lived for a year before returning to St. Louis, his plea says.
Randol could face up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both at his August 29 sentencing.
The Ferguson Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel is prosecuting the case.
Appeals Court Upholds Verdict Awarding $74,400 in Damages to Victims of St. Louis Landlord’s DiscriminationRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today that the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has affirmed a jury verdict against a St. Louis, Missouri landlord for violating the federal Fair Housing Act by evicting a family because of the birth of their second child.
The Fair Housing Act prohibits terminating a lease, evicting tenants or refusing to sell or rent because of race, color, religion, familial status or national origin.
After their eviction in 2017, Laura Erwin and Mack Teal filed a complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”). HUD conducted an investigation, issued a charge of discrimination against Rupp and referred the case to the Justice Department, which filed suit in 2019.
On May 28, 2021, U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk ruled in response to motions for summary judgment that Louis A. Rupp II’s conduct violated the Fair Housing Act. On Aug. 19, 2021, a jury awarded the family of Laura Erwin and Mack Teal a total of $74,400 in damages, consisting of $14,400 in compensatory damages and $60,000 in punitive damages.
“The Rupp case shows how victims of civil rights violations in this district can find redress through the nation’s civil rights laws,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming. “Ms. Irwin knew something was wrong when Rupp evicted her and her family from their home, conducted her own research under the housing laws and decided to challenge his actions. In the end, the appeals court agreed with Ms. Irwin and her family that Rupp’s conduct was ‘reprehensible’ for evicting them shortly after Ms. Irwin’s emergency C-section. The court also ruled that punitive damages were appropriate because Rupp, a long-time landlord, showed ‘indifference to or reckless disregard of’ the housing laws and the Irwin family’s health and safety.”
The court also ruled that the size of the award did not violate the Rupp’s constitutional right to due process of law.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division enforces the Fair Housing Act. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals may report housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department at 1-833-591-0291, emailing [email protected], or submitting a report online. Individuals also may report discrimination by contacting HUD at 1-800-669-9777, or by filing a complaint online.
Two Accused of Stealing Mail from St. Louis County Collection BoxesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday to answer an indictment accusing them of stealing mail from collection boxes in St. Louis County, Missouri and using those checks to commit bank fraud.
Dareon Graham, 22, of Ferguson, and Tyrell Hardin, 20, of Hanley Hills, pleaded not guilty Wednesday. Hardin is facing one conspiracy count and eight counts of mail theft. Graham was indicted on one conspiracy count, 13 counts of bank fraud, four counts of possession of stolen mail and four counts of aggravated identity theft.
The April 26 indictment says Graham used a stolen key to open mail collection boxes and steal mail and paid money to Hardin to do the same. The pair would then open the mail and remove personal and business checks, the indictment says.
Graham then recruited others to provide their banking information so he could alter the checks and deposit them into the accounts, the indictment says. Each check was written for thousands of dollars. Graham would then withdraw cash at ATMs before the banks realized the checks were fraudulent, the indictment says.
The conspiracy, mail theft and stolen mail charges carry a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. The bank fraud charges are punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. Each aggravated identity theft charge carries a two-year prison term, consecutive to any other 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 U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Felon Accused of Possessing Nearly 1 Kilogram of FentanylRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from Wellston, Missouri has been federally indicted and accused of possessing nearly one kilogram of fentanyl and 700 grams of crack cocaine.
Devion X. Gordon, 28, was charged by complaint May 9 and indicted by a grand jury May 17. He now faces charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Charging and court documents say that an investigation by the FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department resulted in a court-approved search of Gordon’s home on May 9. Investigators found a loaded Glock pistol, drug paraphernalia, about 965 grams of fentanyl, about 700 grams of cocaine base and approximately $18,000 in cash.
The fentanyl charge is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, and the cocaine base and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime charges each carry a five-year mandatory minimum.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 and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Goeke is prosecuting the case.
Reality Show Cast Member Pleads Guilty to 15 Felonies, Admits Multiple FraudsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A reality show cast member and St. Louis, Missouri area radio personality on Wednesday pleaded guilty to 15 federal felonies and admitted committing tax fraud, bank fraud, insurance fraud and three separate pandemic fraud schemes.
Brittish “Cierrah” Williams, 33, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to five counts of misuse of a Social Security number, four counts of bank fraud, three counts of making false statements to the IRS and three counts of wire fraud.
“British Williams has admitted an unusually large number of frauds that victimized taxpayers, banks, credit card companies, individuals and programs that were intended to help struggling businesses and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming.” This is a first step towards justice for those victims. We will also be seeking repayment of all of her ill-gotten gains.”
Williams admitted under-reporting her income on tax returns for 2017-2019 and falsely claiming a niece and nephew as dependents, thereby avoiding $29,366 in tax owed.
Williams fraudulently used Social Security numbers not assigned to her to open accounts with credit card companies and banks, which resulted in losses of $28,537 to those creditors when she failed to pay them back.
Williams also used those Social Security numbers to open bank accounts, then deposited thousands of dollars’ worth of checks taken from other peoples’ accounts without their knowledge and withdrew the money, causing another $23,850 in losses.
In addition, included in Williams’ guilty plea as relevant conduct are three pandemic frauds and one insurance fraud. Williams admitted submitting nine applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans, intended to help struggling business, four applications for the Paycheck Protection Program, which was intended to save jobs, and one application to a rent relief program in California.
Williams’ disaster loan applications contained false information about business income and payroll, as well as her criminal history. She used the $144,400 in loans that resulted from two of the applications to fund her personal lifestyle, her plea agreement says.
Williams also received $52,647 in PPP loans.
On Jan. 3, 2022, Williams applied for the California COVID-19 Rent Relief program, falsely claiming that she was a California resident with a total annual household income of $50,000 and that she couldn’t pay her rent due to a “Reduction in hours of work” due to the pandemic, her plea agreement says. She had stopped paying rent in July of 2021. She received $27,801.
Williams’ $3,803 rent was more than reimbursed by a $4,000 payment from the network that produces “Basketball Wives LA,” and her work hours and pay were not reduced by the pandemic, Williams admitted in her plea.
Williams also submitted fake medical bills to at least one insurance company, resulting in $139,479.92 paid to her, co-conspirators or both.
Finally, Williams has not filed annual tax returns since her indictment in October of 2021, and listed herself as “exempt” on a form with her current employer resulting in no taxes being withheld from her $90,000 salary, her plea says.
The total known actual and intended losses from all the frauds and schemes, including the relevant conduct, is $446,082, her plea says.
Williams is scheduled to be sentenced August 23. The charges of misusing a Social Security number and making false statements each carry a potential penalty of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The bank fraud charges carry penalties of up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. The wire fraud charges carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration and the FBI. Special Assistant United States Attorney Diane Klocke is handling the case for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Woman Accused of $104,000 Pandemic Loan FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County, Missouri woman has been indicted in federal court and accused of fraudulently seeking and receiving pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling $104,000.
Camille N. Foster, 31, was indicted May 17 on three counts of bank fraud and two counts of wire fraud. The indictment was unsealed Monday. Foster is scheduled to make her first appearance in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on May 30.
The indictment says Foster devised a scheme to defraud Paycheck Protection Program lenders by submitting a series of fraudulent loan applications for three companies, Humble Hearts Home Healthcare LLC, Embellished Jewels LLC and Muse Me Boutique LLC, from May 2020 to February 2021. Those applications contained false information about company payrolls and profits and the purpose of the loans, the indictment says, as well as Foster’s false claims that she didn’t own or have common management with any other business. Humble Hearts received two $20,832 loans and Embellished Jewels received two $20,833 loans. Muse Me Boutique received one $20,833 loan.
Foster, also listed in court records as Foster-Nunley, later sought loan forgiveness, falsely claiming that a portion of each loan had been used for payroll costs, the indictment says. Instead, Foster transferred the PPP loan money to other accounts she controlled, took some out in cash, transferred some to other people and spent some on retail and restaurant purchases and cosmetic surgery, the indictment says.
The bank fraud charges are punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.
Former Missouri Prison Guard Admits Assaulting Inmate, Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former Missouri prison guard pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday and admitted assaulting an inmate and possessing child pornography.
Carl Hart, 37, of Farmington, was a sergeant in the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre at the time of the Oct. 28, 2021 assault. After a verbal disagreement with an inmate who is the victim in the case, Hart ordered the victim out of his office. When the victim did not immediately return to his cell, two other corrections officers pepper-sprayed him. The victim went to the showers to wash off the spray. Hart admitted striking the victim in the shower and again after the victim had left the shower and was on the ground, handcuffed and compliant. The victim suffered lacerations on his head, swelling on his face, a black eye, numb arms and rib pain that continues to this day, Hart’s plea says.
In a separate investigation, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a tip about suspected child pornography in Hart’s Dropbox account. The Missouri Highway Patrol Digital Forensics Unit investigated and found child pornography in Dropbox and on one of his phones, Hart admitted in his plea agreement.
Hart pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of possession of child pornography. The civil rights charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. Each child pornography charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Hart is scheduled to be sentenced on August 24.
He also faces child pornography charges in St. Francois County Circuit Court.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Missouri Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug is prosecuting the case.
Woman Admits Aiding in St. Louis County ATM Worker RobberyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman pleaded guilty Monday and admitted helping to steal a bag of cash from workers servicing an ATM in St. Louis County, Missouri.
Gregreonia Hampton, 21, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to one count of aiding and abetting a robbery. Hampton admitted helping Mark Anthony Diggs rob two employees of ATM Solutions on May 31, 2022 at a Vantage Credit Union.
Hampton drove a white Kia Optima to the ATM, and Diggs then got out of Kia’s back seat with a fully automatic Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 firearm. He demanded and received a bag of cash before Hampton drove off. The robbery was captured on video.
Hampton admitted having enough foreknowledge of the robbery that she could have walked away.
The robbery charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both. Hampton is scheduled to be sentenced August 23.
Diggs, 21, pleaded guilty in April to charges of robbery and possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
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 Man Accused of Carjacking in St. LouisRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County, Missouri teen was indicted Wednesday and accused of being captured on video carjacking a Mazda 3 in St. Louis earlier this month.
A grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis indicted Ahdaejay Britton, 18, of Bel-Ridge, on one felony count of carjacking and one count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
A motion seeking to have Britton held in jail until trial says that in a “brazen attack” at about 1:30 p.m. on May 8, Britton approached the victim as he was walking out of a parking garage in the 3800 block of Lindell Boulevard. Britton pointed a handgun at the victim, pulled him back into the stairwell and then threw the victim to the ground, the motion says. After taking the victim's car keys and handing them to a juvenile, Britton stuck his gun in the victim’s face and reached into his pocket to steal his wallet and iPhone.
The carjacking was captured on surveillance video, and Britton was caught by police with the stolen vehicle, the stolen iPhone and a gun less than an hour after the carjacking, the detention motion says.
The carjacking charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. The firearm charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years, consecutive to all other charges, and a maximum of life in prison.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Armed Robbery and Attempted RobberyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a St. Louis, Missouri man who robbed a St. Louis gas station convenience store at gunpoint and tried to rob another business to 57 months in prison.
On July 15, 2019, Kevin L. Gordon, 42, robbed the convenience store at 5003 Natural Bridge Avenue at gunpoint, taking the cash register. He left his gloves and his DNA behind, however.
On Sept. 19, 2019, Gordon walked into the King Grill grocery and restaurant at 3746 St. Louis Avenue, raised his shirt to show a pistol and threatened employees. He tried to steal money from the cash register but was thwarted by employees, who wrestled the cash register away from him.
Gordon pleaded guilty in February to two counts of robbery.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Felon Caught with Guns Sentenced to 57 MonthsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri felon caught with two guns to 57 months in prison.
Travis L. Robinson, 26, also agreed to forfeit an AR-15-style pistol and a .40 caliber Glock handgun. Both guns were found after Normandy police were called to an apartment building in the 4300 block of Walker Lane for a burglary in progress. A resident reported hearing kicking and prying noises.
Robinson and another man fled when police arrived. Robinson jumped out of a third-floor window, injuring himself. Officers found tools and tool marks on one of the apartment door locks. They found an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 pistol with a 30-round magazine, the Glock and a 50-round drum magazine for the Glock in the burglars’ car. Robinson’s DNA was on both firearms.
Robinson pleaded guilty in February to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Robinson was on supervised release at the time of the crime, having been sentenced in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in 2018 to 46 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He also has committed a series of prior tampering and burglary offenses, a sentencing memo says.
The case was investigated by the Normandy Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa prosecuted the case.
St. Charles County Business Owner Sentenced to Prison for Failing to Pay $3.4 Million in TaxesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –A business owner from St. Charles County, Missouri on Thursday was sentenced Tuesday to 21 months in federal prison for using employees’ tax money for college tuition and mortgage payments on two houses.
U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark also ordered Jeffrey M. Bauza, 55, of Weldon Spring to pay back $1.4 million that he still owes in taxes.
Bauza owned the truck driving schools CDL Training Service & Consulting and CDL Training Services of Missouri at the time of the crime. Bauza was required by law to withhold income, Social Security and Medicare taxes from employee wages before turning them over to the Internal Revenue Service and file quarterly employment tax returns. He willfully failed to do so from 2012-2019.
Instead, he used part of the $2.3 million in income, Social Security and Medicare taxes that he’d withheld from his employees’ paychecks for college tuition for one of his children and for mortgage payments on his home as well as a vacation home in Florida. He also failed to pay $1 million in employer contributions to the IRS.
“Mr. Bauza was aware of his payroll tax obligations. But instead of paying the funds he withheld from employee paychecks to the IRS, he used them to pay for his primary residence, a vacation home in Florida, a luxury vehicle, and private university tuition”, said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge, Thomas F. Murdock. “Cases such as this harm innocent taxpayers and CI’s special agents will aggressively pursue these criminals to detect and stop this type of fraud.”
Bauza pleaded guilty in November to one count of willful failure to collect or pay tax.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll is prosecuting the case.
Second Clerk Sentenced for Stealing from Struggling North St. Louis County MunicipalityRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The former assistant city clerk of Flordell Hills, Missouri was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in federal prison for stealing $159,903 from the struggling city.
U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel also ordered Donna Thompson, 76, to repay the money.
Thompson is the second former employee of Flordell Hills to be sentenced this week for stealing from the city, which is roughly six blocks square, has an annual budget of about $400,000 and a population of about 800. More than half of those residents live below the poverty line.
On Tuesday, Judge Sippel sentenced the former city clerk, Maureen Woodson, 68, to 18 months in prison and ordered her to repay the $487,673 that she stole.
Both women wrote roughly 614 city checks to themselves from about February 2016 to April 2022, forging the signature of the mayor and/or treasurer and either cashing the checks or depositing them into their personal bank accounts. The mayor, the treasurer and the board of aldermen had no knowledge of the checks being written on city accounts. Woodson and Thompson used the cash for personal expenses and gambled the rest away. On about 381 occasions, Woodson and Thompson used Flordell Hills funds to directly pay for their own personal expenses, by either writing checks or wiring city funds directly to third party vendors for entertainment, restaurants, home rental payments, and personal taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service.
Due to the financial difficulties caused by the women’s embezzlement, city officials at times did not take salaries, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said. There was not enough money for road maintenance and other vital city services. Mayor Joe Noeth and other volunteers mowed overgrown areas of the city and cleared streets and roads when they were blocked by downed trees or limbs.
Woodson and Thompson were terminated in May of 2022, after the embezzlement was discovered. Woodson had been working at the city since 2010. Thompson was hired in 2012.
Woodson and Thompson each pleaded guilty in February to one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 28+ Years in Prison for Carjacking, Crime SpreeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis, Missouri man to 28 years and three months in prison for a “rampage” that involved carjackings, burglaries and a home invasion in May of 2021.
Drew Clark, 37, started his spree by stealing a man’s Jeep Cherokee at Union Station in St. Louis on May 22, 2021 as the victim was unloading the vehicle. Inside was the man’s 9mm handgun and a Gibson guitar.
Four days later, Clark committed a series of crimes in less than four hours, often discarding items he’d stolen earlier and stealing new clothing, vehicles and other items.
Just before noon on May 26, 2021, Clark left the stolen Jeep near a commercial business in the 3700 block of South First Street and stole a worker’s truck before quickly abandoning it. He then stole a white Dodge Ram belonging to the business. One worker tried to block Clark in with his own truck, until Clark forced him to move out of the way by pointing the stolen handgun at the worker.
About 30 minutes later, Clark burglarized a home in the 2700 block of South 13th Street, taking a wallet and debit card, running shoes and a set of keys and leaving behind the Dodge Ram and work boots. He unsuccessfully tried to use the debit card, then tossed it in a dumpster behind a nearby deli.
Shortly thereafter, in the same block, he entered the home of a woman and demanded money at gunpoint. He forced the terrified woman into her bathroom and zip-tied her on the floor before stealing her keys, her husband’s work safety vest and helmet and her Jeep Cherokee.
At roughly 1:30 p.m., he left the Jeep in the 1100 block of South 7th Street, along with a blue jacket he had been wearing. He put on the vest and helmet and walked towards the Purina facility just south of downtown. After wandering around the grounds and buildings, stealing items and changing into clothing he stole from an employee’s locker, he carjacked a Subaru Impreza from a different employee who was on his way to happy hour.
He left the Subaru in the 1600 block of South 9th Street, leaving behind a Purina vest, temporary contractor badge and radio in the Subaru.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers spotted him nearby. Clark fled on foot, running through another victim’s home before officers were able to catch and subdue him. He had a backpack containing an unused zip tie, keys from Purina and items from the Jeep stolen at Union Station: a business card, gift card envelopes and a charging plug.
He hid the stolen firearm after his arrest, but it was spotted by a detective and wrestled away from him.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen summed up the crimes for jurors at Clark’s January trial by calling it an “absolute rampage.” Clark, of the 4000 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, was convicted of all charges: three counts of carjacking, three counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of possession of a stolen firearm.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Finlen and Jennifer Szczucinski are prosecuting the case.
Man Accused of Setting Fire at Ex-Girlfriend’s St. Louis County HomeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday to face an indictment accusing him of setting fire to a St. Louis County home last month.
Christopher Willis, 39, pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of maliciously damaging or destroying by means of fire. The indictment says the fire occurred in a rental home on April 29 on Nero Drive in unincorporated St. Louis County.
A motion seeking to have Willis held in jail until trial says that six days after Willis and his girlfriend broke up, Willis entered her home with a key, took her cellular phone and piled some of her clothing in the basement. Willis then set fire to the clothing and walked away as the girlfriend, her daughter and her aunt slept, the motion says. Smoke alarms sounded and the three were able to escape the home, the motion says.
The charge carries a potential penalty of at least five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, a $250,000 fine or both.
A charge 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 St. Louis regional Bomb and Arson Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
Kennett Man Sentenced to Serve 120 Months in Federal Prison on Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – Senior U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a man from Kennett, Missouri to 10 years in federal prison on drug and gun charges.
Steven Chunn, 40, pleaded guilty in February to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He admitted that on July 11, 2022, he was found to be in possession of 59 grams of methamphetamine and a Hi Point C9 9mm semi-automatic pistol following a traffic stop in Portageville, Missouri. Chunn further admitted he possessed the methamphetamine for distribution and the firearm was for protection of the drugs and money obtained from drug sales. The firearm was located underneath the driver seat and was loaded and ready to fire with eight rounds of hollow point ammunition in the magazine and a round in the chamber.
At the time of his arrest, Chunn had an active warrant for a parole violation on a felony drug case out of New Madrid County. Judge Limbaugh ordered Chunn’s federal sentence to run consecutive to his state case.
This case was investigated by the Portageville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter handled the prosecution for the government.
Former Missouri Postal Worker Sentenced for Stealing MailRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a former postal worker who stole cash and gift cards from mail in the Poplar Bluff, Missouri area to probation and ordered her to pay restitution and perform 200 hours of community service.
Brittney D. Bulliner, 29, was caught in a sting stealing Walmart gift cards and a gift card for Kohl’s and admitted stealing and rifling through 17 greeting cards two days before she was confronted.
The investigation began after postal customers in the Poplar Bluff area began complaining in April 2022 about mail that was missing contents. On Aug. 18, 2022, Bulliner was identified as a possible suspect. She was a sales and service distribution clerk at the time.
On Aug. 20, 2022, an agent of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General placed a blue envelope containing a greeting card and two $25 Walmart gift cards into mail which was to be worked by Bulliner. The cards, along with a third gift card, were used by Bulliner on Aug. 23, 2022 to buy two bicycles at Walmart.
On Sept. 15, 2022, the agent placed a blue greeting card containing a Kohl’s gift card with no value into mail at the Broseley, Missouri Post Office. Agents confronted Bulliner after she opened the card, and she admitted stealing it. She also admitted stealing and opening 17 greeting cards before taping them shut and returning them. Agents found those cards in the Post Office the day they confronted Bulliner. The investigation identified at least 45 Postal Service customers who were missing mail taken by Bulliner.
Bulliner, who lives near Poplar Bluff, was indicted by a federal grand jury in October on two counts of theft of mail. She pleaded guilty to both charges in February.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn prosecuted the case.
Former City Clerk Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Stealing $487,000 from Struggling North St. Louis County MunicipalityRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The former city clerk of Flordell Hills, Missouri was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in federal prison and ordered to repay the $487,673 she stole from the small, struggling city. Flordell Hills is roughly six blocks square, has an annual budget of about $400,000 and a population of about 800. Approximately 53.9% of those residents live below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel also ordered Maureen Woodson, 68, remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals at the end of the sentencing hearing.
From about February 2016 to April 2022, Woodson and the former assistant city clerk, Donna Thompson, wrote about 614 city checks to themselves. Woodson then forged the signature of the mayor and/or treasurer to cash the checks or deposit them into their personal bank accounts. The checks were written and cashed without the knowledge of the mayor, the treasurer or the board of aldermen. Woodson and Thompson used the cash to gamble both in person and online and for personal expenses. Further, on about 381 occasions, Woodson and Thompson used Flordell Hills funds to directly pay for their own personal expenses, by either writing checks or wiring city funds directly to third party vendors for entertainment, restaurants, home rental payments, and personal taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service.
Woodson stole $487,673 and Thompson took $159,903.
“Flordell Hills residents and officials trusted these two defendants completely and relied upon them to handle the city’s financial operations,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “The $650,000 that they stole could have been used for vital city services, like fixing roads and sewers, paying contractors and helping struggling residents. Instead, these defendants used it for personal expenses and gambled the rest away. This case, and the prison sentence for Ms. Woodson, should serve as a warning to those who would betray the public’s trust.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith told Judge Sippel that while Woodson and Thompson were stealing from the city, the mayor and other officials were at times not taking salaries. Mayor Joe Noeth and others were mowing overgrown areas of the city and clearing streets and roads when they were blocked by downed trees or limbs. “She had to be aware that her criminal conduct was having adverse effects on residents,” Goldsmith said.
"It is outrageous that Maureen Woodson stole more than the entire annual budget for the City of Flordell Hills," said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. "Stealing from the community she swore to serve is public corruption."
Woodson and Thompson were terminated in May of 2022, after the embezzlement was discovered. Woodson was hired in 2010 and Thompson in 2012.
Woodson and Thompson each pleaded guilty in February to one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. Thompson, 76, is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith prosecuted the case.
Former Anheuser-Busch Employee Found Guilty of 26 Felonies Connected to Disability FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Tuesday found a woman from Jefferson County, Missouri guilty on all 26 felony charges she faced for defrauding the Social Security Administration and private disability insurers with false disability claims.
Elizabeth Guetersloh, 67, was found guilty of two counts of mail fraud, 16 counts of wire fraud and eight counts of theft of government funds. The trial began May 8.
Guetersloh is one of a series of former Anheuser-Busch employees who went to a Jefferson County chiropractor as part of a scheme to falsely claim disability payments.
Guetersloh claimed she was severely restricted in her physical and mental functioning, and eventually received a total of $331,557 in disability payments. All the while, according to court exhibits and testimony, she danced, hiked through waterfalls, rode roller coasters, went to wineries, drove long distances and traveled domestically as well as internationally.
The chiropractor, Thomas G. Hobbs, 65, pleaded guilty in January to a conspiracy charge and admitted conspiring to commit the crimes of health care fraud, making false statements, theft of government funds and Social Security fraud.
Hobbs admitted exaggerating patients’ medical conditions so they would fraudulently receive more than $3.5 million in disability payments from the Social Security Administration and private disability benefit insurers.
Hobbs co-owns Power-Med Inc., a chiropractic clinic in Arnold, Missouri. Hobbs charged patients between $2,000 and $8,600 to prepare disability forms and coached them to lie about their ability to perform basic activities such as lifting, standing, walking, sitting, remembering and taking care of their personal needs.
Guetersloh advised a family member that she paid $6,000 for Dr. Hobbs’ disability services.
“Elizabeth Guetersloh lied about her physical condition to steal over $300,000 which she enjoyed on cruises, picturesque hikes, and other travel,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis office. “In concert with our law enforcement partners, we remain committed to ensuring these necessary safety-net programs are available to help those truly in need.”
Hobbs’ former wife and Power-Med co-owner, Vivian Carbone-Hobbs, 60, of Fenton, as well as one current and one former employee, Christina Barrera, 63, of St. Louis, and Clarissa Pogue, 39, of DeSoto, were convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the Social Security Administration by a different jury in February. Carbone-Hobbs was also convicted of 10 counts of health care fraud and two counts of theft of money from the United States. Pogue was convicted of one count of theft of money from the United States.
The cases were investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracy Berry, Diane Klocke and Dorothy McMurtry are prosecuting the case.
Cape Girardeau Man Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Possessing Machine GunRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Monday sentenced a man from Cape Girardeau, Missouri who was caught with a fully automatic Glock pistol to 51 months in prison.
Kaydence K. Robertson, 21, was driving a speeding vehicle that was pulled over by the Cape Girardeau Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 23, 2022. A deputy found a backpack on the floor of the front driver’s side of the vehicle containing marijuana, suspected crack cocaine and a .45-caliber Glock pistol modified with an illegal 3D-printed “switch” to make it fully automatic. Under the driver’s seat, the deputy found pills containing oxycodone and a loaded 9mm Glock pistol.
Glock switches, sometimes referred to as “auto sears,” are considered machine guns under federal law, even if not installed in a firearm.
Robertson pleaded guilty in February to one count of possession of a machine gun.
The case was investigated by the Cape Girardeau Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case.
Drug Dealer Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for One Fatal, Two Nonfatal Drug Overdoses in St. CharlesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a man who provided the drugs that caused one fatal and two nonfatal overdoses in St. Charles, Missouri to 35 years in prison.
Ledra A. Craig, 46, of Wright City, was also ordered to pay $8,544 for his victim’s funeral.
Craig first supplied fentanyl to a man in the bathroom of the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles just before 7 a.m. on August 2, 2020, according to court statements and evidence at Craig’s trial in January. The man collapsed minutes later in the lobby and had to be revived with two doses of Narcan.
While that victim was on the brink of death, Craig sold fentanyl to another man, identified in court documents as “R.P.,” in the parking garage. Craig had approached that man and his friend in the casino earlier and offered to sell them cocaine.
About 40 minutes later, R.P. and his friend were spotted in a car in a neighborhood a few blocks from R.P.’s house. Authorities were called when the car rolled forward onto someone’s lawn. Both men had overdosed. N.B. was revived with Narcan. R.P. was blue, had no pulse and was not breathing. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman pointed out during Wednesday’s hearing that the victim "did not know what the defendant was selling him. In fact, the defendant knew that the victim thought he was getting cocaine when the defendant knew and understood that R.P. was about to ingest one of the most lethal substances known to man: fentanyl. Despite knowing just how dangerous and deadly fentanyl was, the defendant continued to sell it anyway.”
Investigators quickly identified Craig as the man seen in the casino with the overdose victims, and an undercover officer bought fentanyl from Craig later that day in a transaction that was recorded on video. After his arrest, Craig admitted selling fentanyl to R.P. and conspiring to sell fentanyl that summer. R.P.’s phone was found in Craig’s house, as well as fentanyl capsules and residue.
Craig was found guilty by a federal jury in January of a fentanyl conspiracy charge, two counts of distribution of fentanyl causing serious bodily injury for the non-fatal overdoses, one count of distribution of fentanyl with death resulting and one count of fentanyl distribution for the sale to an undercover police officer.
"Because fentanyl is so lethal, DEA investigations involving drug poisoning deaths are no longer rare events," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, supervisor of DEA operations in Eastern Missouri. "We know drug traffickers lie about their illegal products. They don't care about human lives and are only involved in their criminal enterprise for the money. The only safe solution to avoid dying from fentanyl is to avoid drugs, especially if there’s a chance it came from someone like this defendant."
“We are pleased with the outcome but saddened by the loss of life,” said Captain Jeff Lange, deputy commander of the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force. “We hope this verdict sends a message to the drug dealers that they will not get away with the taking of lives and we hope the families can find peace with the tragic loss of their loved one. We are proud we were able to play a role in holding Mr. Craig accountable for his actions in the dealing of drugs in our community. “
The case was investigated by the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Wiseman and Samantha Reitz prosecuted the case.
Six Members of St. Louis Drug Ring Linked to Murders Plead GuiltyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Six members of a St. Louis drug ring linked to two murders have pleaded guilty in the last eight days.
In all, 17 defendants were charged in the case, and all have now pleaded guilty.
One of the leaders, Maurice Herbert Lee II, 35, 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.
Lee obtained bulk fentanyl and crystal methamphetamine from Juan Jose Francisco Gonzalez in Arizona via Darryl Lennell Moore II. Lee would then dilute the fentanyl and supply it to co-conspirators who at the height of the conspiracy were selling over 20,000 doses per week. Lee supplied the methamphetamine to another person who then redistributed it.
Lee admitted being responsible for between 4 and 12 kilograms of fentanyl and between 500 grams and 1.5 kilos of methamphetamine.
Lee’s "runners," who dealt fentanyl for him, were Christopher Jerrin Warlick Jr., Norris Douglas Jr., Mikell Rayford, Sherod Jacolby Tucker, Jerry O. Streeter Jr., Jerome Lamont Fisher Jr., Maricus Davon Futrell and Delvin Bost, according to Lee’s plea agreement.
Some runners were considered to be “muscle,” and would use firearms and violence to protect themselves, the drugs and the money and to intimidate rival gangs and drug distributors. Lee conspired to possess firearms to help protect his operation. His plea says it was well known that there was a bounty of between $5,000 and $15,000 for the murder of any rival gang members or drug dealers.
Ramico Darez James Adams also helped to keep track of the drugs sold and money due and Jalisa Shatavia Johnson would resupply runners and collect money at the end of the day.
Lee admitted two fatal shootings occurred in furtherance of the drug conspiracy.
Lee paid Silas, Warlick and Fisher after Silas and Fischer fatally shot Alexander Noodel on May 8, 2017, Lee’s plea agreement says. The men fired over 100 rounds. Fisher disposed of his weapon but Silas kept his rifle. That rifle was seized by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in January of 2018 after a high-speed chase. Investigators also found records showing group texts in which they planned the murder.
A witness identified Michael Johnson as the person who fired 25 shots and killed Kevin Davis Jr., 24, on June 30, 2017 in the 1900 block of Belt Avenue in St. Louis after chasing him down the street. Earlier that day, 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 faces 10 years to life in prison for each of the drug conspiracy charges and up to 20 years for each of the gun charges at his August 2 sentencing.
Johnson, 30, pleaded guilty May 4 to one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He admitted in his plea agreement that Davis was fatally shot and that he discharged a firearm in furtherance of the drug conspiracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced August 1.
Fisher pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crime resulting in death. He acknowledged Noodel’s death and admitted participating in text messages as the co-conspirators searched for Noodel. He also admitted that the discharge of firearms was committed in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Warlick, 27, also pleaded guilty Monday, to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He admitted being primarily responsible for diluting the fentanyl for sale and for acting as armed security for the fentanyl dealers. On Nov. 29, 2017, he was armed with a Glock pistol and drove two others, Streeter and Rayford, to a market in Moline Acres. There, Streeter and Rayford opened fire with assault rifles, seriously wounding three people.
Warlick is scheduled to be sentenced August 10 and faces up to 20 years in prison on the drug count and at least seven on the gun charge that must run consecutive to the drug charge.
Bost pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He admitted accepting the murder bounty, selling drugs on Facebook and being caught with methamphetamine on Feb. 11, 2019.
Charles Daniel Guice pleaded guilty Wednesday to receiving guns while under indictment and is scheduled to be sentenced August 10.
Tremayne Silas, 30, of St. Louis, was sentenced in February to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty in November to a charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death. Gonzalez’s sentencing is set for June 7. Moore was sentenced in 2021 to 98 months in prison. Weaver was sentenced in 2022 to 10 years in prison. Tucker was sentenced in 2021 to 80 months in prison. Futrell was sentenced in 2022 to 11 months in prison.
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 Man Admits Unemployment Insurance, Home Depot FraudsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Ste. Genevieve County pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday and admitted schemes to defraud both Home Depot and Missouri’s unemployment insurance program.
Arthur Grass, 36, also admitted being a felon caught with a firearm. Grass pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of conspiracy to steal money from the United States (unemployment benefits) and one count of wire fraud.
Grass admitted filing false unemployment claims for about 10 people beginning in May of 2020. Grass falsely claimed that they had been laid off from his construction company, AJE Construction. Grass cashed out the unemployment benefits, which had been placed on debit cards, and kicked some money back to the “workers,” who had voluntarily provided him their personal information to use in the scheme. In all, the scheme reaped $142,423, including supplemental COVID-19 pandemic unemployment benefits.
Grass also admitted defrauding Home Depot on multiple occasions by filling a cart with boxes of vinyl flooring and then adding an inexpensive item on top. He would pay for the inexpensive item and claim that he’d paid for the flooring online, showing a fraudulent receipt.
Charging documents say he stole about 468 boxes of flooring that way from Home Depot stores in St. Louis and St. Louis County from Jan. 5, 2023 through Feb. 6, 2023. Each box was priced at about $75 or more. He then sold them on Facebook.
Finally, on March 31, 2022, St. Charles County police who were investigating catalytic converter thefts found Grass’ Jeep in a storage lot, with Grass inside. He was arrested and police later found a stolen Glock 9mm pistol in a toolbox in the Jeep. Grass is a convicted felon and barred from possessing a firearm.
“Arthur Grass engaged in an unemployment insurance (UI) fraud scheme targeting the Missouri Department of Labor, Division of Employment Security. Grass conspired to submit fraudulent UI claims in the names of other individuals, diverting vital taxpayer resources away from those in dire need of unemployment benefits. Today’s guilty plea affirms the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General’s commitment to pursuing UI fraud. We are grateful for our partnerships with the Missouri Department of Labor and our many law enforcement partners, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent in Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
Grass faces up to 10 years in prison for the gun charge, up to 20 years for the wire fraud charge and up to five years for the stealing charge, as well as the possibility of a fine of up to $250,000 for each charge. He will also be ordered to repay the money.
The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the St. Charles County Police Department, the Missouri Department of Labor, the Arnold Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and Home Depot Retail Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware is prosecuting the case.
Robber of St. Louis County Store Sentenced to 130 months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a robber who stole from a Kohl’s store in Manchester, Missouri to 130 months in prison.
Mercedes W. Gregory, 34, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February to one count of robbery and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Gregory admitted placing multiple items of clothing in a cart and walking out of the Kohl’s store just before 1:30 p.m. on July 12, 2021. A loss prevention officer followed until Gregory said, “If you keep following me, I’m going to shoot you.” Gregory left in a white Chevrolet.
Photo submitted in a court filing.That night, officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department spotted the car at a gas station in St. Louis. Gregory ran but was caught. Officers found a Taurus handgun in Gregory’s satchel. The Kohl’s merchandise was in the trunk.
Gregory has two prior robbery convictions, a 2008 case in St. Louis County and a 2013 case in St. Louis. Gregory’s parole in the 2013 case ended 11 days before the Kohl’s robbery.
The case was investigated by the Manchester Police Department, the FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
Doctor Admits Telemedicine Fraud in St. LouisRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A doctor from Kansas pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday and admitted ordering millions of dollars’ worth of unnecessary and expensive genetic tests and orthotic braces for thousands of patients as part of a telemedicine fraud scheme.
Dr. Gautam Jayaswal, 64, of Overland Park, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
Dr. Jayaswal has been a licensed medical doctor since 1986, working primarily as an emergency room physician. From 2017 to 2021, he contracted with multiple companies to work as a telemedicine doctor, including Barton & Associates, DialCare Co, Doctegrity, Doctorology LLC, USA Management Resources LLC, Rossiter and Cummaro Enterprises LLC, RAS/Sunshine Medical, Fix Ur Rx, Rocky Mountain Health, LSW Management Solutions, Physician Acquisition Pas and MP Network, his plea agreement says.
During that period, Dr. Jayaswal fraudulently ordered one or more orthotic braces for 1,433 patients. The companies used those fraudulent orders to defraud Medicare out of approximately $1.36 million. Between June 2018 and September 2021, Dr. Jayaswal signed orders for medically unnecessary genetic tests. Medicare Part B paid about $14.7 million for the 2,061 patients for whom Dr. Jayaswal was listed as the ordering physician.
Dr. Jayaswal faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both. He will also be ordered to repay the money.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Florissant Bank Manager Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Stealing $175,000Read the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former bank branch manager from Florissant, Missouri was sentenced Monday to 18 months in federal prison for stealing $175,842 from customers.
U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig also ordered Andrea Nicole Hopkins, 29, to repay the money.
Hopkins actually took more than $328,000 from the accounts of 15 customers, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman said in court Monday, but returned some of the money to earlier victims to perpetuate the scheme. Hopkins stole from the accounts of some victims multiple times, he said. Some of her victims were elderly and had a diminished ability to understand their financial affairs. Among them are two 80-year-olds, one 95-year-old and one 82-year-old, her plea agreement says.
From Feb. 20, 2020 to May 25, 2021, while manager of the Commerce Bank branch on Natural Bridge Avenue in St. Louis, Hopkins logged into customer accounts and transferred funds out into either cashier’s checks or prepaid cards, her plea says. She changed the address on some account statements, forged signatures and transferred funds among customers to try and hide the thefts. The bank has since repaid customers.
She used the money to buy a motorcycle, to pay for living expenses and to pay personal debts.
Hopkins pleaded guilty in January to four felony counts of bank fraud.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Bateman is prosecuting the case.
Federal Jury Convicts St. Louis County Man of Dealing Fatal Dose of Heroin and FentanylRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Thursday found a man guilty of selling the heroin and fentanyl that killed a Florissant, Missouri man in 2018.
The jury found Wyland Kinney, 43, of St. Louis County, guilty of four felony counts: distribution of a controlled substance that resulted in death, two counts of distributing fentanyl and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In closing arguments Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman said the victim’s phone contained a series of texts and calls to Kinney on August 15 and 16 of 2018 in which the victim arranged to buy opiates from Kinney. Kinney sold heroin and fentanyl to the victim at 2:30 p.m. on August 16, 2018. The victim was living with his grandmother, who found him dead at about 8 p.m., 30 minutes after she’d last heard from him. An autopsy and toxicology results showed that the quantity of heroin and fentanyl individually was enough to kill him, Bateman said. Together they killed him quickly.
The victim had been battling heroin addiction and had just been in the hospital for treatment.
During the subsequent investigation, officers discovered the victim’s calls and texts to Kinney and learned Kinney’s name, then had a confidential informant purchase a mix of fentanyl and ketamine twice from Kinney, on October 11 and 12.
A court-approved search of Kinney’s home found two handguns, a shotgun, ammunition and $6,443 in cash in the basement and four handguns, four shotguns, two rifles an AK-style pistol and more ammunition inside a gun safe on the main floor. They also found text messages regarding drug sales on his phone.
At Kinney’s sentencing, he faces life in prison for the distribution resulting in death charge, up to 20 years on the other drug charges and up to 10 years on the gun charge.
The case was investigated by the Florissant Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Bateman and Tiffany Becker are prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Felon Indicted for Store RobberyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from St. Louis County, Missouri was indicted by a federal grand jury here Wednesday and accused of robbing a convenience store at gunpoint.
Richard E. Barber, 51, is now facing three felonies: robbery, possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The indictment alleges that Barber used a firearm to rob a Gas Mart in north St. Louis County on Feb. 11, 2023. Barber is a convicted felon and is barred from possessing a gun.
A detention motion says Barber entered the store and took a beer from the refrigerator before pulling a pistol and calmly ordering the cashier to empty the cash register. Two days later, a pistol resembling the one used in the robbery was recovered after Barber wrecked his car. The robbery was captured on video, the motion says.
The robbery charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both and the felon in possession of a firearm charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years and the same fine. The firearm brandishing charge carries a penalty of at least seven years in prison.
Barber was on supervised release at the time of the robbery after having been sentenced in 2014 to serve 100 months in federal prison on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is also facing charges of robbery and armed criminal action in St. Louis County Circuit Court.
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 St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.
Missouri Nurse Admits Taking Leftover Fentanyl from HospitalRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A registered nurse on Thursday admitted illegally obtaining and using fentanyl from the hospital where she worked.
Lindsey M. Francis, now 35, was a nurse at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau at the time of the crime. 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 on that occasion and others 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 to one count of unlawfully acquiring a controlled substance, a felony. The charge is punishable by up to four years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
Francis is scheduled to be sentenced August 1.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis is prosecuting the case.
Missouri Felon Sentenced to 66 Months in Prison for Selling 7 Machine GunsRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Dunklin County, Missouri, was sentenced Thursday to five and one-half years in prison for selling seven devices that convert AR-15-style rifles into fully automatic weapons.
U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. ordered the sentence for Lamad Cross, 24, of Kennett, Missouri, to run consecutive to any sentence he receives for violating his probation in a Dunklin County Circuit Court case. Cross pleaded guilty in 2021 in that case to resisting arrest by fleeing.
“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in the use of these devices on firearms in our area,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “They are incredibly dangerous, and anyone contemplating their purchase or use needs to know that we will vigorously prosecute these cases.”
“The possession and use of machine gun conversion devices is an emerging threat to the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who are sworn to protect them. This investigation and today’s sentencing send a very clear message that the use of these devices will not be tolerated,” said Bernard Hansen, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Kansas City Field Division.
The investigation began when police in Cape Girardeau recovered a Glock pistol that had a “switch” installed that converted it to an automatic weapon. Investigators learned that a straw purchaser bought the pistol for Cross, who is a convicted felon and barred from purchasing or possessing firearms, Cross’ plea agreement says. He was also on probation from two state criminal cases at the time.
A confidential informant working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives contacted Cross via social media and asked about buying a Glock switch. Cross instead offered a drop-in “auto sear” that converts an AR-15-style rifle into an automatic weapon. On Sept. 19, 2022, Cross’ girlfriend delivered the device in exchange for $800. Cross later said he would send videos showing how to install the auto sear and said he could offer a lower price for bulk purchases.
On Sept. 27, 2022, Cross met with the informant in Cape Girardeau and sold three auto sears for $650 each. Cross also said that he was thinking about obtaining AR-15s so he could install the auto sears and then sell automatic rifles.
On Oct. 12, 2022, Cross agreed to sell three more auto sears for a total of $1,900 and used a different woman to deliver them to an undercover ATF agent.
He also said he’d sold two of the devices to someone else, although that claim has not been verified.
Although most of the devices were recovered by law enforcement, “Cross’s conduct posed a tremendous risk to the public,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis wrote in a sentencing memo.
Glock switches and auto sears, even if not installed in a firearm, are considered machine guns under federal law.
Cross pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in January to one felony charge of unlawful transfer of a machine gun.
During a January 5 press conference in St. Louis, local and federal officials warned of an increase in the recovery and use of Glock switches and auto sears, which make firearms difficult to control and “inherently dangerous.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Admits Smuggling WildlifeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted smuggling regulated wildlife into the United States.
Michael Amato, 68, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to a felony charge of fraudulently importing protected wildlife. He also agreed to forfeit more than six dozen taxidermy bird mounts that were seized from his home on Sept. 1, 2021 as well as bird mounts still in his possession, including owls, buzzards, hawks, eagles, harriers and cranes.
Amato admitted as part of his plea that he and unnamed associates smuggled wildlife into the United States from Malta, England, Germany and other countries without declaring that wildlife and without obtaining the permits required by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). From February 2018 through September 2020, Amato smuggled in 67 different birds.
Some are listed as threatened with extinction, others could become so if their trade is not regulated.
Amato told his international associates how to fill out export/import forms and list the wildlife to avoid law enforcement detection, his plea says.
Amato is scheduled to be sentenced August 8. Both sides have agreed to recommend three years of probation and a $5,000 donation to the World Bird Sanctuary to represent a portion of the market value of the protected wildlife seized from his home.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Collins is prosecuting the case.
Missouri Woman Accused of Multiple Pandemic FraudsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Peters, Missouri has been indicted in federal court and accused of fraudulently obtaining a total of $137,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic via two assistance programs.
Regina Brand, 51, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis April 5 on three counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. She pleaded not guilty April 13 and is next scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
The indictment alleges that between Sept. 1, 2021, and at least March 30, 2022, Brand submitted at least 12 fraudulent applications for rental assistance under the Missouri State Assistance for Housing Relief Program to the Missouri Housing Development Commission. The program was intended to provide emergency assistance to landlords and renters to prevent a wave of evictions during the pandemic. Brand lied on each application, listing two fake landlords, Angels Voices and Brand Construction, and submitting fraudulent lease agreements, the indictment says.
She received a total of $96,825 in assistance.
Brand also submitted several fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans between April 1, 2020 and at least August 25, 2021, the indictment says. In one example listed in the indictment, Brand submitted a fraudulent application for a loan for Angels Voices and received $40,535.55. The loan application contained false and inflated information about payroll and the number of employees, and Brand spent the money for personal and vehicle expenses, the indictment says.
The wire fraud charges carry a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a penalty of at least two years in prison consecutive to any other 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 case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Former Creve Coeur Pharmacy Owner Admits Paying Kickbacks for PrescriptionsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The former owner of a Creve Coeur pharmacy on Monday admitted paying illegal kickbacks to marketing companies to generate prescriptions for expensive medications.
Michael J. McCormac, 55, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel to two counts of violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute.
At the time of the crimes, McCormac owned GoLiveWell Pharmacy, which operated primarily as a mail-order pharmacy supplying customers across the country. McCormac admitted striking deals with marketing companies in which GoLiveWell would illegally kick back a percentage of the pharmacy’s net profit on prescriptions obtained through the marketing companies’ efforts.
In exchange, the pharmacy received prescriptions obtained by the marketing companies in various ways, including by running ads in hopes that patients would “opt in” to receiving prescriptions for expensive drugs. The companies also engaged in the so-called “doctor chase,” in which they fax prescriptions to doctors’ offices in hopes that the doctors sign them.
Those prescriptions included topical creams, oral medications and antibiotic and antifungal “foot bath” drugs. Claims for payment for the drugs were submitted to federal health plans including Medicare and the Missouri Medicaid and Ohio Medicaid programs.
GoLiveWell paid one company 60 percent of the pharmacy’s net profit and another 45 percent. One month, GoLiveWell paid one marketing company $260,836.
In total, the government alleges that Medicare paid GoLiveWell $4.7 million to which it was not entitled, with another $490,000 coming from Missouri Medicaid and $330,000 from Ohio Medicaid.
McCormac is scheduled to be sentenced August 16. Each charge carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. He will also be ordered to pay restitution.
The case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Medicaid Fraud Control Units of Missouri and Ohio, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith Reiter and Derek Wiseman are prosecuting the case.