Eastern District of Missouri
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
St. Louis County Woman Admits Armed Robbery, CarjackingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted committing both an armed robbery and carjacking in 2021.
Kadijah McFadden, 29, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to carjacking, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, robbery, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
McFadden admitted robbing a Boost Mobile store at 12135 Bellefontaine Road at gunpoint on Aug. 9, 2021. McFadden pointed a firearm at a store employee and said, “give me everything out the drawer right now.” She stole approximately $630 as well as multiple cell phones.
McFadden also admitted that on Sept. 5, 2021 around 9 a.m., she approached a woman in the 3600 block of Bates Street who had just parked her 2017 Jeep Cherokee and was unloading groceries. McFadden pointed a large black handgun at the victim and demanded her purse before trying to snatch it. McFadden did get the victim’s car keys. She then walked to the opposite side of the Jeep, opened the passenger side door and again demanded the purse before firing a total of four shots into the air and at the ground.
McFadden then stole the Jeep. The incident was captured on video.
About three hours later, St. Louis County police spotted the Jeep and followed it. During the pursuit, McFadden threw a black firearm out of the vehicle, but police recovered it. The Jeep eventually crashed and McFadden and her co-defendant, Damonta Jamall Bridges, were found inside.
A robbery and gun charge are pending against Bridges, 30, who has pleaded not guilty.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Walker is prosecuting the case.
St. Francois County Man Admits Third Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Francois County, Missouri on Wednesday pleaded guilty to his third child pornography offense and now faces at least 15 years in federal prison.
James D. Brewer, 50, of Park Hills, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to a felony charge of receiving child pornography.
As part of his plea, Brewer acknowledged that he was also convicted of distribution of child pornography in a 1997 case and possession of child pornography in a 2008 case. Brewer was sentenced to ten years in prison and a lifetime term of supervised release in the 2008 case. One of the conditions of Brewer’s supervised release is that he is subject to a search when reasonable suspicion exists that he violated a condition of supervision.
After United States probation officers received information that Brewer bought a laptop at a pawn shop, they conducted an unannounced home visit on March 1, 2022. They found the computer and also spotted a smart phone, USB drives, a smart watch and a cell phone. Brewer admitted downloading child sexual abuse material via the smart phone and storing it on one of the USB drives. Thousands of images containing child pornography were found on the phone, the USB drive and a hard drive, Brewer admitted in his plea Wednesday.
Brewer faces a mandatory minimum prison term of 15 years at his sentencing, scheduled for March 14, as well as an assessment of up to $35,000.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Probation Office in St. Louis.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Missouri Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime and Arson Charges for Burning Down Islamic CenterRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today that a Missouri man pled guilty to hate crime and arson violations for burning down the Cape Girardeau Islamic Center (the Center) in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
According to court documents, on April 24, 2020, which was the first morning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, at approximately 4:50 a.m., Nicholas John Proffitt, 44, set fire to the Islamic Center at 298 Northwest End Boulevard, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The Center’s video security system showed Proffitt throwing multiple objects through the building’s glass window, causing it to break. Proffitt threw two containers into the Center through the broken window and stepped through the window to enter the Center. He then poured the contents of two gallon-sized containers throughout the foyer and down the hallway. Proffitt lit two fires that immediately spread through the inside of the building. The Islamic Center building suffered severe damage that rendered it unsuitable for use as a religious center. Proffitt admitted that he set the fire to the Islamic Center because of the religious character of the building.
“Attacks on houses of worship, like the Cape Girardeau Islamic Center, strike at the very heart of religious freedom and observance,” said Assistant Attorney Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’ Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute individuals who violently target religious institutions and communities.”
“This is the second time Nicholas Proffitt attacked the Islamic Center in Cape Girardeau, and his third attack against a house of worship,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “He placed the occupants of that building at risk of death or serious injury, and he will be held responsible for his actions with a significant prison sentence.”
“The FBI just released the 2021 statistics on reported hate crime incidents nationwide. In Missouri, incidents reported to law enforcement jumped by almost 70%,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “The FBI elevated investigating hate crimes as one of the top priorities for the Bureau because of the alarming increases in recent years. As such, the FBI and our law enforcement partners left no stone unturned to bring Nicholas Proffitt and other perpetrators to justice.”
“ATF has a long tradition of fire and arson investigation. In no case is that expertise more critical than a fire such as this,” said Special Agent in Charge Fred Winston of the ATF Kansas City Field Division. “When a house of worship is intentionally damaged by fire, it is not only that congregation that suffers, but the entire community. Religious centers, churches and mosques are often at the center of our neighborhoods, offering sanctuaries of peace and caring to those in need. Today’s guilty plea is a direct result of local, state, and federal law enforcement working together to ensure justice in this unthinkable act.”
Sentencing is scheduled for May 2, 2023. Proffitt faces up to 20 years in prison for damage to religious property and a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, for using fire to commit a federal felony. Proffitt also faces a fine of up to $250,000 with respect to each charge.
The Cape Girardeau Police Department, the FBI Kansas City Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Perryville Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn for the Eastern District of Missouri and Trial Attorney Noah Coakley II of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.
For more information and resources on the department’s efforts to combat hate crimes, visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.Maryland Heights Man Admits Sex with 16-Year-Old Runaway He Met OnlineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Maryland Heights, Missouri on Wednesday admitted engaging in sexual activity with a 16-year-old runaway after they met playing an online game.
Terry E. Kuehnel, 48, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to one felony count of coercion and enticement of a minor.
Kuehnel admitted meeting the girl in 2021 while plating an online game. At the time of initial communications, the girl was 15 but initially represented herself to be a young adult.
They began corresponding via text and audio and video communications. At that time, the girl reported that she made Kuehnel aware of her true age of 15 years. During communications, Kuehnel requested pictures of the girl’s genitals.
Kuehnel admitted in his plea that at some point he knew or had reason to know that the girl was a minor and it was not reasonable for him to believe she was older than 16.
On June 5, 2021, ten days after she turned 16, the victim and Kuehnel arranged for her to travel from her home in another state to Missouri, where he met her in a department store parking lot. Kuehnel then brought the victim back to his home where he subjected her to unlawful sexual activity.
After her family reported her missing, law enforcement found the girl at Kuehnel’s home on June 6.
Kuehnel faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both at his sentencing, scheduled for March 15, 2023.
The case was investigated by the Maryland Heights Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Man Accused of Starting Fires in Mark Twain National Forest, Assaulting Forest Service EmployeeRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Iron County, Missouri has been indicted on charges that accuse him of starting fires in the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri and assaulting a law enforcement officer.
Lucas G. Henson, 36, appeared in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Henson was indicted December 6 on charges of assaulting a law enforcement officer, arson and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The indictment says Henson assaulted a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer on Oct. 23, 2022 in Wayne County, Missouri. On the same date, the indictment says he damaged United States property with fire and possessed a firearm as a convicted felon.
Henson is currently facing charges including robbery, stealing a motor vehicle and resisting arrest in New Madrid Circuit Court related to the same incident. Charging documents in that case, 22NM-CR00930, say he set three fires in Butler and Wayne counties that damaged seven to eight acres of National Forest land and pointed a crossbow at the Forest Service officer.
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 U.S. Forest Service, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case.
Former Missouri State Highway Patrol Employee Accused of Accepting BribesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former supervisory motor vehicle inspector with the Missouri State Highway Patrol was indicted in U.S. District Court Wednesday and accused of taking cash bribes.
Larry S. Conrad's primary duty was to perform motor vehicle inspections at the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Troop C facility in south St. Louis County and sign and certify forms required for motor vehicle owners to apply for original Missouri Certificates of Title.
The indictment accuses Conrad of taking cash bribes ranging from $40 to $160 to pass vehicles, often falsifying certificates to indicate no apparent damage when there was visible damage to the vehicle being inspected. Conrad had owners place the cash bribes in the driver’s side door pocket, the indictment says. Conrad also took bribes ranging up to $300 to sign and certify inspection forms for vehicles which he never saw or inspected, the indictment says.
Conrad, 67, was indicted on one felony charge of using a facility in interstate commerce, a cellular telephone, to facilitate his bribery scheme which was unlawful under Missouri statutes prohibiting acceding to corruption and official misconduct.
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, with the cooperation of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.
Man Admits Molotov Cocktail Attack on St. Charles RestaurantRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A disgruntled former employee on Tuesday admitted attacking a St. Charles restaurant with a Molotov cocktail in 2021.
Rashaad Cotton, 25, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to a felony charge of attempting to commit arson. Cotton admitted that on April 30, 2021 at approximately 6:20 p.m., he threw a Molotov cocktail on a residential street in a suburban area in St. Charles.
Twenty minutes later, Cotton threw a Molotov cocktail on the northeast side of the Sauce on the Side restaurant on Beale Street in St. Charles, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware said in court Tuesday. He threw another near the front door. A juvenile female with Cotton threw a Molotov cocktail at a patio area, Cotton’s plea agreement says. The restaurant was open and serving customers. The pair then ran back to Cotton’s vehicle and sped away, but crashed into a curb and were arrested.
Cotton told police that he had been fired from the restaurant the night before and wanted to scare people.
At his sentencing, scheduled for April 19, Cotton could face five to 20 years in prison for the crime.
The case was investigated by the St. Charles Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware is prosecuting the case.
Four Now Face Charges in St. Louis County Taxi Driver’s Shooting DeathRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Four teens from St. Louis County, Missouri are now facing federal charges in the fatal shooting of a cab driver in Hazelwood in April.
Tywon Harris, now 19, Coron Dees, 19, and Jeremiah Allen, 18, were indicted in federal court in June on a robbery charge and a charge of aiding and abetting the commission of a murder.
Trishawn Jones, who was 17 at the time of the shooting and turned 18 a few weeks later, was added in a superseding indictment Wednesday and now faces the same charges. Harris and Dees were 18 at the time of the shooting.
Allen is also facing a charge of being an accessory after the fact.
The indictment accuses all four of involvement in the shooting death of Dewight Price, a driver for St. Louis County Cab, on April 24, 2022.
“Violent juvenile criminals are not beyond the reach of the federal criminal justice system. As the St. Louis area sees an increase in juveniles committing violent crime, they should know the United States Attorney’s Office will be here to investigate and prosecute them,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “Trishawn Jones is being accused of killing 54-year-old Dewight Price during a robbery less than three weeks before Jones turned 18, and after Price turned over all his money. I believe prosecuting a violent felony involving a gun under the juvenile system would not provide a range of punishment commensurate with this crime.”
In federal court, prior to indicting a juvenile, the U.S. Attorney’s Office must file charges under the Juvenile Delinquency Act and seek a court order to prosecute the juvenile as an adult.
A detention motion filed Wednesday says Harris used a fake name and address to hire a cab to take the teens to St. Louis County from downtown St. Louis following a party. During the ride, Harris redirected the cab to Hazelwood Central High School and planned the robbery with the other three teens, the motion says. When they arrived at the school, Dees and Jones demanded Price’s cash. After Price turned over the money, he tried to get out of the cab. Harris opened his door and struck Price with it, knocking Price to the ground. Jones then shot and killed Price, the motion says.
The robbery charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,00 fine or both. The aiding and abetting murder charge carries a potential penalty of 10 years to life in prison and the same fine. The accessory charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a fine of $125,000 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 case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI.
Former Missouri University Official Admits Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former official at a Missouri university pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal possession of child pornography charge.
Neil Anthony Outar, 44, of Rolla, could face up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both at his sentencing hearing, set for March 14.
The investigation began when the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department received a CyberTip about child pornography being uploaded to a Gmail account between Nov. 2, 2020, and Dec. 23, 2021. A detective determined the IP address used to upload the images was serviced by the Missouri University of Science and Technology, and traced the IP address to Outar, who was the university’s chief diversity officer at the time, Outar’s plea agreement says.
On Feb. 9, 2021, court-authorized searches were conducted of Outar’s home and office. Outar told detectives that he viewed child sexual abuse material. Investigators found child pornography in two of Outar’s email accounts, and determined that child pornography had been deleted from Outar’s home and work computers.
The case was investigated by the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and Homeland Security Investigations.
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
Former Missouri Prison Guard Indicted on Civil Rights, Child pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former correctional officer at a Missouri prison was indicted Wednesday on a civil rights charge and two counts of possession of child pornography.
Carl Hart, 36, of Farmington, was a corrections officer at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre at the time of the alleged assault, the indictment says.
The indictment says that on Oct. 28, 2021, Hart deprived an inmate of the right to be free from unreasonable force by assaulting him while he did not pose a threat to anyone. The inmate was injured, the indictment says.
The indictment also says Hart possessed child pornography between roughly April 21, 2018, and June 29, 2022.
Hart is also facing three child pornography charges in St. Francois 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 FBI and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug is prosecuting the case.
Three Former St. Louis Aldermen Sentenced to Prison for CorruptionRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Court Judge Stephen R. Clark on Tuesday sentenced the former president of the St. Louis Board of Alderman and two other former aldermen to prison for accepting multiple bribes to misuse their official positions. One alderman was also sentenced for committing insurance fraud in a separate case.
Judge Clark sentenced Lewis Reed, the former board president, to 45 months in prison on two bribery-related charges and fined him $18,500 to represent the value of the bribes and campaign contributions Reed accepted.
Former 22nd Ward Alderman Jeffrey L. Boyd, the former board vice president, was sentenced to 36 months for two bribery-related charges in one case and two counts of wire fraud in the insurance fraud case. Judge Clark fined Boyd $23,688, twice the value of the bribes Boyd accepted.
Judge Clark sentenced Former 21st Ward Alderman John Collins-Muhammad to 45 months in prison and a $19,500 fine on two bribery-related charges and one charge of honest services bribery/wire fraud.
“The victims here – the 300,000 residents of the city of St. Louis – expect their elected officials to do their jobs honestly and honorably, not line their pockets and swap official actions for cash,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “I hope this case demonstrates that investigating and prosecuting public corruption has been and will continue to be one of the priorities of the Justice Department and this office.”
The victims here – the 300,000 residents of the city of St. Louis – expect their elected officials to do their jobs honestly and honorably, not line their pockets and swap official actions for cash. – U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming
All three former aldermen helped a businessman, identified in court documents as “John Doe,” in multiple dealings with city agencies and sponsored, supported and signed off on multiple board bills before the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. All three also lied to FBI agents until confronted with photographs and recordings of themselves accepting bribes, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith wrote in a sentencing memo.
None of the former aldermen displayed any concern about taking bribes, demonstrating through their actions and their statements that “it was simply business as usual,” Goldsmith wrote.
As an example, when John Collins-Muhammad introduced Doe to another public official to seek his help winning trucking contracts, Collins-Muhammad warned Doe that he needed to be prepared to pay a bribe. “If you don’t throw him something, he’ll never come back,” Collins-Muhammad said on an undercover recording quoted in the memo.
“This case presents a picture of greed, pure and simple,” Goldsmith wrote in the memo. “These Defendants sold their elected offices in exchange for cash bribes, campaign donations, and other things of value with total disregard for the best interests of their constituents, the real victims in this case.”
“Small businesses contribute significantly to the economic engine of our communities. It’s hard enough for entrepreneurs to establish and grow their companies without needing to pay bribes to elected officials. What these three City of St. Louis aldermen did to selfishly line their own pockets was a slap in the face to our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “If anyone is aware of misconduct or corruption by public officials, please contact the U.S. Attorney or the FBI. Without your courage to come forward, corrupt officials will be able to continue to abuse their power for their own benefit, instead of serving the constituents who elected them.”
All three former aldermen pleaded guilty in August to all the charges in their May 2022 indictment.
Collins-Muhammad admitted accepting a total of $13,500 in cash, $3,000 in campaign contributions, a Volkswagen CC sedan and an Apple iPhone 11 to assist Doe obtain a multi-year property tax abatement for a building he was developing in Collins-Muhammad’s ward.
After the development sparked opposition from residents, Collins-Muhammad lied and told those residents that he would not continue to seek the tax incentives.
Collins-Muhammad also introduced Doe to other public officials, suggesting he bribe them as well. Collins-Muhammad received $3,000 for setting up the meeting with the public official about the trucking contracts. That official initially accepted a $10,000 bribe before returning the money and asking for two $5,000 checks to the official’s campaign account. The checks were never cashed or deposited and Doe never received any contracts. Collins-Muhammad then told Doe that the official wanted another $2,500 in cash, but Collins-Muhammad used the money to buy a 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer for his own use.
Collins-Muhammad also received $1,000 from Doe for setting up a meeting with Boyd.
Reed took $6,000 in cash and $3,500 in campaign contributions to help Doe obtain Minority Business Enterprise certification and win city trucking and hauling contracts. Reed took another $9,000 total in cash to assist in the property tax abatement bid involving Collins-Muhammad.
Boyd admitted accepting a total of $9,500 from Doe for his help convincing the city’s Land Reutilization Authority to accept a lower bid from Doe for a commercial property on Geraldine Avenue in Boyd’s ward. The LRA ultimately accepted Doe’s $14,000 bid. The LRA initially listed the property as worth $50,000. Boyd then worked to get a property tax abatement for Doe.
In addition to the cash, Boyd accepted free repairs from Doe for two vehicles owned by Boyd.
In a separate case, Boyd admitted fraudulently submitting an insurance claim for three vehicles owned by Doe. A Jan. 17, 2021 accident at Doe’s used car lot damaged the vehicles, and when Doe learned that his insurance would not cover the damage, Boyd suggested falsely claiming that his company owned them.
Boyd then falsified and backdated vehicle sales records and Missouri Department of Revenue documents to claim he had paid $22,000 for the vehicles on Jan. 2. In addition to the claim for damages, Boyd also falsely attempted to claim a $200 daily storage fee for the damaged vehicles. Boyd’s insurance company ultimately rejected the claim, despite his attempt to have his insurance agent intervene.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Felon Admits Possession of Stolen SUV, AR-15Read the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge Tuesday and admitted possessing a Glock handgun and a stolen AR-15-style pistol while fleeing from police in a stolen car.
Eric Davis, 31, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge John A. Ross to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In his plea agreement, Davis admitted driving a stolen Jeep Cherokee on May 4, 2021 and possessing a handgun and an AR-15-style pistol. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers initially spotted the Jeep because it had no license plate, and it then sped away from a stop sign at Minerva and Hamilton Avenues.
Officers tried to stop the Jeep in a parking lot, but Davis accelerated away recklessly and continued to flee even after officers used a spike strip. After Davis ran a red light at the intersection of Kingshighway Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, the Jeep collided with another vehicle, injuring that driver.
Police found a stolen American Tactical Omni Hybrid AR-style pistol on the backseat and a .357-caliber Glock 32 under the passenger seat. Both had large-capacity magazines.
Officers then discovered that Davis had several prior felony convictions and bench warrants for his arrest and confirmed that the Jeep had been stolen less than 48 hours earlier.
Davis’ sentencing is set for March 13. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. If Davis is determined to be an armed career criminal, he could face 15 years to life in prison.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Missouri Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachry Bluestone is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Indicted on Drug, Machine Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri has been indicted on drug and machine gun charges.
The indictment charges Zavion McGee, 18, with four felonies: possession of at least 50 grams of methamphetamine, possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes and possession of a machine gun.
The indictment and a motion seeking to have McGee held in jail until trial say the charges stem from two incidents. On Oct. 29, 2022, McGee was in the passenger seat of a vehicle that crashed after fleeing from police. McGee had multiple guns near him and police found over 440 grams of methamphetamine and 6 grams of fentanyl in the vehicle.
On Nov. 29, 2022, McGee was in possession of a fully automatic Glock handgun, defined under federal law as a machine gun, the court filings say. During a search of his home on that date, investigators seized suspected fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin, a double drum magazine for a Glock pistol and $8,101 in cash, the detention motion says. The search warrant was related to a series of burglaries in the St. Louis area, and McGee already faces state charges including burglary.
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, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI.
St. Louis County Man Admits Cashing His Dead Mother’s Social Security Checks for 26 YearsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Thursday admitted cashing his mother’s Social Security checks for 26 years after her death.
Reginald Bagley, 62, of Dellwood, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of stealing money belonging to the United States. Bagley admitted that his mother’s death on March 12, 1994 was not reported to the Social Security Administration. In 1998, a bank account was established to directly deposit her benefits. The bank statements went to Bagley’s address in the name of either Bagley or his mother since then. After the Social Security Administration learned that Bagley’s mother was not using her Medicare benefits, they sent a letter to her address in an attempt to contact her.
Bagley quickly closed the bank account that was receiving the benefits, receiving a cashier’s check for the remaining balance on July 24, 2020.
Bagley on Thursday admitted stealing a total of $197,329 in Social Security benefits to which he was not entitled.
At his sentencing, scheduled for March 29, Bagley will be ordered to repay the money. The charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.
Former Teaching Assistant in St. Louis Admits Blackmailing StudentRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former teaching assistant at St. Louis University on Thursday pleaded guilty to a federal charge and admitted blackmailing a student who was also his former girlfriend.
Hussein Kadhim Abood Khalaf, 34, was a teaching assistant in one of the victim’s classes in the fall of 2020, his plea agreement says. They dated briefly that December. Khalaf admitted setting up Instagram accounts and using them to threaten the victim. He also set up a fake Instagram account in her name and sent her threatening text messages from multiple phone numbers.
In these messages, Khalaf demanded $30,000 and sex from the victim. He threatened to send nude pictures and videos to her friends, classmates and relatives if she did not comply.
Khalaf, an Iraqi citizen, is in the United States on a student visa. In court, he said he was expelled from the university but is planning on petitioning to be readmitted. Khalaf also acknowledged in his plea agreement that it could impact his immigration status or result in deportation
Khalaf pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to a misdemeanor blackmail charge.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colleen Lang and Matthew Drake prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Woman Sentenced to 2+ Years in Prison, Ordered to Repay $357,000 in Pandemic Loan FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced a woman from St. Louis County, Missouri to 27 months in prison for committing a $357,000 fraud involving a pandemic relief program.
Judge Pitlyk also ordered Rose Ann Shaw, 65, of Ladue, to repay the money, which she had fraudulently obtained via Paycheck Protection Program loans. The PPP loans were designed to help save jobs at small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shaw lied about the number of employees and the companies’ payroll in her applications on behalf of three companies that she’d set up.
On May 11, 2020, Shaw applied for a PPP loan on behalf of Shaw Investments LLC, falsely claiming it had seven employees and an average monthly payroll of $44,400. She received a $111,000 loan.
On May 29, 2020, Shaw submitted a PPP loan application on behalf of Shaw Brokerage Real Estate Investment Firm LLC, falsely claiming the company had seven employees and an average monthly payroll of $54,256. She received a $135,638 loan.
In August of 2020, Shaw submitted an application for Vision LLC, falsely claiming it also had seven employees and an average monthly payroll of $44,400. She got another $111,000.
Shaw pleaded guilty on February 28 to one count of bank fraud.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 5+ Years in Prison for Soliciting Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge U.S. District Ronnie L. White on Wednesday sentenced a man from St. Louis County, Missouri who sought nude pictures from an undercover police officer to five years and three months in prison.
Robert L. Payne, 77, will also be on supervised release for life after he gets out of prison and has been banned from parks, playgrounds and other places where children gather.
Payne had repeatedly been watching and trying to talk to boys at Fenton City Park, 1215 Larkin Williams Road. St. Louis County police responded to complaints about Payne, and spotted Payne at the park each day between March 1 and 4, 2021. On March 2nd, Payne moved his vehicle in the park about eighteen times, including backing into a space to allow him to watch the Lindbergh High School boys’ lacrosse team practice. On March 3, Payne tried to talk to about 10 to 12 young males near the basketball courts.
On March 8, 2021, a police officer pretending to be a 16-year-old played basketball at the park and then used a trashcan near Payne, who was sitting in his parked red 2003 Ford Ranger. Payne began talking to the officer, offered to perform oral sex on him and gave the officer his contact information.
Payne later contacted the officer and repeatedly offered to engage in sex acts with him before requesting a picture of the purported teen’s genitals.
Payne pleaded guilty in August to a felony charge of solicitation of child pornography.
In 2018, the Sunset Hills Police Department investigated Payne over allegations that he’d approached a 16-year-old male at Minnie Ha Ha Park and offered to perform oral sex on him. Payne later pleaded guilty to a harassment charge and was ordered to stay away from the park.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI. 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. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Retaliatory Drug MurderRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Wednesday sentenced a man from St. Louis County to 25 years in prison for a retaliatory drug murder in 2020.
Cevone Weeden, now 26, fired at least 12 shots at Joel Phillips, 22, in the parking lot of a McDonald’s at 1420 Hampton Avenue in St. Louis on August 20, 2020.
Weeden’s co-defendant, Herschell Perkins, 37, was sentenced November 2 to 15 years in prison.
Two days before the murder, Phillips arranged to buy fentanyl from Weeden, his source of supply of the drug, but instead robbed him and then blocked Weeden’s phone number.
Weeden enlisted another person to call Phillips and arrange to buy fentanyl to lure Phillips out into the open so Weeden could retaliate.
Perkins drove Weeden to the McDonald’s and the pair watched Phillips for nearly two hours. Perkins then picked Weeden up after the murder.
Phillips was found dead in the driver’s seat of his vehicle, along with $1,814 in cash, a gun, a phone and 156 capsules containing a mixture of drugs including the fentanyl Phillips stole from Weeden.
Weeden and Perkins both pleaded guilty on August 1. Weeden pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime that resulted in the death of Phillips. Perkins pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the firearm charge.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Man Caught with Gun and Drugs in St. Louis Sentenced to 9+ Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced a man who was caught with a gun and cocaine base after fleeing from St. Louis police to nine years and two months in prison.
Montez Jackson, 33, of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty in July to two felonies, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and being a felon in possession of a firearm, and admitted being caught with the gun and drugs.
On July 19, 2020, officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department saw an Audi sedan run a stop sign in the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood. They began following the car, checked the license plate and learned it was unregistered. The Audi then sped away, running another stop sign before colliding with another vehicle.
Jackson left the driver’s seat and ran off. He was caught after a lengthy chase.
Police found a 9mm handgun with an extended magazine and 29 grams of cocaine base, packaged for sale, in the car that Jackson admitted possessing.
Jackson has six five drug convictions and two convictions for firearms offenses.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kourtney M. Bell prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Market's Security Guard Faces Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis market's security guard appeared in federal court Tuesday to answer charges accusing him of illegally possessing firearms, including during a shootout in St. Louis in October.
Dwayne A. Kimmins, 49, was indicted November 16 on two felony counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment says Kimmins had a gun on October 3 and again five days later.
A motion seeking to have Kimmins held in jail until trial says that on October 3, Kimmins, who was working at the Salamas market and gas station on North 13th Street, approached someone suspected of stealing beer. Kimmins, who was armed with a handgun, patted the person down and the two then got into an altercation. At some point, the suspect began firing at Kimmins, and Kimmins took cover behind a gas pump and returned fire, the motion says. Kimmins admitted firing a shotgun in the air to scare the suspect, the motion says. Five days later Kimmins was found in possession of another firearm when officers returned to the store to conduct additional investigation into the shooting, the motion says.
Kimmins was found in possession of a third firearm and loose ammunition on November 29, when he was arrested, according to statements at Tuesday's hearing.
Kimmins pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the charges.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kourtney Bell is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Indicted, Accused of Shooting at Federal Task Force OfficersRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County has been indicted and accused of shooting at three federal task force officers during a 2021 standoff.
Derek D. Brown, 49, of Jennings, appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault on a federal officer, three counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was originally indicted Oct. 13, 2021.
The indictment says Brown fired at the officers on March 18, 2021.
A detention motion says the shooting followed a domestic dispute. Brown was armed with a machete and a hammer and had kicked down the door of his wife’s daughter’s house while trying to confront his wife, the motion says. The daughter, afraid for the safety of herself and her children, retrieved her .45 caliber pistol but Brown was able to wrestle it away, the motion says.
Brown left and went to his sister’s house, where he fired at officers, including federal task force officers, outside the house, through a screen door and then through the closed front door, the motion says. He eventually surrendered.
The assault charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. The discharge of a firearm charges carry a penalty of at least 10 years in prison, consecutive to any other charges. The felon in possession charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Brown has been held on state charges since the shooting.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Woman Accused of Conspiring in $291,000 Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis has been indicted and accused of conspiring to fraudulently obtain $291,000 from a COVID-19 pandemic relief program.
Jeannine R. Buford, 44, pleaded not guilty Monday to three felonies: wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering.
Within days of the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security ("CARES") Act in March of 2020, Jeannine Buford sent a text to another woman saying, “I'm tired of struggling it's time to put the ski mask on,” her indictment says, adding, “Especially while nobody's paying attention lol [d]ue to corona[.]"
In April of 2020, Buford changed the name of an existing company to Couture Trading Inc. with the Montana Secretary of State’s Office, the indictment says. She listed herself as the company president and Porshia L. Thomas as the director, vice president, secretary and treasurer, the indictment says.
On July 15, 2020, Thomas, with the assistance of Buford, electronically submitted a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan application for the company, falsely claiming that it was an operating business located in California, had 15 employees and an average monthly payroll of $120,000, the indictment says. The application said the money would be used to pay workers and business expenses, including lease and utility payments, the indictment says.
When the bank sought six months of company bank records, Buford told Thomas how to falsify the bank statements, the indictment says.
The bank issued a $291,000 PPP loan on Sept. 8, 2020. Thomas then wired $10,000 to Buford and wrote her a $65,000 check, the indictment says. In text messages, Buford celebrated, writing “PPP Party” adding that she was going to get a luxury apartment, the indictment says.
In the next five months, Buford spent the money on personal items including food, clothes, the $14,000 deposit on a BMW X6, a couch that cost nearly $5,000 and $1,855 to rent that luxury apartment, the indictment says.
Buford was indicted November 9. The wire fraud charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both and the money laundering charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison or the same fine.
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.
Thomas pleaded guilty to a bank fraud charge in June and is scheduled to be sentenced December 29.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek J. Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Selling Fatal Dose of FentanylRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced a St. Louis man to 14 years in prison for selling fentanyl, including the fentanyl that killed a man in 2018.
Antonio D. Hubbard, 44, pleaded guilty in July to four felony charges of distribution of fentanyl and one charge of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Hubbard admitted selling fentanyl to a man, identified in the plea agreement as “J.L.” J.L.’s mother found him dead on Nov. 9, 2018 with a needle in his arm after he’d fallen from his wheelchair. He died of acute fentanyl, hydrocodone and ethanol intoxication.
Police investigated and traced the fentanyl to Hubbard. Investigators then purchased fentanyl from Hubbard on four occasions in April and May of 2019.
Hubbard was arrested May 15, 2019 at a local mall where he was planning to sell fentanyl to an undercover investigator again, his plea agreement says. He had 609 capsules containing fentanyl and $3,707 in cash. At his apartment on Olive Street, they found $12,781 in cash, a pill press and methadone.
“Hubbard seized upon the vulnerabilities of a victim who had already suffered a terrible injury resulting in paralysis and developed an addiction to opiates. He did so for his own profit,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker wrote in a sentencing memo. In court Monday, she pointed out that Hubbard continued to sell fentanyl after learning of J.L.’s death.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Man who Carjacked Mother, Infant Sentenced to 11 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced a man who stole a car at gunpoint from a mother and infant to 11 years in prison.
On Oct. 28, 2021, a woman was placing her infant in a car seat in her 2014 Hyundai Elantra in south St. Louis when Bryant Carless pointed a gun at her and demanded the keys. Carless was spotted by police soon after and then fled from the Elantra. After he was caught, police found the woman’s wallet, keys and a Taurus 9mm pistol, Carless’ plea agreement says.
Carless, now 32, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in August to one carjacking charge and a charge of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassandra Wiemken prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 88 Months in Prison for Multiple FraudsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry on Tuesday sentenced a man who committed a series of frauds that cost victims $285,998 to 88 months in prison and ordered him to repay the money.
From October 2019 through November 2021, Michael Worsham orchestrated a series of frauds. He bought vehicles using stolen identities, took out bank loans in the names of others and stole checks and then altered and cashed them.
“He was ripping off everyone,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Dowd III said in court.
Worsham admitted using stolen or false identification to buy a 2015 Mustang, a black Chevy Avalanche and a 2021 Suzuki motorcycle. He also paid a friend to use a stolen identity to buy a 2021 Honda motorcycle. He unsuccessfully tried to buy a $17,841 Ford Mustang GT.
Worsham also took out a series of four to five-figure loans, and he altered checks and then deposited them, again reaping thousands of dollars.
Worsham told O’Fallon, Missouri police that he bought stolen personal information online before applying for loans online, estimating that he’d committed $200,000 in fraudulent activity, his plea agreement says. Worsham said he committed fraud to buy drugs and gamble.
Worsham, now 34, pleaded guilty in August to two counts of wire fraud, seven counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
"Worsham engaged in a multitude of fraudulent activities that not only caused financial hardships and loss of funds to those whose identities he stole, but to businesses and taxpayers as well,” said Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Katherine Greer. “These type of crimes are often minimalized by those not directly involved, but often there is a snowball effect that could result in increased fees that are unfortunately then passed along to consumers and taxpayers. HSI and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to seeking criminals, like Worsham, who are victimizing for their own gain.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, aided by a number of police departments including those in Maryland Heights, Arnold, O’Fallon, St. Louis County and St. Louis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Dowd III is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Admits Possessing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County on Tuesday admitted selling roughly a pound of methamphetamine per week and now could face up to 20 years in prison.
Justin Vernon Neilsen, 38, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to one felony count of distribution of methamphetamine. He admitted that during an investigation of him by the Drug Enforcement Administration, investigators bought 166 grams of methamphetamine from him while he was armed with a handgun.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined the investigation, and they learned that Neilsen had three storage units in St. Louis. During a court-authorized search of those units, investigators found three rifles, a Kevlar vest, high-capacity magazines, military-style ammunition cans and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Neilsen was arrested at his home with the help of an ATF K-9. They found 447 grams of methamphetamine and a shotgun. Neilsen told investigators that he sold about one pound of methamphetamine per week, his plea agreement says.
Neilsen is set to be sentenced February 22 and could face up to 20 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Florissant Woman Admits $100,000 Pandemic Loan FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –A woman from Florissant on Monday pleaded guilty to federal charges and admitted fraudulently obtaining two pandemic-era loans totaling more than $101,000.
Lakenya M. Hobbs, 40, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to one count of bank fraud and one count of wire fraud.
Hobbs admitted scheming to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program, which provided forgivable loans to small businesses to help them save jobs during the pandemic. The loans were based on payroll expenses and the number of employees, among other factors.
On March 12, 2021, Hobbs submitted a loan application to Banterra Bank containing false and fraudulent information that triggered the issuance of a $81, 223 check. Hobbs did not use the money to save jobs but instead at electronic stores and restaurants and for airfare. She also took some out in cash. On Oct. 1, 2021, she applied for loan forgiveness, falsely stating in the application that she’s used the PPP money for payroll. She was granted forgiveness.
On May 27, 2021, Hobbs submitted a loan application to Harvest Small Business Finance. She falsely inflated her gross income on the application and got a $20,344 loan. On Nov. 29, 2021, she applied to have her loan forgiven. She was also granted forgiveness for this loan.
At her sentencing February 22, Hobbs could face up to 30 years in prison. She will also have to repay the money.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.
Festus Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Embezzling $854,000Read the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced a man who embezzled $845,000 to 33 months in prison.
Ryan S. Kent, 44, of Festus, Missouri, used a series of schemes starting in 2017 to take the money while employed as a maintenance supervisor at a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in St. Louis.
Beginning in July 2017, Kent bought supplies and equipment with his personal debit or credit card and doctored the receipts to inflate the amount of purchase before submitting them to his company. He would also submit fictitious invoices and sought reimbursement for costs that he never incurred traveling to pick up parts or equipment. He also bought supplies at Home Depot, returned them and then sought reimbursement from the company, his plea agreement says.
Kent used the money for personal bills, to redo his backyard, for travel to Las Vegas to gamble and to buy a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado and a 2021 Cadillac Escalade.
Kent pleaded guilty in August to a felony wire fraud charge. As part of the sentencing hearing Tuesday, Judge Ross ordered Kent to repay the money. He also banned Kent from casinos.
“People who embezzle should know their crime will eventually come to light despite their best attempts at covering their tracks. In this case, Ryan Kent’s employer contacted the FBI when an internal investigation revealed possible fraud,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Kent will now have time to ponder how his selfish greed earned him 33 months in federal prison.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman.
Fenton Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Stealing $1.2 Million from InvestorsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a Fenton, Missouri man who bilked investors out of $1.2 million to four years in prison and ordered him to repay the money.
Harish Sunkara, 51, falsely told investors that he had won contracts with the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport worth between $750,000 and $950,000. His company, Pace Solutions, had actually won a $49,500 contract to provide the airport with IT training software. But from Sept. 2, 2020 through at least Nov. 16, 2021, Sunkara used forged, altered and fraudulent versions of the legitimate contract documents, including the forged signature of the airport’s contract administrator, to dupe investors.
In what Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman called a “long-running scheme to defraud,” six investors lost amounts ranging from $51,800 to $645,000, for a total of $1,271,800.
On multiple occasions when investors wired him money, he sent all or part of it to Las Vegas casinos. Between 2020 and 2021, Sunkara spent at least $5.5 million at casinos in eastern Missouri and Nevada.
Sunkara was taken into custody in the courtroom to begin serving his sentence.
Sunkara pleaded guilty in August to two counts of aggravated identity theft.
“Harish Sunkara knowingly defrauded and stole money from people who trusted him. For his selfish greed, he received the ultimate payment of four years in federal prison,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Unfortunately, fraudsters exploit people they already know because of the existing trust. This type of tactic is so common, it is known as ‘affinity fraud.’ “
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Admits $740,000 Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Blackjack, in St. Louis County, Missouri on Monday admitted submitting a series of fraudulent applications totaling nearly $980,000 to a pandemic relief loan program.
Terrell Alexander, 46, admitted submitting 10 fraudulent applications to obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loans and advances from the Small Business Administration seeking nearly $980,000. The loans were designed to help the owners of businesses that had been negatively affected by the pandemic. Alexander was able to collect over $740,000 in EIDL funding.
Alexander submitted applications with fraudulent information about the size and ownership of the businesses, the number of employees and revenue. Some of the businesses existed but others were fictional or inactive. He used Social Security numbers belonging to others on applications, including one belonging to a child. He also used a fake name and fraudulent driver’s license on other applications and real people’s names and information, sometimes with their knowledge.
Alexander pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge John A. Ross to ten counts of wire fraud, five counts of aggravated identity theft, two counts of unlawful transfer of an identification document and one count of theft of government property.
At his sentencing, set for March 3, Alexander could face up to 30 years in prison. He will also be ordered to repay the money.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Felon Admits to Gun, Methamphetamine ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Friday admitted being a felon in possession of both a firearm and methamphetamine.
Mosley Jumon Williams, 31, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Court Judge Catherine D. Perry to one felony charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and a misdemeanor charge of simple possession of methamphetamine.
Williams on Friday admitted prosecutors could prove by a preponderance of the evidence that he used the gun in a kidnapping during a family dispute in 2019.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department was told that on March 28, 2019, Williams tried to kidnap the boyfriend of Williams’ former mother-in-law to learn the location of Williams’ ex-wife. The boyfriend escaped. Police investigated and arrested Williams at a probation violation hearing for his prior domestic assault cases, but could not find the gun until Williams called his girlfriend and told her in coded language to move the gun to a closet.
Williams’ girlfriend allowed police to search their apartment, where officers found a .45-caliber, HS Produkt handgun with a flashlight-laser combination that the girlfriend had purchased for Williams and 42 tablets containing methamphetamine, Williams’ plea agreement says.
Williams is scheduled to be sentenced March 10. As part of the plea, both sides agreed to recommend a 10-year sentence.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary M. Bluestone is prosecuting the case.
Two Men Indicted on Murder-For-Hire Charges for St. Louis DeathRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men were indicted on murder-for-hire charges Wednesday in connection with the April fatal shooting of a man in St. Louis, Missouri.
Ray Bradley, 44, and Moreion Lindsey, 32, were indicted on one count each of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire. The indictment says their conspiracy resulted in the death of Titus Armstead on April 21, 2022. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of $332,000 seized as part of the investigation.
A motion seeking to have Bradley held in jail until trial says he was not present at Armstead’s murder but arranged for him to travel from New Jersey to St. Louis and bought his airline tickets. Bradley arranged for the murder to cover up the robbery of several million dollars’ worth of cocaine and drug proceeds, the motion says.
Lindsey picked Armstead up from the airport and took him to Penrose Park in St. Louis, where he was killed, Lindsey’s detention motion says. Lindsey then photographed Armstead’s body to provide proof of his death to Bradley, it says.
If convicted, the men face a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Lindsey and another man, Jerome Williams, were already facing a May indictment on a charge of destruction of evidence to obstruct a federal investigation. That indictment accuses them of destroying a Social Security card and a cell phone on April 21.
Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charge and their cases are pending.
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 and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angie Danis and Nathan Chapman are prosecuting the case.St. Louis Man Admits Being Caught Trying to Buy 40 Pounds of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri on Thursday admitted being caught in Franklin County, Missouri trying to buy 40 pounds of methamphetamine for $120,000.
Richard Treis, 48, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Treis also admitted that he was involved in a deal that was originally negotiated on a cell phone smuggled into prison.
In June of 2020, Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso learned that an inmate in the Great Plains Correctional Institution in Hinton, Okla. wanted to purchase a large quantity of methamphetamine, according to Treis’ plea.
In a series of calls to a cell phone that had been smuggled to the inmate, Tarik “Morocco” Mazhar, an undercover HSI special agent coordinated the delivery of about 40 pounds of the drug.
Tries called the undercover agent and confirmed that the delivery would happen in Missouri, and both Tries and Mazhar sent pictures of the cash to the agent.
On July 29, 2020, Tries and another man, Dennis Dewrock, arrived at a gas station in Pacific, Missouri with a black bag full of cash, the plea agreement says. Agents had brought about 15 pounds of methamphetamine and arrested both Treis and Dewrock after they swapped the cash for the drugs.
Treis is scheduled to be sentenced February 16. As part of his plea, he has agreed to forfeit $128,000 in custody of the Homeland Security Investigations.
Mazhar, 41, pleaded guilty in December 2021 to the same methamphetamine conspiracy charge and was sentenced in March to 13 years in prison. He is currently in a high-security prison in Mississippi.
Dewrock, 53, also pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ricardo Dixon is prosecuting the case.
St. Charles County Business Owner Admits Failing to Pay $3.4 Million in TaxesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –A business owner from St. Charles County, Missouri on Thursday admitted using part of the $2.3 million in income, Social Security and Medicare taxes that he’d withheld from his employees' paychecks for college tuition and mortgage payments on two houses.
Jeffrey M. Bauza, 55, of Weldon Spring, also admitted failing to pay $1 million in employer contributions to the IRS. Bauza pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark to one count of willful failure to collect or pay tax.
Bauza owned the truck driving schools CDL Training Service & Consulting and CDL Training Services of Missouri at the time. The schools prepared students to obtain their commercial driver’s licenses. 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. he was also required to file quarterly employment tax returns. He admitted willfully failing to do so from 2012-2019.
Bauza instead made substantial payments toward the mortgage of his primary home as well as a vacation home in Florida and paid college tuition for one of his children, according to his plea agreement.
As part of the agreement, Bauza agreed to pay back the $1.4 million that he still owes in taxes. He is scheduled to be sentenced next year and could face up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll is prosecuting the case.
Perryville Man Sentenced to Serve 87 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – The United States Attorney's Office announced Thursday that Jonathan D. Drury, 37, of Perryville, Missouri, has been sentenced to serve 87 months in federal prison for the offense of possession of child pornography.
Drury appeared for his sentencing hearing today before United States District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
According to court documents, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at Drury’s residence in June 2021 after developing probable cause that he was obtaining videos containing child pornography over the internet. Drury’s cell phone was seized, which was found to contain numerous videos depicting young children being sexually abused. At his guilty plea hearing earlier this year, Drury admitted that he downloaded the videos from various websites.
After serving his 87-month sentence, Drury will be placed on supervised release for life. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution.
Ferguson Man Faces at Least 15 Years in Prison After Jurors Find Him Guilty of Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court on Wednesday convicted a man from Ferguson, Missouri of a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Due to a series of prior convictions for violent offenses, Anthony Willis, 29, now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison as an armed career criminal.
Willis was found guilty Wednesday after a trial lasting less than two days.
On July 19, 2021, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers saw a Hyundai Elantra fail to stop at a stop sign in the Wells Goodfellow neighborhood and tried to pull the car over.
Willis instead sped up and ran through another stop sign before other officers used spike strips to deflate his tires.
Willis kept going until he hit another vehicle at Goodfellow and Natural bridge. He then ran away but was caught a short distance away. He’d left a loaded Glock handgun in the car.
As a convicted felon, Willis is barred from possessing a firearm. Willis was convicted of the 2010 robbery of a Del Taco in St. Louis and the robbery of a Popeye’s Chicken manager in St. Louis County on two occasions in 2010.
Willis is scheduled to be sentenced March 15.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Martin and Donald Boyce are prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 10+ Years in Prison for Armed Robbery of Jennings Auto Parts StoreRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a St. Louis man to 10 years and five months in prison for the armed robbery of an auto parts store in Jennings before he crashed into a funeral procession while trying to escape police.
Diven Steed, 27, robbed the O’Reilly Auto Parts store in Jennings on Dec. 5, 2020 with a Pioneer Arms “Hellpup” AK-47-style pistol. His co-defendant, Collis Lee, also had a pistol.
Steed and Lee took cash from store registers. Lee pistol-whipped a clerk twice. Steed talked openly about killing the two clerks.
When Steed and Lee left the auto parts store, witnesses pointed them out to police, who had already begun to arrive in response to a 911 call from a customer who had slipped out of the store during the robbery. While fleeing from police with Steed in the car, Lee crashed into a limousine in a three-car funeral procession transporting grieving family members to a funeral home. Five people in the limousine were injured.
Steed got out of his vehicle and ran toward some homes, refusing officers’ orders to drop his gun and presenting a danger to officers and area residents, his plea says. An officer fired twice at Steed, hitting him in the buttocks.
Steed pleaded guilty in August to a robbery charge and a charge of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.
Lee, now 26, of Moline Acres, pleaded guilty to the same charges in December and was sentenced in March to 11 years and three months in prison.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel is prosecuting the case.
Man Admits Participating in Drug-Linked St. Louis MurderRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri on Tuesday admitted participating in a 2017 murder on behalf of a drug gang.
Tremayne Silas, 30, admitted being one of four men who fired more than 100 rounds at Alexander Noodel on May 8, 2017. Silas and the others were responding to a bounty of $5,000 to $15,000 that had been placed on rival gang members by Maurice Herbert Lee II, 34, a dealer of fentanyl and crystal methamphetamine, and had learned that Noodel was drag racing in St. Louis, Silas’ plea agreement says.
Silas and Christopher Jerrin Warlick Jr., now 26, Jerome Lamont Fisher Jr., 30, and Charles Dariel Guice, 27, drove to Noodel’s location in two vehicles, jumped out and opened fire, Silas’ plea agreement says. Noodel was struck in the head. His passenger, who returned fire, escaped.
Lee later paid the bounty for killing Noodel, Silas’ plea agreement says.
Silas was arrested by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department on Jan. 24, 2018 with the rifle he used in the shooting.
Silas pleaded guilty Tuesday in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to a charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crime resulting in death.
At his February 15 sentencing, he faces up to life in prison for the charge.
Lee and the other three alleged shooters have pleaded not guilty to charges and their cases are still pending.
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. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is prosecuting the case.
Chesterfield Psychiatrist Admits Conspiracy Linked to Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A psychiatrist from Chesterfield, Missouri on Tuesday pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk to a felony conspiracy charge and admitted that Medicare, Medicaid and other insurers lost more than $3.8 million based on fraudulent reimbursement claims submitted by clinical laboratories that he owned.
Dr. Franco Sicuro, 67, has also agreed to forfeit $3.1 million from various sources.
Sicuro ran, owned, served as the medical director of or was associated with health care businesses including Millennium Psychiatric Associates LLC (MPA), Advanced Geriatric Management (AGM), Centrec Care, Sleep Consultants of St. Louis LLC, Midwest Toxicology Group, Genotec Dx and Benemed Diagnostics LLC.
In 2014, AGM was certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) and was then allowed to perform quantitative lab testing. That same year, Sicuro and Carlos Himpler opened another lab, Genotec, that was in the same building as AGM but would bill insurance companies as a separate, “out-of-network” lab. To obtain CLIA certification for Genotec, Himpler and AGM staff falsely stated that AGM and Genotec operated as separate labs, although AGM and Genotec shared one part-time employee, the same medical director and the same testing equipment, Sicuro’s plea agreement says. Without the CLIA certification, Genotec could not perform any clinical lab testing.
Sicuro also admitted in his plea that he chose to remain “deliberately ignorant” of the fact that his financial interest in Genotec was concealed from private health care insurers, Medicare, and Medicaid. As a result, the insurers did not know that Sicuro and employees of AGM were referring patients for urine tests to a lab in which Sicuro had a financial interest.
Sicuro also admitted that he and other health care providers at AGM, MPA, Sleep Consultants and Rest Easy of St. Louis LLC, a company run by Himpler, ordered clinical lab tests, including urine toxicology tests, that AGM and Genotec then sent to outside “reference” laboratories for more sophisticated testing that would show the quantities of drugs instead of simply detecting their presence, as AGM’s lab equipment did.
AGM or Genotec paid the reference labs about $125 for a test and then billed insurers significantly more but did not disclose to the insurers that neither AGM nor Genotec had actually performed the tests. Medicare, Medicaid and many private insurers would not have paid the “pass-through billing” claims had they known about it, Sicuro’s plea says.
In 2015, Sicuro and Himpler incorporated Midwest, which they held out as a clinical testing lab although it did not have equipment, staff or supplies necessary to perform tests. Further Midwest was not certified by CLIA or authorized to perform tests of human specimens. Sicuro admitted that he and Himpler knew Midwest was a lab in name only but caused Midwest to bill for clinical lab tests. Sicuro further admitted that he either knew or was willfully blind to the fact that Himpler used Genotec’s CLIA certification number on reimbursement claims submitted by Midwest, deceiving health insurers into believing that Midwest performed the tests. Genotec and Midwest also frequently “split-billed;” each submitted a claim for the testing of the same specimen obtained from the same person on the same day of service.
Sicuro is scheduled to be sentenced February 8. He faces a penalty of up to five years in prison and will be ordered to repay the money.
“Providers engaging in fraudulent schemes not only compromise the integrity of essential federal health care programs but also waste valuable taxpayer dollars,” said Special Agent in Charge Curt L. Muller with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). "Alongside fellow law enforcement agencies, HHS-OIG holds accountable bad actors who exploit these programs for personal gain."
The case is pending against Himpler, 51, of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, health care fraud and money laundering.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the IRS. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dorothy McMurtry, Amy Sestric and Kyle Bateman are prosecuting the case.
Illinois Woman Accused of Stealing $439,000 from BankRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former bank employee from Morrisonville, Illinois was arrested by the FBI Thursday after an indictment accused her of embezzling about $439,000.
Samantha J. Cherry, 35, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on October 26, 2022 on one felony count of theft or embezzlement by a bank officer. The indictment says she took the money from a UMB Bank branch in St. Louis between Jan. 1, 2021 and March 18, 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.
If convicted, the charge carries a potential penalty of up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Roy is prosecuting the case.
Wildwood Man Sentenced to 52 Months for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced a former elementary school teaching assistant from Wildwood to 52 months in prison for possessing child pornography and a lifetime of supervised release.
Connor Brueggemann, 26, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of possession of child pornography. He admitted that a May 4, 2020 tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about the uploading of child pornography triggered an investigation that resulted in a July 14, 2020 search of his house. During the search, Brueggemann, who was then a teaching assistant in a music class at a local elementary school, said “he had done ‘terrible things’ and wanted to get help with his addiction to child pornography,” his plea agreement says.
Investigators found over 360 media items containing child sexual abuse material on Brueggemann’s electronic devices, the plea agreement says.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Collins prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Illinois Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for $157,000 Bank FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced a man from Granite City, Illinois to 33 months in prison for a fraud scheme that cost Commerce Bank at least $157,000. Judge Ross also ordered Wigfall to repay the money.
Beginning in 2018, Clarence Wigfall Jr., 33, deposited hundreds of worthless checks into at least 55 separate accounts. He started by asking Commerce Bank account holders in public Facebook posts and elsewhere to give him their debit cards and account information in exchange for cash. Wigfall then deposited worthless checks into their accounts via ATMs in eastern Missouri and southern Illinois, often shielding himself from view of surveillance cameras with a piece of paper. He and his associates then withdrew money before the bank detected the fraud. The checks had been written on frozen accounts, blocked accounts, closed accounts, fake accounts and accounts with insufficient funds. Some of the checks also had forged signatures.
At least ten of the checking account holders did not authorize Wigfall to use their information in his scheme.
Wigfall pleaded guilty in August to a bank fraud charge.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Chesterfield Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Sex with Kansas TeenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Wednesday sentenced a man from Chesterfield, Missouri to 15 years in prison for taking a 15-year-old from Kansas to Missouri for sex.
John Kenneth Low, 39, will be on supervised release for life after his release from prison.
Low pleaded guilty at the start of the hearing Wednesday to coercion and enticement of a minor, transportation of a minor across state lines with the intent of committing an illegal sex act and travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Low admitted meeting a 15-year-old Kansas girl on the Omegle app and using the Discord app to communicate with her and successfully encourage her to run away and live with him.
On Jan. 23, 2022, after quizzing the victim about how she would get out of the house without being caught and telling her to erase her phone before she left it behind, Low picked up the victim from a location near her home and took her to his home in Chesterfield.
The girl’s mother contacted local police, who along with the FBI connected her to Low. FBI agents and Chesterfield police found the girl at Low’s apartment. Low had illegal sexual contact with her while she was at the apartment, Low admitted in his plea.
The teen’s mother spoke during the sentencing portion of Wednesday's hearing, saying, “John Low has ruined our lives.”
The mother said her daughter was “was special, sweet, quiet and depressed, which allowed her to be coerced,” adding, “She cannot be a normal teen due to the trauma he caused to this child.”
Low also agreed as part of his plea to forfeit four cell phones, three tablet computers, a laptop, nine hard drives and storage devices that were seized during the investigation.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Chesterfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
17 Domain Names Linked to Online Scams Seized and FrozenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Seventeen domain names linked with work-from-home and reshipping scams were seized Thursday and shut down by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI.
The websites were being used to commit identity theft, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud and mail and wire fraud via the scams, according to a court affidavit used to initiate the seizures.
Scammers tricked some job seekers into receiving stolen goods, merchandise or money often obtained via identity theft or credit card fraud and reshipping those items to another address controlled by the scammers. Many of these unsuspecting victims believed they were accepting jobs with a legitimate company and performing a legitimate job function. Others were told to make purchases with their personal credit cards that were not reimbursed.
Scammers use the job seekers to help insulate themselves from law enforcement. They also often use fictional company names, addresses and domains to avoid detection and thwart negative news or reviews posted online by previous victims.
The investigation began in February of 2021, when a scammer used someone else’s credit card to order a virtual reality headset and had it shipped to a home in Hazelwood, Missouri. The victim reported the theft to the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, which conducted a preliminary investigation and then forwarded the information to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
A postal inspector learned that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the home’s occupant sought and obtained work-from-home employment as a “Quality Control Inspector” with Local Post for International Customers LLC or “LocalPost.”
The occupant was paid $20 to photograph a package and its contents and then reship the items to another address using a shipping label provided by LocalPost.
The Hazelwood woman allowed investigators to use her credentials to log on to the LocalPost online dashboard, where records showed 25 packages shipped to the Hazelwood address, including a $1,500 laptop fraudulently purchased with a St. Louis County man’s credit card.
Investigators found multiple links suggesting the scammers were located in Russia.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received 64 complaints associated with the scammers. A Texas victim was hired as a “Logistics inspector” by the company Navois USA LLC to make purchases with their own credit card. The victim spent about $32,000 that was not reimbursed.
The Federal Trade Commission received 56 complaints about the websites.
The U.S. Attorney's Office.“Although the scammers who defrauded an untold number of people are hiding from justice in foreign countries, we’ve shut off their ability to perpetuate the scams by shutting down these websites,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming. “This case should serve as a warning to them, and to those who may be tricked into participating in similar scams in the future. Anyone approached with a work-from-home opportunity should thoroughly investigate their prospective employer before sharing any personal information. Both the Federal Trade Commission and the AARP have information on spotting and reporting such scams, and victims can report these crimes to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service via www.uspis.gov/report or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, www.ic3.gov.”
Acting Inspector in Charge Kai Pickens, who heads the United States Postal Inspection Service’s St. Louis Field Office, stated, “The seizure of these domains is the result of a successful joint prevention effort between the Postal Inspection Service and the FBI. Protecting consumers from mail fraud operations that utilize websites to re-ship stolen goods is a vital part of our agency’s mission.”
“This is yet another type of cyber fraud that criminals, often overseas, are using to victimize hard-working Americans,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “To avoid the vast majority of online scams, make it a habit to ‘Always Doubt and Check It Out.’ With this type of scheme, do an internet search of the ‘business’ addresses provided and then call the phone number of that location to verify.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Derek Wiseman is handling the case.
attachment_a.pdfSt. Louis Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Threatening to Blow up a St. Louis SynagogueRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a man to 30 months in prison for threatening to blow up a St. Louis synagogue in 2021.
Cody Steven Rush, 30, pleaded guilty in August to use of a telephone and instrument of interstate commerce to make a threat. He admitted calling the St. Louis office of the FBI multiple times on Nov. 5, 2021 and threatening to blow up the Central Reform Congregation in St. Louis. Rush said he would take action the next morning, when people were inside. Rush said he hated Jewish people.
In a third call, Rush gave his location, which was on the same street as the CRC. When authorities called Rush back, he again made threats.
Officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI found Rush, who told them, “I am feeling suicidal and homicidal. I just feel like killing Jews.” He was arrested without incident.
Rush’s lawyer, Lucille Liggett, said in Tuesday’s sentencing hearing that Rush has mental health issues, suffered a brain injury and has PTSD.
Judge Autrey ordered Rush to undergo a mental health evaluation in prison and upon his release.
“Cody Steven Rush has already proven he is capable of violence with his criminal history. He attempted to burn down his own family’s home and a neighbor’s home on separate occasions,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Today’s sentencing is a clear warning that anyone who threatens the civil rights of others stands to lose his or her own freedom.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department.
Maryland Heights Man Admits Sex with Teen He Met OnlineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Maryland Heights, Missouri on Tuesday pleaded guilty to a federal crime and admitted having sexual contact with a 15-year-old that he’d met online.
Daniel J. Todd, 33, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. Todd, who was then 32, communicated over social media with a 15-year-old girl between October of 2021 and February of 2022. After they arranged to meet, Todd picked up the victim from her home in St. Charles County on Dec. 4, 2021 and took her to his home, where he committed statutory sodomy. Todd admitted lying to the victim, telling her that he was 24. He also admitted acknowledging in communications with her afterwards that sexual contact between them is “technically rape and I could be arrested.”
Todd initially lied to law enforcement in an April 5, 2022 interview, denying any sexual contact with the girl. When confronted with their communications, he admitted having sexual contact with the minor despite knowing it was against the law.
As part of Todd’s plea, both prosecutors and Todd’s lawyer agreed to ask for 10 years in prison and a lifetime term of supervised release when he’s sentenced on February 9, 2023, but the decision is ultimately up to Judge Autrey.
The case was investigated by the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force, the Maryland Heights Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
Man Admits Stealing Dozens of Catalytic Converters from Around St. LouisRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from East St. Louis on Tuesday admitted stealing 39 catalytic converters from trucks and vans around the St. Louis area.
Matthew Jennings, 31, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel to one felony count of conspiracy to transport and sell stolen goods. He admitted that beginning in December of 2019, he and his co-defendant, D’Ante Carter, stole catalytic converters from vehicles in the St. Louis area and sold them for scrap.
Jennings admitted stealing a total of 39 catalytic converters and trying to steal three more, primarily from pickup trucks and vans parked overnight at landscaping companies, other commercial businesses and an organization that helps those with disabilities.
Carter acted as lookout and Jennings used a reciprocating saw to cut the converters, which contain trace amounts of precious metals, free from the vehicles. The men then sold the converters to a recycling company in Illinois, their plea agreements say.
Jennings is scheduled to be sentenced February 10. The charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.
Carter, 38, of Florissant, was sentenced to nine months in prison in September and ordered to pay $46,001 in restitution to victims. He also pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge.
The FBI and the St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Creve Coeur, Bridgeton, Maryland Heights, O’Fallon, Missouri and Webster Groves police departments investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware prosecuted the case.
Man Admits Involvement in 21-Carjacking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man pleaded guilty to five felony charges Monday and admitted being involved in a conspiracy believed responsible for 21 carjackings in the St. Louis area.
Detrich Lamon Williams Jr., 20, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk to all five charges he is facing: 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.
Williams admitted as part of his plea that he was among a group of teenagers from the Castle Point neighborhood in St. Louis County that was involved in a series of carjackings in St. Louis and St. Louis County between July and October of 2020. Police believe the group committed a total of 21 carjackings, Williams’ plea says.
In many of the carjackings, Williams got out of a car driven by someone else and stole the victims’ vehicles at gunpoint. Several victims said the carjacker used a pistol with a green laser sight.
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.
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.
On Oct. 11, 2020, Williams approached a woman who had just parked and exited her vehicle at the South County Mall, fired a shot in the air and stole the woman’s purse and 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee, he admitted in his plea.
Later that same day, Williams was with three others in St. Louis when they spotted a Jeep Cherokee. Williams and the driver stayed in the vehicle while the others confronted the owner of the Jeep, and one of the others shot the Jeep’s owner before the group fled, Williams’ plea says.
Williams’ sentencing has been set for January 31. He faces at least 17 years in prison for the brandishing and discharge counts, due to their mandatory minimum sentences, that will be consecutive to the other three charges.
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.
Former St. Louis Insurance Agent Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Aiding Reality Show Star’s Murder ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Monday sentenced a former insurance agent to three years in prison for helping a former reality show star fraudulently obtain life insurance on the nephew the star later had killed.
Judge Ross said there was no evidence that Waiel “Wally” Rebhi Yaghnam knew that a murder was going to occur when he committed insurance fraud, but added, “It was a foreseeable outcome that bad things were going to happen.”
Yaghnam, 44, pleaded guilty in July to a charge of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. He admitted conspiring with James Timothy Norman to fraudulently obtain a life insurance policy on Norman’s nephew, Andre Montgomery Jr.
Norman and Yaghnam began submitting life insurance applications in October 2014 containing numerous false statements regarding Montgomery’s income, net worth, medical history, employment and family background in an attempt to obtain policies.
One $200,000 policy was ultimately issued that contained a $200,000 accidental death rider that would pay out if Montgomery died of something other than natural causes, and a $50,000 term rider that would pay out if Montgomery died within 10 years of the policy’s issuance.
After Montgomery, 21, was fatally shot by Travell Anthony Hill at 3964 Natural Bridge Avenue in St. Louis on March 14, 2016, Norman repeatedly contacted the insurance company about the claim, and later hired an attorney to help. Yaghnam placed two telephone calls to the insurance agencies seeking to file a claim.
Montgomery’s relatives pointed out in statements during Monday’s hearing that Yaghnam coached Norman on how to pretend to be Montgomery to obtain the policy, a policy that was necessary to make the murder-for-hire profitable for Norman.
Norman and Montgomery appeared on the reality show Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s.
Hill, 31, was sentenced last month to 32 years in prison for a charge of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and one count of murder-for-hire.
The sentencing for Norman, 43, who was convicted in September of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, is set for March 2.
Another co-defendant, Terica Ellis, 38, is scheduled to be sentenced January 10 on the murder-for-hire conspiracy charge. Ellis, an exotic dancer from Memphis, Tennessee, admitted helping Norman find Montgomery, provide his location to Hill and lure Montgomery outside before the shooting.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angie Danis and Gwendolyn Carroll are prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 22 Years for Multiple RobberiesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Thursday sentenced a man from St. Louis County, Missouri to 22 years in prison for the armed robbery of four stores and for trying to rob a fifth.
Demetrius Smith, 35, pleaded guilty July 25, just before his jury trial was set to begin, to four robbery counts and one attempted robbery. He admitted committing armed robberies of a T-Mobile store in Creve Coeur on Nov. 15, 2018, a MetroPCS in Bridgeton on Nov. 21, 2018 and a Bucky’s Express gas station and a QuikTrip in Maryland Heights on Nov. 24, 2018. He also tried to rob a 7-Eleven in St. Louis County on Nov. 24, 2018.
A total of six separate employees were present during the robberies, including a woman who was grabbed, threatened and forced to her knees by Smith, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel said during Thursday's sentencing hearing.
Smith used his cell phone to call the stores before the robberies to see if a manager was present, because he thought a manager was more likely to be able to access the safe. He then walked by the stores, waiting for a moment when there were no customers and only a single employee in the store before robbing it. If a customer came in during the robbery, he abandoned the robbery and fled.
On November 26, 2018, police from the Overland Police Department located Smith at his apartment as they were investigating the robbery of the Bucky’s Express. Police searched the car that Smith rented and used during the robberies and found a duffel bag, gloves and clothing that he used at some of the robberies and the firearm he used in all five robberies.
In addition to the prison time, Judge White ordered Smith to pay $25,370 in restitution.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Overland Police Department, the Bridgeton Police Department, the Creve Coeur Police Department, the Maryland Heights Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel is prosecuting the case.